Employee Expression in the Library Workplace, encouraged or censored?

CLA 2008 Annual Conference

Inside Talk: Freedom of Speech in the Library Workplace
Thursday, May 22, 2008

Speakers: Maurice Freedman, Kathleen de la Peňa McCook, Sam Trosow, Paul Whitney

Convened by: Toni Samek

What are library and information workers talking about on the job? Whose voices are coming through the library channels? To what extent is self-censorship or inside censorship a common practice? What is and is not acceptable when librarians participate in citizen journalism that criticizes employers in the blogosphere? And in a professional community that holds intellectual freedom so dear, why did the ALA see the need to adopt a 2005 Resolution on Workplace Speech which states: “Libraries should encourage discussion among library workers, including library administrators, of non-confidential professional and policy matters about the operation of the library and matters of public concern within the framework of applicable laws?” Should the CLA adopt a sister-resolution? And what about our library administrations? The pros and cons of resolutions on workplace speech for library institutions are up for debate with panelists Kathleen de la Peňa McCook, Sam Trosow, and Paul Whitney, who will discuss just what resolutions on workplace speech might look like and mean for the CLA, library administrations, and Canadian library and information work in the 21st century. Audience participation is highly encouraged in this timely, reflective look inside our very own institutional culture. Organized by the CLA’s Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom.

Learning Outcomes:
-What is “workplace speech” in the context of library institutions?
-What is the history and context of ALA’s 2005 Resolution on Workplace Speech?
-The pros and cons of adopting sister statements in the context of the daily-life, recruitment, and retention of Canadian LIS workers in the 21st century.


Convenor:
Toni Samek
Convenor, CLA’s Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom
Associate Professor & Graduate Coordinator
School of Library & Information Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
SLIS, 3-15 Rutherford South, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA T6G 2J4
E-mail: toni.samek@ualberta.ca