Serving the Community with Trustworthy Government Information and Data: What Can We Learn from the Public Librarians?

ABSTRACT Using the semi-structured interview method, this study identifies the roles public librarians play in assisting their communities with trustworthy government information and data, and the challenges public librarians face when providing access and mediating the use of government information and data by the community. The findings of the study provide useful insights as American libraries begin to rethink and reinvent their roles in community resilience. The paper also suggests ways library and information science education can help future public librarians prepare for their roles in mediating government information and data.