Social media has changed today’s information and communication world. Rampant mis/disinformation has eroded users’ trust in social media platforms. Through research, we look at how design considerations can influence what makes an information system “trustworthy.” For this project, we are sponsored by the Center for an Informed Public (CIP) and conducted an extensive literature review of 23 papers. We used our research insights to make a design toolkit to help designers building platforms build trust through the design process.

In collaboration with Green River College’s Holman Library, we developed tools and best practices for implementing an equity-first approach to evaluating and managing Holman’s video tutorial collection. Designed to center students’ relationship to these instructional materials, we built an evaluative rubric and controlled vocabulary to identify criteria for a collection of internal and open access instructional materials and make recommendations for content and structure. Establishing values, frameworks, and tools for collection-building at the intersection of critical information literacy, inclusive pedagogy, and instructional design aims to locate student users as active participants in their navigation of library resources and research processes.

Oftentimes, those with the most important messages to share have neither the time nor money to create the most effective media for communicating their messages to others. Research has been done on this topic; however, it is largely inaccessible in both cost and writing. GRID is a free, readable, research-based web guide on how to write more readable documents, aimed at those working for social good. It takes research-based guidelines and professional industry practices and makes them easy to digest and implement for any screen-based document.

In many cases, information literacy instruction in academic settings is something that occurs piecemeal and predominantly in the first year. I set out to design an Open Educational Resource that will help ensure students towards the end of their academic careers have a solid foundation in information literacy by reminding them of earlier lessons and filling in any blanks. With the help of the instructional librarians at Occidental College, I have produced the course plan for this resource, which will supplement the instructional efforts of librarians and ensure our students reach their senior year and beyond as information literate individuals.

INFO 101: Research Essentials is a 2-credit course taught by librarians at Pierce College that introduces students to research skills, ranging from building a topic to locating and evaluating information. For this project, the librarians were interested in assessing and updating the current course shell or set of foundational modules to see how they could build a more inclusive, anti-racist course. Through a survey of librarians, research of anti-racist teaching tools, assessment, and revision of the course, we were able to pinpoint ways to better support students and highlight their unique perspectives.

Some tribal leaders and communities may not have access to the information they need. There are many factors at work, including unreliable internet access, paywalls and academic jargon, limited resources, etc. At the same time, the pressure is on tribal communities to respond to pressing issues like climate change, water security, global pandemics, data sovereignty, and more. By developing and sharing these modules, with tribal citizens as our core audience, we hope to place information in the hands of communities so they can share and disseminate this knowledge as they wish.

Interest in Portuguese Studies is growing, as evidenced by a new Minor in Portuguese Language and Luso-Brazilian Studies at the University of Washington. Previously, Portuguese was only taught to the 200-level course. Now, students are researching in Portuguese and can access a collection with 300 items published in Brazil, Portugal, Mozambique, and two LibGuides with digital collections and repositories from Lusophone countries. This project aimed to improve the Portuguese studies collections, teaching, and research support services to meet students' information needs.

Schools have access to databases through public libraries, but students and teachers utilize few of them. Our project raised awareness of two databases that third grade dual language teachers and students were not already using: World Book Online Kids and Britannica Library Children. Our curriculum map showed teachers which features and articles align with their science curriculum and standards, while a video compared and contrasted the two, making it easier for teachers to add these resources into corresponding lessons. A video tutorial for students showed them how to access Britannica so they could use it independently.

My Capstone Project was concerned with information literacy among public library users, and produced educational and informational resources. These resources consisted of two public programs concerning the ways in which people navigate and share information online. The first provided an online security overview, focusing on how cookies and personal data are used by websites and social media, along with tools to protect their privacy. The second covered digital minimalism, helping attendees find and discuss ways to achieve a healthier balance in their online activities. Both programs were well received and have resulted in patrons taking control of their online behavior.