It's that time of year, and I was searching for my mother's Christmas Pudding recipe (which I archived on this blog in 2015): googling information literacy christmas pudding. Seeking the link I wanted, my eye was caught by the "AI overview", which, to my surprise, had attempted to cobble together something about information literacy as applied to Christmas Puddings. Can I do better than Google Gemini? I rather think I can! Christmas puddings: through the lens of the ACRL Information Literacy Framework All quotations in blue are from the Framework Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Here we have to consider both the pudding itself and the recipe. So, who is an authority for recipes? There are several candidates: celebrity chefs (high citation counts), recipes from the earliest days of festive puddings (historical accuracy), the first hit you get when searching christmas pudding recipes (algorithmic calculation), your mother's recipe (she's your mother). Now, ACRL tells us that we must "view authority with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought." Therefore we ought to look at other people's mothers' recipes, recipes that have none of the ingredients you'd expect to find in a pudding, dubious-looking recipes from the 1960s, and the last recipe to be posted on tiktok. However, at the end of the day, "the information need may help to determine the level of authority required." I want a recipe that will deliver a pudding I know I like to eat, so my mother's recipe it is. It will be a similar process in deciding "who is the authority who decides that this is the best pudding?" If they are a jury member at the International Taste Institute they must know a thing or two about good food, as must the head buyer responsible for seasonal desserts at a leading supermarket chain. The Consumers' Association is bound to have conducted tests, with proper criteria and everything and with my expert googling powers I can identify the "Christmas puddings: ranked" articles in all media outlets and see which is consistently top. Once again, though, information literates "recognize that unlikely voices can be authoritative, depending on need." Thus, deficient though I am in any cookery qualification, I determine that the ultimate authority for judging "is this pudding nice?" is - me. Research as Inquiry Information literate learners "appreciate that a question may appear to be simple but still disruptive and important to research". Therefore they will find the question "What is a Christmas pudding, anyway?" meaningful and worthy of inquiry. In pursuing this, they will "maintain an open mind and a critical stance" (is it even a pudding?), "demonstrate intellectual humility" (admit they know nothing of the history of cooking) and "seek appropriate help when needed" (what does Wikipedia say about puddings?) Information Has Value As we all know, information has "several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world." The information contained in my mother's Christmas Pudding recipe can educate you about what a woman born in the 1920s thought should go into a Christmas Pudding (it is not, for example, vegetarian). It could be valuable if you use the recipe to produce the expensive commodity of Fortnum & Mason's' luxury pudding for non-vegetarians and make a tidy profit. You may think there is social capital in proving that your mother could cook. Also, "Experts understand that value may be wielded by powerful interests in ways that marginalize certain voices": so they will know that Elon Musk's (2025) Super-duper seasonal recipes book is not value for money, ignoring, as it does, the Christmas Pudding recipes of ordinary working people. Scholarship as Conversation "Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations." Indeed, debates about what should go in a Christmas pudding, what recipes are used in different countries, how you cook it (steamed, boiled or microwaved?), what it symbolises etc. etc. rage, in humble kitchens and in the ivory towers of academe. See, for example, Brieger et al. (2014), Chevalier (2018), Williams (1897), or Young (2005). Should one even be eating this embodiment of one's colonial past? Discuss. Information Creation as a Process It certainly is! You can't just think up a successful recipe without going through a process. You have to "look to the underlying processes of creation as well as the final product to critically evaluate the usefulness of the information." Critical questions are "Did this cook actually taste the pudding?" and "Is this pudding recipe just a random collection of ingredients suggested by AI?" You would expect the recipe creator to "value the process of matching an information need with an appropriate product", for example, it needs some spice and they select (say) cinnamon, rather than jalapeno pepper. They would also be able to "articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes" and thus rank a recipe developed through thoughtful addition of ingredients and judicious tasting of the end products higher than a vaguely-worded recipe that now and then produced something edible. You also need to "look beyond format when selecting resources to use": yes, usually you always use videos for recipe guides, but perhaps you could, after all, benefit from my mother's Christmas Pudding recipe, even though it's just written down. Searching as Strategic Exploration Information literate people will "determine the initial scope of the task required to meet their information needs." The recipe they use will be determined like questions like: What size of pudding do I want? Will I be serving it to vegan friends? How far am I prepared to go in terms of exotic ingredients? Can I be bothered with steaming? They will "identify interested parties, such as scholars, organizations, governments, and industries, who might produce information about a topic" (see above)  and then "determine how to access that information" (shall I buy a cookery book? shall I go straight to a trusted source like this or this? what about Youtube?). Using "different types of searching language" (Christmas, Xmas, Figgy) one will "recognize the value of browsing and other serendipitous methods of information gathering" (scroll through all the photos of puddings to spot the yummiest). However, you also need to "know when [you] have enough information to complete the information task". Perhaps I'll just follow my mother's Christmas pudding recipe, after all. Good information literate eating! If you found this even vaguely amusing you might like the SCONUL 7 Pillars of chocolate literacy which is shorter and probably wittier. Images Photo of Christmas puddings potted up ready for steaming by Sheila Webber, taken November 2025. Holly image by Ted Balmer on Unsplash References Brieger, D. G., Amir, A. B., Punch, G. J., Lim, C. S. H., & Toh, J. (2014). What proof is in your Christmas pudding? Is caring under the influence possible? Medical Journal of Australia, 201(11), 702-704. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja14.01478 Chevalier, N. (2018). Iconic dishes, culture and identity: The Christmas pudding and its hundred years’ journey in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and India. Food, Culture & Society, 21(3), 367–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2018.1451042 Musk, E. (2025). Super-duper seasonal recipes. [This is misinformation, but I think you knew that.] Williams, E.E. (1897, December). Our Christmas plum puddings. Windor Magazine, 7, 64-68. https://www.victorianvoices.net/ARTICLES/Windsor/Windsor1898A/W1898-PlumPudding.pdf Young, P. (2005). Economy, Empire, Extermination: The Christmas Pudding, the Crystal Palace and the Narrative of Capitalist Progress. Literature & History, 14(1), 14-30. https://doi.org/10.7227/LH.14.1.2 [It is about Dicken's story, but includes a pudding recipe, I think that counts.]

In October 2025 the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in partnership with Shanghai Open University (SOU) published the DELTA (Digital Empowerment for Lifelong Learning and Transformative Andragogy) Framework which "aims to enhance adult educators’ digital competencies and foster inclusive, lifelong learning opportunities for all." It is "a dynamic set of competencies and capacity building resources designed to strengthen digital practice across four key domains: Instructional practice; Digital empowerment; Media and information literacy; Transformative practice" "The DELTA Framework is the result of a two-year, collaborative process involving international experts and technical working groups from nine countries." (quoted from here). UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning & Shanghai Open University. (2025). Digital empowerment for lifelong learning and transformative andragogy (DELTA) for adult educators: introduction to the DELTA framework and resources. Document code: 978-92-820-1260-4 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396041 UIL and SOU have also developed "a suite of capacity-building resources and self-learning modules, available as Open Educational Resources (OERs)" which you can access on the UIL Learning Hub (you have to register). https://learninghub.uil.unesco.org/enrol/index.php?id=74 Photo by Sheila Webber: a jumbled windowsill, October 2025

The latest issue of open access Journal of Information Literacy (Vol. 19 No. 2, 2025) is available. The articles are: - Mapping the core dimensions of information literacy in the critical and workplace domain A thematic analysis by Dijana Šobota - Integrating service-learning into information literacy education A case study from the Philippines by Ana Mae Cantel, Eun Youp Rha, - Toward a coherent framework for school-based information literacy Delphi-based expert perspectives on competence and implementation by Ivana Martinović - Reflection as a means to assess information literacy instruction by Natalia Kapacinskas, Veronica Arellano Douglas, Erica Lopez, Mea Warren - Teaching critical information literacy through popular culture A media studies approach using the Oz texts by Daniel Williford - Using Nuthall’s ideas to conceptualise and support children’s information needs by Andrew Shenton - Information literacy without walls Comparative insights from India’s implementation and Greece’s emerging approaches by Nihar K Patra, Panorea Gaitanou - Curriculum mapping for identifying and assessing information literacy teaching in humanities and social sciences libraries by Paul Cooke Go to https://journals.cilip.org.uk/jil/issue/view/55 Photo by Sheila Webber: gingko leaves on a bench, November 2025

On 15 December 2025at 12noon-13.00 GMT (UK time) there is a free webinar New Voices in Information Literacy Research. It is hosted by Alison Hicks and presents MA dissertation research from three recent graduates. - Jake Hoosan (Manchester Metroplitan University, UK): Information Literacy Education in UK Public Libraries. - Jiayin Yu (University College London, UK): How students identify and respond to AI hallucinations: A qualitative study using Dervin’s sensemaking theory. - Xinyi Wang (University College London, UK): What Makes Physicians Take Charge? The Role of Information Literacy. Registration required: go to https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cilipinformationliteracygroup/1966426 Photo by Sheila Webber: dusk, Amsterdam, November 2025

Only just been alerted to this free webinar from the World Health Organization on 1 December 2025 at 13.00-14.30 CET (which is 12 noon - 13.30 GMT). UNiTE to end digital violence: why digital safety is a gender and public health imperative in emergencies. Speakers are: Dr Stella Chungong, Director, Department of Health Emergency Preparedness & Chair, WHE Gender Working Group; Dr Eugene Kongyuy, Deputy Director of Humanitarian Response Division to represent the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Ms Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women, its causes and consequences; Dr Kai Von Harbou, Unit Head, Community Protection & Resilience, WHO Surviving Digital Violence; Dr Millie Phiri, journalist, researcher and author on digital violence; Ms Sohaila Shamseldeen, Youth and Development Coordinator, Etijah "This event highlights the need to integrate digital safety into humanitarian health responses, emphasizing its importance for emergency preparedness, protection, and resilient health systems. Objectives:  - Raise awareness of digital and technology-facilitated violence (TF-VAWG) as a rising public health and protection issue in health emergencies;  - Highlight impacts of digital violence on access to essential services, staff safety, risk communication and community engagement (RCCE), mental health and psychological services (MHPSS), and trust in emergency response systems;  - Provide evidence-informed recommendations for integrating digital safety into emergency preparedness, response, and resilient health systems;  - Elevate survivor-centered, rights-based, and gender-responsive approaches in digital health and humanitarian operations.  Further details (including registration link) at https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2025/12/01/default-calendar/who-epi-win-webinar-unite-to-end-digital-violence-why-digital-safety-is-a-gender-and-public-health-imperative-in-emergencies

An interesting blog post reflecting on the experience of preparing a presentation at short notice:  Roberts, M. (2025, November 20). Teaching with Twenty-Four Hours’ Notice [blog post]. ACRLog. https://acrlog.org/2025/11/20/teaching-with-twenty-four-hours-notice/ Photo by Sheila Webber: milestone in autumn, October 2025

The next LIS Pedagogy Chat is on 5 December 2025 at 14.00 EST (which is 19.00 GMT). The topic is Digital Literacy in the k12 Classroom, introduced by Neha Thakkar (Illinois State Board of Education, USA), followed by discussion.  LIS Pedagogy Chat is a community of practice for academics and professionals who teach in library and information science. Register at https://www.lispedagogychat.org/schedule-registration Photo by Sheila Webber: York Minster, later October 2025

The 7th online conference on Intercultural perspectives on information literacy and meta literacy takes place free, online on 11 December 2025 at 14.00-17.45 Central European Time (one hour ahead of GMT). This is an outcome from the ongoing international collaboration (Intercultural Perspectives on Information Literacy and Metaliteracy), with students from Austria, Germany, India, Poland and the USA presenting the results of their research on six topics about the influence of AI. There is also a keynote from Dr. Nicola Marae Allain on Mindful Metaliteracy in the Age of Generative AI: Attention, Reflection, and Human Agency Go to https://ipil.blog.uni-hildesheim.de/2025/11/10/online-conference-in-december-2025/ Photo by Sheila Webber: model of Bamberg, on a pillar in Bamberg: memories of the European Conference on Information Literacy; there was a presentation about this ongoing IPILM project which I blogged here.

The latest in ACRL's Keeping up with ... series is Keeping up with ... AI Ethics. As usual it is just a few pages, summarising issues and with references/links. Go to https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/ai_ethics Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI, November 2025

ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) has published AI Competencies for Academic Library Workers following approval by the ACRL Board of Directors in October 2025. Go to https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ai?_zs=SUvvg1&_zl=RQfQA Another AI-related read is: Ball, E. (2025, October 20). Teaching AI as an Anti-AI Librarian. ACRLog.  https://acrlog.org/2025/10/20/teaching-ai-as-an-anti-ai-librarian Photo by Sheila Webber: fallen gingko leaves, Amsterdam, November 2025

The ACRL Instruction Section Teaching Methods Committee has a call for proposals for a presentation at their 2026 Virtual Forum. "The hour-long forum will be held in spring with the exact date to be determined based on availability of the speaker(s)." Deadline for proposals is 5 January 2026. It will consist of a 45-minute presentation followed by 15-minute Q&A. The event is free to participants. The presentation should "showcase innovative teaching methods, assessment, and theoretical approaches. Past topics include critical race pedagogy, gendered labor and instruction, visual literacy, and assessment." Past events are listed on the Instruction Section website. Only one proposal will be selected. The proposal form is at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbkIIKU4ZDMTaD11vsxSZ3syY4GMfzjDtHWTT3cnHocrF-6Q/viewformPhoto by Sheila Webber: take a book, Amsterdam, November 2025

The ACRL Instruction Section wants nominations of Online Learning Objects which "may include online modules/tutorials, videos, podcasts, or other relevant media created or substantially updated within the past five years". This is for the Featured Online Learning Objects (FOLO) project (which replaces the previous PRIMO project) which highlights high quality online IL learning materials. Nominations are due by 11 January 2026. Go to https://acrl.ala.org/IS/is-committees-2/committees-task-forces/folo/ Photo by Sheila Webber: late autumn branches, Amsterdam, November 2025

The Academic and Research Libraries Group (ARLG) is funding 2 bursaries for the LILAC conference, one for a Further Education libraran and one for a Higher Education librarian. Closing date is 21 November 2025. The bursaries will include three days at the conference and social events. They also include up to £250 in expenses for reasonable travel and accommodation. To apply for the ARLG bursaries you must be a current CILIP member - if selected, you will be asked to provide your membership details to confirm this. You apply via the LILAC conference website https://www.lilacconference.com/register You need to register for the LILAC conference site (or login if you are already registered - if you attended LILAC in the past few years you will be already registered). (1) Register / Login (2) Select MY ACCOUNT (3) Scroll down the page to "Bursary applications are now open and will close on 21 November 2025" where the individual bursaries are listed.

There is a call for proposals for the 2026 Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference (CALC) which will take place online during the week beginning 11 May 2026. CALC has a two-part process with the stage 1 (which is the call open now) reserved for sessions led by presenters who experience under-representation and/or marginalisation in libraries, academia or traditional library conferences. The closing date for stage 1 proposals is 19 December 2025 at 23.59 GMT (UK time). A second unreserved call for proposals will open in January 2026. There is more information at https://sites.google.com/view/calcconference/call-for-papers including a guide to writing proposals and the form to submit session proposals. There is a short explanation about the scope of the conference at https://sites.google.com/view/calcconference/about/what-is-critical-library-practice Questions or queries can go to [email protected] Photo by Sheila Webber: Frederik Hendrikplantsoen in Amsterdam, November 2025

On 10 December 2025 11.00-12.00 noon US Pacific time (which is 19.00-200.00 GMT) there is a free webinar in the LILi Show and Tell series: Information Literacy Instruction on Grad Course Materials presented by information literacy expert Esther Grassian. "This session will focus on explaining the definitions and history of information literacy. Along with planning, developing, designing, and evaluating information literacy and brainstorming ideas for updates on current and future instructions. The goals are to: "review the shared UCLA Information Literacy Instruction (ILI) course materials to understand their overall structure, purpose, and pedagogical approach; Explore strategies and models for planning, designing, developing, and evaluating effective information literacy instruction." The session will include learning how to design, develop, and evaluate information literacy interventions and sharing ideas for updating the UCLA materials (which have CC: BY-NC-SA licenses) for current and future needs. Information and link to the online session at https://lili.libguides.com/showandtell/home Photo by Sheila Webber: canal in Amsterdam, November 2025.

A couple of free webinars from the ESRC Digital Good network (that's a UK-funded research network): - Digital good from the South: 3 December 2025 at 14.00-15.00 GMT. Speakers: Padmini Ray Murray (Design Beku), Alex Cosmo de Mesquita (NGO Thydêwá), Parag Bhatnagar (Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora) - Digital health: the digital good in low-resource settings in Africa. 25 February 2026 at 14.00-15.00 GMT. Speakers: Bronwyn Harris and team Go to https://luma.com/digitalgoodnetwork?k=c Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI with the prompt: an abstract image of a network in greens yellows reds, the background is warm and light

The latest issue of the open access journal Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, Vol. 20 No. 3 (2025), includes: - Feel Good Incorporated: Using Positively Framed Feedback in Library Instruction Course Evaluations Using a Survivorship-Bias Lens by Benjamin Grantham Aldred - "We Don't Like Unanswered Questions”: Information Practices of Students Transitioning to Clinical Education by Nena Schvaneveldt ("Students’ information practices are characterized by three themes. They are motivated to build competency to provide patient care; they operate in dual roles as student and clinician; and they navigate ambiguity, uncertainty, and doubt. They were able to describe the way they experienced information, problems they solved, and the development over time." - Government Information Use by First-Year Undergraduate Students: A Citation Analysis by Sanga Sung, Alexander Deeke Go to https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/issue/view/1974 Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn roses, October 2025

There is a call for proposals for the free online 54th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science, taking place 22-26 Junew 2026, which has the theme Information in Repair. It is hosted by conference organizers at the University of British Columbia School of Information. Deadline (for extended abstracts) is 31 January 2026. "This year’s theme, “Information in Repair,” centers the maintenance and reparative work that is always required, but rarely lauded, across information systems. Scholarly attention and resources are often directed towards the new and novel, the conceptualization and design of innovative systems and interventions. This tendency risks ignoring opportunities to learn from the vast amount of knowledge, practice and technical expertise that goes into monitoring, adjusting, and navigating changes within critical, long-term components of longer-term/ongoing/continuing information systems. We are particularly interested in information science perspectives on practices of disposability or reuse, of reparative work, and theories of repair. We invite creative and expansive views of what is being repaired and maintained, as well as exploration of repair itself as information work." Topics that are relevant include Information seeking and behaviour; Information literacy and education; Information policy and ethics. Go to https://cais2026.ca/call-for-papers/ (English) or https://acsi2026.ca/call-for-papers/ (French)

The next LIS Pedagogy Chat is on 21 November 2025 at 14.00 US EST (which is 19.00 GMT, UK time), free online. The topic is Teaching Across Borders: What LIS Research Tells Us About Library Instruction Geared Toward or About Immigrant and International Groups. "Join us for a conversation about three different types of LIS pedagogy: instructing college students of immigrant or international heritage, teaching English-learning adults in public libraries, and training LIS professionals to effectively engage with immigrant communities. While we are careful to avoid homogenizing groups, there are transferable lessons from each instructional context." Register at: https://www.lispedagogychat.org/schedule-registration "LIS Pedagogy Chat is a community of practice for faculty and professionals who teach in LIS" (library and information services).

A new UNESCO 80-page publication:  UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, Shanghai Open University & Institute for the Future of Education. (2025). Bridging the grey digital divide: enhancing ICT learning for older adults; research report. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396040 ISBN: 978-92-820-1261-1 Photo by Sheila Webber: autumnal tree in the park, November 2025.

The latest issue of the open access IFLA Journal (vol. 51 no. 3) focuses on Artificial Intelligence and libraries. It includes (among other articles on AI/libraries):  - Skills and AI literacy of engineering students by Thuy Thanh Bui, Son Hong Do and Ly Dieu Din - Facing the era of generative artificial intelligence: Strategies of information and digital literacy in Chinese studies by Bing Wang, Cecilia Zhang, Khamo and Shuqi Ye  - AI literacy guidelines and policies for academic libraries: A scoping review by Muhammad Yousuf Ali and Joanna Richardson  - Student satisfaction with artificial intelligence chatbots in Ethiopian academia by A Subaveerapandiyan, S Radhakrishnan, Neelam Tiwary and Sisay Mulate Guangul  - Exploring the potential of artificial intelligence usage in the knowledge and evidence services of a public health body: A working group approach by Zalaya Simmons, Charlotte Bruce, Samuel Thomas, Patricia Lacey, Wendy Marsh, Scott Rosenberg and Daphne Duval  Go to https://repository.ifla.org/items/b8ea2089-3bfa-4a6c-bdb9-36f0c830edbc  Photo by Sheila Webber: South London house, October 2025

IFLA is encouraging library and information professionals to provide information about their work in countering  mis- and disinformation. The United Nations (UN) Department of Global Communications is collecting information on activities which could be said to contribute to the Suistainable Development Goals (SDGs). Deadline for submissions is 31 December 2025.  "Are you working on topics advancing the role of information in achieving the SDGs? Are you working on helping library professionals and users counter mis- and disinformation related to climate, peace and justice, health, or any of the other topics covered by the goals?" "Describe your action, its goals, methods and target audience. Indicate if its planned, ongoing or completed. Is your action research oriented, building public awareness, Media and digital literacy training, or something else? Share the primary focus area. Indicate which SDG(s) it targets Your input will contribute to a cataloguing of activities that help showcase good practices, share achievements, identify gaps and inform policy guidance."  Go to this page and follow the link https://www.ifla.org/news/are-you-addressing-mis-disinformation-and-the-sdgs-share-your-actions-with-the-un/ Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn branches and sun, October 2025