Monday, January 31, 2011

International Week at the U of A

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.