Below are the citation and abstract of a paper from Iran in the journal Information Development, and a comment from me. Unfortunately the full text is behind a paywall, which ironically seems to be the case for much LIS research.
CITATION: The role of health librarians in combating misinformation: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic
Samira Borji, Sirous Panahi, and Maryam Razmgir maryam.razmgir@gmail.com
https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669241306721
ABSTRACT
Introduction
The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in numerous human and financial losses. During this period, a great deal of information about the disease was disseminated; resulting in the emergence of a high volume of misinformation, which posed a threat to public health. Many organizations and healthcare professionals, including health librarians, were involved in managing misinformation. The present study aimed to investigate the role of health librarians in combating misinformation.
Methodology
This study employed a qualitative research method using a content analysis approach in 2022. The data collection method was semi-structured interviews, and sampling was done purposively. A total of 25 library professionals participated in the interviews including health librarians, library science academic staff, and library managers. The data were collected through mobile phones and face-to-face interactions and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results
The results showed that “lack of reliable information” and “lots of gossip” are the main reasons for spreading misinformation. Medical librarians were recognized as key players in combating health misinformation. The study led to the identification of 4 roles for health librarians that significantly influence managing misinformation. These roles were “educational role”, “evaluation role”, “information counseling role”, and “research role”. The “educational role” was the most frequent role revealed.
Conclusion
It is recommended to establish secure channels for sharing accurate information. Moreover, systematically documenting libraries’ experiences and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic or similar crises is essential for improving their preparedness for any future crisis.
COMMENT (NPW): This paper again points to lack of reliable healthcare information being a key reason for spreading misinformation. HIFA's global consultation has concluded that WHO should explicitly champion the goal of universal access to reliable heealthcare information and should convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy for its realisation. The HIFA-WHO Collaboration Plan 2025-2027 is taking this forward and we welcome any support that you can provide: https://www.hifa.org/news/world-health-organization-renews-official-rela...
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org