Dismantling Conspiracy Theories: Metaliteracy and Other Strategies for an Information-Disordered World

This book will explore the issue of information disorder in our society, explore how conspiracy theories are shaping citizen engagement with information and reality, and weave throughout how metaliteracy and information literacy can be utilized to produce a more democratic, civil discourse. It provides a desperately needed look at the problems of our information disordered society and the rise of superconspiracies like QAnon, and how information professionals can help shape societal engagement with information.

Katie Greer is associate professor at Oakland University in Rochester, MI. She has a MA in Art History from the University of Notre Dame, a MLIS from Drexel University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership from Oakland University. Her published research includes undergraduate information behaviors and best practices for online pedagogy and information literacy. She is currently studying the problems of conspiracy ideation and how that is affecting information professionals, and how librarians and educators can utilize pedagogical and affective strategies to help engender metaliterate and information literate learners.

Stephanie Beene is associate professor and Art, Architecture, and Planning Librarian at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In this capacity, she supports the teaching, learning, and research of students and faculty within the Art Department in the College of Fine Arts and the School of Architecture and Planning. Stephanie received an MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in Art History from the University of California, Riverside, and a BA in Art and Art History from Colorado State University. She has worked as an educator, librarian, and visual resources curator. Her research interests include visual and information literacy frameworks as they relate to trust, lifelong learning and the politics of identity.