Librarians Use of Information Literacy Strategic Tools for Teaching Students in Nigeria Universities to Combat Fake News and Misinformation

Abstract

The research assessed the extent of use of Information literacy tools by librarians in Nigeria for teaching undergraduate students skills to combat fake news. The research method was document analysis. The research analysed forty-four course materials currently used by Librarians for teaching an information literacy course coded GST 121 (Use of Library, Study Skills and Information Communication Technology. The research also examined library websites of 20 universities in Nigeria to determine availability of fake news content. Findings show there were no module or chapter on fake news and misinformation in the 44 course materials reviewed. Equally, there was no content on fake news on the library websites. However, the course materials included media and information literacy modules which are underlining competencies that are important in guarding against fake news and misinformation. The librarians provided instructional units on online bibliographic databases in more than half (56.8%) of the course materials. There were added units on database literature search (38.6%) and search engine information search (27.6%). Only a small percentage had units on evaluating information (11.4%). It is recommended that librarians should review the GST 121 curriculum and include distinct modules on evaluating information, fact-checking, spotting and combating fake news and misinformation