Information Literacy for Digital Citizens: Examining the Role of Community Libraries in Reducing Misinformation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/1518-2924.2026.e110306Keywords:
Information literacy, Misinformation, Community libraries, Critical pedagogyAbstract
Objective: This study investigated the potential of community libraries in West Sumatra, Indonesia, to foster information literacy (IL) among digital citizens and to counter misinformation.
Method: The study used mixed-methods design. Through in-depth interviews, focus groups, a patron survey (N=147), and a participatory workshop. The research explored current library roles, assessed patron literacy levels, and co-developed an intervention framework.
Result: The Results revealed that libraries are trusted community hubs but perceive a limited role in digital literacy, constrained by internal skills deficits and external anxieties about compromising their valued neutrality. Patrons exhibited a moderate self-efficacy poorly calibrated to their actual performance on misinformation discernment tasks, relying heavily on social rather than analytical verification heuristics. The co-developed "Community Anchor" framework proposes a reframing of the librarian's role from content provider to facilitated host, connecting community assets and facilitating low-tech critical dialogue.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that leveraging existing social trust requires navigating the tension between activist critical information literacy (CIL) praxis and the community's expectation of political neutrality. This study offers a novel, asset-based model for empowering grassroots institutions as frontline agents of epistemic resilience.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ciptro Handrianto, Setiawati Setiawati, Zahratul Azizah, Fitri Dwi Arini, Saripah Banseng
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