Flights of Friction: Fact or Fiction? Due 4/30/2024

Everyday we have access to thousands of news stories, books, podcasts, and more, all hoping to teach us something distinct. While the peril of misinformation is a big topic today, it isn’t new. The Flights of Friction: Fact or Fiction? Traveling Trunk will take learners back in time, to uncover sensational mysteries of the past. Guided by a passionate and curious librarian, learners will use information literacy skills to look into the legitimacy of authors, sources, newspapers, and their stories. Along the way they will unravel the most unexpected tangle of topics - people on the moon, hot air balloons, and infamous authors. Using hands-on recreated archival material, primary and secondary source research, and imagery from the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, this trunk aims to supply learners with the tools to sift through information of the past and present and find the truth for themselves.