Intellectual Freedom and Library Ethics: Maintaining Your Values in a Challenging Era
It’s no secret that in recent years libraries have faced an unprecedented number of challenges over materials, displays, programs, or even daily activities. As a result, many libraries and library staff may face heightened burdens, pressure, and discomfort when it comes to doing our work. Whether responding to a single phone call from a concerned community member about an event or responding to an organized protest, these increasing challenges are raising the potential for high stress and communication strains with patrons, coworkers, and stakeholders.
Our professional values are being put to the test. This course offers practical guidance on how to address these challenges while continuing to do our work with integrity and purpose. Through case analysis, readings, and discussion, this course will emphasize practical strategies to build capacity and resilience in the context of increasing challenges. Participants will have an opportunity to consider how to use professional ethics to identify and assess their community contexts, build comfort, and find professional support in responses to challenges.
By participating in this course, learners will:
- Refresh their knowledge of and reliance on the fundamental principles of information ethics in practical application to library work
- Identify several strategies for explaining the value of library work that supports intellectual freedom to community stakeholders.
- Develop several strategies to strengthen responses to challenged materials and services
- Evaluate and design approaches to meet the needs of their home library community
Dr. Hogan is a youth services librarian from Northeast Ohio who holds an interdisciplinary Ph.D. emphasizing social philosophy. Prior to entering the library sector, Dr. Hogan’s teaching background included extensive courses in applied and professional ethics and work in academic and community settings.
If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.