Conference Program
Thursday, September 26, 2002
Location: Alice Mackay Room
Registration: 6:30 pm
Keynote: 7:00pm
Libraries and Democracy
NANCY KRANICH
Immediate Past-President, American
Library Association; Editor, "Libraries
and Democracy"
Nancy has served on many ALA committees:
as Chair of the Committee on
Legislation (COL) and COL's Subcommittee on Government Information; as a
member of the COL Subcommittees on Copyright and Telecommunications; the
President's Diversity Committee; the Access Committee; and the Committee on
Committees. She established the Coalition on Government Information and led
its efforts to stop the loss of access from the mid-1980's until 1996.
What is the fundamental role of libraries in promoting democracy? How has
this been affected by September 11 and subsequent events. What role do
libraries have in ensuring the widest possible distribution of debate of
all ideas and opinions? What is the role of libraries in defending
traditional values of privacy and information access?
Friday, September 27, 2002
Location: Alma Van Dusen and Peter Kaye Rooms
Registration: 9:00 - 9:30am
Speaker: 9:30 - 10:15 am
Access and Privacy: Casualties of the War on Terrorism?
RICHARD ROSENBERG
Professor, Department of Computer
Science, University of British Columbia. His
research interests are in the social
impact of computers and Artificial Intelligence
Since the tragedy of September 11,
2001, civil liberties in both Canada and the
U.S. have been severely compromised in several respects, including personal
privacy,
access to formerly freely available information, as well as free speech.
In times of
threats it behooves us all to be vigilant in defending those rights
which distinguish our
countries as vigorous democracies.
Coffee Break 10:15 - 10:30am
Session I 10:30 - 12:00
The Big Picture
How balanced has the coverage been
of September 11 and other important
political events? This session will look at local research conducted on
September 11 coverage and discuss the issues of medial concentration and
news coverage.
Catherine Murray, Associate Professor
and Chair Graduate Studies Committee,
Department of Communications, SFU
Donald Gutstein, Senior Lecturer,
School of Communications, Simon Fraser
University
Convenor: Deborah Hutchison, Librarian,
Business Division, Vancouver Public
Library
Lunch 12:00 - 1:00 pm
Session II 1:00 - 2:30pm
The View From the Independents
Alternate media have attempted to fill a void in providing socially
critical information and analysis at a time when independent thought is
discouraged. How successful are they? What problems exist? Should libraries
work with them?
Lorraine Chisholm, Vancouver
Co-op Radio
Morgan Chojnacki - Vancouver Community Network
Murray Dobbin, Freelance Journalist,
Author, "The Myth of the Corporate
Citizen"
Elaine Briere - Freelance Documentary Filmmaker
Sid Chow Tan, ICTV
Rolf Maurer - Publisher, New Star Books
Convenor: Gillian Guilmant-Smith - Librarian, Business & Economics Division, Vancouver Public Library
Coffee: 2:30 - 3:00pm
Session III 3:00 - 5:00pm
Libraries Respond
This session will explore the role of libraries in deepening and extending
the range of information on controversial subjects. Are libraries really
neutral or do they have an activist role to play in informing and alerting
the public to information and issues not covered in the mainstream media
and publishing?
Colleen Alstad - Student, School of Library Archival and Information
Studies, Teacher Librarian, Nanaimo. B.C.
Judith Neamtan, Department Chair, Langara College Library
Brian Campbell, Systems and Technical Services Director, Vancouver Public
Library
Mark Koep, Librarian, Newspapers and Magazines Division, Vancouver Public Library
General Discussion
Facilitator: Martin Dowding, Associate
Professor, UBC School of Library,
Archival and Information Studies
Informal Social Gathering at the Media Club, Beatty Street at Georgia.