FHSLA Annual Meeting: Speaker Highlight #2

The annual meeting is coming soon, but registration is still open! We've love to see you there! For more details and to register, see: https://med-fsu.libguides.com/fhsla2025 .

We're highlighting our next speaker today, Bethany McGowan. Bethany is an internationally recognized educator and researcher specializing in information diplomacy, misinformation management, and information literacy interventions. An Associate Professor in the Libraries and School of Information Studies at Purdue University, she leads research on infodemic management, health information-seeking behavior, and the role of libraries in fostering digital equity. A 2023-24 Fulbright Scholar Alumna and recipient of the Estelle Brodman Academic Health Sciences Librarian of the Year award, her work is deeply rooted in community engagement, collaborating with diverse groups to develop inclusive, evidence-based information access strategies. She has secured over $250K in research funding and is committed to empowering communities through service-learning, instructional design, and interdisciplinary public scholarship.

Bethany will be teaching a continuing education session on, "Engaging Communities for Information Resilience: Trust-Building Through Information Diplomacy." This talk explores information diplomacy as a strategic approach to strengthening community engagement, enhancing information literacy, and cultivating trust in information ecosystems. Through research insights and real-world case studies, we will examine how communities can be empowered to critically navigate misleading information, apply diplomatic principles to foster meaningful dialogue, and build sustainable, trust-based information networks.

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