Intellectual freedom and alternative priorities in library and information science research: A longitudinal study

This article presents a bibliometric analysis of the library and information science literature to trace the emphasis that intellectual freedom and neutrality have received relative to an index of alternative and possibly competing topics. Emphasis is captured longitudinally by recording the number of results for various search terms associated with intellectual freedom, neutrality, diversity, equity, and inclusion in Web of Science from 1993 through 2020 and Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts from 1970 through 2020. The results show that the number of works mentioning intellectual freedom and neutrality has increased only slightly over the study period, in sharp contrast to many entries on the diversity, equity, and inclusion index. With research interests being partially indicative of personal beliefs and professional activity, the impact of this relative change in emphasis on professional practice is discussed. Public controversies regarding library neutrality, intellectual freedom, and freedom of expression in libraries are summarized.

Islam, Modernity and the Concept of Progress (Islam, Pemodenan dan Konsep Kemajuan)

This paper aims to review definitions and scope of modernity and analyze it in the context of a specific religion, Islam. The paper then highlights the harmony between progress and Islam based on the historical examples from the glorious eras of Islamic civilization in Andalusia and the Abbasid caliphate, in which modernity and religion were complementary in producing the novel innovations of that time. Knowledge creation and technological advancements were strongly pursued during that time by numerous renowned Muslim scholars, intellectuals and philosophers. This paper then examines the current situation in the Muslim world. The majority of Muslim nations are backward, impoverished and stagnant due to rigidity and restrictions in political and intellectual freedom, in addition to gender inequality and discrimination. As the paper finds, these unprecedented qualities are not a part of Islamic teachings, but the consequential effect of post colonialism and the politicization of religion by certain squatters using Islam for political interests and purposes. Keywords: Modernity, Islam, Islamic Civilization and innovations, Muslim Spain, Abbasid Caliphate, Modernity today, Islam and modernity. Abstrak Penulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengulas definisi, dan skop kemodenan seta menganalisa hubungan antara modernisasi dengan agama iaitu, Islam. Terbukti pemodenan boleh wujud dengan keharmonian antara kemajuan dan Islam itu sendiri dengan mengaplikasikan contoh sejarah daripada zaman kegemilangan tamadun Islam seperti di Andalusia dan Abbasiyah dimana pemodenan dan agama saling berkait rapat antara satu sama lain untuk menghasilkan inovasi yang terbaik pada waktu itu. Penciptaan ilmu pengetahuan dan kemajuan teknologi tercetus dengan kelahiran ulama, ahli intelek dan ahli falsafah Muslim. Selain itu, bahagian berikut bagi penulisan ini mengkaji situasi masa kini di dunia Islam dimana majoriti negara Islam dikatakan mundur, dibelenggu kemiskinan dan berfikiran jumud disebabkan ketegasan dan pembatasan didalam kebebasan berpolitik dan intelek, kesaksamaan jantina dan diskriminasi. Penulisan ini menemui, sifat sifat negatif tersebut tercetus bukan berdasarkan daripada ajaran Islam, tetapi kesan daripada pasca penjajahan dan pempolitikan berlandaskan agama daripada puak tertentu yang menggunakan Islam atas tujuan kepentingan politik. Kata Kunci: Pemodenan, Islam, Tamadun Islam dan inovasi, Muslim Sepanyol, Khalifah Abbasiyah, Kemodenan hari ini, Islam dan pemodenan.

Automating intellectual freedom: Artificial intelligence, bias, and the information landscape

Anxieties over automation and personal freedom are challenging libraries’ role as havens of intellectual freedom. The introduction of artificial intelligence into the resource description process creates an opportunity to reshape the digital information landscape—and loss of trust by library users. Resource description necessarily manipulates a library’s presentation of information, which influences the ways users perceive and interact with that information. Human catalogers inevitably introduce personal and cultural biases into their work, but artificial intelligence may perpetrate biases on a previously unseen scale. The automation of this process may be perceived as a greater threat than the manipulation produced by human operators. Librarians must understand the risks of artificial intelligence and consider what oversight and countermeasures are necessary to mitigate the harm to libraries and their users before ceding resource description to artificial intelligence in place of the “professional considerations” the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom calls for in providing access to library materials.

The European Parliament’s role in EU digital governance: Aspiration and reality

Despite its enhanced legislative powers, the European Parliament still struggles to be recognised as an authoritative and reliable political actor. Its current role in EU digital governance serves as a good example to illustrate both the aspirations of the parliamentarians as well as their actual impact. Confronted with a horizontal policy issue that affects all sectors of the analogue and digital world parliamentary working methods have proven to be unfit for purpose. The European Parliament has so far been unable to assume leadership to guide the EU through the digital transformation process. Yet, its aspirations are not pulled out of thin air. Intellectual freedom, swift decision-making channels, and an open and pragmatic debating culture make it, in fact, predestined to define an overarching and balanced digital agenda for the EU. Before this is achievable, however, it is necessary to execute comprehensive internal reforms to overcome a list of structural, financial, political and external deficits.

Long tail metaphysics: The epistemic crisis and intellectual freedom

In reaction to the epistemic crisis, efforts to restrict free expression and access to information have not only failed to preserve the truth, but sometimes also suppressed it. Libraries’ commitment to intellectual freedom creates unique opportunities to deliver alternative solutions. By renewing the emphasis on intellectual freedom in core library functions like collections, education, and programming, libraries can provide the epistemic resources that patrons need amidst a broader context of distrust, manipulation, and censorship. This essay examines the epistemic crisis in the USA in light of intellectual freedom and the IFLA Statement on Libraries and Intellectual Freedom. Organized into three parts, this piece explores plurality as normative in the human condition, considers the impact of information and communications technology on free expression and the legitimacy of information institutions, and reconciles the emerging tensions by applying concepts from virtue epistemology to intellectual freedom. The essay concludes with considerations for library practice.

Identity

Human beings have messy, complex, evolving, multiple identities, and privacy rules can nurture the social processes by which we figure out who we are and what we believe. These processes include both the intellectual freedom that intellectual privacy protects as well as the kinds of identity play that other privacy rules enable. Three additional examples illustrate the ways in which privacy promotes identity formation. Privacy protects us from identity “forcing”: when technologies force us into single identities, such as through Facebook’s oppressive “real name” policy. Privacy protects us from “filtering”: the use of human information to “personalize” our news feeds and media consumption in ways that screen out ideas and information that the algorithm predicts we won’t like or don’t need. And privacy protects us from “exposure”: the risk of disclosure of information about us that chills us into social, intellectual, and political conformity.

Intellectual Freedom in New Zealand Public Libraries: An exploration of the variables that affect library workers’ understanding and application of intellectual freedom in the library

<p>Research Problem: The study aimed to ascertain New Zealand public library workers’ understanding of the principles of intellectual freedom and whether or not these principles were applied in practice. Furthermore the study sought to explore the variables that affect the attitudes and behaviours of public library workers towards intellectual freedom. Methodology: The research project used a quantitative framework employing a cross-sectional design to investigate the attitudes and behaviours of New Zealand library staff toward intellectual freedom via online self-completion questionnaires. The sample population was drawn from professional email lists NZLibs, PUBSIG-l and Te Rōpū Whakahau. Results: The 172 completed surveys revealed that respondents generally agreed with the principles of intellectual freedom that the library associations promote. However their commitment to these principles is often tested by the obligation that they feel towards library stakeholders. The results indicate that experience, education, the employer and the library association all play some role in shaping the professional attitudes and behaviours of individuals towards intellectual freedom. Implications: The results of the study suggest that more needs to do be done in regards to the education of library staff and the public on the importance of intellectual freedom within a democratic society. A stronger sense of professional identity needs to be cultivated amongst library workers to ensure they have the confidence to stand behind their professional ideals in the face of opposition. Furthermore survey results suggest that employers need to place a higher priority on both training and awareness regarding the principle of intellectual freedom within the library.</p>

Intellectual Freedom in New Zealand Public Libraries: An exploration of the variables that affect library workers’ understanding and application of intellectual freedom in the library

<p>Research Problem: The study aimed to ascertain New Zealand public library workers’ understanding of the principles of intellectual freedom and whether or not these principles were applied in practice. Furthermore the study sought to explore the variables that affect the attitudes and behaviours of public library workers towards intellectual freedom. Methodology: The research project used a quantitative framework employing a cross-sectional design to investigate the attitudes and behaviours of New Zealand library staff toward intellectual freedom via online self-completion questionnaires. The sample population was drawn from professional email lists NZLibs, PUBSIG-l and Te Rōpū Whakahau. Results: The 172 completed surveys revealed that respondents generally agreed with the principles of intellectual freedom that the library associations promote. However their commitment to these principles is often tested by the obligation that they feel towards library stakeholders. The results indicate that experience, education, the employer and the library association all play some role in shaping the professional attitudes and behaviours of individuals towards intellectual freedom. Implications: The results of the study suggest that more needs to do be done in regards to the education of library staff and the public on the importance of intellectual freedom within a democratic society. A stronger sense of professional identity needs to be cultivated amongst library workers to ensure they have the confidence to stand behind their professional ideals in the face of opposition. Furthermore survey results suggest that employers need to place a higher priority on both training and awareness regarding the principle of intellectual freedom within the library.</p>

Do New Zealand public library workers self-censor controversial library materials? - An exploration of their knowledge and views on the promotion of intellectual freedom in the library

<p>The first objective of this study is to investigate how much knowledge public library workers have of the role of libraries in upholding intellectual freedom. Secondly, to establish whether, and for what reasons library workers would opt to self-censor in the face of controversial library materials. Lastly, to determine whether library workers require further information and training in order to achieve the professional anti-censorship standards as promoted by LIANZA. I used a qualitative methodology to collect data and conducted nine interviews with library workers from public libraries situated in the central North Island. They were asked to share their views on twelve books - selected for their controversial content - to determine which, if any, self-censorship actions they would take in respect of each individual title. They were asked to give reasons for self-censorship actions. They were also asked to share their knowledge of intellectual freedom in libraries. The key findings for the first objective were that all the participants were familiar with the concept of intellectual freedom in libraries, but none of them were aware of the content of the LIANZA statement or their own library’s policy. Almost all the participants relied heavily on their management for information in this regard, even if the information is conveyed informally. Secondly, the participants often selected self-censorship actions, with the main reasons being a personal distaste of the item or fear of offending library users. Lastly almost all the participants said that they felt sufficiently informed on intellectual freedom in libraries and required no further training.</p>