Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom

Literacy Day at Norwood Centre

2012-01-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Norwood Child & Family Resource Centre recently joined the Community Bookshelf project in late 2011 and they have invited FLIF members to attend their celebration of Family Literacy Day on Friday January 27th 2012 from 11:00 - 3:00

This is a drop-in event throughout the day, if there are several FLIF members who would be interested in stopping by and seeing how the Community Bookshelf donations have helped one of our community members as well as seeing the work that Norwood does in this community send an email to flifblog (at) gmail.com. I'm sure we can organized a ride to stop by and participate in this event.

APIRG Open House this week!

2012-01-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

APIRG (Alberta Public Interest Research Group) is having an open house this Wednesday January 18th from 11:30 to 2:30 at their office in the North end of HUB.

APIRG is an incredible resource based at the University of Alberta for student and community-based research, education, and social activism. They provide administrative, informational, and technological resources to help student working groups to transform social concern into effective action and they are a major supporter of FLIF.

I would strongly recommend you stop by (it is a come-and-go event) and say hi to the APIRG staff and volunteers.

This is a fantastic resource for anyone on campus interested in community engagement and social justice. They have a great library in the office of alternative materials that is definitely worth checking out.

Welcome to December & the Banned Books Advent Calendar!

2011-12-01T10:34:00.001-07:00

The year has flown by and here we are on the first of December. As many of us dive head first into exams and final projects why don't you take a moment to start the count-down to Christmas with the first Banned Books Video Advent Calendar created by the Entresse Library in Espoo and FAIFE (Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression).

Day 1, Banned Books Calendar from Entressen kirjasto on Vimeo.

From the IFLA blog:

The project's participants include leading figures in the library world, who introduce their favourite banned books: IFLA President Ingrid Parent presents Timothy Findlay's The Wars; Finnish IFLA President-Elect Sinikka Sipilä presents Mika Waltari's The Egyptian; Kai Ekholm introduces Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Executive Director Jill Cousins of the Europeana Foundation expounds on James Joyce's Ulysses. Other books include Art Spiegelman's Maus, Hitler's Mein Kampf, Boccaccio's Decameron and Walt Disney's Donald Duck.
"We wanted to show that books have been censored for centuries for daring to defy the Catholic Church with its Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the Puritans, judicial systems and politicians," Ekholm notes. The purpose of the project is to promote public debate. Viewers can have their say on whether the books were banned for a sensible reason. "Books are still being burned, but the focus now is on online censorship. Sad examples include Turkey and Hungary in Europe and, on the world stage, China, where 450 million online citizens live in a closed intranet without access to Facebook or various Google searches. Perhaps next year's calendar will focus on banned web pages."

Following the tradition of the Advent calendar, each day between December 1st and December 24th a new window will open and a new book will be presented on several sites throughout the world.

GELA-FLIF-APIRG Edmonton Women's Prison Tour Debriefing

2011-11-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Last week members of FLIF, GELA, and APIRG went on two tours of the Edmonton Women's Prison led by corrections staff members.

GELA has worked very hard to implement several projects in the prison community including bringing in books from the Edmonton Public Library based on the requests of the inmates because they do not have access to library cards or the EPL library catalogue. Requests are varied and include materials in different languages such as Arabic, Chinese, etc.

GELA has a great relationship with the inmate librarian Cathy to develop and execute projects such as the children's storybook project, supporting and growing the prison's library, book clubs, EPL loans, fundraising, and information literacy initiatives. GELA is interested in starting a technology literacy initiative that is in the very early stages and welcome anyone interested in participating in this discussion.

Volunteer Opportunities:

GELA is always looking for volunteers for the storybook project. This involves completeing two training sessions and takes place one Saturday per month. You don't have to go every month, but having a larger pool of available volunteer is helpful. You would go into the prison and use a voice recorder to record an inmate reading a children's book and then burn the recording onto a CD and then the book and recording is sent to the inmate's child. Don't worry if you don't have a voice recorder or laptop or experience with audio editing - we are happy to support you in getting access to the skills and technology you need to participate in this project.

There is a mentorship program that matches inmates with mentors that is looking for people to participate in this capacity. This program includes meeting with inmates in the prison as well as escorting partners to cultural and social events. They are always looking for people with different perspectives and especially younger people for this project.

GELA is organizing an art show at the Latitude 53 community gallery in the spring of 2012 of works made by the inmates. Help organizing this project would be appreciated and is something that could be done outside of the prison facility.

The library is always accepting donations of books. Contact GELA for a list of specific requests for the library.

The technological literacy group led by GELA member Masha would be a great opportunity to share your expertise and get involved in this capactiy.

For library school students GELA has also supervised a practicum at the prison library - this would be a great opportunity for an unusual practicum and a very rare and valuable experience. If you are interested in community librarianship or working with marginalized communities this could be a great fit.

There are lots of opportunities for getting new projects started, lots of things are possible if you have a passion and want to start a project. Past examples have been a zine that was produced based on the writing of the prison inmates.

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FLIF would like to thank the volunteers at GELA (Sarah, Liz, Allison, Danielle & Anna) for organizing this tour and participating in this discussion, the prison facility staff, and APIRG for organizing the tour members and transportation to and from the facility. There was a lot of interest in these tours this time around and we could not accomodate everyone. If you are interested in these programs or possibly going on a tour in the new year please let us know and if there is interest we can work to organize another tour in early 2012.

If you have any questions about these programs please check out the GELA blog - http://gela.ca/

or email us at flifblog (at) gmail.com and we can connect you to the GELA Google Group

Meeting Minutes - Nov 15, 2011

2011-11-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone how came out to the meeting yesterday. We are organizing a few groups to spearhead some of our projects for the upcoming year. If you are interested in getting involved in any of the following projects please comment on this post or send an email to flifblog (at) gmail.com and let us know in what capacity you are intersted in getting involved:

1. Freedom to Read Week - we are open to suggestion about what we can do to promote intellectual freedom and literacy on campus during FTRW (Feb 26 - Mar 3, 2012).

2. Jasper Place Highschool alternative library/resource centre collection development project

3. Community Bookshelf - sorting, packing and delivering book donations for our community partners

4. Working on our funding proposal for APIRG and other funding resources for Jasper Place and Community Bookshelf/Homeless Connect projects

We are also open to suggestions about project you might want to pursue or get involved in that fall under our mandate.

Get in touch, we are here to help with all the resources we have available to us.

IFLA launches website on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions

2011-11-16T09:41:00.001-07:00

*reblogged from the IFLA website (Nov 09/11), thanks to Toni Samek for bringing this to our attention

IFLA has created a new set of webpages, dedicated to one of the most important policy issues which IFLA is currently dealing with - the issue of copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries.

Copyright exceptions enable libraries to preserve and make available works. In many countries they have been established in the print era and not been updated to meet the needs of the digital age. An updated system is needed to enable libraries to provide users with both historical and new services in pace with ongoing technological changes.

IFLA is working with Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to gain support for a binding international instrument on copyright limitations and exceptions to enable libraries to preserve their collections, support education and research, and lend materials. To demonstrate what is needed, IFLA has produced a Treaty proposal (called 'TLIB') to guide WIPO's Member States in updating limitations and exceptions for libraries worldwide.

Find out more about limitations and exceptions for libraries at http://www.ifla.org/en/copyright-tlib and learn what you can do to get involved supporting an international binding instrument that meets the needs of libraries in the 21st century.

Film Screening and Workshop- “Framing the Intervention: How Canada Staged Its Takeover of the Lubicon Lake Nation”

2011-10-31T00:35:00.000-06:00

This Tuesday, November 1st APIRG and the Friends of the Lubicon Alberta are presenting a film screening and workshop about the struggles that the Lubicon Cree people face here in Alberta. We hope you can make it for this event.

Film Screening and Workshop- “Framing the Intervention: How Canada Staged Its Takeover of the Lubicon Lake Nation”

When: Tuesday, November 1st, 6pm-9pm

Where: Education South room 129, University of Alberta

ABOUT THE FILM:
"Framing the Intervention: How Canada Staged its Takeover of the Lubicon Lake Nation"
Imagine living in a society where your health- the one thing you value the most- is not protected by decision makers. Imagine your right to proper health being taken away as you live in less than desirable conditions. No. you do not have to live in a third world country to experience these conditions. In fact, this is occurring right in our own backyards, and we are doing nothing to stop it.
This is a film not only about the latest oil spill disaster in Little Buffalo, but a film about the catastrophe the Lubicon continue to endure while INAC refuses to allow duly-elected Lubicon leadership to take office.
On April 29, a pipeline leaked 4.5 million litres of crude oil into the wetlands of traditional Lubicon Cree territory. The pressing question is not so much how the spill occurred, but how the Lubiconcommunity had NO Emergency Response Plan. Living amidst 2300 km of pipeline and over 2000 oil wells, an emergency response plan is vital to everyday safety.
So how could the Lubicon have been without a plan?
To understand the treatment of the Lubicon community, this film examines the patterns of exclusion adopted by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) years before the spill. This film will allow you to gain insight into the struggles of the Lubicon Cree.
This is their story.

Presented by:

APIRG http://apirg.org/setup/

Friends of the Lubicon Alberta http://www.lubicon.org/

Charles Bukowski on Censorship

2011-10-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

In 1985, a library in Holland banned one of Charles Bukowski's books: Tales of Ordinary Madness. The library officials said the work was "very sadistic, occasionally fascist and discriminatory against certain groups (including homosexuals)."

Bukowski responded with this brilliant letter, from Letters of Note on October 18th.

Check out the link to see a photo of the letter that is currently displayed in the Open Dicht Bus, a mobile book store usually based in Eindhoven.

Transcript

7-22-85

Dear Hans van den Broek:

Thank you for your letter telling me of the removal of one of my books from the Nijmegen library. And that it is accused of discrimination against black people, homosexuals and women. And that it is sadism because of the sadism.

The thing that I fear discriminating against is humor and truth.

If I write badly about blacks, homosexuals and women it is because of these who I met were that. There are many "bads"--bad dogs, bad censorship; there are even "bad" white males. Only when you write about "bad" white males they don't complain about it. And need I say that there are "good" blacks, "good" homosexuals and "good" women?

In my work, as a writer, I only photograph, in words, what I see. If I write of "sadism" it is because it exists, I didn't invent it, and if some terrible act occurs in my work it is because such things happen in our lives. I am not on the side of evil, if such a thing as evil abounds. In my writing I do not always agree with what occurs, nor do I linger in the mud for the sheer sake of it. Also, it is curious that the people who rail against my work seem to overlook the sections of it which entail joy and love and hope, and there are such sections. My days, my years, my life has seen up and downs, lights and darknesses. If I wrote only and continually of the "light" and never mentioned the other, then as an artist I would be a liar.

Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Their fear is only their inability to face what is real, and I can't vent any anger against them. I only feel this appalling sadness. Somewhere, in their upbringing, they were shielded against the total facts of our existence. They were only taught to look one way when many ways exist.

I am not dismayed that one of my books has been hunted down and dislodged from the shelves of a local library. In a sense, I am honored that I have written something that has awakened these from their non-ponderous depths. But I am hurt, yes, when somebody else's book is censored, for that book, usually is a great book and there are few of those, and throughout the ages that type of book has often generated into a classic, and what was once thought shocking and immoral is now required reading at many of our universities.

I am not saying that my book is one of those, but I am saying that in our time, at this moment when any moment may be the last for many of us, it's damned galling and impossibly sad that we still have among us the small, bitter people, the witch-hunters and the declaimers against reality. Yet, these too belong with us, they are part of the whole, and if I haven't written about them, I should, maybe have here, and that's enough.

may we all get better together,
yrs,

(Signed)
Charles Bukowski

Edmonton Supports Slave Lake Public Library

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Edmonton area library associations GELA, ELLA, NAHLA, LISSA, & AALT are hosting a fundraising event on Thursday, November 3rd at Paul Byrne Hall, in the Robbins Health Learning Centre on the MacEwan University City Centre Campus (10910-104 Avenue) to support the Rotary Club of Slave Lake Public Library, which was destroyed by the fires that devastated the entire community of Slave Lake earlier this year. Their library had just moved to this new facility in 2010 and it is a huge loss for this community as well as the wider library community in Alberta.

Marilyn Cavanaugh, chair of the Slave Lake Regional Library Board Chair, will be speaking about the experiences of the library as it recovers from the fires that destroyed much of the town of Slave Lake.

This ticketed event begins with a reception at 5:00 pm, followed by the guest speaker at 6:00 pm. Tickets are $15 ($12 for students), and are available through the GELA website or at the door.

A portion of each ticket will go towards the reconstruction efforts of the library. Attendees will also have the opportunity to make a personal donation at the event.

Kurt Vonnegut

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

"So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries."

Kurt Vonnegut

image by netmonkey via Flickr

More Wanted Books

2011-10-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

We distributed over 1000 books this past week at Homeless Connect 7, but there are always titles and authors that are requested that we don't have or run out of quickly. We always keep a list of these requests and try to meet the need the next time around. If you happen to have any of these books available to donate or are able to round up some before next May please let FLIF know and we will do our best to arrange a pick up. Many of these will likely end up on our next 'Most Wanted Books Challenge' list.

This year we had a tremendous number of requests for non-fiction titles and very few resources in this area. Check out the types/genres lists and see if you have any current books that fit these descriptions.

If you would like to make a book donation please contact FLIF through email at flifblog(at)gmail.com

Please note that we do not have the ability to store large amounts of books and are only able to accept donations of up-to-date non-fiction and fiction titles in good condition. Thanks!

Authors:

Dean Koontz
David Gemmell
Nicholas Sparks
Thrasher (author who was homeless, writes about life on the street)
Stephen King
Arthur C. Clark (Rama series specifically)
Catherine Cookson
Jackie Collins
Danielle Steele
Charles Dickens
John Steinbeck
John Grisham

Titles:

Twilight Series
Three Musketeers

Types/Genres:

Westerns **we are in DESPERATE need of paperback westerns!**
comic books & graphic novels
books for babies/board books
crossword puzzle books
Chicken Soup series
Christian literature
Self-help books
Natural medicine
health books
Aboriginal titles & authors
political books: Anti-war and Anti-capitalism
Dictionaries & Atlases
Math & Physics textbooks
quantum physics
astronomy
French language books
Spanish language books
true crime
ghost stories
magazines

Open Access Week: Oct 24th - 28th

2011-10-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Athabasca University is hosting Open Access week starting October 24, 2011. There will be a series of five noon-hour webcasts exploring major issues and opportunities presented by Open Educational Resources (OER). Each session will feature an internationally known promoter and developer of open educational resources, research, or ideas. Everyone is welcome. This is a great opportunity to grab your lunch and a pair of headphones and take in some great lectures from wherever you are duing the week - talk about open access! The sessions are listed below:

Monday, October 24th- Fun and Fear in Open Spaces
Presenters: Dr. Terry Anderson, Dr. Jon Dron

Tuesday, October 25th- Post Secondary Leadership in the OER Movement
Presenter: Dr. Frits Pannekoek

Wednesday, October 26th - Making Sense of Complexity in Open Information Environments
Presenter: George Siemens

Thursday, October 27th – Panel on Moving to Open Educational Resources at Athabasca University
Presenters: Dr. Lisa Carter, Dr. Cindy Ives, Tony Tin, Colin Elliott

Friday, October 28th – OER’s and Sustainable Innovation: Low Cost, Low Risk but High Impact
Presenters: Dr. Rory McGreal, Dr. Wayne Mackintosh

Each session is being presented as a Webcast from noon to 1 p.m. MST. For more information or to join the sessions please go to:

http://openaccess.athabascau.ca/events.php#1

Libraries Got Screwed by Amazon and Overdrive

2011-10-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

This blog post comes courtesy of the very talented and hardworking SLIS tech Nicole - thanks so much for sending this around and allowing FLIF to repost your message. This is a really important issue in public libraries right now as Kindles and e-readers become more popular. It is a lot easier for these kinds of decisions to get made at the top and passed on down to users without a venue for discussion or effective complaint when we don't know anything about it. As proto-librarians (and often current library workers) it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and follow how digital books are being produced and restricted. This is going to be a very important medium for readers and we have an opportunity to be a part of the discussion as these important decisions get made.

Ok FLIF-ers, it's time to get educated and get loud, this issue matters. Check out the excellent video below:

from Nicole:

Intellectual freedom and privacy are fundamental values in our profession and according to Sarah Houghton (Librarian in Black) the new Amazon/Overdrive deal with libraries pushes the boundaries of these values.
I encourage you all to watch the video at the link below/attached and then forward on. I have also included links to less biased commentary - the announcement from Overdrive and a Library Journal article.

Fair warning...there is some swearing. Librarian in Black is really pissed!

Libraries Got Screwed by Amazon and Overdrive

Homeless Connect 7 - Thank you volunteers!!

2011-10-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

A tremendous THANK YOU! to our amazing group of volunteers who came out this past Sunday to make the 7th Homeless Connect in downtown Edmonton a huge success.

We had our largest number of volunteers yet attend and gave away over 1000 books to the event attendees.

This is just a small group of our many (many!) volunteers who came throughout the day.

We really want to thank everyone who gave their time on Sunday (some of you VERY early in the morning) as well as your box hefting abilities and your librarian knowledge to help out the homeless and at risk community in our city. This is an incredible event in the city and it is easy to see what an impact just one day can have on many lives. This event grows each time it is held and I hope that many of our volunteers can attest that it is not only fun but also interesting and moving to see how this city can come together to create an event like this.

You guys are not only brilliant, hard working, fun, organized, and knowledgeable, you are also very artistically gifted!

We would also like to thank everyone who participated in our Most Wanted Books Challenge - we were able to meet a lot more of our specific author and title requests this year than we have previously. Huge thanks to our booth mates - Edmonton Public Libraries for their very generous donations to this program and Community Bookshelf. We couldn't do this event without your donations.

I'm still reeling with positive energy from how great this event was, we had so much great feedback from the attendees and other service providers and I hope to see many of you back in the spring for Homeless Connect 8 in May 2012.

Thanks again! from you FLIF board members Shannon & Carly :)

Most Wanted Book Challenge Winners

2011-10-14T21:21:00.000-06:00

This little project was an amazing success! Huge thanks to all three of our teams who brought in an incredible amount of books (we were blown away!) and all without spending a dime. What an accomplishment and what an incredible community of generous FLIF members. We collected several HUNDRED books in just one short week - all items that are frequently requested.

There was one team who went above and beyond (WAY beyond!) and collected so many books it created a huge pile in Henderson Hall for us to bring to Homeless Connect this weekend. Congrats to Sarah Zakordonski, Stephanie Foremsky, Caitlin Guse, Stephanie Johnson, Christine, and Andrea for this amazing achievement.

Again, thanks so much to everyone who participated and everyone who donated books for this competition. We wanted to give a special thanks to SHAVA (Sturgeon Hospital Auxiliary Volunteer Association) Bookstore who donated a large number of books for this event. This is a fantastic shop with a great selection of used books (and wonderfully organized!). We highly recommend stopping by if you are in St Albert.

SHAVA
Grandin Mall, St. Albert
Wed-Sat from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
(780) 458-4655

We will see many of you this weekend at Homeless Connect 7 in downtown Edmonton!

The FLIF Most Wanted Book Challenge

2011-10-04T12:48:00.000-06:00

The FLIF Most Wanted Book Challenge is on!

Each year at Homeless Connect we have requests for specific titles, authors, and subjects that we cannot accommodate with our generous donations from EPL and the University of Alberta Libraries. This year we hope to provide more of these highly requested books by specifically collecting these items.
Participants in the Most Wanted Book Challenge will work in groups to collect as many items as they can that fall within the parameters of our most wanted list (included below). The team that has collected the most books after one week will be awarded a prize from FLIF.

Each team will be provided with the most wanted list, a small amount of cash ($10), and an envelope for collecting any receipts. If you would like to participate but missed the noon meeting today it's not too late! Just email us at flifblog@gmail.com and we can arrange to get you some cash or you are more than welcome to play with exclusively donated books.

Any books that are purchased with the money must be accounted for with a receipt of some kind (even if it is handwritten). Any unused cash should be returned to FLIF at the end of the competition.

You can beg, borrow, or buy the books from anywhere and use your powers of persuasion to collect as many materials as possible for our Homeless Connect patrons. Good luck and please rendez vous back in Henderson Hall in on Tuesday, October 11th at noon to tally up the collections and name the winners.

If you have any questions please email the FLIF co-chairs at flifblog@gmail.com

Homeless Connect - Most Wanted:

Authors:

Stephen King
Dean Koontz
Sidney Sheldon (http://www.librarything.com/author/sheldonsidney)
VC Andrews
Leslie Glass (http://authorleslieglass.com/)

Types & Titles:

Current best-selling fiction (vampire novels, Millennium Trilogy, Game of Thrones, The Help, etc/)
Self-help/inspirational/Christianity (Chicken Soup series especially)
true crime
biographies
sports books
Archie comics
graphic novels
crossword books (new)
Goosebumps series
Children's books (French language books especially)

Read In Literacy Event: Oct 3-7

2011-09-24T12:25:00.000-06:00

FLIF members at the University of Alberta take note, there is a call for volunteer readers for the Read In literacy event running October 3rd to 7th

We need readers! The idea for Read In was sparked in Edmonton when the United Nations proclaimed 1990 the year of International Literacy. Last year graduate students and faculty read to more than 5000 students, taking time to explain how reading has been important in their lives.
Read In is about more than just promoting literacy. It's a time for young students to meet role models in their community, and to feel they have a sense of value. This is a very fun activity and schools will provide reading material if you wish. We will also be looking for people to read in other languages than English! We are looking for are Arabic, Cree, French and Aboriginal readers.

Rides to be coordinated by Outreach. If you would like to donate some of your time to read to kids during this week, please email Renee Polziehn at renee.polziehn@ualberta.ca

I will need to know
a) if you need a ride/can give a ride/will take care of your own transportation
b) if you want to read at a particular school or location in Edmonton
c) if you prefer to read in the morning/afternoon and day(s) of October 4-7th
d) if you prefer to read to a particular age/grade
e) other languages you speak/read (Mandarin/Cantonese/Spanish/German/French).
Come join us for READ IN October 3th-7th 2010!

Please think about volunteering an hour or two of your time and let us know if you need more information or would like to organize a group of readers - we're happy to help!

Welcome Back!

2011-09-13T17:00:00.001-06:00

The summer flew by and it is already September and FLIF is getting back in action. Thanks to everyone who came out to the first meeting of the year today at noon, if you missed it but would like to be involved keep watching the blog as we post upcoming events.

Today we discussed a few of our upcoming projects including the 7th Homeless Connect event happening at the Shaw Conference Centre in downtown Edmonton on October 16th from 10-3. Homeless Connect is a twice-yearly event where organizations in Edmonton provide services for the homeless community in the city. People can come and see a dentist, get a haircut, career, tax, and debt counseling, and free books from us! We collect donated books from EPL, sort them, and distribute them to the attendees at this event. Huge thanks to everyone who volunteered to help out with Homeless Connect at the meeting; it is always a big event for FLIF and a lot of fun for the volunteers. If you weren't able to sign up at the meeting but would like to participate please email us at flifblog@gmail.com ASAP with your availability on Oct 16th and the size of volunteer t-shirt you would like.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday October 4th at noon in Henderson Hall. At this meeting we will be setting up a challenge for FLIF participants in anticipation of Homeless Connect. Every year we get requests for particular authors or types of books that we always seem to run out of. This year we want to see who can collect the most books from our list of 'Most-wanted' titles with a limited budget and a one week deadline. Everyone is encouraged to form teams and beg, buy (but don't steal!) as many books as they can, but only books from the requested list (we have enough harlequins, thanks!) The team with the largest number of items at the meeting the following week (Oct 11th, noon in Henderson Hall) will win an (as yet to be determined) prize. We will distribute your book budgets in cash and most wanted lists at the meeting on Oct 4th. If you can't make the meeting let us know via email and we can arrange to get the money and list to you at a different time.

A couple of volunteers are needed to run a Community Bookshelf drop off of boxes of donated books at a few non-profits and shelters in downtown Edmonton during the day on Friday Sept 23rd. This should only take an hour or two (depending on traffic). If you are interested and free let us know at flifblog@gmail.com or in the comments and we can organize drivers. You don't need a car to participate. This is one of the ongoing projects for FLIF that we run throughout the year in partnership with Edmonton Public Libraries who donates all of our materials, and GELA (Greater Edmonton Library Association).

We are also looking for people interested in forming a new board of directors for FLIF in a variety of capacities - please get in touch if you are interested in participating or want more information. You do not need any prior experience; we are looking for people with a passion for intellectual freedom and the desire to volunteer your time. We are a very open organization so even if you are worried about time commitment we will work to make sure everyone who wants to be involved can be.

Finally we are always looking for people to contribute to the FLIF blog - feel free to forward announcements or articles to flifblog@gmail.com or let us if you would like to write some posts and we can give you access to log in and start publishing! It is a great way to get involved, an low-stress way to contribute some volunteer hours at your leisure, and looks GREAT on a CV - FLIF Blogmaster!

Huge thanks again to everyone who came to the meeting, the next important dates are:

Fri Sept 23rd - Community Bookshelf dropoff
Tues Oct 4th - most-wanted book challenge meeting at noon in Henderson Hall
Tues Oct 11th - challenge wrap-up, prizes awarded, and pre-Homeless Connect meeting at noon in Henderson Hall
Sunday Oct 16th - Homeless Connect from 10am to 3pm at the Shaw Conference Centre

If you have any questions or projects you are interested in getting rolling or involved with (like the GELA Women's Prison Library projects) please let us know in the comments or by email and we would be more than happy to share more information.

Homeless Connect

2011-05-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

Huge thanks to the FLIF volunteers who came out to volunteer at Homeless Connect this past Sunday. At this twice annual event (May and October) groups in Edmonton provide free services and resources for the city's homeless population at the Shaw Conference centre. Attendees can access a huge range of resources including laundry, hairstyling, dental checkups, councilling, employment assistance, financial services, and (of course) free materials like books generously donated by Edmonton Public Libraries.

This year FLIF distributed over fifteen boxes of paperbacks and children's books donated by EPL.
We want to thank EPL and our FLIF volunteers for their time and committment to this important event.

We are always in need of some specific types of materials including popular fiction like Stephen King and Dean Koontz as well as inspirational books like the Chicken Soup series or religious titles. Pick up of donations can be arranged through our email flifblog(at)gmail.com

This event is always a hilight of the year for FLIF and it was great to get to meet so many wonderful people. Thanks to the organizing committee and we will be seeing you in October 2011!

Film Night @ EPL - Books Behind Bars presented by GELA

2011-03-29T15:42:00.000-06:00

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow (Thursday March 31st) at 7 p.m. the Greater Edmonton Library Association's (GELA) Women's Prison and Reintegration committee will be screening the 30-minute film "Books Behind Bars" at the Stanley Milner Library Theatre followed by a short panel discussion. The film highlights the on-going projects at the women's prison.
This is a fundraiser to help support the projects and the prison library.

Everyone is welcome to attend and since GELA has been such a great partner with FLIF in the past we hope to see a lot of familiar faces there. Suggested donation is $10 or whatever you can afford.

What will your donations do?

$20 will send a book and a recording (on CD) of a woman reading to her children and/or family member
$15 will buy a new release fiction book or resource material for the library
$10 will buy books or help pay for a subscription for the library.

No donation is too small and this is a great opportunity to meet some of the people involved in this great project.

Challenged Books

2011-02-27T19:00:00.019-07:00

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1999)

2002: Black parents and teachers in Yarmouth, Digby, and Shelburne (NS) objected to this novel, Barbara Smucker’s Underground to Canada, and John Ball’s In the Heat of the Night. The director of education of the Tri-County school board ordered the withdrawal of the three books pending a ruling by the board, but his order was rescinded at a board meeting and the books were restored. In 1993, a school principal in Hamilton (ON) removed the novel from the core reading list for Grade 10 after a complaint from a parent. In 1991, a black community group called PRUDE (Pride of Race, Unity and Dignity through Education) asked Saint John (NB) School District 20 to withdraw this book and Huckleberry Finn from reading lists.

Cause of objection: The novel, which contains the word “nigger,” might cause black students to be mocked because of racial stereotyping.

We finish FTRW 2011 with one of the most widely challenged books that tends to spark controversy. The books we have covered on the blog have been banned or challenged for a range of reasons and by different groups. These issues are not always black and white and often the desire to limit access or remove materials comes from a wish to protect young readers or deny the uglier parts of reality. The importance of Freedom to Read Week is to remember that all information wants to be free - it is not information or books or words that do damage and it is disrespectful and belittling to assume that readers "cannot handle" or will be damaged by book, movies, music, or images. What is important is for readers to be socially and culturally literate and to be able to assess and understand the relevance and viewpoints expressed in different kinds of media.

Happy Freedom to Read Week 2011!

Challenged Books

2011-02-27T12:00:00.001-07:00

Trouble on Tarragon Island by Nikki Tate (2005)

2007: A librarian at the Elizabeth School in Kindersley (SK) withdrew this children’s novel from the library’s shelves. The novel depicts a dispute over clear-cut logging in B.C. Cause of objection: In the novel, a girl’s grandmother joins an anti-logging group and poses semi-nude for a calendar. In the first chapter, several boys taunt the girl about her grandmother’s breasts, calling them “bazoongas.” The librarian objected to the bullying scene—the Elizabeth School has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying—and to the word “bazoongas.”

Update: In July 2007, the outgoing principal defended the librarian’s decision. In the autumn of 2007, a new principal reversed the decision to withdraw the book.

Challenged Books

2011-02-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Black like Kyra, White like Me by Judith Vigna (1992)

2000: A patron of the Toronto Public Library complained about this children’s picture book about a black family moving into an all-white neighbourhood and encountering racial prejudice.

Cause of objection: The complainant said the story “reinforces negative stereotypes about blacks and positive types about whites.”

Update: The book was retained in the library’s collection.

Challenged Books

2011-02-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (2000)

2000: Terry Lewis, a member of the Reform party’s national executive council, complained about the use of this novel by Winnipeg’s River East School Division and called for the book’s removal from school reading lists. The novel has been targeted in other school jurisdictions across Canada as well.

Cause of objection: Lewis, who distributed 10,000 copies of a pamphlet arguing against the book, said that Steinbeck’s frequent use of “God,” “God-damned,” and “Jesus” in profane and blasphemous ways offended Christians and couldn’t possibly have any educational benefit.

Update: The River East School Division took no action. This objection and its disposition echoed an incident in Alberta in 1994, when a member of the legislature demanded that the novel be withdrawn from all high school reading lists in the province.

Reminder: Amy Goodman today!

2011-02-26T09:00:00.001-07:00

Just a quick reminder that Amy Goodman will be speaking at the Telus Centre (111 St & 87 Ave on U of A Campus) today at 7:00pm. The event is free and is part of Edmonton Public Library's Freedom to Read Week program.

See you there!

Challenged Books

2011-02-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban By J.K. Rowling (1999)

2000: The Durham (ON) Board of Education received numerous complaints about the immensely popular Harry Potter books being read in classrooms throughout the board’s schools. A school board official said that the complaints came from fundamentalist Christian parents.

Cause of objection: As is the case in at least 19 states of the U.S. and other parts of Canada, parents were concerned that Harry Potter is engaged in wizardry, witchcraft, and magic-making, and that these activities are inappropriate for young readers.

Update: After listening to the complaints, the administration decided to withdraw the books from classroom use but left them in school libraries where they would be available for book reports. One board member said she had wanted the books to be withdrawn completely from the schools; another member said the board had never been asked to decide the issue, so the books’ withdrawal amounted to censorship. Several months later, after a raucous public meeting, the board rescinded its decision to remove the books. However, in other jurisdictions teachers have been asked not to use the books in the classroom. This is said to have occurred in a school in Corner Brook (NF) and in Rockwood Public School in Pembroke (ON). In 2002, the Niagara (ON) District School Board turned down a parent’s request for the removal of the books from area schools. The parent said the books contained violence and promoted a religion (Wicca) which is against the law in Ontario schools. She said that she had not read the books.

Challenged Books

2011-02-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Glory Days and Other Stories by Gillian Chan (1996)

2000: During the sexual assault trial of a former teacher in Langley (BC), court heard evidence that the teacher had assigned a story, “Invisible Girl,” from this critically acclaimed collection to a Grade 4 and 5 class. The story deals with date rape. The school principal suggested to the board superintendent that the book be withdrawn from Langley schools.

Cause of objection: The story was deemed inappropriate for the grade level.

Update: Almost two years passed before a school board official assured the preparers of the Freedom to Read kit that the book had been withdrawn from the elementary panel but not from all schools in Langley. The book’s publisher, Kids Can Press, also attempted to find out whether the book had been taken out of all schools in the district. The book is still available in secondary school libraries.

Challenged Books

2011-02-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Seduction of Peter S by Lawrence Sanders (1983)

2002: A patron of the Toronto Public Library challenged this adult thriller about an out-of- work actor who becomes a male prostitute.

Cause of objection: The patron said that the novel was a manual on how to become a male prostitute and that young readers could be affected.

Update: The library retained copies in its collection.

Challenged Books

2011-02-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite (1990)

2005: During Freedom to Read Week, the Lethbridge Public Library displayed books that had been challenged in North America. The inclusion of Daddy’s Roommate in the display prompted one library patron to request the removal of the book from the library.

Cause of objection: The complainant said that this fictional children’s book, which has a homosexual theme, was “not a proper role model for children.”

Update: The complainant did not pursue the challenge, so the book stayed in the library.

This is an interesting result for FTRW displays and while it is great that library projects are encouraging discussions it is a bit troubling that someone would (half heartedly) take an arguably opposite message from the week of celebration. Huge thanks to the brave librarians working to encourage social literacy and freedom of information everyday!

Challenged Books

2011-02-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

The Little Black Book for Girlz, A Book on Healthy Sexuality (2006)

2006: The Institute for Canadian Values (ICV), a Christian organization, campaigned against this frank sex-education manual for teenage girls. The ICV urged people to write and phone to complain to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the minister of industry and local MPs to drop public funding for The Little Black Book for Girlz and similar books. The ICV also urged people to “monitor their local schools, libraries and other resource centres to ensure that the book is not introduced elsewhere.”

Cause of objection: The book, which is written by teenage girls for teenage girls, encourages lesbianism, describes lesbian sex, contains “obscene” language and provides “misleading information” about safe sex.

Challenged Books

2011-02-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak by Deborah Ellis (2004)

2006: In Ontario, the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) urged public school boards to deny access to this children’s non-fiction book about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to students in the elementary grades. Cause of objection: The CJC said that Ellis had provided a flawed historical introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The CJC also said that some children in the book portrayed Israeli soldiers as brutal, expressed ethnic hatred and glorified suicide bombing. The effect on young student readers, the CJC said, was “toxic.”

Update: Although the Ontario Library Association (OLA) had recommended Three Wishes to schools as part of its acclaimed Silver Birch reading program, and although schoolchildren were not required to read the book, at least five school boards in Ontario set restrictions on the text.

Goran Simic at UofA Bookstore - TODAY!

2011-02-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that Goran Simic, Edmonton's artist-in-exile for 2010-11, will be giving a reading of his poetry at the U of A bookstore in SUB today from 1pm-2pm. Coffee and refreshments are provided and this is a free event.

Take a long lunch and come out to support FTRW.

EPL presents Amy Goodman

2011-02-24T07:00:00.002-07:00

This Saturday Feb 26th EPL is hosting Amy Goodman (host of Democracy Now) as a part of their Freedom to Read Week events.

Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize' for "developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media." The Independent of London named Amy Goodman and Democracy Now! "an inspiration"; pulsemedia.org placed Goodman at the top of their 20 Top Global Media Figures.
Goodman is the author of four New York Times bestsellers. Her latest book, Breaking the Sound Barrier, proves the power of independent journalism in the struggle for a better world. She co-authored the first three bestsellers, Standing Up to the Madness, Static, and The Exception to the Rulers, with her brother, journalist David Goodman. (epl.ca/freedomtoread)

Amy Goodman will be speaking at a free event this Saturday, February 26th at 7:00pm at the TELUS Centre on the U of A Campus (corner of 111 St and 87 Ave)

Check out the Facebook event page and bring a freedom loving friend.

Challenged Books

2011-02-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Book - 2006)

2007: After receiving a single complaint, the Halton (ON) Catholic District School Board ordered the withdrawal of these fantasy novels for young readers from the open shelves of libraries in elementary schools. The books were collected at library circulation desks, and students who wished to read the novels had to ask librarians for copies. The board also formed a committee to review the books. Within days, the Roman Catholic school board in Peterborough (ON) received two complaints about the novels and withdrew copies from school libraries. In Peterborough, school employees denied students access to the novels while the board set up a committee to review the novels. The Durham (ON) Catholic District School Board followed suit. The Calgary (AB) Catholic School District told employees to pull the novels from library shelves, not use the novels in classrooms and exclude the books from Scholastic book fairs. In Calgary, the school board also established a committee to review the novels.
Cause of objection: The stories, which are set in an alternative universe populated with talking animals, undermine belief in God and organized religion and promote atheism.
Update: In 2007, the Halton (ON) Catholic District School Board ignored the recommendation of its review committee and voted to ban the novels from schools. The board’s order proclaimed, “Philip Pullman’s trilogy of atheist ideology, carefully couched within the realm of fantasy for young readers, is in direct opposition to the mission statement and governing values of our board.” But a few weeks later, in 2008, the board of the Calgary (AB) Catholic School District decided to use The Golden Compass in schools. “There is no doubt that the text is harsh in terms of its language about organized religion and that it presents a consistently negative view of church, clergy and faith-based institutions; however, there are glimpses of light with opportunities for positive reflection,” the review document said. The board urged teachers, when using The Golden Compass, to use instruction guides to ensure “a carefully planned approach” and a Catholic focus.

FTRW on Campus - Goran Simic at UofA Bookstore

2011-02-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

More FTRW events happening on campus this week, Thanks to Carly for sending this along to the blog:

Edmonton's 2010-11 writer-in-exile Goran Simic will be doing a poetry reading at the U of Alberta bookstore in SUB tomorrow, Thursday February 24th from 1pm-2pm.

Coffee and treats will be provided and I hear attendees are welcome to keep their coffee mugs featuring quotes about freedom to read and censorship.

Goran Simic was born in Bosnia in 1952. He has published eleven books of poetry, drama, and short fiction, including the acclaimed volume of poems in English translation, Sprinting from the Graveyard (Oxford University Press, 1997). In Canada, Simic has published Peace and War, a limited edition volume gathering poems by himself and by Fraser Sutherland; other books of his poetry and drama have been translated into nine languages. His poems are included in anthologies of world poetry, such as Scanning the Century (Penguin, 2002) and Banned Poetry (Index, 1997). He has received major literary awards from PEN USA and four times in former Yugoslavia. He lives and works in Edmonton, Sarajevo and Toronto.

This sounds like a incredible opportunity and we hope to see you there!

Challenged Books

2011-02-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Wild Fire, A Novel By Nelson DeMille (Book - 2006)

2007: A patron of the Edmonton Public Library complained about this thriller. In the novel, which is set in 2002, a group of powerful Americans secretly plot to provoke a nuclear attack on the Middle East in retaliation for the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. in 2001.
Cause of objection: The complainant said Wild Fire was “just another hate promoting novel.”
Update: The library retained the book in its collection.

Freedom to Read Week

2011-02-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

"It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity, including those which some elements of society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular, or unacceptable. To this end, libraries shall acquire and make available the widest variety of materials." - Canadian Library Association

Welcome to Freedom to Read Week! What are you doing to celebrate or raise awareness this week?

Challenged Books

2011-02-22T17:00:00.001-07:00

Throughout the week we will be hilighting some of the books that have been recently challenge at Canadian libraries and the reasons they were opposed. We are using the excellent EPL website as our resource for this feature and we really encourage you to check out all of the information they have available for FTRW and other special events - http://www.epl.ca/

To start off with, a classic:

The Handmaid's Tale by Atwood, Margaret (Book - 1985)

2008: In Toronto, a parent formally complained about the use of this dystopian novel in a Grade 12 English class at Lawrence Park Collegiate. Cause of objection: The parent said that the novel’s “profane language,” anti-Christian overtones, “violence” and “sexual degradation” probably violated the district school policies that require students to show respect and tolerance to one another.
Update: In 2009, a review panel of the Toronto District School Board recommended that schools keep the novel in the curriculum in Grades 11 and 12.

FTRW - Story Time for Grown-ups

2011-02-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Freedom to Read Week (and reading week on the U of A campus). EPL is hosting a really exciting event this Thursday Feb 24th starting at 7pm at the ARTery - 9535 Jasper Ave.

Come and enjoy some risque, post-valentine's day adult story reading that promises to range from Shakespear to the Marquis de Sade to Woody Allen.

Erotica are works of art, including literature, that deal substantively with erotically stimulating or sexually arousing descriptions. Celebrate Freedom to Read by joining us for an evening of erotic tales. Our readers, Linda Paksi and Tim Anderson, will be reading select erotic stories and poems - many from authors in our collection.

Don't be shy, the price is right (free admission!) - hope to see you there!

"Parents Against Bad Books In Schools" Group as Scary as They Sound

2011-02-10T16:15:00.001-07:00

Reblogged from Jezebel Feb 10/11

"Parents Against Bad Books In Schools" are among a recent surge in groups looking to remove "bad" books from libraries in North America. The definition of what makes a book "bad" in the eyes of these groups can range widely but often focus on homosexual characters, themes, and sex.

(Challenged books have included Running with Scissors; The Things They Carried; One Hundred Years of Solitude.) Groups like PABBIS are becoming more numerous and better organized. Says Joan Bertin of the National Coalition Against Censorship,

Groups of parents are getting together and organizing in their communities to ban books...I think what's happening is once a book is challenged in one town, people on the same wavelength, it will flag that book for them. For example, we've seen three challenges to Sherman Alexie's teen novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, all within the past three months, two in Missouri, one in Montana.

While not all challenges are successful at getting books removed from curriculum or libraries, 25% (the estimated success rate) is a lot of books. And the problem, in some sense, is the larger issue: this isn't about individual parents throwing out books, although that's sad enough. Rather, as Bertin says, it's not in a vacuum.

We never have a problem with people who don't want their own kid to read a book...We have a problem with people who feel these books are corrosive to the culture, and they don't want them taught in schools. They think it's immoral and offends their religious values, whether they're Jewish, Christian or Muslim. (emphasis mine)

This kind of moralizing and presuming that one's values should be extended to everyone in society is disturbing but can be difficult for elementary school educators to oppose. It is much harder to make an argument for trusting young readers, having nuanced discussions about real world issues and a diversity of opinions voiced in schools but I think it is a critical issue that librarians have to face.
Kudos to the librarians who have to deal with these social pressures and make intelligent, sane, eloquent arguments for freedom of speech (and reading).

FLIF Wrapping Party Today

2011-02-10T10:04:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that we will be having a wrapping party in Henderson Hall starting at 6pm today. We will be wrapping up some choice romance novels in anticipation of our Pint of Romance event following FIP this Friday and there may be some v-day candy involved.
We have organized an informal get together at Lucky13 on Whyte Ave for this Friday evening. FLIF members and their guests are on the guest list until 10pm. Come on out to dance away some of the library school stress and receive the gift of a little love (in the form of some classic Harlequin titles) from FLIF. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see everyone there in their future librarian finest.

There is no cover if you arrive before 10pm - we're on the list as 'library school'

International Week at the U of A

2011-01-31T09:35:00.002-07:00

Today is the start of International Week on campus at the U of A. There are over 60 *free* events about global issues happening on campus between today and Friday and it looks like those of us interested in intellectual freedom could have a very busy week. The full program guide is online here: www.iweek.ualberta.ca but there are two events that are of particular interest for library lovers:

*Today* - Monday Jan 31st, 3-4pm in the Education Centre S Rm 129

There is a film screening of Armed With Knowledge: The Intellectual Freedom Fighters today. I know it is incredibly cold out today, but this one hour film sounds fascinating and a great way to break up a cold Monday.

Does everyone have fair and equal access to information? In the revealing documentary, Armed with Knowledge, progressive librarians come together to discuss issues and problems with information access for marginalized and newcomer communities. Discover the world of censorship and access through the eyes of your local librarian, and how they fight for your right to information.

Thursday Feb 3rd from 11am-12:30pm

Angelica Tarnowski and Kristen Rumohr from the Millwods Branch library and Dr. Toni Samek of our own School of Library and Information Studies will be leading talks in the Tory Lecture Theatre 1

Out of the Stacks and into the Community: The Library's Approach to Newcomers
Community-led philosophy is a recent phenomenon that has come to the Edmonton Public Library; but what is it, really? Librarians from EPL will discuss their responsibilities in ensuring that the library is a welcoming and relevant place for newcomers and members of the multicultural community, and how they look for ways to connect with newcomer youth to meet their library needs. Dr. Toni Samek will also deliver a talk about migration and library issues in the United States, written by Kathleen de la Pena McCook, distinguished university professor at the University of Southern Florida and immigration rights advocate.

We hope to see you there as we gear up for Freedom to Read Week later this month. More information about FLIF and EPL events will be posted in the upcoming weeks.

If you missed any of these or other events during International Week and would like to know more about it, the international week organizers are blogging the week at http://internationalweek.wordpress.com/ with some events being podcasted.

FLIF Meeting!

2010-11-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that there is a FLIF meeting tomorrow (Thursday November 25th) at noon in Henderson Hall.

Hope to see you there! (There will be cookies)

ALA to Creates Award for LGBT Children's Books

2010-11-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

The American Library Association has announced that it is adding the Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award to its slate of prizes for children's literature. The award will honor "English-language works for children and teens of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience." There has been a Stonewall award for adult books for 40 years, but until now, no corresponding prize for kids' lit. However, says ALA president Roberta Stevens,

Millions of children in this country are being raised by gay or lesbian parents. There are young people who are gay and sometimes they feel very alone. This is a real opportunity for youths who may be feeling alone to read about other like themselves.

Unfortunately gay kids and kids with gay parents hearing all too often that stories about their families are immoral, inappropriate or dirty (one parent called And Tango Makes Three "a homosexual storyline that has been sugar-coated with cute penguins"). Hopefully the Stonewall awards will send these kids a better message and lead to the publication of more great books with a diversity of people represented.

Thank-you FLIFers!

2010-10-27T23:20:00.000-06:00

A huge thanks to all of the FLIF-ers who came out over the past two weeks to help us sort the many (many!) boxes of donated books in Henderson Hall and for our amazing volunteer team who helped out making Homeless Connect a success.

On Sunday, Oct 17th FLIF participated in Edmonton Homeless Connect where we distributed free books to the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless. Book donations were generously provided by EPL, the University of Alberta Libraries and FLIF members.

Our early morning team unloaded the truck and set up our booth and we kept the tables stocked throughout the day.

This is one of FLIF's biggest events of the year and we distributed over 20 boxes of books.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and we hope to see you back for the next Homeless Connect in May 2011.

*all photos by Jorden and Shannon, your FLIF 2010/2011 co-chairs

FLIF Book Sorting Pary

2010-10-14T23:24:00.000-06:00

Don't forget that the FLIF book sorting party will be tomorrow (Friday Oct 15th) from noon until about 3 or 4pm (depending on how long it takes) in Henderson Hall.
We will be packing up a ton of materials for Homeless Connect this Sunday as well as our Community Bookshelf project.
Hope to see you tomorrow - even if you don't have time to sort some books stop by for some snacks and a quick chat, we would love to hear your ideas for FLIF for the upcoming year!

CBC Bans the Use of Creative Commons Music on Podcasts

2010-10-09T10:49:00.000-06:00

The producers of Spark, CBC radio’s digital culture show which has often used Creative Commons music in their broadcasts and podcasts have revealed that the public broadcaster has banned them from using CC music.

Evident from the excerpts of user comments from the Spark blog included below, the CBC has banned the use of CC licensed music from their podcasts because it goes “against some of the details in collective agreements [the CBC] hold(s) with certain talent agencies.”

In other words, groups are actively working to block the use of Creative Commons licensed materials in their contractual agreements. It is extremely problematic and discouraging to hear that the CBC is banned from using CC materials that the artists want to make freely available. The CBC obviously isn't required to use Creative Commons licensed music, but this highlights an instance where at least one of it’s programs wants to use it and groups that purport to support artists' right to choose the rights associated with their work is trying to stop them from doing so.

Comments from the Spark blog:

@mattperreault (listener, via twitter): I was looking for the links to the "Creative Commons" music used in this episode. I can't find the link? Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place?

Dan Misener (Spark producer): Hi, Matt. You're not looking in the wrong place. There's simply no Creative Commons music used in this episode. By management decree, CBC podcasts are no longer permitted to use CC music. Instead, we're using the APM Music library (http://www.apmmusic.com/), which is copyright cleared and fully licensed by the CBC.

Lily (CBC Radio Podcasting): It turned out that our use of Creative Commons licensed music was going against some of the details in collective agreements we hold with certain talent agencies. As such, we had to discontinue our use of it.

Social Justice in the Stacks: Progressive Activism in the Information Professions

2010-10-08T22:32:00.000-06:00

The new Edmonton chapter of the Progressive Librarians Guild (PLG) is presenting a panel discussion at SLIS about the intersections between social justice and the information and library professions. Admission is free and the event will be on Thursday, November 4th at 7pm in Henderson Hall on the U of Alberta campus.

Social equality issues such as access to information, documentation of society, and free distribution of knowledge are core principles of modern libraries and archives. However, these principles are often de-accentuated in the day-to-day management of libraries and archives and information professionals can find themselves detached from a social justice perspective.

Topics discussed will include academic freedom, professionals as workers, access to archival holdings, representation of marginalized voices, public libraries as sites of contention, and the purpose of the PLG. Speakers include the following (please note that speakers are not appearing on behalf of their respective institutions):

Toni Samek – Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta
Amanda Bird – Librarian, Edmonton Public Library
Braden Cannon – Archivist, Provincial Archives of Alberta/University of Calgary
Raymond Frogner – Archivist, University of Alberta
Rene Georgopalis – Archivist, Musée Héritage Museum and Archives (St. Albert)

For more information about PLG and this panel discussion you can visit their main website: http://libr.org/plg/index.php

GELA Beers Beyond Bars Pub Night this Friday!

2010-10-04T14:49:00.000-06:00

The Greater Edmonton Library Association is hosting their 2010 Pub Night this Friday, Oct 8th from 6pm-10pm at Ceilis' Irish Pub in Edmonton (10338 109th St)
This event raises money to support GELA's Prison Library and Reintegration Committee projects and is a great way to meet some very cool library folk in Edmonton. Tickets are $10 (which includes a free drink before 10pm and snacks)

book bar image from here

There will be a raffle draw at 9pm.

Although there will be a limited number of tickets available at the door, it would be best if you could email Tara (tforman@ualberta.ca) to reserve your spot.

For more information about the GELA Prison Library Project, GELA and LISAA check out the links below:

GELA http://www.gela.ca/

LISAA http://lisaa.ca/

Prison Library and Reintegration Committee http://gelaprison.wordpress.com/

Google Tracking International Government Censorship

2010-10-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

Last week BBC reported on a new Google resource that maps online censorship, displaying the frequency different national governments requested information about web users and censor online services.

http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/governmentrequests/

Information on China (as Slashdot points out) is conspicuously absent. This is an interesting development as Google has increasingly come under criticism for handing over information about users to governments and cooperating with China's desire to heavily censor what online content is available to it's citizens.

What do you think about Google's online practices and the way they deal with censor-heavy nations like China? As online information and what users do on social networking sites and read online becomes increasingly available for scrutiny what responsibilities do companies like Google, governments and international organization have to internet users?

Where, Why and How the Economist is Censored

2010-10-03T07:00:00.002-06:00

The Economist recently published an article about the countries that have banned the popular magazine and for what reasons since 2009. The reasons range from geo-political arguments to nudity (see the cover depicting Adam and Eve below) to religious conflicts.

Ellen Hopkins' Anti-Censorship Manifesto

2010-10-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Jen for sending this great article from the Huffington Post about one author's experience dealing with censorship.

Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Glass, who explores controversial topics in her writing such as addiction, prostitution, suicide and violence has encountered her share of censors who have lobbied to ban her books and cancel speaking engagements. In this article she eloquently describe her work and events she was invited to speak at and then subsequently blocked by various authority figures.

Interestingly, in Hopkins' experience librarians have both rallied to her defense, pushing to have her speak to their students and communities, as well as acting to prevent her from speaking at their schools. At a recent teen lit event Hopkins was removed from the speakers panel due to complaints about her subject matter. Subsequently the event was cancelled when the other YA authors scheduled refused to support an event that would censor a member of their community.

At the end of this article Hopkins includes the fantastic Manifesto she wrote for Banned Books Week 2009 I want to reproduce here in it's entirety - click here for a pdf version

Manifesto

To you zealots and bigots and false
patriots who live in fear of discourse.
You screamers and banners and burners
who would force books
off shelves in your brand name
of greater good.

You say you're afraid for children,
innocents ripe for corruption
by perversion or sorcery on the page.
But sticks and stones do break
bones, and ignorance is no armor.
You do not speak for me,
and will not deny my kids magic
in favor of miracles.

You say you're afraid for America,
the red, white, and blue corroded
by terrorists, socialists, the sexually
confused. But we are a vast quilt
of patchwork cultures and multi-gendered
identities. You cannot speak for those
whose ancestors braved
different seas.

You say you're afraid for God,
the living word eroded by Muhammed
and Darwin and Magdalene.
But the omnipotent sculptor of heaven
and earth designed intelligence.
Surely you dare not speak
for the father, who opens
his arms to all.

A word to the unwise.
Torch every book.
Char every page.
Burn every word to ash.
Ideas are incombustible.
And therein lies your real fear.

Operation Dark Heart - more info

2010-10-01T08:00:00.002-06:00

The censorship of the original version of Operation Dark Heart has been making the rounds through national and international news sources. It is nice to see this issue getting so much attention and it is encouraging to know that people have not become complicit in literary censorship, even when it involves nationalistic and military events.
To see some additional coverage of this story check out this video:

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

you can also get more information from the official book site:
Operation Dark Heart

Time Magazine also has a brief article about the controversy and some interesting links to more information about book banning and Banned Books Week in the US

Howl at the EFF

2010-09-30T18:27:00.000-06:00

Wow! I am cutting this announcement a little close (thanks so much to Carla for emailing about this film!)

The Edmonton Film Festival is screening Howl tonight at 7:15 at the Empire City Centre Theatre. It looks like a great film and deals with censorship of Ginsberg's famous work Howl.

James Franco stars as the young Allen Ginsberg - poet, counter-culture adventurer and chronicler of the Beat Generation. In his famously confessional, leave-nothing-out style, Ginsberg recounts the road trips, love affairs and search for personal liberation that led to the most timeless and electrifying work of his career, the poem HOWL.
Meanwhile, in a San Francisco courtroom, HOWL is on trial. Prosecutor Ralph McIntosh (David Strathairn) sets out to prove that the book should be banned, while suave defense attorney Jake Ehrlich (Jon Hamm) argues fervently for freedom of speech and creative expression. The proceedings veer from the comically absurd to the passionate as a host of unusual witnesses (Jeff Daniels, Mary-Louise Parker, Treat Williams, Alesssandro Nivola) pit generation against generation and art against fear.
From the filmmaking team that gave us The Celluloid Closet and The Times of Harvey Milk, HOWL is simultaneously a portrait of a renegade artist breaking down barriers to find love and redemption, and an imaginative, animated ride through a prophetic masterpiece.

Hope to see lots of FLIF-ers there!

UPDATE "Operation Dark Heart" soon to hit the bestseller lists (thanks to the US Defense Dept)

2010-09-26T15:30:00.001-06:00

*UPDATE!*
According to a CNN update late last night the Pentagon has gone ahead and purchased the first run of nearly 10,000 copies and destroyed them on September 20th.
A second edition of the book is being released by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) with information the US government objected to removed.

I think the author's comment nicely sums up the ridiculous nature of this action by the Pentagon:

"The whole premise smacks of retaliation," Shaffer told CNN on Saturday. "Someone buying 10,000 books to suppress a story in this digital age is ludicrous."

I love Shaffer's comment about the futility of buying and burning books. This ridiculous situation just highlights how influential digital resources are in the free flow of information and how futile it is to try and stop the spread of information by burning books. Symbolically though this is an event to be angry about.
As we head into Banned Books Week in the US this is certainly a timely issue and I hope people make the effort to speak out about this kind of censorship.

So, anyone know where we can access a digital copy for the first edition?

_________________________________________________________________

from the Washington Post (Sept 10, 2010)

Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's memoir "Operation Dark Heart" is about to sell out it's first run of 10,000 copies as the US Defense Department hopes to keep the book out of the hands of readers by purchasing the entire printing. The entire first edition is slated to be destroyed if the Defense Department succeeds.

The memoir recounts Shaffer's time as a reservist in Afghanistan in 2003 and describes several covert operations. The book was officially approved by the Army Reserve in early 2010, but objections to the use of the names of US officers among other details were raised after written approval had been granted.

A second printing will have controversial information removed as agreed upon by Shaffer, the publisher and the Army Reserve/DIA representatives, but the fate of this first printing is undecided. Currently the first printing is sitting in a warehouse awaiting disposal by the Defense Dept.

Quoting the Washington Post article:

"Several dozen review copies of the first edition have already been circulated to media outlets, including The Washington Post."

It is questionable what the Pentagon hopes to achieve by destroying this printing when the information has 'leaked' in the form of review copies. In light of the wikileaks debates, the value of information that is over five years old related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is controversial. Will this information potentially compromise military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, or is the danger in casting governments in a poor light?

Interestingly (and timely on the 9th anniversary of September 11th), the author of this memoir, Anthony Shaffer is also known for "alleging before the 9/11 Commission and Congress that a covert Pentagon task force called "Able Danger" had identified Mohamed Atta, the lead hijacker in the Sept. 11 attacks, before the assaults on New York and the Pentagon. Shaffer's claim was later rejected by congressional investigators, among others. But he repeats the assertion in the book" (Finn, Peter & Greg Miller, Pentagon aims to buy up book. Washington Post online, Sept 10, 2010, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/09/AR2010090907747.html accessed Sept 10, 2010.)

This guy thinks SPEAK is pornography

2010-09-24T19:52:00.002-06:00

Remember last September, when the book banners crawled out of their pits of nastiness to try to remove YA literature from classrooms and libraries?
It is September again, my friends.
Wesley Scroggins is an associate professor of management at Missouri State University. He was also a speaker at Reclaiming Missouri for Christ, a recent seminar whose purpose was to “To educate our pastors, legislators, educators, students, and all citizens as to the truth about America’s Christian Heritage and the role of fundamental, Biblical Christianity in the establishment and function of our legal, legislative, and educational system, and to work towards the successful reestablishment of these values in our society.”
(Note: I love Jesus. My dad is a United Methodist minister. I point out Scroggins’ affiliation with this group so readers can understand his larger agenda.)
Wesley wrote an opinion piece in the News-Leader of Springfield, MO, in which he characterized SPEAK as filthy and immoral. Then he called it “soft pornography” because of two rape scenes.
The fact that he sees rape as sexually exciting (pornographic) is disturbing, if not horrifying. It gets worse, if that’s possible, when he goes on to completely mischaracterize the book.
Some people say that I shouldn’t make a big deal about this. That I am giving him more attention than he deserves. But this guy lives about an hour and half from the school district that banned Sherman Alexie’s THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN this month.
My fear is that good-hearted people in Scroggins’ community will read his piece and believe what he says. And then they will complain to the school board. And then the book will be pulled and then all those kids who might have found truth and support in the book will be denied that. In addition, all the kids who have healthy emotional lives but who hate reading, will miss the chance to enjoy a book that might change their opinion.
All because some wingnut grabbed the opinion page of his newspaper, bellowed his lies, and no one challenged him.
I have already received incredible support on Facebook and in my inbox. Paul Hankins, an English teacher from Indiana, has started a Twitterfeed - #SpeakLoudly – where people can tweet their opinions. And my hero, Judy Blume, wrote to say she is bringing this nonsense to the attention of the National Council Against Censorship.
(I must confess – receiving a message from Judy Blume made me shriek a little. I am such a fangrrl of hers.)
I love the support from the blogosphere, but am concerned that the people in Scroggins’ community who might be swayed by his nonsense are not reading those blogs or following Twitter feeds on the topic. So I am writing to the school district superintendent and to the newspaper. But I know (because I’ve been here before) that my comments will likely be greeted with scepticism because I have a vested interest in the process.
I need your help.
Please share your experiences with SPEAK; your own response to the book, or the way you’ve seen it work in a school setting. Tahleen has already posted her thoughts on her blog. You can do the same. Please share links to your blog in Comments.
But then, please speak up to the people who can make a real difference in Republic, MO.
You can submit a letter to the editor of the News-Leader.
You can write to the superintendent of the Republic School District, Dr. Vern Minor, or to the high school principal, Daren Harris.
You can comment directly to Scroggins’ opinion piece.
Here I am reading “Listen” the poem I wrote based on reader response to SPEAK.

Banned Books Week is only a few days away. Consider this your chance to get a head start on speaking up about a good book and defending the intellectual freedoms guaranteed us in our Constitution.

Reprinted with permission from Laurie Hales Anderson's awesome blog: http://madwomanintheforest.com/

Alaskan Libraries & Bookstore Sue Over Stifling New Law

2010-09-19T19:31:00.000-06:00

From the Alaska Dispatch - Sept 15, 2010

Alaskan libraries and bookstores are concerned by the passing of Senate Bill 222 which proposes changes to state law to toughen human trafficking, sex offense and child pornography laws with increased jail time and broader allowances for police officers to pursue offenders. Specifically, Sean Parnell (Governor of Alaska) claimed that it would give the state's Internet Crimes Against Children unit "more tools to pursue those who view and engage in distribution of child pornography,"
After trying unsuccessfully to address concerns that this bill would infringe on first amendment rights with the governor, librarians and book store owners say they've got no choice but to sue. They argue the revised law criminalizes material adults have a constitutionally protected right to access -- literature, works of art, educational materials and any other items that may contain nudity or sexually explicit content. The way the amendment is currently written innocent people could face criminal charges including librarians and bookstore owners who stock materials that fall under these broad guidelines.

From the Alaska Dispatch article:

It's a situation in which a few small word changes may have sweeping consequences. SB 222 amended the prior censorship law, in part, by deleting the word "electronic" from references about distribution of material, and the word "visual" from references to how material is depicted. The plaintiffs believe those changes unacceptably widen the law's reach far beyond the Internet and the narrow situations -- sexual predators disseminating material to children -- that the law is meant to target.

Conceivably, a retailer selling unlawful materials to anyone under the age of 16 could end up a convicted felon, spend two years in jail, be forced to register as a sex offender, and lose their business, according to a prepared statement released by the plaintiffs' legal teams.

Alaskan librarians are concerned that the law could limit materials libraries could legally circulate including sex education materials, romance novels, fine art books, graphic novels and even best-sellers that deal with mature themes (like Stieg Larsson's popular Millennium Trilogy). The wording of this amendment makes all of the difference. Those involved in the suit against the state recognize that while protection of children is important, the bill needs to very specifically target illegal materials. Broad definitions of 'obscene materials' force libraries and other media providers to strictly moderate all of the materials they stock and post online to a point that is completely unsustainable. It is impossible to know the full content of all books, movies, music, magazines,etc that a library or book seller holds and moderating access online to block underage users is extremely difficult.

Title Wave Books and Bosco's in Anchorage, Fireside Books in Palmer, Don Douglas Photography in Juneau, the Alaska Library Association and the Alaska office of the American Civil Liberties Union are among the local plaintiffs. They are joined by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Association of American Publishers, Inc., Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, Entertainment Merchants Association and the Freedom to Read Foundation, which represent member organizations throughout the United States. All of these organizations are highly deserving of our support and sweeping legislative changes like these can have wide impacts that cannot always be predicted. Being vocal about infringement on the right to access information and materials, particularly when it is couched in seemingly altruistic and 'unquestionably good' causes like protecting vulnerable children, is critically important.

For more information on what you can do to help check out the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund - a great resource for information advocates.

Report Released: Challenges to Canadian Library Resources and Policies in 2009

2010-09-18T13:40:00.001-06:00

The Canadian Library Association recently released their "Challenges to Canadian Library Resources and Policies in 2009: Report of the Annual Survey of the Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom." The report summarizes challenges to library material and provides a list of challenged material from 2009.

From the Canadian Library Association, submitted by Alvin Schrader, on behalf of the CLA IFC, September 2010:

Findings of the 2009 survey show that challenges continue to occur in publicly funded Canadian libraries, clear evidence that attention to intellectual freedom remains central to the work of Canadian librarians and sister association advocates across the cultural network. CLA President Keith Walker notes: "Libraries play a crucial role in the protection of intellectual freedom and have to be prepared to support the right of Canadians to read what they choose. Freedom to read can never be taken for granted."

For the full report and list, please visit the Canadian Library Association.

1st FLIF meeting of the year!

2010-09-14T20:19:00.000-06:00

Our first FLIF meeting will be this Thursday, Sept 16th at 12:30 in Henderson Hall (in Rutherford South - if you are not a SLIS student who has a code to get into this room send me a message and I will make sure you can get in - flifblog @ gmail.com)

We will be discussing some of the projects coming up this year and specifically looking to recruit volunteers for Homeless Connect, our first big event coming up in October.

If you cannot make the meeting, don't worry! We will post here on the blog what we discuss at the meeting. If you would like to volunteer to man the free books table at Homeless Connect on Sunday, Oct 16th for an hour or two please send us an email or leave a comment here, or you can sign up on the schedule we will post in the SLIS lounge after the meeting this Thursday.

Harper Government Censoring Canadian Scientists

2010-09-13T14:28:00.000-06:00

Story via Slashdot, via the Vancouver Sun

This very disturbing story was printed today in the Vancouver Sun and picked up by Slashdot online:

"The Harper government has tightened the muzzle on federal scientists, going so far as to control when and what they can say about floods at the end of the last ice age. Natural Resources Canada scientists were told this spring they need 'pre-approval' from Minister Christian Paradis' office to speak with journalists. Their 'media lines' also need ministerial approval, say documents obtained by Postmedia News through access-to-information legislation. The documents say the 'new' rules went into force in March and reveal how they apply not only to contentious issues, including the oilsands, but benign subjects such as floods that occurred 13,000 years ago. They also give a glimpse of how Canadians are being cut off from scientists whose work is financed by taxpayers, critics say, and is often of significant public interest — be it about fish stocks, genetically modified crops or mercury pollution in the Athabasca River."

This kind of tight control over scientific research damages collegial relationships and cast a very poor light on the current Conservative government. Coming from a university with a heavy focus on research and contributing to larger bodies of knowledge this kind of 'government editing' seems ridiculous at best and outright censorship at worst.

GELA Prison Project - Remand Centre Wishlist

2010-09-08T23:00:00.002-06:00

The GELA Prison Project posts wishlists for books from inmates at the Edmonton Remand Centre. FLIF would like to more actively contribute to this project in the upcoming year through book drives and fundraising to be able to purchase new books for this group. If you have any of the following materials you would like to donate to the GELA Prison Project (or would like to support this project with a monetary donation) please leave a comment here, email us at flifblog @ gmail.com, or drop off labelled donations on the bookshelf in the SLIS lounge in Rutherford South on the U of A campus.

The latest wishlist includes:

recent non-fiction
advanced education, career development
self help
human psychology
life stories of criminals who have turned their lives around
life stories of people with difficult childhoods who have persevered
inspirational/religious books
horror, spy and suspense novels
life stories of Aboriginal people
bestsellers
National Geographic magazines

10 Rules for Radicals

2010-09-07T23:30:00.002-06:00

Reposting from BoingBoing, Sunday Aug 29th 2010

This is a fantastic video of the keynote speech that archivist Carl Malamud gave at the 19th World Wide Web Consortium conference this year. He outlines ten useful (and hilarious) rules for people who want to follow in his foot steps of working to make information open and accessible.

As Cory Doctorow of BoingBoing writes:

"It's all so engagingly written, and so useful, that it is truly a must-read for anyone interested in the history or future of universal access, open networks and free societies."

I couldn't agree more, and highly (highly!) recommend following the link at the top of this page to read a copy of the speech or watch the full video embedded at the link.

FLIF is on Twitter!

2010-09-07T09:33:00.000-06:00

FLIF is now on Twitter - come and join the sound-bite discussion. We will be tweeting throughout orientation week, looking forward to meeting the new group of students at the orientation lunch today.

http://twitter.com/FLIF_UofA

Welcome Back Proto-Librarians!

2010-09-06T22:21:00.001-06:00

As we get ready to begin a new semester at the University of Alberta's School of Library and Information Studies, we would like to welcome back returning students and introduce ourselves to the new cohort joining SLIS this year.

New York Public Library archives

We have a bunch of exciting projects planned for the upcoming year and are looking to recruit members who are interested in discussing issues of intellectual freedom, doing community outreach regarding access to information and promoting the school to the wider community. We would like to have a meeting early in September to introduce ourselves in person and describe some of the events and project we have planned for the Fall semester.

We will be looking for volunteers to help out with several of our continuing projects that are an excellent opportunity to get involved in the library community in Edmonton and learn more about intellectual freedom and access to information in our city. Briefly, a few of our major initiatives are:

Community Bookshelf:

This is a project that FLIF has recently assumed full responsibility for, but was initiated by and is supported by GELA (Greater Edmonton Library Association). FLIF volunteers pick up books generously donated by local libraries, book drives, and personal donors. Special thanks goes to Edmonton Public Library, Stony Plain Public Library, Leduc Public Library and the Greater Edmonton Library Association’s Women’s Prison subcommittee. FLIF members sort, package and deliver books to several organizations in Edmonton including the Bissel Centre, Boyle Street Mission, HIV Edmonton and Operation Friendship. We need volunteers to help load books at the main library and unload them on campus as well as sor books based on requests from our member organizations and deliver boxes of books to the organizations a few times each semester.

We would like to have a big book sorting party in SLIS to organize some deliveries of donations that are currently being stored on campus. This would be a great opportunity to find out more about FLIF and meet other students interested in volunteering and supporting access to information in our community. Please leave us a comment here or send an email to flifblog @ gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

Homeless Connect:

Homeless Connect is a bi-annual event that takes place at Shaw Conference Centre in downtown Edmonton in May and October each year.

Homeless Connect Edmonton is a broad-based community-inspired initiative, providing free appropriate services to homeless people and those at risk of becoming homeless, on one day and at one location.
Its mission is to provide services that help open doors out of homelessness, build lasting partnerships , raise public awareness of homelessness in the community, and provide a vehicle for community involvement in addressing the issue of homelessness.
Services include mental health assessments, library services, foot care, haircuts, immunizations, birth control, pre-natal support, laundry, housing information, employment and training services and much more.
Homeless Connect

The next event will take place on Sunday October 17th, 2010 and we are looking for volunteers for one to two hour shifts throughout the day. Our role at this event is to set up a table of free books donated by EPL and to keep it stocked and organized throughout the day. This is one of our largest events during the year and is a great opportunity to reach out to the community and learn about barriers to information and services that many Edmonton citizens face.

If you would like to volunteer for this event which runs from 10 am (set up starts at 9am) until 3pm on Sunday October 17th please let us know by leaving a comment here or sending an email to flifblog @ gmail.com

Freedom to Read Week:

Freedom to Read Week isn't until March of 2011, but it is one of the biggest events in the FLIF calendar. We set up a display of banned and challenged materials in HUB, raise funds for the GELA prison projects by selling awesome buttons, use Book Crossing to drop banned and challenged books throughout the city along with information on freedom of information, and participate in EPL events like the Banned Book Cafe. This year we would like to expand our Freedom to Read Week events and are open to suggestions from the FLIF and SLIS community.

We always need lots of volunteers for Freedom to Read Week to make buttons, man the banned books table, represent SLIS and FLIF at EPL events and generally spread the word about how important access to information and Freedom to Read is. Mark February 20th - 26th, 2011 on your calendar now!

FLIF is also involved with the GELA Edmonton Institution For Women library including inmate book clubs and a storybook project where women can record themselves reading aloud, and their recording is sent to their children. Additionally we hope to get involved with some new projects including working with APIRG on a library of banned and challenged books as well as getting more involved with the library at the Boyle Street Mission.

We are always open to suggestions for events or new projects that fit FLIF's mandate of supporting access to information and intellectual freedom.

If you would like to attend a FLIF meeting or get involved this year please leave a comment on this post or send us an email at flifblog @ gmail.com

We will try to pick a time that works for everyone to get together and start planning of an exciting year.

Your FLIF co-chairs,

Shannon & Jorden

Oil Spill (PR) Damage Control

2010-06-17T11:11:00.002-06:00

Via Slashdot, June 8th 2010: http://search.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=10/06/08/1421205

In an attempt to limit the damage to their reputation and ostensibly to provide relevant and authoritative information on the continuing environmental crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, BP has purchased search terms such as "oil spill" on large search engines like Google and Yahoo. This means that while other sites addressing this issue turn up in the search results, BP advertisements appear at the top of the page, directing searchers to their corporate website for information.

BP is claiming that this strategy is not morally compromising as they are using one of the most effective methods of disseminating information to help provide those affected by the spill with "accurate information, right forms and key people for contact."

The real question is how comfortable we should be with allowing large corporations harbouring their own PR agendas to be able to purchase preferential search result positions on Internet search engines. While commercial search engines are suppored by revenue generated by paid advertisements, more and more people use the Internet and mainstream search engines as their main or only source of information. The order search results are listed in has a large impact on their perceived authority and relevance and while we should all strive to be critical and conscientious media consumers, this latest attempt to control of the flow of bad press seems disingenuous.

If only BP would spend as much time working on stopping the flow of oil into the Gulf, perhaps these media control tactics would be unnecessary.

Surprise! Vancouver Does NOT Like Homeless People

2010-06-01T12:46:00.003-06:00

Not to take away from some of the progressive initiatives Vancouver has developed for its homeless population BUT in today's Vancouver Sun:

"An ambassador with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association referred to the homeless and drug-addicted as "scum of the earth," an artist who posed as an ambassador claims.

Jamie Hilder, who was training with the ambassador, said other ambassadors would routinely pressure the homeless to move along the city streets.

Hilder was the first witness in an expected 15-day B.C. Human Rights hearing, brought by Pivot Legal Society, United Native Nations and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users against the association and the City of Vancouver for discriminating against drug addicts, the homeless and aboriginal people."

Quiet in the Library

2010-05-30T19:42:00.005-06:00

In an impressive attempt to placate the fearmongering and elitism that has surrounded the recent spate of negative coverage about the downtown Milner library, today's Edmonton Journal published a lengthy article on what some may refer to as "problem patrons" - people who have nowhere to go in a culture of increasingly eroded public spaces. It would have been nice to see a mention of the successful and innovative Canadian initiative, The Working Together Project, but it's still refreshing to see an attempt at understanding the root causes of the issues many inner city libraries face when serving patrons from a wide spectrum of backgrounds. Punitive policies against odors and bedrolls and large bags, for instance, work against the broader library ethos of inclusion and equity of access, and promote public libraries as exclusive enclaves of an elite middle class. The Working Together Project eloquently expresses the exclusionary effects of such policies:

"The reality is that to the majority of socially-excluded people, we are a club and they do not feel welcome. Our atmosphere is oppressive, our rules and codes are alienating, and, often, we ourselves are unapproachable and/or intimidating. We require identification and proof of address for membership; we charge fines for overdue materials; we have policies about smelly patrons and behaviour that we as staff find challenging to manage; we implement policies and architecture to “protect” staff from patrons; and we use complex jargon to discuss our services. Many socially-excluded people do not feel welcome and the reality is that they are not welcome. Most of our planning processes and many of our policies and practices make this very clear to them."

Some libraries - San Francisco Public Library for example - are much more progressive and innovative in their approach, hiring a social worker who can refer patrons to shelters and agencies. While most libraries don't have the budgetary luxury to hire social workers, staff training and referrals to social service agencies can go a long way in helping those patrons who have nowhere else to go find social services that can assist them. Promoting a welcoming atmosphere is also essential, as EPL CEO Linda Cook remarked: "We would never refuse entry to someone based on how they look or the fact they don't have a home."

We do have to take issue with the tone of the Journal article at times and the somewhat hyperbolic journalistic license employed - "Nearby, a man dropped a small plastic baggie into another man's hand. In the bathroom, the needle box continued to fill" and referring to these folks as "bad apples in public spaces." If anything, these issues have been useful in illuminating how many Edmontonians have fallen through the cracks caused by the erosion of social services. To complain that these people are "taking over our library" is to overlook the fact that it's EVERYONE'S library. In the unfortunate onslaught of negative coverage concerning our downtown library, there is the bittersweet benefit that perhaps our city officials might take a closer look at the perilous effects of budget cuts in areas that affect people's lives in such overwhelming ways, and to hopefully arrive at some sort of plan to fill these gaps.

Kudos to the Journal for an insightful article that will surely open some eyes.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Quiet+library+urban+dilemma/3088935/story.html

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/lavallelinn/4400450294/, licensed by Creative Commons.

EIFW Booksale Shout Out!

2010-05-09T17:06:00.001-06:00

Some very welcome publicity for the GELA Prison Project in yesterday's Edmonton Sun:

"A group of city librarians will spend their Mother’s Day selling stacks of books to make sure imprisoned moms are just a “play” button away for dozens of kids.

The sale — continuing on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 10706 84 Ave. — is the first time the Greater Edmonton Library Association has held a public fundraiser to support their varied projects in the Edmonton federal women’s prison.

Since 2007, the group has visited the prison regularly, offering book clubs, keeping the prison library properly stocked and running the ongoing Storybook Project.

The project offers inmates a chance to read a story to their children — some of whom they may not have seen since giving birth — while a volunteer records it.

The CD with the reading and a copy of the accompanying book is then mailed to the children."

Gossip Girl Books Illicit?

2010-05-07T13:02:00.002-06:00

An act of censorship or exposing the neglect of libraries to protect children from age-inappropriate content? You know what WE think - what do you think? Read the full article here.

"Longwood parent Tina Harden was so disturbed by references to sex and drugs and foul language in the world of fictional teenager Jenny Humphrey that she is ignoring overdue notices and phone calls from her neighborhood library and its bill collector.

Harden refuses to return several books connected to the Gossip Girl series that detail Humphrey's life, even though she's had them since 2008."

"Harden said she doesn't want them banned, but she does want the library to put a warning label on the four titles..."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/seminole/os-longwood-library-gossip-girl-books20100505,0,7112288.story

2010-05-06T12:22:00.005-06:00

Freedom to Read Memberships

2010-05-03T16:21:00.002-06:00

What a deal!

Free memberships with the Freedom to Read Foundation for new graduates of ALA-accredited MLS and MLIS programs!

Fill out the PDF form and email or mail to:
Freedom to Read Foundation
50 East Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-4227 (fax)
ftrf@ala.org

A word document is available here.

Book Sale Fundraiser - May 8 and 9

2010-05-03T16:05:00.001-06:00

Volunteer Call for Homeless Connect

2010-05-03T15:57:00.003-06:00

It's been a while, but we're back to ask for your help!

On Sunday, May 9, 2010, Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom (FLIF), the GELA Community Bookshelf Project, and the Edmonton Public Library will be distributing books to Edmonton's homeless community at Homeless Connect, held from 10:00 am until 3:00 p.m. at the Shaw Conference Centre. Last October's event was a great success - we gave heaps of books away, met lots of great people, and had a lot of fun. Plus, free snacks and drinks and a t-shirt for all volunteers!

There are two shifts available for 2-3 volunteers - the 9:30 am to 12:30 pm shift and the 12:30 until 3:30 shift. The duties are very basic - refill the boxes of books on the table, welcome visitors to the table, and help people find books they would like to read. Easy, rewarding, AND fun!

Contact us at flifblog @ gmail.com to volunteer or for more information.

Visit the links below to find out more about this amazing event:
http://www.homelessconnect.ca/
http://www.homelessconnect.ca/volunteer.php

Thanks!

Open Letter to Harper

2010-04-01T12:15:00.007-06:00

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and First Nations University of Canada faculty, student and Aboriginal leaders want the federal government to reverse its decision to end funding at the end of March for the only Aboriginal university in Canada. It's not too late - sign this open letter to Prime Minister Harper to show your support for a sustainable future for FNUC.

From CBC:

"Both the federal and provincial governments suspended FNUC's funding earlier this year.In recent years, there have been numerous dismissals and departures of top administrators, allegations of misuse of funds, repeated deficits and declining enrolment. Ottawa and the province [Sask.] both said they cut funding because FNUC wasn't fixing the problems fast enough."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2010/03/31/sk-fnuc-not-enough.html#ixzz0jsGCrjWf

Today, from Maclean's:

"Students at First Nations University of Canada should be able to finish the school year after Chuck Strahl, minister of Indian and Northern Affairs,that the federal government will provide $3 million in bridge funding."

And finally, from today's Regina Leader-Post:

"On June 11, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged the disastrous failure of Indian residential schools in a statement of apology. He stated: 'Two primary objectives of the residential schools system were to remove and isolate children from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture ... Today, we recognize that this policy of assimilation was wrong, has caused great harm, and has no place in our country.'

The decision to cut funding to FNUniv is not only disrespectful to First Nations families, traditions and cultures, it is also a new form of the old colonial policy of assimilation. If the doors of the university were closed, the students would have to be assimilated into other mainstream institutions. If the prime minister truly believes the policy of assimilation is harmful and wrong, then he should have the funds reinstated."

FLIF

image from http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/first_nations_university_of_canada.html

Quick link of the day: Textbooks in Texas

2010-03-15T08:17:00.001-06:00

via the New York Times:

"Even as a panel of educators laid out a vision Wednesday for national standards for public schools, the Texas school board was going in a different direction, holding hearings on changes to its social studies curriculum that would portray conservatives in a more positive light, emphasize the role of Christianity in American history and include Republican political philosophies in textbooks."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/us/politics/11texas.html

Chilean Libraries Update

2010-03-14T12:37:00.003-06:00

On February 27th, one of the most powerful earthquakes in history devastated a large part of Chile. The earthquake and 150 aftershocks affected six regions in the country, killing almost 300 individuals and impacting over 2 million people.

In the aftermath, many libraries have been damaged or destroyed. Early reports indicate that nearly 50% of Chile's libraries have been damaged, and six completely destroyed.

However, the news is not all bad. 133 public libraries have been able to restore their services. At the same time, of the 154 remaining libraries in the affected areas, no communication has been established with some, others remain closed or used as temporary headquarters for Municipal services, and many others have suffered structural damage.

In the wake of the disaster, Internet access is vital to Chileans seeking contact with friends and family. The BiblioRedes Program is Chile's largest network of free access to Internet, where the public library in one of every three communes is the only free access point for Internet. According to Gloria Perez Salmaron, Chair of Catalan Library Association, who has had direct communication with library staff in Chile, the employees of the public library maintain their conviction to help others and insist that these gathering spaces for the community should be included in the priority for reconstruction, such as hospitals, housing and roads. Reestablishing the BiblioRedes Program is a crucial part of the reconstruction process.

The American Library Association's Chile Library Relief group offers ways for you to donate to library relief efforts in Chile. Click here for more information.

image of the Biblioteca Pelluhue, San Javier, Chile from ALA Chile Library Relief Group.

Broward County Libs Offering Free Communication to Haiti

2010-03-14T12:27:00.002-06:00

Broward County Libraries in Florida are offering free telephone and Internet access to Haiti over the next 30 days, as well as access to agencies assisting in relief efforts.

Library Journal reports: "Additional computers and data and phone lines have been installed at North Lauderdale Saraniero Library, Pompano Beach Branch, and Tamarac Branch, where study rooms have been converted into information access centers. During this 30-day period, customers can place free, ten-minute phone calls to Haiti at the three libraries. Toll-free 800-number service is also provided at no charge, as are Internet connections. AT&T is reporting that, despite the devastation to Haiti’s infrastructure, 30 percent to 40 percent of phone calls are getting through."

Visit the Broward County Haiti Relief Task Force on Facebook to read more about relief efforts in Florida.

Petition Jason Kenney for Equal Rights

2010-03-08T20:56:00.003-07:00

Jason Kenney, the Canadian Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, blocked references to LGBTTI rights in a new study guide for immigrants released last November. Kenney is known for opposing same-sex marriage when it is debated in Parliament.

Recently, news of Kenney's action has become public. Documents reveal that Kenney omitted references to Canada’s decriminalization of homosexual sex and recognition of same-sex marriage rights, despite advice from his senior department officials. Earlier drafts of the guide contained these references. Visit the Canadian Union of Public Employee's website to sign an online petition against these actions.

Let's all tell Jason Kenney that Canadians strongly believe in the importance of the fundamental freedoms and rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The message to Kenney is as follows:

"I am writing to condemn your decision to remove all references to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans rights from Canada’s new guide for immigrants released last November.

The booklet provides immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship with information about Canada and why our country is a great place to live and work for everyone, especially members of the LGBTTI community.

As a representative of our federal government, you have a responsibility to uphold the rights of all Canadians as guaranteed under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Charter specifically mentions freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

I demand that all references to these rights be put back into the guide and further that your department proudly promote the importance of these rights to citizenship applicants."

FLIF

Happy International Women's Day!

2010-03-08T15:52:00.003-07:00

Today, March 8, 2010, is International Women's Day. The theme this year is "Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all," and events are happening throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements: "A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more" (from site). Unfortunately, very little appears to be happening in Edmonton to celebrate, but that won't stop us from celebrating in smaller ways, perhaps by reading some Emma Goldman, Valerie Solanas, and Simone de Beauvoir!

Check out the time line over at Feminists For Choice.

"Library of Humans"

2010-03-07T12:00:00.004-07:00

Though many detractors have found the idea of lending out human beings as "living library" items essentialist and reductive, the concept is catching on in many libraries across Canada. Just recently, due to trademark issues, the Living Library project changed its name to The Human Library. On March 5th, Macleans covered Guelph University's Human Library project:

"When Chris Langley volunteered to help out with a project at his university library last year, he didn’t imagine he’d wind up becoming a book. The 25-year-old master’s student was intrigued by the notion of a human library, a space in which prospective readers scheduled half-hour time slots with real people and engaged in direct conversations about prejudice."

Read it here.

Freedom to Read Week Follow-up

2010-03-06T13:26:00.002-07:00

Another Amazing Freedom to Read Week!
A Banned Books Cafe, a Freedom Ball, the release of banned books all over the city, and students promoting intellectual freedom to the University Campus - it's been a busy and fun Freedom To Read Week! Highlights included Toni Samek's stirring talk at the Banned Books Cafe at the downtown public library and a brave and funny kid taking the podium to openly voice his dislike of Charlotte's Web. A performance by Latino social justice rappers, the People's Poets, at the Freedom Ball was especially poignant in light of the unfortunate events befalling Chile. Created by Edmontonians, art, postcards, and posters about intellectual freedom were displayed in the beautiful new Art Gallery of Alberta.

On campus, the Canadian Library Association Student Chapter and the Future Librarians for Intellectual Freedom promoted Freedom to Read Week to the wider campus community. A display of banned and challenged books drew the attention of many curious passers-by, and we shared many amazing dialogues from a variety of perspectives on intellectual freedom issues. There were even some impromptu live readings from banned books! (thanks M!) We raised a record setting $200.00 in donations that will go toward the Greater Edmonton Library Association's Prison Project Subcommittee's innovative initiatives at the Edmonton Institution for Women. It's been a busy and inspiring week, and big thanks to everyone who helped out at the table or stopped by to chat with us in HUB Mall.

FLIF

photo credit: T. Forman & M. Cooper

Death of the Book?

2010-03-05T08:19:00.002-07:00

We don't think so! Read this surprising article in the Times on how books outnumber games on iPhones.

FLIF's Quick Links

2010-02-27T12:46:00.009-07:00

Over at FLIF headquarters (my living room), we decided to try out something new that we liked on other blogs - quick links! Addicted to the Internet as we are, we thought it would be a good idea to share the fruit of our procrastination with all of you out there. It will be semi-regular, and just a list of interesting library and intellectual freedom-related resources from all over the web. SO away we go!

Saturday Links

At Social Justice Librarian, Ken Williment from the Working Together Project will be guest-blogging over the next few months. His first post discusses the impact of community led work on the professional identity of librarians, and he plans to discuss the possible systemic barriers that currently exist within library culture and how a community led approach may reduce them.

The podcast of Rory Litwin's keynote speech on Disintermediation 2.0 can be found here. Rory spoke here at the University of Alberta's Forum for Information Professionals in early February.

A French organisation, Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF), has gone to Haiti to evaluate library damage in and around Port-au-Prince. A 42 page report, “Rapport de la mission de sauvegarde des archives et des collections patrimoniales haïtiennes et d’évaluation des besoins en termes de reconstruction” (Report on the mission to rescue the archives and Haitian heritage collections and to evaluate the reconstruction needs), reveals their findings. Find out more at Librarian Activist.

Visit the American Library Association's "Haiti Library Relief" page. The site provides information on ways to help libraries and archives recover, including donations and volunteering, as well as reports on damage to cultural institutions in Haiti, and more.

Have a great weekend and don't forget that the Edmonton Public Library's Freedom Ball is at 7:00 p.m. tonight at the new Art Gallery of Alberta.

FLIF

Columbia's Biblioburro

2010-02-27T12:11:00.003-07:00

CNN recently ran this story about Columbian primary school teacher Luis Soriano, who has spent close to 4,000 hours riding his biblioburro (lit. "book-donkey") to remote villages to reach the thousands of Columbian children who are unable to attend school.

Make sure to visit CNN to watch the short video about Soriano.

From the story:

"More than 4,000 youngsters have benefited from Soriano's program since it began in 1990. Soriano says countless others have been helped, too; parents and other adult learners often participate in the lessons.

Soriano has spent nearly 4,000 hours riding his donkeys, and he's not traveled unscathed. In July 2008, he fractured his leg when he fell from one of the donkeys; in 2006, he was pounced on by bandits at a river crossing and tied to a tree when they found out he had no money. Despite these injuries, which left him with a limp, Soriano has no intention of slowing down.

In addition to the biblioburro program, he and his wife built the largest free library in Magdalena next to their home. The library has 4,200 books, most of which are donated -- some from as far away as New York City. They also run a small community restaurant."

With Freedom to Read Week winding down, a story like this can remind us all of how fortunate we are in Canada to have the unfettered access we do to libraries and education, and can prompt us to find anything within our power to improve access to information for people who do not enjoy the same levels of freedom and access we do. As an example, check out Guatemala's PROBIGUA project, which operates 2 mobile libraries and spearheads literacy projects. You can even pay a nominal fee to stay with a local family and attend Spanish language classes, with all proceeds going to the mobile libraries. As a bonus, the classes will prepare you to ride along in the mobile library!

If you're interested in seeing more, you can check out Remote Access: Distant Libraries of the World from your local library or you can watch segments of it here.

image courtesy of http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/2008/10/.

This Book is Overdue

2010-02-26T08:26:00.002-07:00

Yet another new book to add to the pile! Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue! argues for the vital importance of libraries in the digital age and their role in preserving freedom of expression.

The following is courtesy of the publisher:

"In This Book is Overdue!, acclaimed author Marilyn Johnson celebrates libraries and librarians, and, as she did in her popular first book, The Dead Beat, discovers offbeat and eloquent characters in the quietest corners. In defiance of doomsayers, Johnson finds librarians more vital and necessary than ever, as they fuse the tools of the digital age with love for the written word and the enduring values of truth, service to all, and free speech. This Book Is Overdue! is a romp through the ranks of information professionals who organize our messy world and offer old-fashioned human help through the maze.'

Edmonton Food Bank's Expressions of Hunger Campaign

2010-02-25T14:09:00.003-07:00

In order to raise awareness about Edmontonians struggling with hunger and inadequate nourishment, the Edmonton Food Bank has started up a new interactive photo and literary contest called Expressions of Hunger.

More detailed information is as follows:

"Expressions of Hunger is a photo, poetry and short prose contest focusing on five elements or categories – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and environmental. The contest will run until March 31, 2010. In April 2010, the photos will be posted online where people can vote for the top three images, poetry and short prose in the five categories. Winners will be notified on May 3, 2010.

The selected three winners in each of the five hunger categories will be showcased at Edmonton City Hall from National Hunger Awareness Day on June 1 until June 4, 2010, The Carrot Community Arts Coffeehouse from June 7 to 23, 2010 and exhibited during the Works Festival of Art and Design at the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts from June 25 to July 7, 2010."

Banned Books Cafe Tomorrow

2010-02-24T21:25:00.006-07:00

More Freedom to Read Week Fun!

Come on down to the Stanley A. Milner branch of the Edmonton Public Library for a Banned Books Cafe where you can celebrate your freedom to read, play, think, view, and listen!

Everyone is welcome to share papers they have written or projects they have done on intellectual freedom, or read excerpts from challenged books (there will be selections available, or you can bring your own). Dr. Toni Samek from the U of A's School of Library and Information Studies will be present to ignite the fire of intellectual freedom advocacy in all attendees.

In preparation, perhaps we should all take another look at the Canadian Library Association's Statement on Intellectual Freedom:

"Canadian Library Association / Association canadienne des bibliothèques Position Statement on Intellectual Freedom

Approved by Executive Council ~ June 27, 1974; Amended November 17, 1983; and November 18, 1985

All persons in Canada have the fundamental right, as embodied in the nation's Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to have access to all expressions of knowledge, creativity and intellectual activity, and to express their thoughts publicly. This right to intellectual freedom, under the law, is essential to the health and development of Canadian society.

Libraries have a basic responsibility for the development and maintenance of intellectual freedom.

It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity, including those which some elements of society may consider to be unconventional, unpopular or unacceptable. To this end, libraries shall acquire and make available the widest variety of materials.

It is the responsibility of libraries to guarantee the right of free expression by making available all the library's public facilities and services to all individuals and groups who need them.

Libraries should resist all efforts to limit the exercise of these responsibilities while recognizing the right of criticism by individuals and groups.

Both employees and employers in libraries have a duty, in addition to their institutional responsibilities, to uphold these principles."

Thanks for reading!

and

hope to see you there and at the Freedom Ball at the AGA on Saturday,

FLIF

image courtesy of Melbourne Public Library: http://www.melbourne.lib.ia.us/archive/2008/09/banned%20book%20week

Banned Books in the Wild

2010-02-24T18:27:00.007-07:00

As part of Freedom to Read Week festivities, the Canadian Library Association Student Chapter and FLIF have released 12 banned or challenged books "into the wild" and are tracking them with Book Crossing. Among gems you might find sitting on a bus seat or in a certain downtown mall are Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and Pullman's Golden Compass. This initiative is happening nation-wide as part of a communal mission to promote and protect our freedom to read in Canada.

The following is courtesy of http://www.freedomtoread.ca/:

"Most Canadians probably don't even realize that on their own shelves sit challenged books. During Freedom to Read Week, your mission is to release challenged books all across Canada — on park benches, in coffee shops and in schools — as a way to mimic how challenged books are passed around, and to spread the word about challenged and banned books in Canada.

The Freedom of Expression Committee invites you to find a title you care about from our list of challenged literature and release it into your community. Perhaps your book will be picked up by someone in your community or maybe even by a foreign exchange student who will release it in another country — that's the beauty of this project and our hope for your freed book."

Keep an eye out, and register your captured book if you find one!

Happy FTRW,

FLIF

GELA Prison Project Meeting

2010-02-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

The next general meeting of the GELA Prison Library and Reintegration committee will be held: Thursday, February 25th at 5:30 pm at Henderson Hall at the University of Alberta.

For those of you unfamiliar with Henderson Hall - you can access it from the Rutherford South Atrium entrance at the University of Alberta. There is some street metered parking as well as surface lots (rates drop after 4:30 pm)

Agenda items include:

* reports from subcommittees:

1. bookclub,
2. storybook,
3. CLA presentation,
4. bookdrive (wish list etc)

* technological literacy for the women
* fundraising ideas

See you there,

FLIF

GELA Women's Prison Inmate Wishlist

2010-02-21T14:23:00.002-07:00

The Greater Edmonton Library Associations Women's Prison and Reintegration Subcommittee has released February's inmate wishlist for their library. If you would like to donate any of these materials, you can use the FLIF/CLA corner in the student lounge or contact us via this blog to coordinate a pick-up date. Thanks!

WISH LIST

Anne of Green Gables (series)- Lucy Maud Montgomery

Children of the Lamp(series) - P.B. Kerr.

Just Another Indian - Warren Goulding

Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
- John Grisham

Pyrates (series) - Chris Archer

Shattered Silence - Melissa G. Moore

Twilight Series (especially Breaking Dawn) - Stephanie Meyer

Type Talk - Janet M. Thuesen and Otto Kroeger

Under the Dome - Stephen King

Anything about (topic)

Aboriginal poetry

Atlas (large world atlas)

Book of quotations

Books on CD (fiction/nonfiction)

Braille

Calming/Inspirational books (with serene pictures

Craft Books - Knitting, quilting, crochet

Crossword puzzle books

Dictionaries

Hobby/ Craft Magazines

Language Instruction (Any languages, esp. Italian and Arabic)

Nutrition

Poetry anthologies

Traditional Aboriginal Medicine

Vietnamese fiction and nonfiction

Wicca/Witchcraft

Books by:

Ellen Hawkin

S.E Hinton

Alexander Pushkin

Other

National Geographic, June 1985 (Sharbat Gula edition)

Current High School- Chemistry, Physics, Biology text books

"The Wisdom and Wit of an Irregular Library Regular"

2010-02-20T11:42:00.003-07:00

The New York Times' City Room blog ran this story yesterday about "an irregular library regular" - a homeless man. Is it still news that libraries are public spaces that may be used by all? Is it news that homeless people like reading too? These articles show up with incredible regularity - you'd think people would get used to the fact that libraries welcome and attract people from diverse backgrounds. Make sure to read the comments for more "us versus them"-ism....

"Perhaps the most regular visitor to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is Greg Sloane, who can be seen nearly every day among the dancers, musicians, actors and culture-mongers who flock to this gem at Lincoln Center.

Mr. Sloane, 62, is not from the School of American Ballet or the Juilliard School or any other esteemed arts institution nearby, but he does excel at his own particular performing art: survival in New York City without a home.

It is a pursuit that involves seeking a roof, a chair and some heat, maybe something clean to lean on. And this is where the library comes in. After a wash-up and shave in the bathroom, he might peruse the 12,000 titles in the library’s Reserve Film and Video Collection and select something to watch. Or perhaps he will select a recording and settle in for the day to culture himself."

Freedom of Expression Champ - Dr. Toni Samek!

2010-02-17T16:52:00.002-07:00

National Freedom of Expression Committee, of which Dr. Toni Samek is a member, wins the Les Fowlie Intellectual Freedom Award

This year's winner of the Les Fowlie Intellectual Freedom Award is the Book and Periodical Council's Freedom of Expression Committee. On board the committee is U of A SLIS prof and intellectual freedom advocate Dr. Toni Samek, who has been tireless and enthusiastic in her promotion of freedom of expression. Congratulations! More details below courtesy of SLIS.

"The Book and Periodical Council (BPC) is this year's winner of the Les Fowlie Intellectual Freedom Award. The honour is awarded by the Ontario Library Association. The BPC earned the award because of the "tireless efforts" of its Freedom of Expression Committee “in promoting intellectual freedom for all Canadians" and "organizing the annual Freedom to Read Week," said Shelagh Paterson, Executive Director of the OLA.

The award is named after Mr. Les Fowlie, the former Chief Librarian of the Toronto Public Library and a staunch defender of Canadians' Intellectual Freedom. Fowlie was also a past member of the BPC's Freedom of Expression Committee. The OLA will present the award on February 26 in Toronto.

For more information about the Freedom of Expression Committee, please visit http://www.freedomtoread.ca/who_we_are/index.asp"

more books banned - brown bear, brown bear!

2010-02-05T08:32:00.003-07:00

Just a quick link from the Huffington Post. Texas Educators mistakenly banned a children's picture book, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? because they confused its author, Bill Martin Jr., with Bill Martin, who wrote Ethical Marxism: The Categorical Imperative of Liberation.

"Embarrassing gaffs, sure. But what is the real fear here? The spread of Marxism among Texas' early reader population? A threat to capitalism?

Pat Hardy made the motion to ban Brown Bear, Brown Bear, citing that Bill Martin's work for adults contains "very strong critiques of capitalism and the American system."

I can see this being a compelling reason not to include Bill Martin's Ethical Marxism on the curriculum list for elementary school children in Texas -- the more compelling reason being that of reading level -- but Ethical Marxism was not the book under consideration. Brown Bear was."

Take a look at the details here.

FLIF/CLA/Legal Resource Centre on CJSR's Liquid Chatter TONIGHT!

2010-02-04T12:14:00.002-07:00

Tune in to CJSR FM, the University of Alberta's campus radio station, TONIGHT at midnight!

Liquid Chatter will be having an open discussion about freedom of expression, intellectual freedom, and Freedom To Read Week featuring our very own Madelaine, the Canadian Library Association Student Chapter's Jocie, and Tanya from the Legal Resource Centre. Make sure you're stationed in front of your stereo/computer from midnight to 1:30 a.m. tonight to find out more about banned books and intellectual freedom in Alberta from some of the brightest up and comers in our library community.

Have a blast and good luck guys - we're looking forward to tuning in!

Edmonton Public Library Freedom Ball

2010-01-31T13:32:00.004-07:00

Here's a chance to celebrate the freedom to read and to see the beautiful new art gallery all at the same time! The Edmonton Public Library's first-ever freedom ball is happening on February 27, 2010 and, best of all, it's FREE! Join the "Freedom Ball" page on Facebook, or visit their Freedom To Read Week website for more details.

"The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is a champion for intellectual freedom and it is our responsibility to guarantee and facilitate access to all expressions of knowledge and intellectual activity.

This year, EPL is supporting Freedom to Read Week – an annual, nation-wide event that encourages people to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom – by hosting our first-ever Freedom Ball.

The Freedom Ball is a party that celebrates our freedom to read, view, listen, write, perform… The Freedom Ball will feature a performance by the local group, People’s Poets—three Edmonton emcees and a DJ who rap about social justice issues. We will also be showing some of the more explosive Freedom Challenge submissions.

Where: Art Gallery of Alberta (2 Sir Winston Churchill Square)
When: 7:00pm Saturday, February 27
More: Admission is FREE. All ages welcome. No registration required.
Web: http://www.epl.ca/freedom"

image courtesy of EPL

CNIB Right to Read

2010-01-30T10:28:00.003-07:00

Did you know that the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) library receives no government funding toward their operations?
Unlike most other public libraries in Canada the CNIB library operates solely on charitable donation, a situation that has become unsustainable for the future of this incredibly important collection.

The CNIB is Canada's largest producer of accessible reading materials for the visually impaired; their circulation is approximately two million items per year. The collection is very diverse including braille, audio recordings and accessible digital formats. This library has been serving Canadians for 90 years entirely subsidized by the CNIB. Producing materials along with operating a library that requires accessible infrastructure and specially trained staff is costly. In most industrialized countries including the United States, Sweden and Denmark, libraries like the CNIB are supported by the government, so why is it not in Canada?

The CNIB is asking the federal, provincial and territorial governments to partner with the organization to share the cost of maintaining library service for the visually impaired in the same way public libraries are funded. Immediate government funding is needed to ensure that vital services remain accessible to the library's patrons. Without the support of government, people who rely on the CNIB library services will face a significant erosion in services beginning in April. This includes increased wait times and fewer books available for readers.

Our governments are currently drawing up budgets for the coming year and the CNIB needs support from Canadians to ensure that library services for everyone are maintained. The CNIB is continuing to support this organization and the governments of Ontario and Alberta (go Alberta!) have been leaders in committing funds to this cause. The federal government and the remaining provinces and territories must do so as well!

You can help by writing a letter to Stephen Harper and you Premier. The CNIB site has an online letter you can fill out with your information - it only takes a couple of minutes and is the driving force behind this initiative. We need to let our government know that we think this is a very important program and that as Canadians we support access to reading materials for everyone.

You can also join the Right to Read campaign on Facebook for progress updates.

Also check out the CNIB Right to Read website for more information about this important initiative (which ties in nicely with Freedom to Read Week)

I know all of you 'freedom to read' loving future librarians know a lot of other librarians, reader, socially conscious folk - please help to spread the word about this issue and flood our government leaders' mailboxes with support for the CNIB library.

Freedom to Read Week Opportunities

2010-01-26T22:32:00.004-07:00

There are a lot of events and opportunities coming up to get involved with FLIF. If you missed today's meeting here are some of our upcoming projects:

Freedom to Read week is February 22nd - 28th. We have events taking place both on and off campus and are looking for volunteers as well as book donations.

FLIF is partnering with the CLA student chapter and will be manning a display of banned books and clever librarian buttons in HUB during Freedom to Read Week.
We are looking for volunteers to take two hour shifts at the information table. This is a great opportunity to get involved (with just a little time commitment). It is a really relaxed and fun way to interact with the students and staff on campus and promote both Freedom to Read week and SLIS in general.
If you are interested in volunteering for Freedom to Read Week please send an email to flifblog@gmail.com

FLIF is also collecting book donations for two projects for Freedom to Read Week.
We are looking for loaned books that have been challenged for the table display in HUB (YOU WILL GET YOUR BOOKS BACK! Please put your name and/or email address inside the cover of any donated books so that we can return them to you.
You can find a list of commonly challenged books here: Freedom to Read - Challenged Books and Magazines and here
American Library Association Frequently Challenged Books

In addition, this year we are going to spread our freedom to read message off campus by participating in a BookCrossing enabled stealthy distribution of reading material across the city. Bookcrossing is an online system that allows you to release books into the wild and track their travels. We will be leaving books with information about Freedom to Read Week and BookCrossing around the city. If you have books you would like to donate to this project (any kind of books!) there will be a labelled box in the SLIS lounge on campus or you can send us an email to arrange a pick up at flifblog@gmail.com

There are also events taking place off campus during Freedom to Read week. Check out the EPL Banned Books Cafe that will be taking place at the Stanley Milner and Whitemud branches. Volunteers will be reading from challenged books.

Outside of Freedom to Read Week FLIF is involved with helping APIRG (Alberta Public Interest Research Group) catalogue their library. Their office is located in HUB and cataloguing takes place on Wednesdays from 5pm - 7pm. This is a very flexible project and if you would like to stop in for a little (or a long) time, learn about their collection, drink some tea and do some cataloguing send us an email at flifblog@gmail.com

FLIF is also pleased to announce that we are taking over the Community Bookshelf Project from GELA and are in need of interested volunteers to help maintain and extend this program. Community Bookshelf provides books to various community organizations and sets up a table of free books at Homeless Connect twice a year (in October and May). This project would involve picking up books from EPL and delivering them to various locations in the city once per month. We are interested in acquiring book donations so if you have a library connection or know of someone who is getting rid of some reading material please let us know! GELA would also like someone from FLIF to sit in on their meetings and keep them up to date on the program activities. Meetings are monthly, generally during a weekday evening. If you are interested in participating in the Community Bookshelf project please send us an email at flifblog@gmail.com

Finally the new co-chairs who will be happily continuing FLIF projects into the next academic year are Jordan and Shannon. If you have any questions or would like to get involved but aren't sure just which of these great opportunities to volunteer for please feel free to ask!

See you all at Freedom to Read Week!

*Freedom to Read poster from the Pelham Library Blog http://pelhamlibrary.blogspot.com/

Librarian Mixtape!

2010-01-26T10:56:00.006-07:00

Though not directly related to intellectual freedom issues per se, we wanted to share this mix of songs celebrating libraries and librarians. It's a step above of your usual library mixtape (and yes, we've seen many) and hopefully it'll get you through the last grey days of an Edmonton January....

See you in an hour at the meeting and.....

Enjoy!

FLIF Meeting on January 26, 2010 - TOMORROW!

2010-01-25T16:32:00.002-07:00

REMINDER!!!!!

Come to the FLIF meeting tomorrow (January 26, 2010) at noon in Henderson Hall to find out more about our Freedom to Read Week activities, including tabling in Hub Mall and materials workshops where you can put your creativity to work in the name of intellectual freedom. You will also find out more about our partnerships with the Greater Edmonton Library Association's subcommittees and more.

There will also be COOKIES.

See you there!

FLIF co-chairs 2009-2010
Julie
Madelaine
Brianna

Dictionaries - Sexually Explicit?

2010-01-25T16:25:00.003-07:00

Our faithful tipster C.H. has just sent us this link about a dictionary ban in Southern California's schools:

"Dictionaries have been removed from classrooms in southern California schools after a parent complained about a child reading the definition for "oral sex".

Merriam Webster's 10th edition, which has been used for the past few years in fourth and fifth grade classrooms (for children aged nine to 10) in Menifee Union school district, has been pulled from shelves over fears that the "sexually graphic" entry is "just not age appropriate", according to the area's local paper."

Does this constitute censorship, or should classrooms offer more age-appropriate dictionaries with definitions less prone to elicit playground titters? Should encyclopedias, with their illustrations of human anatomy, be banned from classrooms as well? Where do educators and librarians draw the line?

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UPDATE "Operation Dark Heart" soon to hit the bestseller lists (thanks to the US Defense Dept)