Library and Information Science Commons^™

All In For Privacy: Cultivating A Community Of Information Privacy Awareness, Lindsay Taylor, Marni R. Harrington, Matt Ward

FIMS Presentations

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The Library Freedom Project supports librarianship’s values of freedom of information and privacy by providing relevant tools and education to LIS professionals. A group from the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western aligned with the project to encourage student participation in local and global privacy issues. Our programming encourages hands-on use of open source and anti-surveillance software, such as Tor Browser for anonymous web browsing. In addition, we detail how we configured our Tor relay to route anonymous encrypted global traffic, so that other libraries can join the 280 relays currently running in Canada and 7000 worldwide.

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Beyond Obscenity: An Analysis Of Sexual Discourse In Lis Educational Texts, Heather Hill, Marni Harrington

Heather Hill

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Purpose

– This research seeks to discover the type of discourse encouraged around controversial materials, particularly those of a sexual nature, in LIS educational texts. Censorship and controversial materials are often issues addressed in the LIS literature, but even with ideals of neutrality it can be difficult to remain balanced on certain issues, particularly those dealing with sex.

Design/methodology/approach

– A content analysis of 85 LIS texts on collection development, reference, and intellectual freedom was completed using the following thematic elements: sex, pornography, erotica, curiosa, facetiae, obscenity, censorship, and controversial materials. Deeper analysis of individual definitions and usages was informed …

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The Inconsistent Work Of Web Filters: Mapping Information Access In Alabama Public Schools And Libraries, Chris Peterson, Shannon M. Oltmann, Emily J. M. Knox

Information Science Faculty Publications

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Recent popular and academic discussions regarding the Internet have raised the question of whether and how networked intermediaries have a (dis)integrating social effects. In this study, we use public records of configurations of Internet filters in Alabama public schools and libraries to show how different institutions implement nominally consistent content standards inconsistently. We argue that these varying implementations are both significant and troubling for two reasons: first, they overreach the stated goals of the legislation with which they in principle comply; second, they may contribute to a broader epistemic breakdown by fragmenting the kind of information made available through and …

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The Library As Safe Space, Rachel S. Wexelbaum

Library Faculty Publications

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Purpose: This chapter will explain how libraries define safe space through policies, procedures, and professional codes of ethics. The chapter will generate a history of the concept of libraries as safe space, will explain how libraries attempt to create safe spaces in physical and online environments, and will show how library practices both help and harm patrons in need of safe space.

Design/methodology/approach: This chapter provides a review of the literature that illustrates how libraries provide safe space—or not—for their patrons. The author will deconstruct the ALA Code of Ethics and Bill of Rights to demonstrate how libraries remain heteronormative …

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Review Of The Book Harmful And Undesirable: Book Censorship In Nazi Germany, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

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Review of the book Harmful and undesirable: Book censorship in Nazi Germany.

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