Wednesday June 7 at 2:00 pm US Eastern, 11:00 am US Pacific

Conspiracy theories are nothing new, but the amplifying power of digital technology has turned the dial on conspiracy theories up to eleven. Librarians (and others) who hope to promote information literacy and foster critical thinking skills too often find their voices drowned out by the chatter of conspiracy theories.

Join Donald Barclay to examine the history, components, and appeal of conspiracy theories. Understanding how conspiracy theories work–and why their conclusions are spurious–is essential for teaching students and others to identify and avoid conspiracy theories as well as for reaching out to those caught in the trap of conspiracist ideation.

Topics covered in the webinar include:

 
* Actual conspiracies versus conspiracy theories
* Falsifiability and circular reasoning
* Conspiracy theories and digital technology
* Types of conspiracy theories
* Characteristics of conspiracy theories
* The appeal of conspiracy theories

If you're interested but not able to attend the live webinar, go ahead and register. We'll send a recording to all registrants after the fact.

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About Donald

Donald A. Barclay began working as an academic librarian in 1990, holding positions at New Mexico State University, the University of Houston, the Texas Medical Center, and the University of California, Merced. After joining UC Merced in 2002, he held several leadership positions in the library until his retirement in June 2022. He has authored numerous articles and books, including Fake News, Propaganda, and Plain Old Lies: How to Find Trustworthy Information in the Digital Age, which was published by Roman Littlefield in June 2018 and spent two months as an Amazon #1 New Release. His follow-up book, Disinformation: The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era came out in April 2022. He is currently working on a history of U.S. academic libraries in the digital age while serving a term as president of the Friends of the Merced County Library.

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