Academic Freedom for Library Workers: Why it Matters and How to Defend it
Session Description
Does the right to academic freedom apply to library workers? In recent years, state-level legislation, federal executive orders, and institutional policies have increasingly encroached on academic library workers’ ability to freely do their jobs. This session will introduce core principles of academic freedom, with particular attention to how these matter for library workers and illustrated with real-life scenarios. Topics covered will include: how to know your own rights based on your role and place of work; where academic freedom issues often arise for library workers; why having academic freedom matters; and how to advocate for and defend library workers’ academic freedom rights.
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Learning Outcomes
- Participants will be acquainted with core academic freedom principles and how these apply to library workers
- Library workers will be equipped to articulate to their peers and administrators why having academic freedom protections for library workers benefits not just the library but also faculty and students
- Library workers attending this session will learn tips for getting involved in the fight for academic freedom on their own campuses.
Presenter: Danya Leebaw
Danya Leebaw is the Director of Social Sciences at the University of Minnesota Libraries. Her department includes subject librarians, the Map Library, the Mapping Prejudice Project, and the Government Publications Library. Previously, she was a social sciences librarian at Carleton College and a business librarian at Emory University. Her research is primarily concerned with management in academic libraries and working conditions for academic librarians.
