Here’s your daily list of must-do events at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas!

Sunday, June 29

Read A Banned Book at the Banned Books Virtual Read-Out (Day 2)

When: 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Where: right outside the Exhibit Hall
Who: You!
Why me?: On Saturday and Sunday, SAGE and OIF invite you to the Banned Books Readout Booth, where you can read a short passage from your favorite banned book and then speak from the heart about why that book matters to you. Readings will be video recorded and will be featured on the Banned Books Week YouTube channel during Banned Books Week, September 21-27, 2014. We strongly encourage you to bring your own copy of the book, but some books will be available for your reading.

Intellectual Freedom Committee/Committee on Legislation Joint Meeting

When: 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Where: LVCC-N101
Who: Committee members & anyone interested in the intersection of legislation and intellectual freedom issues.
Why me?: Be the best-informed person on your block!

Now Showing @ ALA: The Speaker…A Film About Freedom

When: 10:30 a.m.-Noon
Where: NVCC-N242
Who: Cinephiles, cinephobes, idealists & contrarians
Why me?: In advance of IFC’s Monday program, “Speaking about ‘The Speaker’,” we invite you to join us at a screening of the 42-minute 1977 film produced by the Intellectual Freedom Committee. The film proved highly controversial within the Association. This will be a chance for you to see it for yourself and participate in a moderated discussion. It will be showing again Sunday, 8:00-10:00 a.m. and is available on YouTube. A pathfinder of resources on the film and attendant controversy is available at www.ala.org/tools/speaker.

What Would You Do? Ethics in Action: Libraries and Law Enforcement

When: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Where: LVCC-S225
Who: Sponsored by the Committee on Professional Ethics
Why me?: Whether you work at a public, academic, or school library, blurred lines are all around. For example, if a police officer comes to your library asking to view patron records to help locate a missing teenager, where do your professional responsibilities as a librarian end and your civic duties as a member of the community begin? In short, what would you do? Join us to hear from librarians and police officers, review model polices, and role-play scenarios to prepare you for real life ethical dilemmas involving law enforcement.

Surveillance

When: 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Where: LVCC-S232
Who: Sponsored by the ACRL Professional Values Committee. Speakers are Jim Teliha & Seeta Gangadharan (Senior Research Fellow, Open Technology Institute)
Why me?:  Surveillance is a big topic. What implications do the latest disclosures about wide-spread government surveillance have for libraries and librarians? The purpose of this session is to provide librarians an update and refresher on the impact of surveillance. The conversations will include recent NSA disclosures, digital surveillance, as well as laws familiar to all librarians, such as the Patriot Act, FISA, and more.

ALA President’s Program & ALA Awards

When: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Where: LVCC-N249
Who: Pretty much everyone should attend
Why me?: Keynote speaker Lois Lowry is the keynote speaker for ALA President Barbara Stripling’s program. Joining her will be Jeff Bridges, star of the forthcoming film The Giver, based on Lowry’s frequently challenged novel.  Also featured will be Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), who will be presenting the first-ever Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faces with Adversity to Laurence Copel, a youth outreach librarian in New Orleans.