Martyn Wade martyn.wade@hotmail.co.uk via infoserv.inist.fr Nov 16 to ifla-l Dear Colleagues You may recall that IFLA has made a number of statements regarding Natalya Sharina – a Russian Librarian who is accused of inciting hatred by having “extremist” books on the shelves of the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow. Donna Scheeder, IFLA President, has … Read more Support for Natalya Sharina
ALA’s OIF has begun publication of a new journal, the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy (JIFP). It replaces and expands the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom (NIF). The table of contents is here. You will notice an article by yours truly, which is about SRRT’s Alternatives in Print Task Force, the attention to media monopoly … Read more New from ALA: Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy
Message from Martyn Wade, IFLA-FAIFE chair. (IFLA is the International Federation of Library Organizations, and FAIFE is its Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression.) Dear Colleagues, In November IFLA issued a statement expressing strong concern over the targeting of the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow by the police, and … Read more IFLA-FAIFE statement on the continuing detention of the Director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature
“The Library Juice Press Handbook of Intellectual Freedom” named 2016 Eli M. Oboler Award winner Tue, 03/08/2016 Contact: Shumeca Pickett Administrative Assistant Office for Intellectual Freedom spickett@ala.org The Intellectual Freedom Round Table has announced the winner of the 2016 Eli M. Oboler Memorial Award, which recognizes the best published work in the area of intellectual … Read more Library Juice Press Handbook of Intellectual Freedom wins the Eli M. Oboler Award
A review of our Handbook of Intellectual Freedom was just published on the website of ADBS, the main library association in France. The review, by Joachim Schöpfel, is in French, but Google translate makes it fairly readable in English. The book is very timely in the French context, as the reviewer points out. We’re very … Read more Review of the Library Juice Press Handbook of Intellectual Freedom
CPJ releases annual assessment of press freedom worldwide New York, April 27, 2015 – Terrorist groups and the governments who purport to fight them have made recent years the most dangerous period to be a journalist, the Committee to Protect Journalists found in its annual global assessment of press freedom, Attacks on the Press, released … Read more CPJ releases annual assessment of press freedom worldwide
Thus far I’ve seen little in the way of active controversy over this ill-advised ALA poster celebrating 2015’s Banned Books Week. There were a couple of messages recently on the SRRT email discussion list, which brought this to my attention. Clearly, the image links suppression of information with the religion of Islam, depicting a woman … Read more Islamophobic ALA Banned Books Week Poster
Statement from the ABF (Association des Bibliothécaires de France) and the ACIM (Association pour la coopération des professionnels de l’information musicale) on the attack at the Charlie Hebdo offices… The ABF and the ACIM always take a position against censorship. Today, January 7, 2015, a new low was reached: the assassination of those who bring … Read more Statement from French library associations on the Charlie Hebdo attack
IFLA approved its first Internet Manifesto in 2002. This provided an early recognition of the vital role that the Internet plays in the work of library and information services, and ensuring that individuals and groups have free access to information and can freely express themselves. The world has changed significantly since 2002 both physically and … Read more IFLA Internet Manifesto 2014
Dear Colleagues, Some of you may have heard about the recent controversy surrounding Professor Steven Salaita, who was dismissed from his tenured faculty position by the Chancellor and Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for controversial statements he made on Twitter. I am writing to ask you to consider signing a … Read more Message from Patrick Keilty on the Salaita dismissal
This news from the Electronic Freedom Foundation: UNSEALED: The US Sought Permission To Change The Historical Record Of A Public Court Proceeding A few weeks ago we fought a battle for transparency in our flagship NSA spying case, Jewel v. NSA. But, ironically, we weren’t able to tell you anything about it until now. On … Read more U.S. sought to edit the historical record of a court proceeding
Letter from Don Lash to New York Public Library President, on one-sided “controversial” labeling of books on Israel/Palestine: Dear President Marx, I previously communicated with your office in an e-mail on August 5, during which I expressed concern that access to important work by the prominent academic historian Ilan Pappe was restricted to a non-circulating … Read more Letter from Don Lash to NYPL on one-sided “controversial” labeling of Israel/Palestine studies
I have just learned that Zoia Horn died on July 12th. She has been an inspiration to me from the time I was in library school in the late 90s. I was inspired by her memoirs and later by her personally when I visited her Berkeley. (I have just found out that her memoirs, ZOIA! … Read more Zoia Horn has passed on
Piracy: Leakages from Modernity Editors: Martin Fredriksson and James Arvanitakis Price: $40.00 Published: July 2014 ISBN: 978-1-936117-59-8 Printed on acid-free paper Available on Amazon “Piracy” is a concept that seems everywhere in the contemporary world. From the big screen with the dashing Jack Sparrow, to the dangers off the coast of Somalia; from the claims … Read more Piracy: Leakages from Modernity
The SRRT discussion list has been alive recently with comments – objections, to be accurate – to ALA’s decision to present a screening and discussion of the controversial 1977 film, The Speaker. Here is a sampling of some of the better ones, from Al Kagan, Pat Schuman, and Mitch Freedman, followed by a link to … Read more Commentary on The Speaker – Al Kagan, Pat Schuman, Mitch Freedman
ALA has announced that there will be a screening and discussion of the controversial 1977 film, The Speaker, produced by ALA to educate people about intellectual freedom. ALA has now also made the film available on the web (details at the above link). The film was perceived by many to advocate an unacceptable tolerance of … Read more Historical context of The Speaker, to screen at ALA, and now also on the web
Here is an excerpt from Svetlana Mintcheva’s chapter in The Library Juice Press Handbook of Intellectual Freedom, which is titled, “Art Censorship and Intellectual Freedom.” It’s just an excerpt, but it’s very interesting nonetheless. Svetlana Mintcheva is the Director of Programs at the National Coalition Against Censorship.
The Library Juice Press Handbook of Intellectual Freedom: Concepts, Cases, and Theories Editors: Mark Alfino and Laura Koltutsky Price: $50.00 Published: April 2014 ISBN: 978-1-936117-57-4 Available from Amazon.com The existing reference literature on intellectual freedom tends to focus on topics such as government censorship of books, the internet, and political speech. This has also been … Read more The Library Juice Press Handbook of Intellectual Freedom: Concepts, Cases, and Theories
The American Library Association has given the James Madison Award annually since 1986, “to honor individuals or groups who have championed, protected and promoted public access to government information and the public’s right to know.” It is hard to think of anyone as deserving of this year’s award as Edward Snowden. Champions of the public’s … Read more Edward Snowden for James Madison Freedom Award
An Against the Grain Podcast with Alycia Sellie, published 11/05/2013 Libraries and the Alternative Press Unique and vital perspectives are and have been offered up by underground newspapers, zines, and other radical publications. But alternative materials are for the most part not carried by libraries. Alycia Sellie comments on the value of alternative publications and … Read more Libraries and the Alternative Press (Against the Grain Podcast)