Preserving Information Integrity for Democracy

Hi all, 

One of the interesting things about teaching information is that it often involves a domain that we have to consider. At UMSI, those domains have included health, transportation, education, and more. Since the very early days of the Community Information Corps and embedded in our roots in the library profession, another domain we’ve always been attached to is civics. 

Information plays an essential role in civic life. As we’ve seen in recent US elections, good information is both essential and fragile. As an information school, it is our responsibility to preserve, teach, and promote the ethical use of good information. Civic information is not just important at the international and national level but is hyperlocal as well. UMSI has offered classes and projects that engage civic processes since its inception, and they remain a core part of our pedagogy. After all, the highest goal of the university is to develop citizens and community members who are informed leaders.

As part of the U-M Year of Democracy, UMSI students and faculty are actively assessing the role of information in democratic processes. In fact, right now, they’re gathered with scholars from across campus and experts from around the country to discuss Information’s Democracy Dilemma and the critical role information plays in preserving democracy. You, too, are welcome to attend any of the sessions today and tomorrow, as we explore the complex, often messy relationship between information systems and democratic institutions.

The opportunity to connect what we’re doing in our research and classrooms to the real-world debates and decisions that will define the future of democracy is just one piece of our broader efforts to use our educational mission to make a better world. Information integrity and how we help train people to assess the value of information will be a challenge of our time, and we are the school best positioned to help lead people through that challenge.

Best,

Cliff Lampe, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs