InfoTrac: A Trusted Source for Current, Accurate, and Balanced News

| By Sara Constantakis |

In our internet-driven world, news comes at us from every direction and from many different sources. But just because a news story shows up in our Facebook or Twitter feed doesn’t mean it’s credible or authoritative. The proliferation of fake news is a growing problem, since the internet makes it easy for anyone to publish something that looks like a real news story. In addition, many news publications lean in one direction or another on the political spectrum, which influences the way they present information. That’s why it’s important for everyone, from the student to the general reader, to understand where news comes from and how the source of an article may influence its presentation of the facts.

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Library Media Specialist Points Fellow Librarians to Opposing Viewpoints In Context

Originally posted on School Library Journal, February 15, 2017 Fake news is everywhere, and many Americans in this digital age struggle to sort fact from fiction. As the concern for fake news and what to to with it grows, students and researchers are turning to the library for reliable, authoritative tools to aid proper research. … Read more

Fake News

By Traci Cothran

So a man reads a story about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of the Comet Ping Pong pizza shop, and he decides to take action—taking a rifle into the restaurant and firing it before he is stopped, fortunately without harming anyone.  This really happened, but the problem is the child sex ring story wasn’t true, and thus “Pizzagate” was born.

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Do You Keep Your Library’s Business Resources Hidden?

Posted on May 5, 2016

You may remember last year when we published a blog about Samantha Cole’s editorial in Fast Company magazine. Since it’s National Small Business Week, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make sure you’re not missing out on an opportunity to leverage the gift of free advertising. Keep reading; it’s not too late.

Cole’s article, “Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library,” perfectly tells the value story of public libraries and specifically, how you support local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth. Do you ever read or hear something and think to yourself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”? This is one of those moments. What Cole has explained about libraries—and how she has explained it—is evidence-based and right on point.

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Truth Be Told: 5 Fast Facts about Juice Fasting

juicing library resources

By Harmony Faust

There are several people in my inner circle who regularly and voluntarily consume nothing but fruit, vegetable and plant juices for days at a time. This. Blows. My. Mind. Juice fasting is a practice I’ve been hearing about for years and I still don’t get it.

If I’m being completely honest, the crux of my problem with juice fasting probably lies at the intersection of my natural skepticism and laziness—I don’t have a great track record with activities related to health and fitness.

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Do you keep your library’s business resources hidden?

Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library

By Harmony Faust

Samantha Cole, an editorial intern for Fast Company magazine, just gave your library a present—did you accept it graciously and immediately put it to good use? If not, you might be missing out on an opportunity to leverage the gift of free advertising. Keep reading; it’s not too late.

Cole’s article, “Who Needs Business School? The Hidden Startup Resources at your Local Library,” perfectly tells the value story of public libraries and specifically, how you support local entrepreneurs and foster economic growth. Do you ever read or hear something and think to yourself, “I couldn’t have said it better myself!”? This is one of those moments. What Cole has explained about libraries—and how she has explained it—is evidence-based and right on point.

Read moreDo you keep your library’s business resources hidden?

Truth Be Told: What is oil pulling and does it work?

does oil pulling work

By Harmony Faust

“Oil whatting?”

If that’s your response to the phrase oil pulling, you are not alone. What is oil pulling and why is everyone buzzing about it? First of all, it turns out that it’s not an alternative to fracking and has nothing to do with the environment. Based on the context clues provided in the various Facebook statuses and Pinterest pins I’d been seeing, I was able to gather it was a health fad of some sort. Not being much of a bandwagoner myself, I kept scrolling. 

Read moreTruth Be Told: What is oil pulling and does it work?