Petition: Don't Muzzle Librarians and Archivists, Part II

Thanks again for signing our Change.org petition, Don't Muzzle Librarians and Archivists! Please continue to promote, support, and share this petition, we are almost half way there!


Courageous members at Library and Information Studies Students Association (LISSA) have signed a letter to Dr. Caron, cc Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister Moore.  It is important to speak up about Library and Archives Canada's new Code of Conduct, as this impacts our future: 

As students, we suffer a deep loss when librarians and archivists at LAC cannot speak publicly in any conferences, institutions, and teaching engagements. There are no risks when LAC librarians and archivists share their knowledge and experience with a new generation. There are great benefits to bridging the gap from rhetoric to practice for students. Such knowledge should be transferred with scholarly activities to maintain, sustain, and preserve our national heritage and collective memory for future use.

Deconstructing the LAC Code of Conduct

Thanks to those of you who have signed the Don't Muzzle Librarians and Archivists petition on Change.org. Please take a moment to look at this petition if you have not yet had a chance to.

It is discerning that the LAC Code of Conduct was created by Dr. Daniel Caron, the Librarian and Archivist of Canada. It is notable that while Dr. Caron holds this title, he is not qualified or educated as a librarian or archivist as he does not hold an MLIS degree. The LAC has seen sweeping changes under Dr. Caron's direction which will have a detrimental impact on all Canadians.

It is important to consider the implications these changes may have down the road with respect to our nation, national bibliography, potential censorship, and control in terms of the collective identity and memory of Canada. For example, a legal deposit of all expressions are now being selected according to a narrow view of our history. The Toronto Star has an informative article on this issue. Further information on the state of Library and Archives Canada is available from the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) at savelibraryarchivescanada.ca.

The LAC Code of Conduct has a section outlining the political activities which staff members may engage in:

“4.4.3 Political activities
Public servants have the right to engage in political activity as long as it does not impair and is not perceived to impair their ability to perform their duties in a politically impartial manner. LAC employees who are considering involvement in political activity should seek the advice of the LAC Delegated Political Activities Representative before taking any action. The Delegated Political Activities Representative will assess the file and liaise with the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) as necessary to ensure that the employee’s request is processed for the PSC’s approval. PSC approval is required before an employee undertakes any activity relating to political activity and/or seeks nomination for or is a candidate in a federal, provincial, territorial or municipal election.” (p. 17)

Does this mean LAC staff should give up any hopes of being a Liberal, PQ, or NDP candidate as this nomination is directly in conflict of values and ethics? This seems unconstitutional and highly imposing on our freedom  of thoughts and political affiliations. Please share any thoughts in the comments section of this post.

Are librarians the new threat?

Last week, Munro's article exposed a chilling new Code of Conduct for Library and Archives Canada (LAC) employees. LAC identified librarians and archivists as "dedicated professionals, ...seeking and sharing knowledge" in their statement of principles. However, the treatment of such committed staff is not aligned with these principles. LAC employees are restricted from teaching and presenting at conferences as these are considered "high risks" activities.

Are librarians and archivists the new threat and in need of muzzling? Will demanding a "duty of loyalty" mitigate this perceived threat? Interesting concerns raised in this video:

Andrew Cash, Member of Parliament for Davenport and NDP Deputy Heritage Critic, asks Heritage Minister James Moore about the muzzling of civil servants at Library and Archives Canada during Question Period on March 18, 2013

Listen to Myron's critique on As It Happens on the chilling effects or follow his blog, Bibliocracy for further insights to LAC Code of Conduct.

More information:

British Columbia Library Association's Press Release - March 20, 2013.

Canadian Library Association's statement urges revisiting LAC Code of Conduct.

Wojtek Gwiazda of Radio Canada International interviews James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (14 minutes and 11 seconds). James Turk discusses the problematic sections of "duty to loyalty" and "high risks"in the code.