Committee on Professional Ethics Presents "No Room at the Library: The Ethics of Diversity"

Committee on Professional Ethics Presents "No Room at the Library: The Ethics of Diversity" at ALA's Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. 

Sunday, June 26th, 1:00–2:30 p.m.

In support of ALA’s multiyear campaign of Libraries Transform, we want to foster dialog about inclusion and ethics in libraries. Key speaker, Loida Garcia-Febo, and a panel of thoughtful leaders will facilitate audience discussion after the Ethics committee performs three different skits. In the tradition of “What Would You Do?”, we will shed light on ethical dilemmas involving religious, cultural and LGBTQ issues. Reflecting on the recent resolution to ALA council, one skit will address potential Islamophobia and the ethical responsibilities of librarians to promote libraries transforming to a global and inclusive space.

Co-sponsored by International Relations Round Table and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table

Speakers

•     Loida Garcia-Febo is an international librarian expert in human rights, access to information, advocacy, diverse populations, new professionals, and continuing professional development. She is President of Information New Wave, a not-for-profit seeking to bring education to multiethnic populations. Garcia-Febo is a member of the ALA Executive Board and the IFLA Governing Board. As an Expert Resource Person of IFLA's FAIFE Committee, she collaborated in the creation of IFLA's Code of Ethics for Librarians and other Information Workers. http://loidagarciafebo.com/

•     Anastasia Chiu is a Resident Librarian at Temple University. She received her MSLIS from St. John's University, and has worked in many different types of libraries, including the New York Society Library, the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library, and EdLab/Gottesman Libraries at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a metadata fiend, with special interest in the way metadata work in libraries intersects with scholarly communications and library instruction.

•     Jeffrey Sowder is Head of Robert W. Woodruff Library Technical Services at Emory University.  He is Chair of the ALA GLBTRT Membership & Promotion Committee which reaches out to the Round Table membership with information about the Round Table and manages marketing campaigns for new and renewed members.  The Committee also sponsors the Buddy Program, pairing mentor sponsors with new or first-time attendees at ALA Midwinter and Annual Meetings. Jeffrey also serves on the Senate Diversity Committee and on the Advisory Committee for the Campus Office of LGBT Life at Emory University.  He and his husband married in NYC on April 1, 2014. He’s a member of Lambda Legal and Georgia Equality and keeps up with a range of concerns with diversity in higher education and is active and involved local and national social justice causes.

•     Sara Ahmed works in Upper Darby Sellers Library as a Gen Next Programmer and reference librarian. She received her Masters in Library and Information Sciences from Drexel University and was a 2015 ALA Emerging Leaders and a 2016 IFLA Fellowship recipient. She specializes in programming for 18-29 year olds because she believes all age groups should find resources and programs in the library.

About

The Committee on Professional Ethics (COPE) is an ALA Council Committee charged with augmenting the Code of Ethics with explanatory interpretations and additional statements, prepared by this committee or elicited from other units of ALA. When units of the association develop statements dealing with ethical issues, a copy will be sent to the committee on professional ethics for review so that it may be compared to the existing ALA code of ethics in order to determine whether or not conflicts occur.

Members: Mary Jane Santos (Chair); Rosanne Cordell; Sara Dallas; Kaetrena Davis Kendrick; Scott P. Muir; Steven Phalen; Jamie Lyn Segno. Representatives: Audra Caplan (PLA); Danise Hoover (RUSA); Beth Schuck (ACRL); Jodi Spillane (ALCTS); Hilda Weisburg (AASL); Francisca Goldsmith (YALSA); Charles Hanson (United); Leslie Hicks (ASCLA); Sharon Hu (LITA);

Xiaoyu Duan (Intern); Ivy Weir (Intern).

The Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) is an office of the American Library Association. The goal of the office is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries and to support librarians, teachers, and administrators undergoing a material or service challenge.

For more information about OIF, contact the OIF office at 1 (800) 545-2433, x4226, or oif@ala.org.
ALA Annual Conference 2016 http://2016.alaannual.org/ #alaac16

ALA Units:
ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom
Committee on Professional Ethics
International Relations Round Table
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table