The foundational project of the Master’s in Library and Information Science Program offered by Dominican University is the Core Values Paper. Directed to choose “a core professional value or ethic of the information professions,” the paper explores how this core professional value has evolved and will continue to change when facing the pressures and developments in the information ecosystem. For my topic, I chose to explore how the rapidly shifting landscape of social media misinformation is overwhelming librarians dedicated to improving information literacy.

Researching a value like “information literacy” and how it pertains to social media and misinformation gave me the chance to explore the established literature on a core topic in the field, and also to see how it has been applied in academic, political, and public service contexts. The paper challenged me to analyze the history within a modern and constantly changing framework. I had to develop my own conclusions on applying this value to my professional practice, and find the best way to communicate those conclusions to a scholarly audience. Part of that communication is the paper attached here.