Author: Mack Freeman
Minimize Your Library’s Future Data Breach
There are probably numerous technology solutions, both high tech and low, that can help to stop these situations from arising. However, when thinking about these issues, it is also a good time to consider how much information the library needs from individuals in the first place.
Intellectual Freedom 101… Again
Librarians are information and knowledge facilitators, and we don’t need to forget that facilitating the knowledge of our core values and ethics to new staff members is never a waste of time that could be placed in something more “practical.” Instead, it is investing in the very foundation of the future of the field.
Start Planning for Banned Books Week Now
Use the many resources available to you to make this Banned Books Week one of the best yet! Be sure to stay tuned to announcements from the Office of Intellectual Freedom with more details as we get closer to the date.
Librarian Confession: Library Users Improve My Personal Privacy Habits
One of the wonderful things about librarians is that they are driven to improve their communities. And one of the wonderful side effects of that is it also ends up improving the librarians as individuals and professionals as we adopt more and more of the principles, good habits, and thought processes that get encouraged to the library’s users.
Intellectual Freedom: Really Simple Library Stuff
While intellectual freedom issues can quickly become complex and nuanced, introduction to the ideals doesn’t necessarily have to be. A simpler introduction may stick easier than an overly complicated one.
Libraries and Summer Food Programs: An Intellectual Freedom Argument
During the summer, libraries play an important role of stopping summer slide and engaging people, especially children and teens, with learning opportunities and collections built for self-directed exploration. However, if a child is hungry, how inclined will they be to take advantage of these opportunities?
Censorship: Not the Fake News Tool We’re Looking For
Although fake news has always existed, it has recently been thrust into the limelight for its role in the contemporary political conversation as it plays out on social media. This in turn has led for some to call for a crackdown on purveyors of fake news.
New Study Finds Students Not Bothered by Teacher Ability to Track Study Habits
A new report from a UK digital textbook provider has shown that many students are fine with teacher snooping if it ends up leading to increased classroom performance. The report, titled “University of the Future,” implies a strong benefit to allowing teachers to track what students have read and how long they have spent studying.
Podcast Undertakes Miniseries on Digital Privacy and Surveillance
For every loophole that gets closed, it seems like there are five new ones that emerging technology enable for exploitation. If the internet is a service that libraries provide and privacy is something libraries believe individuals should have when browsing, then there is a lot of work to do.
Russian Librarian Jailed Under Suspicion of Providing Banned Materials
Natalia Sharina is the director of the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow. She is currently accused of disseminating extremist literature that has been banned. The official charge is “inciting ethnic hatred and humiliating human dignity.” Sharina has been taken into custody, and the offending materials were confiscated by the Russian authorities.