Working together for Information Integrity: the Role of Libraries in Europe

We are at a time of growing awareness of both the opportunities that advances in knowledge bring, and the threats of inaccurate or harmful speech. In this context, the UN Secretary General, already in 2021, highlighted the importance of information integrity as a key determinant of success in wider policy efforts.
This work is advancing rapidly towards publishing a UN Code of Conduct on Information Integrity in the coming months, which will address mis- and disinformation, hate speech, and protecting ourselves and our communities from harmful content.
Libraries meanwhile have long focused on how to ensure that users have the possibility to access high-quality information, and the skills to appreciate and use it. This experience and expertise, as well as their reach across societies, makes them powerful potential partners in advancing this agenda.
In the first of a series of six regional workshops, we therefore ask the questions:
- What does information integrity mean?
- What are the key issues and questions behind the upcoming UN Code of Conduct on the topic?
- How are libraries impacted by mis- and disinformation? What can we learn from each other to counter this?
- How can libraries realise their potential to contribute, at all levels, to building a healthy information environment?
Speakers
Divina Frau-Meigs, Media Sociologist, Sorbonne University (France)
Paul Kilkenny, Assistant Principal, Digital Policy Analyst, Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Ireland)
Sherri Aldis, Director, UN Regional Information Centre, Brussels (Belgium)
Greta Kėvelaitienė, 2022-2023 Media and information literacy program coordinator in Lithuanian libraries
Ertugrul Cimen, Chair, IFLA Europe Regional Division Committee (Turkiye)