The Information Ethicist

The InfoEthicist Becomes a Hospice Chaplain

2011-11-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

The InfoEthicist Becomes a Hospice Chaplain

Like throwing that famous rabbit into the briar patch, the fates that have tossed me about so that I landed in hospice have given me a rich patch of tough but nourishing new issues to confront. End of life decisions depend upon having the right information for the right people at the right time. Here information means life or death and how both life and death are experienced by the person and the family. Join me in my explorations.

2011 in Information Ethics

2011-01-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

2011 in Information Ethics

Is Access to the Web a Human Right?

Not so long ago, the question was "Is the right to know a human right?" In the newspaper today the question is:

"Is Access to the Web a Human Right?"

TO BE CONTINUED

Wikileaks: TMI--Too Much Information Sharing

2010-12-01T10:34:00.000-05:00

Wikileaks: TMI--Too Much Information Sharing

After 9/11, the government decided that more information sharing might prevent another 9/11, but now it looks like there was too much access to information. This is another example of the tension between Access and Security.

Recall my categories from the early years of IE:

Access
Ownership
Privacy
Security
Community

These five cover most of the issues we deal with today and provide a good structure for discussion of most issues of interest today. In addition to the Wikileaks, think about

Privacy and electronic medical records;
Security and genetic testing;
Cybercrime
Facebook privacy;
Digital democracy;
Protection of children on the Internet;
Internet research ethics;
Ethics of information professionals;
To be continued;
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Information Ethics: What Is It? Sunday School? Journalism?

2010-10-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

Information Ethics: What is it?

Information Ethics? Certainly not a subject appropriate for a dissertation topic. A Sunday School subject? Perhaps journalism; not scholarship! Absolutely not part of information science. These were the comments of academic colleagues, doctoral committee members, and deans.

Outside the academy early on, when I was asked why I was doing a second Ph. D. and said that I was interested in information ethics, the response was often, "What is that?" Or sometimes, what does ethics have to do with information. Pre-Internet and between computer ethics and cyberethics, I began my serious inquiry into what seemed to me to be the next big thing in professional and consumer ethics. It seemed to me that Joseph Fletcher was talking about information ethics when he talked about the patient's right to know in his 1954 Morals and Medicine. In those days, when we still stalked the library stacks for book titles and indexes for support for our hunches, I found several scholarly communities that were new to me. I was excited to find philosophy of technology and a broader field called by some Science, Technoogy, and Society. I also found books and even more articles on the history of medical ethics, engineering ethics, and environmental ethics. Had anyone ever documented the history of a new area of applied ethics as it was emerging, before it was accepted as a term or as a potential area of study? I had so many questions:

How had medical ethics begun to be studied as a field?
What was the relationship between medical and bioethics?
When were the first courses taught? Where? Faculty background?
How did computer ethics begin? Where? Faculty background?
What is the relationship between professional associations, codes, and applied ethics courses?
Who first talked about professional ethics? Business ethics? Engineering ethics? Environmental ethics?
What is the relationship between professional ethics and public policy?
How do various areas of applied ethics relate to formal philosophical inquiry.
And so many more.
NEXT: What I found in the stacks in the libraries at UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke, and in the Duke Divinity School Library.

The Roots of Information Ethics: Curriculum Development (Working Document)

2010-10-06T20:10:00.000-04:00

Curriculum Development: What? Where? Who? When?

Is there a record of the first years of courses in computer ethics?

Computer ethics?

Philosophy/Ethics faculty?
Computer faculty?
Business faculty?
Computer Science faculty?

The early history of medical ethics/bioethics and its movement into the main stream of undergraduate education is more than likely documented better than other fields. Who knows this history? What about engineering ethics? Environmental ethics? Feminist ethics? Reproductive ethics? Genetic ethics? Business ethics? When did business ethics enter the undergraduate curriculum?

The Roots of Information Ethics: Websites (Working Document)

2010-10-06T19:59:00.000-04:00

Websites: Can we trace the history of information ethics through websites?

Who remembers the earliest website set up by Rafael Capurro using Netscape Composer? ICIE?

The Roots of Information Ethics: Definitions (Working Document)

2010-10-06T19:55:00.000-04:00


The Roots of Information Ethics: Definitions (Working Document)

What are the published definitions of information ethics (with authors, dates, etc.)?

The Roots of Information Ethics: Bibliographies (Working Document)

2010-10-06T19:51:00.000-04:00

The Roots of Information Ethics:

Web Bibliographies (Working Document)

Shall we gather a list of bibliographies on information ethics and related areas that are available on the web?

Information Ethics Pioneers: Survey and Suggested Questions

2010-10-06T19:37:00.000-04:00

Information Ethics Pioneers:

Survey and Suggested Questions

(Please answer those that best apply to you.)

Describe the context of your interest in ethics and information and communications technologies broadly speaking no matter what the specifics. Please give dates, people, books, articles, etc.???
Do you consider yourself a pioneer? Describe. Please brag, be expansive, and include influences. Do you have unpublished documentation of your involvement? Course syllabi? Conference abstracts? PowerPoints?
If you do not consider yourself a pioneer, would you suggest others who are or should be considered pioneers?
What prompted your first interest in information ethics or related areas? Be as specific as possible. Include readings, conferences, colleagues, and dates.
If you became acquainted with information ethics as the result of work in another field, please explain.
What was your first contribution to the field of information ethics and related fields? Took a course? Taught a course? Attended a conference? Wrote a paper?
When you think of information ethics as a scholarly field, how would you describe the field?
Among the people and papers that have influenced you, please list the top five or ten.
Is your research agenda related to information ethics or a related area? If so, please explain.
What other questions or areas of inquiry would you suggest for us to explore?
Have you considered leaving your papers and other materials for future research?
Email to Marti Smith, email: martismith419@gmail.com

The Roots of Information Ethics: STS (Working Document)

2010-10-06T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Roots of Information Ethics: Science, Technology, and Society (Working Document)

What is the contribution of the STS movement to the history of information ethics and the whole project of addressing the impact of all kinds of technology on society, decision making, governance? Remember the rise of government involvement in university research? Who knows the background on MIT and other university faculty members who were concerned early on? Who was involved as a student back then and went on to follow these issues?

The Roots of Information Ethics: Terminology (Working Document)

2010-10-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

The Roots of Information Ethics: Terminology (Working Document)

Please suggest early terminology that we don't want to lose. If possible, note the source and the context. In what context did the term, Internet Ethics, emerge? When we it first used? Where? For example, I have found that a term like information ethics can be found in searching news and magazine databases used long before we would identify them in our scholarly journals. Lots of good work here for doctoral students.

Can we document the first uses of key terms-- computer ethics, information ethics, information technology ethics, Internet ethics, cyberethics-- in full text databases?

Going beyond: Can we track the use of terminology by various scholarly groups? For example, Floridi's use of the term information ethics is a turning point that I would explore in understanding the relationships between computer ethics and information ethics. Earlier, the use of the term information ethics as a way to talk about the concerns of high-tech librarians. Some of us who were active in the early years may remember key shifts that would not be evident to others. Let's record these now.

The Roots of Information Ethics: Chronology (Working Document)

2010-10-06T09:04:00.000-04:00

The Roots of Information Ethics: Chronology (Working Document)

Where should we start? I'd start with World War II but highlight Joseph Fletcher's Morals and Medicine (1954) with the patients' right to know. But there is also a starting point with Robert Hauptman and Rafael Capurro in 1988 and their use of the term "information ethics" in print. I identify this use in the published literature with the library science side of the story, but these uses are more as we look back. Here are some publications and events of note. Please add your suggestions.

Allerton Conference

The Roots of Information Ethics: People (Working Document)

2010-10-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

The Roots of Information Ethics: People (Working Document)

Please share your name or the names of other people who should be contacted or included in the history of information ethics. Please be expansive. Here are some of the people I think of immediately.

Rafael Capurro

Robert Hauptman

Diana Woodward

Toni Carbo

Father xxxxx (University of Pittsburgh) There are many streams of influence, so please add any institution, association, or other indications of the stream(s) that should be included.

Roots of Information Ethics: Authors, Books, Articles, Fiction, Film (Working Document)

2010-10-03T08:44:00.000-04:00

Roots of Information Ethics: Authors, Books, Articles, Fiction, Film, Poetry, Music, Etc.

(Please add your influences.)

The first eight: (From dissertation, Marti Smith, UNC-Chapel Hill

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Hans Jonas: From Gnosticism to Responsibility
Jonas changed his academic focus after World War II.

Movies:

Fiction:

Poetry:

Music:

The Roots of Information Ethics: Movies (Working Document)

2010-10-03T08:43:00.000-04:00

The Roots of Information Ethics: Movies (Working Document)

The Ugly Little Boy (19??)
The Electronic Grandmother (19??)
Gattica (19??)
Tron (19??)
Blade Runner (19??)

Joseph Fletcher: Morals and Medicine (1954) and Situation Ethics (1966)

2010-10-02T18:10:00.000-04:00

Joseph Fletcher:

Morals and Medicine (1954)

Situation Ethics (1966)

Joseph Fletcher's two books illustrate an important trend in applied ethics--the public interest in practical ethics, the ethics of daily life, the work place, and public policy. I see Fletcher as a populizer rather than a philosophical ethicist. While I am not familiar with the more technical aspects of philosophy and ethics or with place that Fletcher holds in academic philosophy, I would like to reflect on the way his work influenced my interest in information ethics. From my perspective, it would be valuable to explore the emergence of medical ethics after World War II as a patient-centered enterprise and the way medical ethics and bioethics have exploded as a field. Fletcher's Morals and Medicine (1954) focuses on the patient's right to know. Note too that Fletcher wrote an early book on reproductive and genetics ethics. I will comment more on these matters.

NEXT:

Applied Ethics (1945-1990)

Beginning Dates?

What do we know about the emergence of the various fields of applied ethics after World War II to the present?

Medical Ethics
Engineering Ethics
Earth Ethics
Environmental Ethics
Bioethics
Computer Ethics
Information Technology Ethics
Information Ethics
Cyberethics
Bioethics
Reproductive Ethics
Nursing Ethics
Genetic Ethics
Health Care Ethics
???

Information Ethics: Of Course

2010-10-02T14:15:00.000-04:00

Information Ethics: Of Course

Time can be a wonderful perspective enhancer. When I was younger, I took the slights in my early years in academic institutions very personally. I couldn't see beyond myself into the workings of a turbulent system struggling with change and threats to the professional and personal stakes of others. Enjoying my student years in the enthusiasm surrounding huge educational expenditures in the sixties and early seventies, I never imagined that it would end. But it did, and those of us who put our trust in the liberal arts and the promises of democracy reborn faced challenges that would unfold in the midst of diminishing funds and historic global shifts. For sure, we could not have imagined the Internet. Or could we?

Personal Experience: Why Information Ethics?

If I look back into my academic career and what issues first captured my mind and finally lead me to see information ethics as an important part of my future, I'd point to two different experiences. The first one chronologically happened in seminary around 1968. I was taking the first and only formal ethics course I'd ever had and needed a term project. For some reason I'd become interested in computers. I sent a letter (by mail) to IBM and asked for some information and received an envelope with two or three booklets about the way computers would change the world. I have no idea what I finally wrote about, but I do remember that the fears of the day were around automation and how computers would replace humans in the workplace. The second influence is harder to describe because it less concrete and occurred over a period of years. In the sixties when I was in college and seminary (1963-1967; 1967-1970), there was an intellectual ferment around religion and ethics. A time when authority was being questioned, college students were reading about the death of God and an ethic guided by love not rules. Then there was "Make love, not war." Several books circulated among college students. There was Situation Ethics by Joseph Fletcher (1966) and The Death of God by Gabriel Vahanian (1961). In one of my religion courses, we were assigned The Secular City by Harvey Cox (1966) and my seminary classes were full of guys who came to seminary to escape the draft. Vietnam was dividing families, and Woodstock was over by the time I graduated. Universities were reeling with challenges that set the stage for many of the questions and conflicts that continue to unsettle. If we were to go back in history to World War II, we could follow the promises and perils of the war as well. In particular, the uses and misuses of computers,
the technologies of war, and medicine herald the themes of information ethics today.

"Make love not war." (as early as 1966?)

Joseph Fletcher and Situation Ethics (1966)
Joseph Fletcher and Morals and Medicine (1954)
(Next Time)

Research Agenda for the History of Information Ethics---Research Agenda

2010-10-02T09:52:00.000-04:00

Research Agenda for the History of Information Ethics

Now is the time to do the interviews and gather the letters, the papers, and the memories of the earliest years of information ethics. Those of us who were there have time now to share the influences that lead us to envision the need for scholarly reflection on the emerging new technologies. What influenced us? What were we reading? How did our colleagues respond? What were we teaching and writing about then? How did our deans and directors react? What about tenure? Was our research accepted? Encouraged?

Where shall we start?

First, let's make sure we contact those who have been involved?
We should make sure we make a public list and plot the relationships among the people.
We should not shy away from the conflicts and political dynamics, from the struggles about terminology and the historical "facts." For example, I'd be glad to talk about my side of the story about the "information ethics" article on Wikipedia.
Collect course syllabi and make sure we have bibliographies from the early days.
Use bibliometric tools to begin tracing patterns of influence.
Identify the various threads of literature.
Identify and examine the records of academic associations, listservs, newsletters, meetings, informal collaborations, etc.
Identify the influence of the Internet and its predecessors.
Firsts?
Collect the formal and informal documents on the history of information ethics as a discipline and discussions of the relationships among the various other fields related to information ethics and information technology. I'd suggest being expansive so that the roots of current research can be connected.
On informal documents: During the decades of focus, there are lots of information buried in PowerPoints. We should search for these and make sure that they are available for use.
Finally for now, I encourage you to talk to your colleagues about finding a way to preserve our history. We will probably want both a print and an electronic repository. I have some print materials stored at a university library and would be glad to donate the remaining in the next few years as I move toward retirement from active scholarship. Other than contributing to the history, I'm bringing my involvement to an end. I look forward to seeing what happens.
Blog Post on October 2, 2010. The Infoethicist on blogger.com.

New Initiative: Bioinfoethics for Life, Health, Death, and Dying: Question of the Day

2010-04-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

?Question of the Day?

Do you have a living will or advanced directive? Does your doctor, family, hospital, and others have copies? When did you last update your documents?

Please comment.

New Initiative: Bioinfoethics for Life

2010-04-22T09:16:00.000-04:00

New Initiative: Bioinfoethics for Life

Hot Issues

?Genetics?

?Abortion?

?Surrogacy?

?In vitro fertilization?

?Life extension?

If biology is an information science, then information ethics needs to expand.

2010-04-21T19:05:00.000-04:00

If biology is an information science, then information ethics needs to expand. What does this mean? For me, it means building new courses from K-grad school and into public and popular discourses as well as into the preparation of professionals in medicine, healthcare, geriatric studies, and so many other fields. As patients and citizens, we are in charge of our health and lives. With an aging population and so many critical decisions to be made by individuals and families, a new initiative in information ethics is needed to describe the issues, the methods, and to support the education and outreach needed to make these issues understandable and as manageable as possible. From the ownership of a baby's DNA to ethical wills and advanced directives, the human lifecycle and the information lifecycle are both important. Electronic medical records and patient's right to privacy both have economic implications.

Key categories for information ethics research:

Access
Ownership
Privacy
Security, and
Community map to the ethics of life, healthcare, and issues surrounding the end-of-life and death.
Who has access to our information, DNA, risk factors, prior conditions?
Who has access to information kept by healthcare institutions?
Can insurance companies deny treatment? How?
Do we have ownership rights or moral rights to our own information?
Do parents own their children's information?
Is privacy obsolete?
What is the role of the government in the access and ownership of medical records?
What consumer access should patients have to medical research?
Is there a right to healthcare? Universal access?
Much more

New Initiative: Teaching Information Ethics for Life, Health, and Death

2010-04-21T18:43:00.000-04:00

New Initiative: Teaching Information Ethics for Life, Health, and Death--

The Overview

One of the fastest growing areas of practical and professional ethics centers around healthcare and medical issues. In the last twenty years, as new information and communications technologies have penetrated the worlds of medical and scientific research and practice, information as a commodity and as a change-maker has brought new and complex ethics and policy questions to professionals, to individuals, and to the public.

New research centers, degree programs, and course offerings evidence the convergence of issues and methods from computer and information ethics with medical, healthcare, and bioethics. If as some claim, biology is now an information science, then we need not be surprised at the rapid development of a new field that might be called bioinfoethics. I used that time some time ago and still find it useful. However, the term is not as important as is the concept. Kenneth Goodman, for example, xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To be Continued.

Higher Tech/Higher Touch

2009-02-26T13:07:00.005-05:00

HigherTech/HigherTouch

The Blog

Dr. Marti Smith

From Wordle

2009-02-26T13:07:00.002-05:00

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Thanks Natalie

2009-02-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

http://ethicsportfolio.blogspot.com/ Internet Research Ethics

Brief Vita for Librarianship Positions

2009-01-16T18:28:00.000-05:00

January, 2009

Martha M. Smith (Marti)

Enthusiastic people person
Experienced in public speaking, in change and conflict management, in marketing, in grant writing and fundraising
Expertise in electronic resources, social networking, and online education
Knowledgeable about local, regional, national, and global library services, associations, and practices

Contact Information:

Marti Smith

13E Fairway Road

Reading, PA, 19607

Phone: 610-775-4914; Cell: 610-772-1632

Email: martismith419@gmail.com

Professional Blog: http://infoethicist.blogspot.com

Professional Work Experience

Dean of Library and Educational Services, Alvernia College (now University), Reading, PA, 2006- May, 2008

Auxiliary Associate Professor and Director of Distance Education for the Library and Information Science Curriculum, The College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 2002- 2006

Director of Distance Education—Philadelphia Campus and Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Library Science, Clarion University, Clarion, PA, 2001-2002

Assistant Professor and Director of the Doctoral Program, The Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University, Brookville, NY, 1998-2001

Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 1997-1998

Director and Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, on the campus of IUSB, South Bend, IN, 1995-1997

Director of the Library, Saint Mary's College, Raleigh, NC, 1984-1995

Director of the Library, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC, 1983-1984

Education

Ph.D. in Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1996

Ph.D. in Religion (Biblical Studies), Duke University, 1980

M.S.L.S. University of North Carolina, 1972

M. Div. The Divinity School, Duke University, 1970

B.A. (History) Duke University, 1967

Memberships and Associations

Berks County Library Association

Pennsylvania Library Association

Special Library Association

Palinet

References noted separately.

MMS/1/2009

Higher Tech/Higher Touch

2008-12-20T13:31:00.000-05:00

Higher Tech/Higher Touch:
Making Learning Real

Dr. Marti Smith for Presentation at
Reading Area Community College

February 27, 2009

Looking for a New Professional Challenge

2008-12-15T16:07:00.000-05:00

Email: Marti Smith martismith419@gmail.com
Please contact me about job opportunities

December, 2008: I am currently looking for a new professional challenge.
Most of my career I've been in colleges and universities in various positions, working with integrating new technologies into educational programs. I was a pioneer in library automation, database searching, and online, distance learning. Specific positions include:

Library Director
Faculty Member in Library Science and Religion
Academic Administrator
Marketing and Student Recruiting

In addition, I'm an experienced speaker with a publishing record in information ethics and the challenges of using new information and communications technologies to enhance learning.

****************************************************************************

I would be very interested in using my knowledge and skills and going in a new direction.
Area of interest include:

Software Training
Marketing Research
Sales
Staff Development
Continuing Education

Brief Academic Vita

2008-10-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

Brief Academic Vita
• Librarianship (Management, Information Literacy and Reference, Collection Development)
• Technology Integration and User Support
• Teaching (including online) in Library Science and Applied Ethics
• Research in Applied Ethics

October, 2008
Martha M. Smith (Marti)
13E Fairway Road
Reading, PA, 19607
Phone: 610-775-4914; Cell: 610-772-1632
Email: martismith419@gmail.com
Professional Blog: The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com/

Selected Work Experience

Dean of Library and Educational Services, Alvernia College, Reading, PA, 2006-2008

Auxiliary Associate Professor and Director of Distance Education for the Library and Information Science Curriculum, The College of Information Science and Technology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 2002- 2006

Director of Distance Education—Philadelphia Campus and Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Library Science, Clarion University, Clarion, PA, 2001-2002

Assistant Professor and Director of the Doctoral Program, The Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University, Brookville, NY, 1998-2001

Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, 1997-1998

Director and Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, on the campus of IUSB, South Bend, IN, 1995-1997

Director of the Library, Saint Mary's College, Raleigh, NC, 1984-1995

Director of the Library, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC, 1983-1984
Assistant Professor of Religion and Campus Minister, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC, 1979-1983

Instructor in Religion Department, Part-time, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC, 1977-1979

Director, Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN, 1975-1976

Education

Ph.D. in Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1996
Ph.D. in Religion (Biblical Studies), Duke University, 1980
M.S.L.S. University of North Carolina, 1972
M.Div. The Divinity School, Duke University, 1970
B.A. (History) Duke University, 1967

Major Teaching Responsibilities (1994-2007)
Library and Information Science

Introduction to the Library and Information Science Professions; Information Sources and Services; Research Methods; Collection Development; Management; Internet for Information Professionals; Human Resources; Humanities Sources and Services; Social Science Sources and Services; Academic Libraries; Technology and Society; Issues in Urban Libraries; Doctoral Seminar in Qualitative Research Methods; Doctoral Seminar on Theory in Social Science Research

Applied Ethics

(Undergraduate) Business Ethics; Legal and Ethical Issues in Information Transfer; (Graduate programs) Information Ethics; Questioning Technology: Identity, Knowledge, and Community; Social Controversies and Information Technology (Social Informatics), Intellectual Freedom and Property Seminar

Selected Publications and Presentations

Carbo, Toni with Martha M. Smith. 2008. Guest editor with Dr. Toni Carbo of a Perspectives issue on Global Information Ethics (1111-1123), the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59 (7).

Elrod, Ed and Smith, Martha. 2005. Information Ethics for the Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (edited by Carl Mitcham). New York: Macmillan Reference.

Smith, Martha M. (2003, Fall). Walking with the FBI: Patriotism as personal dissent. The Journal of Information Ethics, 12 (2), 10-15.
_____. 2002. Portal Development for Hypertext Learners. Presentation for the annual Blackboard Users Conference. Phoenix, Arizona. March 17-21, 2002. Paper in proceedings and Pp.
_____. 2001. The Body as Information: A Prologue to BioInfoEthics. Proceedings of Computer Ethics: Philosophical Enquiry (pp. 207-221) Conference theme: IT and the Body. Edited by Ruth F. Chadwick, Lucas Introna, and Antonio Marturano. December 14-16, 2001. Lancaster University, England.
_____. 2001. Information ethics. Advances in Librarianship, Vol. 25. (29-66). New York: Academic Press.
_____. 2001. Global information justice. Library Trends, 49, 3,519-537. Ethical Issues of Information Technology.
_____. 2001. Global Information Ethics. Public lecture. Stuttgart, Germany, January 17, 2001. Pp.
_____. 1997. Information ethics. In Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. Volume 32, pp. 339-366. Edited by Martha E. Williams. Medford, NJ: Information Today for the American Society for Information Science.
_____. 1993. Information ethics. Editor of special issue of North Carolina Libraries, 51 (1). Introduction, article (Information ethics: Freedom, democracy, responsibility), bibliography, and ethics quiz by Smith.
_____. (1992). Infoethics for leaders: Models of moral agency in the information environment, Library Trends, 40 (3),553-570. This article is included in Informationsethik (1995). Edited by Rafael Capurro, Klaus Wiegerling, and Andreas Brellochs. Konstanz: UVK.

Religious Affiliation:
Currently Ordained Member of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ, 2001- the present
Formerly a member of the United Church of Christ Conferences—New York, Indiana-Kentucky, Southern Conference, 1983-2001
Ordained in the Eastern North Carolina Association of the Southern Conference, United Church of Christ, 1983
Formerly ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church, Western North Carolina and North Carolina Conferences, 1971-1983

MMS/10/2008

Brief Ministerial Services Vita

2008-10-03T11:43:00.000-04:00

Brief Vita—Ministerial Services and Theological Education

October, 2008

Martha M. Smith

13E Fairway Road

Reading, PA, 19607

Phone: 610-775-4914; Cell: 610-772-1632

Email: martismith419@gmail.com

Blog: The Infoethicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com

Current Career Interests:

Integrating Technology into Theological Education and Clergy Continuing Education; Interim Ministry; Fund Raising; Senior Services; Teaching and Library Work with a Focus on Information and Communications Technologies

Selected Work Experience

Dean of Library and Educational Services, Alvernia College, Reading, PA, 2006-2008

Director of Distance Education and Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Library Science, Clarion University, Clarion, PA, 2001-2002

Assistant Professor and Director of the Doctoral Program, The Palmer School of Library and Information Science, Long Island University, Brookville, NY, 1998-2001

Director and Assistant Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University, on the campuses of IUSB and IUPUI, South Bend/Indianapolis, IN, 1995-1998

Director of the Library, Saint Mary's College, Raleigh, NC, 1984-1995

Director of the Library, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC, 1983-1984

Assistant Professor of Religion and Campus Minister, North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount, NC, 1979-1983

Instructor in Religion Department, Part-time, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC, 1977-1979

Director, Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN, 1975-1976

Ministerial Standing

Currently Ordained Member of the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference of the United Church of Christ, 2001- the present

Formerly a member of the United Church of Christ Conferences—New York, Indiana-Kentucky, Southern Conference, 1983-2001

Ordained in the Eastern North Carolina Association of the Southern Conference, United Church of Christ, 1983

Formerly ordained deacon in the United Methodist Church, Western North Carolina and North Carolina Conferences, 1971-1983

Education

Ph.D. in Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1996

Ph.D. in Religion (Biblical Studies), Duke University, 1980

M.S.L.S. University of North Carolina, 1972

M.Div. The Divinity School, Duke University, 1970

B.A. (History) Duke University, 1967

Selected Publications and Presentations

Carbo, Toni and Smith, Martha (Eds.) 2008. Guest editor with Dr. Toni Carbo of a Perspectives issue on Global Information Ethics (1111-1123) for the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(7).

Elrod, Ed and Smith, Martha. 2005. Information Ethics for the Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (Ed. Carl Mitcham). New York: Macmillan Reference.

_____. (2003 Fall). Walking with the FBI: Patriotism as personal dissent. The Journal of Information Ethics, 12 (2), 10-15.

_____. 2002. Information Ethics One Year after 9/11. Ethics of Electronic Information. University of Memphis. Memphis, TN. October, 2002.

_____. 2001. Information ethics. Advances in Librarianship, Vol. 25. (29-66). New York: Academic Press.

_____. 2001. Global information justice. Library Trends, 49, 3,519-537. Ethical Issues of Information Technology.

_____. 1997. Information ethics. In Annual Review of Information Science and Technology. Volume 32, pp. 339-366. Edited by Martha E. Williams. Medford, NJ: Information Today for the American Society for Information Science.

_____. 1993. Educating for information ethics: Assumptions and definitions. Journal of Information Ethics, 2 (1), 5-9; Educating for information ethics: Information ethics 101: Sources for faculty and students. Journal of Information Ethics, 2 (2), 5-10.

_____. 1993. Information ethics. Editor of special issue of North Carolina Libraries, 51 (1). Introduction, article (Information ethics: Freedom, democracy, responsibility), bibliography, and ethics quiz by Smith.

_____. (1992). Infoethics for leaders: Models of moral agency in the information environment, Library Trends, 40 (3), 553-570. This article is included in Informationsethik (1995). Edited by Rafael Capurro, Klaus Wiegerling, and Andreas Brellochs. Konstanz: UVK.

MMS/10/2008

Back to Information Ethics

2008-06-23T14:55:00.003-04:00

After some time away, I'm back to writing and doing research in Information Ethics. My first project is to do an Ethics Quiz. Years ago, I published an ethics quiz, and I'm going to work on another one. Let me know if you have any cases that might work for a question on the ethics quiz. I'll post the format here.

Sample:
What would you do it.....
1.
2.
3.
4.

645-- Banned Book Week Assignment--Celebrated in September

2006-09-08T11:35:00.000-04:00

See August 11th posting for instructions. Assignment Due October 8th.
Also look for celebrations in your local area.

645-- Why is Intellectual Freedom so important today?

2006-09-08T11:11:00.000-04:00

645: Reading Reflection 1
Why is Intellectual Freedom so important today?

This is the topic for our first reading reflection. If you don't have access to the Intellectual Freedom Manual yet, please feel free to use the resources on the ALA, OIF site. http://www.ala.org Also, look at the news, at newspapers, and magazines. What are the intellectual freedom topics in the news? What values are at stake? As people devoted to encouraging free and wide access to information, what are the possible roles for us to take in public discourse as well as in our professional work? Think also of other historical periods and the many conflicts about who owns and who may have access to information, to books, to movies, to health information. When in Western history did ordinary people start learning to read? Needing to read? What about women? Slaves? What about the use of Latin in the Catholic Church until recently? Other examples? What about other countries today? Think, for example, of China and Internet access. This week we will be doing a lot of brainstorming about the scope and shape of the subject of our concern this semester. Think about the issues that interest you most. Throughout the term we will use small discussion group in our discussion forum area to share ideas. With five or six people in your groups, you will be able to share in a more meaningful way. Take a look at the Discussion Forums for additional instructions.

645: Due Dates

2006-09-08T10:54:00.000-04:00

Just in case you are looking here for Due Dates. Due Dates will be at the end of the weeks.

Reading Reflection 1- Due 9/17 (midnight)
Reading Reflection 2- Due 9/24
Reading Reflection 3- Due 10/1
Banned Book Assignment- Due 10/8
etc.

645--Let's Go Live!

2006-09-04T22:34:00.000-04:00

Time for the Fall Semester to begin. I look forward to seeing you all on the course site. For anyone not in the class, please continue to hang out on the blog. I welcome comments and will enable comments for the next few weeks. If there are commercial or inappropriate comments, I will disable comments.

645: Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: I'm learning how to use the course site, so please feel free to email me if you are having trouble finding what you need. I prefer to be called Dr. Marti or Dean Smith (depending upon the setting). I'll comment more on forms of address soon. MMS

645: Lecture Notes-- Week 1: Intellectual Freedom Today

2006-09-02T23:03:00.000-04:00

Week 1-- Lecture Notes: Intellectual Freedom Today

Why Intellectual Freedom and Librarians/Libraries?
Why is this course of interest to you?
Hot topics in the news: Look anywhere and you will find these issues.

Welcome to the fall semester and our work together. I'm delighted to be teaching this course. Let me suggest that you take a look at my vita for something on my background and experience. Of most importance for this class is my continuing interest and commitment to the principles of intellectual freedom and the role of librarians in their local settings and in professional leadership. Intellectual freedom is often misunderstood and sometimes underestimated in importance. Why do librarians make such a big deal, actually offer a class on the subject? Is intellectual freedom so important? What about intellectual property rights and national security? Why don't we put intellectual freedom on the back burner in order to protect valid intellectual property rights and to assure national security? Why should we not curtail our speech and expression in a time of terrorism?

The way I see it, librarians have a special angle on these issues. We have a point of view that comes from seeing from inside the power of information, knowledge, learning, and understanding. We know the power of words and the importance of protecting personal expression and public speech. Think about your own unique experiences that have brought you to this class. Why do you care about intellectual freedom? In this class you will be able to learn some of the basics of the traditions and current controversies. You will be able to put your learning together in your own personal way to guide your professional practice. This course is for you and your professional development as well as for all of you as a group. We learn by being willing to share our understanding and perspectives and sometimes to disagree with each other. Let's try to learn ways to discuss controversial issues in a respective manner. As professionals in the field, we will be called upon to offer calm, informed leadership to staff, within professional associations, and to the public. In this class we will help each other with preparations for these challenging opportunities.

What are the key issues for you?

645: Intellectual Freedom and Libraries

2006-09-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

645: Intellectual Freedom and Libraries

Welcome to the Fall semester and Intellectual Freedom and Libraries. Please use the blog to get started with the course. I have just gotten access to the course shell and will be learning how to use it in the next few days. If you all have used the course ware before, I'll appreciate your suggestions on organizing our work together. Looking forward to working with you all. Dr. Marti Smith

Final Syllabus: September 5, 2006

2006-09-02T22:39:00.000-04:00

September 5, 2006
SYLLABUS: INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND LIBRARIES
Fall, 2006
University of Wisconsin—Madison
SLIS

Dr. Martha M. Smith (Dr. Marti)
Dean of Library and Educational Services
Alvernia College
Reading, PA, 19607
610-796-8395
Email: marti.smith@alvernia.edu
Or msmith@infoethics.org
Blog: http://infoethicist.blogspot.com

Course Learning Objectives:
(Adapted from the syllabus of Dr. Rebecca Knuth, University of Hawaii)
1. To understand the First Amendment as it pertains to censorship of information in general and libraries in particular with particular attention to current issues in the profession and in society.
2. To understand the conceptual and practical bases of intellectual freedom and the core
philosophical principles of anti-censorship adhered to within librarianship.
3. To understand and be able to apply intellectual freedom policies (particularly those of the American Library Association) to daily life and professional practices including collection development, reference and technical services, and leadership in the community and beyond.
4. To understand the history of contemporary censorship in American libraries in relation to other challenges to inclusive service and social responsibility.
5. To become familiar with the positions of pro-and anti-censorship coalitions and with current controversies including the “family-friendly” library movement.
6. To be familiar with cases of censorship, controversies that have received media attention (art and censorship, censorship of violent music lyrics and children’s TV, hate speech, flag burning), patterns of book banning.
7. To be familiar with the issues of access to government information and copyright and alternatives including the Open Source movement and the Creative Commons.
8. To be familiar with censorship issues concerning sexual materials and pornography (including pornography on the internet).
9. To be familiar with internet filtering initiatives and laws, particularly as pertaining to libraries.
10. To be able to articulate professional positions for oneself and to plan constructive action and provide leadership in professional settings.

Texts and Suggestion Readings:
Office for Intellectual Freedom. American Library Association. Intellectual Freedom Manual. 6th ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002.

(Optional) Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald and Dawn B. Sova. 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999.

(Optional) Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. The book and the movie. Note that they are different.

University Policies, Academic Integrity, and Students with Special Needs:
Please refer to stated university policies and consult the instructor if you have any concerns. In this class, we will follow all university policies.

Assignments and Grade Percentages:
¨ 10 Reading Reflections and Responses—5% each (50%)

¨ Banned Book Assignment and Engagement in Discussion (10%)

¨ Editorial Assignment/Short Story Assignment and Critiques (10%)

¨ Electronic Pathfinder or Blog and Critiques (30%)

¨ Optional: Wikipedia contributions (personal and professional pride)

Class Schedule:
(Detailed readings and assignment instructions will be provided separately.)
9/ 5: Week 1: No assignment due.

9/11: Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due.

9/18: Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.

9/25: Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.

10/2: Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

10/9: Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.

10/16: Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.

10/23: Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.

10/30: Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.

11/6: Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

11/13: Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.

11/20: Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due.

11/27: Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due.

12/4: Week 14: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

12/11: Week 15: Final Reflections and Action Planning.

Weekly Readings and Assignments:

Week 1: Preview the Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition; ALA, Office of Intellectual Freedom, http://www.ala.org ; American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org ; The Creative Commons and other sites and sources related to intellectual freedom.

Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due. Why is Intellectual Freedom So Important Today?
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 1:
Fahrenheit 451 (optional)

Reading Reflection 1: How does the history of the struggle to defend intellectual freedom inform our learning for today? Use specific examples from the readings. What are the issues of most interest to you?

Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2.1-17
Fahrenheit 451—The book and/or the movie (Optional)

Reading Reflection 2: Select two or three of the readings on interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights and explain the real life situations where these interpretations would apply. Also suggest why some people would have objections to these interpretations and how you might find a practical solution in real life. Remember that the Library Bill of Rights describes the ideal. In everyday life, we all make decisions about how to apply these ideals to our own situations.

Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2 and the USA Patriot Act

Reading Reflection 3: Consider the Library Bill of Rights in light of the USA Patriot Act. How do librarians make the case for patriotism by defending the open and private access to a wide variety of information in our collections? Note the specific content in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on information rights and freedom of expression. . Should these documents be displayed in libraries? How?

Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.1-6
See also The American Civil Liberties Union; the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and other key web sites.

Reading Reflection 4: The Freedom to Read documents like the Library Bill of Rights are challenged by the USA Patriot Act and by the various bills and laws that seek to address patron privacy, children’s use of the Internet, and intellectual property right, particularly copyright. Based on your reading and thinking, create a list of five to eight answers to frequently asked questions that could be used by a public library staff. For example, “Why don’t we give parents a list of books read by their children?” Another example: “Can the homeless sleep in the library? Take a bath? Cook?” (See also IFM, Part 4.5)

Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.7-11
Search for relevant articles in the library and information science databases.

Reading Reflection 5: In addition to the readings from the Intellectual Freedom Manual, look for Internet Use Policies in your area or in another familiar setting. Identify the common features and the find out what problems are faced in real life practice? Use documentation from three to five professional articles illustrating problems and practices.

Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 4
See also the Social Responsibility Round Table and the Progressive Librarians Guild.

Reading Reflection 6: The Office of Intellectual Freedom has been involved in many legal cases over the years. Look at the OIF website and note the scope of the current cases. To what extent should local librarians (including yourself) become involved in the legal and political issues before us today? Should librarians run for office? Write letters to the editor? Participate in protests?

Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 5
Family Friendly Libraries
Focus on the Family
Lester Asheim, “Selection not censorship.” Various versions.

Reading Reflection 7: Using the principle of selection not censorship, of inclusiveness not exclusiveness, consider how to present the case against censorship to library boards, city/county government, religious groups, and other community groups. Find two or three specific cases in the professional literature to consider.

Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 6: Working for Intellectual Freedom

Reading Reflection 8: Using the LIS literature, find three examples from the last twenty years that describe successful campaigns against censorship. Look specifically for the roles of the library staff members. Did anyone lose a job? Almost? Why is preparation for challenges to intellectual freedom so important?

Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due. Intellectual Property Rights vs. Intellectual Freedom; The Creative Commons and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Reading Reflection 9: Consider alternative approaches to protecting intellectual property rights. How are digital content resources on the web changing the stakes for publishers and other content providers? What new business models are being tried?

Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due. The Digital Divide and Intellectual Freedom.

Reading Reflection 10: Consider groups in society who are traditionally disadvantaged by lacking access to or interest in/motivation to use technology. You may want to revisit the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and global institutions such as IFLA and UNESCO. What can a local library, a for-profit organization, or a professional association do to address the digital divide, locally or globally?

Week 14: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

Week 15: Final Reflections and Action Planning

Draft Syllabus, August 20, 2006

2006-08-20T16:24:00.000-04:00

DRAFT, August 20, 2006
SYLLABUS: INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM AND LIBRARIES
Fall, 2006
University of Wisconsin—Madison
SLIS

Dr. Martha M. Smith (Dr. Marti)
Dean of Library and Educational Services
Alvernia College
Reading, PA
19607
610-796-8395
Email: marti.smith@alvernia.edu
Or msmith@infoethics.org
Blog: http://infoethicist.blogspot.com/

Course Learning Objectives

1. To understand the First Amendment as it pertains to censorship of information in general and
libraries in particular.
2. To understand the conceptual and practical bases of intellectual freedom and the core
philosophical principles of anti-censorship adhered to within librarianship.
3. To understand and be able to apply intellectual freedom policies (particularly those of the
American Library Association) to daily life and professional practices.
4. To understand the history of contemporary censorship in American libraries.
5. To become familiar with the positions of pro-and anti-censorship coalitions.
6. To be familiar with cases of censorship, controversies that have received media attention (art and
censorship, censorship of violent music lyrics and children’s TV, hate speech, flag burning), and
patterns of bookbanning.
7. To be familiar with the issues of access to government information and copyright.
8. To be familiar with censorship issues concerning sexual materials and pornography (including pornography on the internet).
9. To be familiar with internet filtering initiatives and laws, particularly as pertaining to libraries.

Texts:
Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. Intellectual Freedom Manual. 6th ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 2002.

(Optional) Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald and Dawn B. Sova. 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. New York: Checkmark Books, 1999.

(Optional) Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. The book and the movie. Note that they are different.

Assignments and Grade Percentages:

10 Reading Reflections and Responses—5% each (50%)

Banned Book Assignment and Engagement in Discussion (10%)

Editorial Assignment/Short Story Assignment and Critiques (10%)

Electronic Pathfinder or Blog and Critiques (30%)

Optional: Wikipedia contributions

Class Schedule (Detailed readings and assignment instructions will be provided soon.)

9/ 5: Week 1: No assignment due.

9/11: Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due.

9/18: Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.

9/25: Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.

10/2: Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

10/9: Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.

10/16: Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.

10/23: Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.

10/30: Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.

11/6: Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

11/13: Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.

11/20: Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due.

11/27: Week 13: Reading Reflection 19 due.
12/4 and 12/11: Week 14 and 15: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brief Draft--Weekly Reading Assignments

Week 1: Preview the Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition; ALA, Office of Intellectual Freedom, http://www.ala.org ; American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org ; Creative Commons

Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due. Why is Intellectual Freedom So Important Today?
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 1:
Fahrenheit 451 (optional)

Reading Reflection 1: How does the history of the struggle to defend intellectual freedom inform our learning for today? Use specific examples from the readings. What are the issues of most interest to you?

Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2.1-17
Fahrenheit 451

Reading Reflection 2: Select two or three of the readings on interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights and explain the real life situations where these interpretations would apply. Also suggest why some people would have objections to these interpretations and how you might find a practical solution in real life. Remember that the Library Bill of Rights describes the ideal. In everyday life, we all make decisions about how to apply these ideals to our own situations.

Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2 and the USA Patriot Act

Reading Reflection 3: Consider the Library Bill of Rights in light of the USA Patriot Act. How do librarians make the case for patriotism by defending the open and private access to a wide variety of information in our collections? Note the specific content in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Should these documents be displayed in libraries?

Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.1-6
See also The American Civil Liberties Union; the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and other key web sites.

Reading Reflection 4: The Freedom to Read documents like the Library Bill of Rights are challenged by the USA Patriot Act and by the various bills and laws that seek to address patron privacy, children’s use of the Internet, and intellectual property right, particularly copyright. Based on your reading and thinking, create a list of five to eight answers to frequently asked questions that could be used by a public library staff. For example, “Why don’t we give parents a list of books read by their children?” Anther example: “Can the homeless sleep in the library? Take a bath? Cook?” (See also IFM, Part 4.5)

Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.7-11
Search for relevant articles in the library and information science databases.

Reading Reflection 5: In addition to the readings from the Intellectual Freedom Manual, look for Internet Use Policies in your area or in another familiar setting. Identify the common features and the find out what problems are faced in real life practice?

Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 4
See also the Social Responsibility Round Table and the Progressive Librarians Guild.

Reading Reflection 6: The Office of Intellectual Freedom has been involved in many legal cases over the years. Look at the OIF website and note the scope of the current cases. To what extent should local librarians (including yourself) become involved in the legal and political issues before us today? Should librarians run for office? Write letters to the editor? Participate in protests?

Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 5
Family Friendly Libraries
Focus on the Family
Lester Asheim, “Selection not censorship.”

Reading Reflection 7: Using the principle of selection not censorship, of inclusiveness not exclusiveness, consider how to present the case against censorship to library boards, city/county government, religious groups, and other community groups. What have you learned from the readings.

Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 6: Working for Intellectual Freedom

Reading Reflection 8: Using the LIS literature, find three articles from the last fifteen years that describe successful campaigns against censorship.
Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due. Intellectual Property Rights vs. Intellectual Freedom
Creative Commons
Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due. The Digital Divide and Intellectual Freedom.
Reading Reflection 10:

Week 14 and 15: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

Blogs for Intellectual Freedom and Libraries

2006-08-11T22:07:00.000-04:00

Blogs

Lawrence Lessig
http://www.lessig.org/blog/

Rory Litwin
http://libraryjuicepress.com/blog

Look for others and add them in the comments.

Intellectual Freedom Manual, 7th ed. 2005

2006-08-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

Compare the Table of Contents with the 6th edition.

Table of Contents of the 7th Edition

PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
iINTRODUCTION CONTRIBUTORS

PART I
Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: An Overview

1. Intellectual Freedom: An Enduring and All-EmbracingConcept CANDACE D. MORGAN
2. ALA and Intellectual Freedom: A Historical Overview JUDITH F. KRUG 3. Challenges and Issues Today EVELYN SHAEVEL, BEVERLEY BECKER, and CANDACE D. MORGAN

PART II
Library Bill of Rights
1. Library Bill of Rights: The Policy History 2. Library Bill of Rights: Interpretations
2.1 Access for Children and Young People to Nonprint Formats Interpretation History
2.2 Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks Interpretation History
2.3 Access to Library Resources and Services regardless of Sex, Gender Identity, or Sexual OrientationInterpretation History
2.4 Access to Resources and Services in the School Library Media ProgramInterpretation History
2.5 Challenged Materials Interpretation History
2.6 Diversity in Collection DevelopmentInterpretation History
2.7 Economic Barriers to Information AccessInterpretation History
2.8 Evaluating Library CollectionsInterpretation History
2.9 Exhibit Spaces and Bulletin BoardsInterpretation History
2.10 Expurgation of Library MaterialsInterpretation History
2.11 Free Access to Libraries for Minors Interpretation History
2.12 Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic LibrariesInterpretation History
2.13 Labels and Rating Systems Interpretation History 2.14 Library-Initiated Programs as a ResourceInterpretation History 2.15 Meeting RoomsInterpretation History 2.16 Privacy Interpretation History 2.17 Restricted Access to Library MaterialsInterpretation History 2.18 The Universal Right to Free ExpressionInterpretation History

PART III
Protecting the Freedom to Read
1. The Freedom to Read Policy Statement History 2. Code of Ethics of the American Library AssociationPolicy Statement History 3. Libraries: An American Value Policy Statement History 4. Policies and Statements Related to Access to Information and Library Services
4.1 Guidelines for the Development and Implemen-tation of Policies, Regulations and Procedures Affecting Access to Library Materials, Services and FacilitiesGuidelines History 4.2 Guidelines for the Development of Policies and Procedures regarding User Behavior and Library UsageGuidelines History 4.3 Resolution on Access to the Use of Libraries and Information by Individuals with Physicalor Mental ImpairmentResolution History 4.4 Related Policies and Statements

5. Policies and Statements Related to Confidentiality, Privacy, and Governmental Intimidation5.1 Policy on Confidentiality of Library RecordsPolicy Statement History 5.2 Suggested Procedures for Implementing “Policy on Confidentiality of Library Records”Procedures History 5.3 Confidentiality and Coping with Law Enforcement Inquiries: Guidelines for the Library and Its Staff 5.4 Policy concerning Confidentiality of Personally Identifiable Information about Library UsersPolicy Statement History 5.5 Guidelines for Developing a Library Privacy PolicyGuidelines History 5.6 Policy on Governmental IntimidationPolicy Statement History 5.7 Other Policies Related to Confidentiality and Privacy

6. Guidelines, Resolutions, and Statements Related to the Internet 6.1 Guidelines and Considerations for Developing a Public Library Internet Use PolicyGuidelines History 6.2 Other Policies and Statements Related to the Internet

7. Statements and Documents Related to Library Resources7.1 Dealing with Concerns about Library ResourcesProcedural Statement History 7.2 Other Documents Related to Library Resources

PART IV
Intellectual Freedom and the Law
1. Public Libraries and the Public Forum Doctrine THERESA CHMARA2. Minors’ First Amendment Rights to Access Information THERESA CHMARA3. Libraries and the Internet JUDITH F. KRUG4. Privacy and Confidentiality in Libraries CANDACE D. MORGAN, DEBORAH CALDWELL-STONE, AND DANIEL MACH

PART V
Preparing to Preserve and Protect Intellectual Freedom
1. Essential Preparation BEVERLEY BECKER2. Communicating the Intellectual Freedom Message LINDA K. WALLACE AND LARRA CLARK3. Responding to Organized Challenges BEVERLEY BECKER

PART VI
Working for Intellectual Freedom
1. Free People Read Freely: Knowing Where to Go for Help DON WOOD2. Lobbying for Intellectual Freedom ALA WASHINGTON OFFICE
APPENDIXNavigating the OIF Website
GLOSSARY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX

Banned Books Week: September, 2006

2006-08-11T20:10:00.000-04:00

See the ALA site on Banned Books Week

http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm

For Intellectual Freedom and Libraries Course, Fall, 2006:
Banned Books Week Assignment:

1. Review the list of challenged books and find two to five that you have read. Explore the circumstances surrounding the challenges to these books and in light of those challenges reflect on your reading of the book. How would you explain to a censor why the books should be in a library collection? You may write up your assignment as a letter to the censor with copies to the library board or as a speech to a community group. Think about making your presentation professional yet personal. You may want to refer to standard library policies about challenging materials. The letter/speech should be from 2-4 pages and may include PowerPoint slides or other graphics. However, focus on the content not on the tools. Include a final page or two reflecting upon your learning and the role of the professional in defending the right to read. We will share these online.

Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: Text

2006-08-11T20:00:00.000-04:00

ALA. Intellectual Freedom Manual. 6th edition. 2002. The 7th edition was just published, but we will use the 6th edition for the course and supplement with more recent material from the web and from electronic databases. You should be able to find the 6th ed. for a reasonable price. Also, check your local libraries for various editions of the manual. Remind your favorite librarians to order the 7th edition. We will read and discuss most of the materials in the 6th edition.

Intellectual Freedom Manual

Part 1: Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: An Overview

Part 2: The Library Bill of Rights

Part 3: The Freedom to Read

Part 4: Intellectual Freedom and the Law

Part 5: Before the Censor Comes: Essential Preparations

Part 6: Working for Intellectual Freedom

Key Links for Intellectual Freedom and Libraries

2006-08-11T19:57:00.000-04:00

Key Links for Intellectual Freedom and Libraries

American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/

Office of Intellectual Freedom
http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/Default622.htm

American Civil Liberties Union
http://www.aclu.org/

Creative Commons
http://creativecommons.org/

Progressive Librarians Guild
http://libr.org/plg/

Banned Books Online
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html

American Booksellers Associations
http://www.bookweb.org/

Electronic Privacy Information Center
http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html

EFF: The Electronic Frontier Foundation
https://www.eff.org/

USA Patriot Act from the Library of Congress--Thomas
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR03162:%5D

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2006-08-05T22:16:00.000-04:00

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

Assignments: Semester Project--E-Pathfinder; Website; Wikipedia Entry: Intellectual Freedom Display or Program

2006-08-05T21:34:00.000-04:00

Semester Project:
e-Pathfinder; Website; Wikipedia Entry; Intellectual Freedom Display or Program

Assignments: Banned Book Week

2006-08-05T21:24:00.000-04:00

Banned Book Week Assignment

Select two books from the list of challenged books. Fill out a challenge form in the voice of a concerned patron and then write a response from the point of view of "selection not censorship."

************************************Sample form.************

Title of item: ___________________________________________

Author:_______________________________________________________

Format: (e.g. book, video, CD, etc.) ____________________________________

Did you read, view, or listen to the entire work? __________________________

What concerns you about this material?

Have you received and read the libraries policies about materials selection?

Do you represent an association or group? Please explain.

Would you like to talk with a library staff member?

How would you like to be contacted? Phone; Email; Regular mail?

Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: Assignments

2006-08-05T21:23:00.000-04:00

Intellectual Freedom and Libraries:

Assignments Overview

September 5, 2006 (taken from final syllabus)

Assignments and Grade Percentages:
¨ 10 Reading Reflections and Responses—5% each (50%)

¨ Banned Book Assignment and Engagement in Discussion (10%)

¨ Editorial Assignment/Short Story Assignment and Critiques (10%)

¨ Electronic Pathfinder or Blog and Critiques (30%)

¨ Optional: Wikipedia contributions (personal and professional pride)

Class Schedule:
(Detailed readings and assignment instructions will be provided separately.)
9/ 5: Week 1: No assignment due.

9/11: Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due.

9/18: Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.

9/25: Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.

10/2: Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

10/9: Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.

10/16: Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.

10/23: Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.

10/30: Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.

11/6: Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

11/13: Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.

11/20: Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due.

11/27: Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due.

12/4: Week 14: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

12/11: Week 15: Final Reflections and Action Planning.

From the syllabus:
Week 1: Preview the Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition; ALA, Office of Intellectual Freedom, http://www.ala.org ; American Civil Liberties Union http://www.aclu.org ; The Creative Commons and other sites and sources related to intellectual freedom.

Week 2: Reading Reflection 1 due. Why is Intellectual Freedom So Important Today?
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 1:
Fahrenheit 451 (optional)

Reading Reflection 1: How does the history of the struggle to defend intellectual freedom inform our learning for today? Use specific examples from the readings. What are the issues of most interest to you?

Week 3: Reading Reflection 2 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2.1-17
Fahrenheit 451—The book and/or the movie (Optional)

Reading Reflection 2: Select two or three of the readings on interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights and explain the real life situations where these interpretations would apply. Also suggest why some people would have objections to these interpretations and how you might find a practical solution in real life. Remember that the Library Bill of Rights describes the ideal. In everyday life, we all make decisions about how to apply these ideals to our own situations.

Week 4: Reading Reflection 3 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 2 and the USA Patriot Act

Reading Reflection 3: Consider the Library Bill of Rights in light of the USA Patriot Act. How do librarians make the case for patriotism by defending the open and private access to a wide variety of information in our collections? Note the specific content in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on information rights and freedom of expression. . Should these documents be displayed in libraries? How?

Week 5: Banned Book Assignment due.

Week 6: Reading Reflection 4 due. E-pathfinder/Blog topic due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.1-6
See also The American Civil Liberties Union; the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and other key web sites.

Reading Reflection 4: The Freedom to Read documents like the Library Bill of Rights are challenged by the USA Patriot Act and by the various bills and laws that seek to address patron privacy, children’s use of the Internet, and intellectual property right, particularly copyright. Based on your reading and thinking, create a list of five to eight answers to frequently asked questions that could be used by a public library staff. For example, “Why don’t we give parents a list of books read by their children?” Another example: “Can the homeless sleep in the library? Take a bath? Cook?” (See also IFM, Part 4.5)

Week 7: Reading Reflection 5 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 3.7-11
Search for relevant articles in the library and information science databases.

Reading Reflection 5: In addition to the readings from the Intellectual Freedom Manual, look for Internet Use Policies in your area or in another familiar setting. Identify the common features and the find out what problems are faced in real life practice? Use documentation from three to five professional articles illustrating problems and practices.

Week 8: Reading Reflection 6 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 4
See also the Social Responsibility Round Table and the Progressive Librarians Guild.

Reading Reflection 6: The Office of Intellectual Freedom has been involved in many legal cases over the years. Look at the OIF website and note the scope of the current cases. To what extent should local librarians (including yourself) become involved in the legal and political issues before us today? Should librarians run for office? Write letters to the editor? Participate in protests?

Week 9: Reading Reflection 7 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 5
Family Friendly Libraries
Focus on the Family
Lester Asheim, “Selection not censorship.” Various versions.

Reading Reflection 7: Using the principle of selection not censorship, of inclusiveness not exclusiveness, consider how to present the case against censorship to library boards, city/county government, religious groups, and other community groups. Find two or three specific cases in the professional literature to consider.

Week 10: Editorial/Short Story due.

Week 11: Reading Reflection 8 due.
Intellectual Freedom Manual, Part 6: Working for Intellectual Freedom

Reading Reflection 8: Using the LIS literature, find three examples from the last twenty years that describe successful campaigns against censorship. Look specifically for the roles of the library staff members. Did anyone lose a job? Almost? Why is preparation for challenges to intellectual freedom so important?

Week 12: Reading Reflection 9 due. Intellectual Property Rights vs. Intellectual Freedom; The Creative Commons and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Reading Reflection 9: Consider alternative approaches to protecting intellectual property rights. How are digital content resources on the web changing the stakes for publishers and other content providers? What new business models are being tried?

Week 13: Reading Reflection 10 due. The Digital Divide and Intellectual Freedom.

Reading Reflection 10: Consider groups in society who are traditionally disadvantaged by lacking access to or interest in/motivation to use technology. You may want to revisit the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and global institutions such as IFLA and UNESCO. What can a local library, a for-profit organization, or a professional association do to address the digital divide, locally or globally?

Week 14: E-pathfinder/Blog due.

Week 15: Final Reflections and Action Planning

Social Responsibilities Round Table and the Progressive Librarians

2006-08-05T21:21:00.000-04:00

Social Responsibilities Round Table and the Progressive Librarians:

The Hot Issues for Today

What are the hot topics you find in the news? Take a look at activities and concerns of the Social Responsibilities Round Table and the Progressive Librarians Group. Check out the blog Library Juice by Rory Litwin. We'll discuss there issues in the discussion area.

Intellectual Freedom: Syllabi, Resources, and Assignments

2006-08-05T20:23:00.000-04:00

Intellectual Freedom: Syllabi, Resources, and Assignments

In the next few weeks I'll be posting materials for the fall course, Intellectual Freedom and Libraries, University of Wisconsin--Madison

If you are going to be taking the class, please send me an email at marti.smith@alvernia.edu I've just taken a new job as the Dean of Library and Educational Services at Alvernia College in Reading, PA.

http://www.alvernia.edu

For Intellectual Freedom and Libraries: Some Beginnings

Required Readings: ALA. The Intellectual Freedom Manual, 6th edition. The 7th edition is just out, but it is very expensive. Most of the readings for the class will be from the Manual and from databases in the library and from websites.
Fiction and Movies: Sensitize yourselves to the issues with some of these novels, stories and films:
Fahrenheit 451, novel and film. This is one of the most important books and films on the subject of restricted access to information. Focused on book burning in an authoritarian society, the book and the film are slightly different.
The Handmaid's Tale: novel by Margaret Atwood and film. More chilling today than when the movie was made. This was filmed in North Carolina at Duke and at St. Mary's where I was the library director. Main character is a librarian. Very profound experience.
1984: novel by George Orwell and film. Repression and censorship.
More to come.

Medical Leave-- Surgery

2006-05-10T08:46:00.000-04:00

Since April 18th, I've been away from my regular life due to surgery. I'm healing well and expect to be back actively blogging soon. In the meantime, please visit my daughter April's blog http://www.mprize.org/blogs April's CR Diary It's about eating healthy, the light side of life-extension research, and her love, Michael Rae. The two of them will be on CNN in mid-May--See Paula Zahn Now.

End of the Class: Info679: Information Ethics

2006-03-19T16:10:00.000-05:00

Wonderful class this term. Take a look at some of the terrific projects. New to the blog? This term I've been teaching a course in Drexel University's graduate program in Library and Information Science. You'll find lots of our resources on this blog. Now that we're finishing the quarter, we have a lot to show. The major assignment for the course was a blog or website on a topic in the field of Information Ethics. Below you'll find the URL's from class members. A small group of volunteers prepared an entry on Information Ethics and posted it on Wikipedia. Take a look. Pardon the message list. Wanted to get it out asap.

http://infolich.blogspot.com/ Sex, Lies, and Library Stacks
http://librarygradstudent.blogspot.com/ Meet me on the ‘Net-Teens and e-comm….
http://conspiracylibrarian.blogspot.com/ “They” Are Watching You
http://tanjalina.bravehost.com/index.html “Well, hello Dolly!!”
http://infoethicsandlit.blogspot.com/ Information Ethics and Literacy
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~jls94/ Privacy and Libraries
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~paw28/webpage The fork in the road-genetics & ethics
http://ethicsportfolio.blogspot.com/ Internet Research Ethics
http://infoliteracist.blogspot.com/ Information Literacy and the Digital Divide
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~lj442/ Bioethics
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~jmg67 Technology & Privacy
http://info679student.blogspot.com/ Ethics in the information age
http://infoethicstoday.blogspot.com/ Information ethics in Healthcare
http://wheelerinfoethics.blogspot.com/ Copyright & Intellectual Property
http://kylesinfoethicsblog.blogspot.com/ Infoethics for teachers and librarians
http://patriotactinfo.blogspot.com/ Patriot Act Blog
http://themedicallibrarian.blogspot.com/ The ethics of electronic medical records
http://meganinfo679.blogspot.com/ Scholarly communication in information…
http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~smi25/index679.html Immigration processes and ethics and blogs
http://nhslibrary.org/nucleus/InfoEthics.php Issues in Journalism, Media, and info…
http://heidiblogspot.blogspot.com/ Teaching information ethics through fiction…
http://amos679.blogspot.com/ Intellectual freedom and libraries
http://carolanninfo679.blogspot.com/ Technology and information ethics for…
http://infoethicstomar.blogspot.com/ Protecting elementary school students…
http://debsinfoethics679.blogspot.com/ Copyright and CopyLeft
http://www.xanga.com/mnp32 Global Digital Divide

Wikipedia-- Making the Case for Information Ethics

2006-02-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Wikipedia--Making the Case for Information Ethics

One of the greatest thrills of teaching is when students go far beyond what you have imagined. Fortunately, those of us who teach adult students enjoy the creativity and initiative of our students very often.

See the posting in Wikipedia on Information Ethics written by a volunteer student group in my Information Ethics Class. Check it out.

Info679: Wonderful Student Blogs and Websites

2006-02-18T21:37:00.000-05:00

The major project for the Information Ethics class is a web presence and an electronic pathfinder on a topic of interest to each student. I've been so very impressed with the first efforts. I'm going to ask the students to post their blogs/websites in the comments section. Prepare to be impressed.

The Information Ethics SIG Lives!

2006-01-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Let me accept the challenge of posting a picture of our happy group here. Our first
official sessions were a great success. Our fearless leader, Toni Samek, was marvelous.
Bringing us all together in discussion and resolve, she set the tone for many years
of collaboration and making the world a better place. Stay tuned for more details.

ALISE-- Information Ethics SIG (Special Interest Group)

2006-01-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

ALISE http://www.alise.org This week at the ALISE meeting we will have the first meeting of the official SIG on Information Ethics. This is an exciting happening and represents years of effort in promoting information ethics as an important domain of study within the field of library and information science. For more on the first formal meeting see: http://globalinfoethics.blogspot.com You will find the discussion statement on the mission and purpose of the SIG there. This has truly been a group effort, and it is a true joy for me to be associated with this group. I'll post updates as the week goes on.

Faculty Support in the Commercial University Environment

2006-01-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

Is that a pedantic sounding subject line or what? Well, I'm trying to be tactful as well as serious and thoughtful. Let me start now where my heart is:

Back in the days of my childhood, I remember being puzzled by a saying I heard. Now I understand it and here want to apply this saying to the problem of faculty support in today's universities. "The best gift a father can give his children is to love their mother." While this
saying applies to the more traditional family where the mother is home with the children while
the father goes off to work, it speaks volumes about human relationships and the importance
of support for those entrusted with the cultivation of happy, good humans. I think of another
saying of more recent origin that applies here too. When my daughter first found her
cat, she spoiled him obsessively. In fact she still does. We've always said, however, that
the cat will never have to go out to work. Of course a spoiled cat can be a pain in the ..., particularly if he has lapses in his toileting habits. But he won't have to make a living or
maintain a household. The point is that humans and cats are different in their requirements for survival and flourishing. Those of us involved in the care and education of humans know that people will have to manage on their own, unlke pet cats (companion animals) who depend upon responsible people to care for them-- people who won't spend the cat food money on a big screen TV. Where am I going here? What does all this have to do with faculty? The commercialized university in a business-oriented society?
Like mothers home with children day after day, faculty members must have a support network, if not love and appreciation, to do a good job as teachers and researchers. Like children, students won't be able to grow up intellectually and to master their intended fields of learning and practice if they are treated like a cat, like a pet. Structure and challenge rather than indulgance is needed. It's so much easier to let cats, children, or students set the rules and never restrain or criticize them. It takes energy to maintain standards. A bunch of children, even one, can wear down the at-home parent(s)--mothers, fathers, grandparents, or others. The grownup needs support and affirmation to hold the line with the children. Faculty need structures and support to do the work of educational transformation. Faculty wear down just like parents. So what has happened in higher education where the customer service mentality reigns and faculty are told to "please" students? What are the results when parents see their roles as to "please" their children? Think about that. I'll post more of my ideas soon.

Syllabus for INFO679: The Basics

2006-01-07T18:10:00.000-05:00

Here is the rest of the syllabus for INFO679.

College of Information Science and Technology
Drexel University Winter, 2005-2006
INFO679 Online
Information Ethics
Martha M. Smith, Ph. D.
marti.smith@ischool.drexel.edu
215-895-1532
msmith@infoethics.org
http://www.ischool.drexel.edu/faculty/
January 5, 2006

Course Description:
This course presents the philosophical foundations of applied ethics and technology with primary focus on (1.) the uses and abuses of information, (2.) human moral agency in relation to new information and communication technologies (ICTs), and (3.) the meaning of social responsibility in the global information society, including the concepts of global information justice and human rights.

Specifically this course will consider ethical dilemmas, decision-making strategies, and public policy issues around the broad themes of Access, Ownership, Privacy, Security, and Community including headline topics such as intellectual property rights vs. intellectual freedom; the USA Patriot Act vs. civil liberties; the uses of genetic information for health care vs. for discrimination in insurance. The course will build understanding of major and alternative ethical traditions to inform personal moral agency, professional conduct, and civic participation.
Overview of Topics:
Week 1: Introduction to information ethics in relation to other areas of applied ethics, including computer ethics, cyberethics, bioethics, engineering ethics, media ethics, and related areas in research and public policy;
Week 2: Philosophy of information and philosophy of technology as applied in contemporary life—family, work, entertainment, sports, national and global security;
Weeks 3 and 4: Various models of decision making in professional practice and civic participation;
Weeks 5 and 6: The application of information ethics to professional practice and participation in public policy, including the relationship between ethics and law;
Weeks 7 to 10: Current ethical dilemmas under the broad categories of:
Ø Access,
Ø Ownership,
Ø Privacy,
Ø Security, and
Ø Community such as intellectual property rights, copyright, and copyleft; the USA Patriot Act and civil rights; the digital divide and information democracy; and global information justice.

Assignments and Grading:
Electronic Portfolio: The major assignment for this course will be the building of an electronic portfolio including required blog postings, any other course work, and an electronic pathfinder focused on current topics such as (1.) the protection of personal information, (2.) information ethics in healthcare, (3.) the global digital divide, (4.) national security and civil liberties, (5.) intellectual property rights vs. the right to know, (6.) DNA information and cloning, (7.) nanotechnology, and (8.) the information industry. More topics will be suggested.

Blog Postings: Five blog postings (Weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7) will be due on Mondays by noon of each week. These postings should be between 500-700 words and should reflect the readings with engagement with the assignment question or topic. You may use charts, tables, and hotlinks in your text and may attach small audio and video files. You will post your reflections to your own blog forum on the course site and interact with others in your small, blog ring group.

Grades will be based upon the following:
(50%) Major Term Project: The Completed Electronic Portfolio containing an E-Pathfinder (Progress report—Draft of E-Pathfinder-- due before Wednesday in Week 5— 5%; Website operative before Wednesday in Week 8—5%; Final due at the Friday of Week 10—40%)

(40%) 5 Blog Postings and Interaction with Other Students in a Blog Ring and Other Discussion Forums or Group Areas (Weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7)

(10%) Additional Collaboration and Cooperative Learning (Class Participation, Initiative, Creativity, and Enthusiasm)

Grading Scale
A= 90-100
B= 80-89
C= Below 79

An A student will complete all required assignments with excellence and on time and also model above average communication and collaborative skills.

A B student will complete all required assignments adequately and on time and participate actively in interactive communication and collaboration.
A C student will be unable to meet minimum requirements and may be on probation.

To be eligible for an Incomplete, you must have completed more than half of the work.

Students can withdraw from the class until Week 9.

Special Needs and Accommodations: If you have a disability and need special help, you must identify yourself to the Drexel Disability Office in time for your needs to be reviewed and appropriate plans made for help.

Required Texts:
Herman Tavani. (2004) Ethics and technology: Ethical issues in an age of information and communication technology. John Wiley. See http://www.wiley.com/college/tavani
Richard A. Spinello and Herman T. Tavani (eds.) (2004). Readings in cyberethics. 2nd ed. Jones and Bartlett. Also see web resources at http://www.jbpub.com/cyberethics/toolsforlearning.cfm

Fiction, Movies, and Media for Enrichment (Optional)
Using selected short stories, novels, movies, radio, and audio resources may be of interest to you in this class. For examples, please refer to the Master Syllabus for Global Information Ethics. We will be adding more selections throughout the term; your suggestions are welcome. For this term, we’ll focus on fiction and nanotechnology.

Print and Electronic Resources
Examples of Optional Readings and Resources: You will want to take advantage of the excellent resources available through the Drexel libraries. See http://www.library.drexel.edu. Look for good resources in your local area as well.

The reading books below may be valuable in your professional library. Other readings and resource lists will be given throughout the term.

Richard Holeton (ed.) (1997). Composing cyberspace: Identity, community, and knowledge in the electronic age. WCB/McGraw Hill. Also see companion website at http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/holeton
Richard A. Spinello and Herman T. Tavani (eds.) (2001). Readings in cyberethics. Jones and Bartlett. Also see web resources at http://www.jbpub.com/cyberethics/toolsforlearning.cfm

Albert Teich (ed.), Technology and the future. Wadsworth. Most recent edition. Also see companion website, Albert Teich’s Technology and the Future Toolkit, at http://www.alteich.com/

The Blog and the Syllabus-- Co-ordinating the Two

2006-01-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

Here is the Weekly Schedule of Readings and Assignments for the
Information Ethics class starting on January 9th.

Each week, there will be relevant InfoEthicist postings as well
as ongoing comments. I will make a list indicating which older
postings go with each week. Co-ordinating these two web environments
will be a challenge and part of our learning for the term. Your
suggestions are welcome.

Weekly Schedule of Readings and Assignments

Assignments 1: Introduce yourselves and get busy with the readings and assignments.
January 9, 2009
Week 1: Information Ethics: Defining Information Ethics for Today
Introduction to information ethics in relation to other areas of applied ethics, including computer ethics, cyberethics, bioethics, engineering ethics, media ethics, and related areas in research and public policy; Hot topics for today.
Readings for Blog 1 (Week 2):
The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com (See key to the blog.)
International Center for Information Ethics http://icie.zkm.de
Elrod and Smith, Information ethics, in ESTE—The Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics (Hagerty Library E-Reference) http://www.library.drexel.edu
Froehlich, “A brief history of information ethics.” Look in ICIE
Tavani, Ethics and technology, Chapters 1 and 2
In Cyberethics Reader, Chapter 1-- Bynum, Johnson, Moor, Adam, Floridi & Sanders, and Gert

Assignments 2: Blog Posting 1: Defining Information Ethics for Today
January 16, 2006
Week 2: Information Ethics in History and Philosophy—The Past as Prologue; Philosophy of information and philosophy of technology as applied in contemporary life—family, work, entertainment, sports, national and global security
Readings for Blog 2 (Week 3):
L. Winner, “Do artifacts have politics?” See The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com
R. Capurro, “Information technologies and technologies of the self.”
J. Margolis, “The technological self.” This may not be available until later in the quarter.
Tavani, Ethics and technology, Chapter 3
Look for related articles in ESTE, http://www.library.drexel.edu
For Blog 5 (Week 7):
In Cyberethics Reader, Skim articles in Chapters 2 and 3 on Regulating the Net and Intellectual Property in Cyberspace

Assignments 3: Blog Posting 2: Artifacts and Politics; Technologies of the Self and Beginning of the Wikipedia Project
January 23, 2006
Week 3: Decision-Making 1
Various models of decision making in professional practice and civic participation
Readings for Blog 3 (Week 4):
In Cyberethics Reader J. Moor, “Just consequentialism and computing.”
Potter Box Resources (See The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com )
For Blog 5 (Week 7):
In Cyberethics Reader, Skim articles in Chapter 4 on Privacy
Tavani, Chapter 5 on Privacy
Review Tavani, Chapters 1-3

Assignments 4: Blog Posting 3: Just Consequentialism and the Potter Box in Information Ethics and the Wikipedia Project
January 30, 2006
Week 4: Decision-Making 2
Readings for Blog 4 (Week 6)
Tavani, Chapter 4 and Appendices A, B, and C
Cyberethics Reader, Chapter 6 on Professional Ethics, Codes of Conduct, and Computer/Information Professionals
ALA http://www.ala.org ACM http://www.acm.org CPSR http://www.cpsr.org ASIST http://www.asis.org and many others See LII http://www.lii.org
See The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com on professional issues

Assignments 5: Electronic Portfolio Progress Report (Draft of E-Pathfinder)
February 6, 2006
Week 5: Professional Practice, Ethics, and Law
Readings for Blog 5 (Week 7):
Cyberethics Reader, Skim Chapter 5 on Security and Crime in Cyberspace
Tavani, Chapter 7: Cybercrime
Tavani, Chapters 10-11: Social Issues
Use the resources on The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com

Assignments 6: Blog Posting 4: Professional Codes: Traditions and the Future and Final Copy for the Wikipedia Project
February 13, 2006
Week 6: Public Policy, Professional Ethics, and Law
The application of information ethics to professional practice and participation in public policy, including the relationship between ethics and law.
Readings for Blog 5 (Week 7)
Review Cyberethics Reader, Chapter 6
Use The InfoEthicist http://infoethicist.blogspot.com

Assignments 7: Blog Posting 5: Information Professionals and Public Policy
February 20, 2006
Week 7: Current Ethical Dilemmas--- Access and Ownership
Readings:
Tavani, Chapter 8 and 9
Electronic Frontier Foundation
http://www.eff.org

Assignments 8: Website Operational
February 27, 2006
Week 8: Current Ethical Dilemmas--- Privacy and Security
Readings:
Review Privacy Readings
The Electronic Privacy Information Center
http://www.epic.org

Assignments 9: Optional posting of electronic pathfinder
March 6, 2006
Week 9: Current Ethical Dilemmas--- Community
Readings:
Review Tavani, Chapters 10 and 11
UNESCO http://www.unesco.org

Assignments 10: Electronic Portfolio Due
March 13, 2006
Week 10: The Future of Information Ethics

Global Information Ethics and Policy

2006-01-05T23:15:00.000-05:00

I've been asked to help some people who are working on a book in LIS
in Chinese and English. Here is a tentative outline. Someone else will
be doing the Chinese translation. Good think for me, not to mention
the readers. MMS

Global Information Ethics and Policy:
Challenges for Cyberspace Citizens
Chapter Outline for LIS Book
Martha M. Smith
Drexel University

Introduction: Global Information Challenges in Ethics and Policy

I. Historical and Philosophical Background
A. Ethics and Information Technology at the End of the 20th Century: The Bomb, Big Science, Big Medicine, and Big Business
B. Major Philosophical Traditions for Decision-Making: Duties, Consequences, and Virtue
C. The Global Context: Digital Divides and Universal Values
1. The Digital Divides: Money, Education, Communication, and Mobility
2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 1948 and 1998
3. Regulation of the Internet
4. Ubiquitous Computing

II. From Ethics to Policy: Access, Ownership, Privacy, Security, and Community
This section will present an overview of major ethical issues under the five categories noted above. The specific issues will be described in terms of the ethical principles and the conflicting interests of the various stake holders involved. The analysis will set the stage for the next section on the public policy aspects of each issue.
A. Access vs. Ownership
1. Intellectual Property: Copyright and Copyleft
2. The Right to Know and the Right to Information
3. Barriers to Information Access: Misinformation, Information Hiding, and Language Obstacles
4. The Open Source Movement and the Roles of Library and Information Professionals
5. The Public’s Right to Information vs. Personal and Corporate Privacy

B. Privacy vs. Security
1. Personal Privacy in Business and Healthcare
2. Secure Systems and the Hacker Ethos
3. Safety in Cyberspace

C. Community: Learning, Working, and the Joys of Life
1. Learning: Lifelong Pursuit
2. Working: The Private and Public Sectors
3. Family Life, Leisure, and the Arts

III. From Policy to Ethics: Custom, Law, and Building Global Consensus
This section will describe current public policy debates and how local as well as national and international practices and problems shaping law and custom. Complex interaction xxx and the winners and losers and the prospects from the future.
A. Current Winners: Literacy, Wealth, and Property
B. Current Losers: War, Disease, and Poverty
C. More Winners than Losers and the Problem of Unintended Consequences

IV. Global Information Justice and the Future
This section will present an approach to global information justice that considers the competing claims of humanity and nature with the potential of technologies. The goal of global information justice will be peace and its gifts to humanity and nature.
A. Humanity: Personal Identity and Social Responsibility
B. Nature: Preserving the Planet
C. Technology: Building the Instruments of Peace

Notes and Bibliography

Tables

Info679: Publications on the ICIE

2006-01-02T12:27:00.000-05:00

Take a look at this clever way of presenting scholarly publications to the Information Ethics community.

http://icie.zkm.de/publications/virtualLibraries

See Floridi, Ess, and others.

Info679: Assignments: Electronic Pathfinders

2005-12-30T17:20:00.000-05:00

Assignments: Electronic Pathfinders For the major assignment in this class, you may choose to prepare an electronic pathfinder on a topic in information ethics and related issues.

For some examples, look here:
From the Internet Public Library http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48488

Also, the Librarians' Index to the Internet http://www.lii.org

Look here also:
http://home.wsd.wednet.edu/pathfinders/path.htm

For more ideas, look in some of the usual places--
Search the article databases such as LibraryLit, LISA, and ERIC--
http://www.library.drexel.edu

Check out some major academic library sites and invisible web sites such as the Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov

Try some unusual search engines: Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com Clusty http://www.clusty.com For more see http://www.searchenginewatch.com

Possible Topics Include (See more on the Bb site):

The Global Digital Divide
Healthcare Ethics and Information Technology
Ethical Practices in Internet Research
Philosophy of Information
Philosophy of Technology
Using Information in Homeland Security
Datamining in Public Health
Privacy and Health Records
Social Responsibility and the Information Industry
Intellectual Property Rights vs. the Public's Right to Information
Children's Rights to Information
The Ethics of Internet Regulation
Librarians and the USA Patriot Act
Copyright and CopyLeft
The Ethics of the Open Source Movement
Diversity in Librarianship
Monitoring in the Workplace: Ethical Perspectives on Personnel Policies
The Ethics of Service to Underserved Population
Preserving World Cultures
The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UNESCO and Information Ethics
Issues in Information Ethics in Fiction
Issues in Information Ethics in Film

Info679: The Syllabus

2005-12-29T20:45:00.000-05:00

Information Ethics at Dragon U: Take a look at the syllabus outline. I'll be making some changes before class officially begins on January 9th.
*******************************************************

College of Information Science and Technology
Drexel University
Winter, 2005-2006
INFO679 Online
Information Ethics

Martha M. Smith, Ph. D.
marti.smith@cis.drexel.edu
215-895-1532
msmith@infoethics.org
http://www.cis.drexel.edu/faculty/msmith

Course Description:
Presents the philosophical foundations of applied ethics and technology with primary focus on (1.) the uses and abuses of information, (2.) human moral agency in relation to new information and communication technologies (ICTs), and (3.) the meaning of social responsibility in the global information society, including the concepts of global information justice and human rights.

Specifically this course will consider ethical dilemmas, decision-making strategies, and public policy issues around the broad themes of Access, Ownership, Privacy, Security, and Community including headline topics such as intellectual property rights vs. intellectual freedom; the USA Patriot Act vs. civil liberties; the uses of genetic information for health care vs. for discrimination in insurance. The course will build understanding of major and alternative ethical traditions to inform personal moral agency, professional conduct, and civic participation.

Overview of Topics:
Week 1: Introduction to information ethics in relation to other areas of applied ethics, including computer ethics, cyberethics, bioethics, engineering ethics, media ethics, and related areas in research and public policy;
Week 2: Philosophy of information and philosophy of technology as applied in contemporary life—family, work, entertainment, sports, national and global security;
Weeks 3 and 4: Various models of decision making in professional practice and civic participation;
Weeks 5 and 6: The application of information ethics to professional practice and participation in public policy, including the relationship between ethics and law;
Weeks 7 to 10: Current ethical dilemmas under the broad categories of:
Ø Access,
Ø Ownership,
Ø Privacy,
Ø Security, and
Ø Community such as intellectual property rights, copyright, and copyleft; the USA Patriot Act and civil rights; the digital divide and information democracy; and global information justice.

Assignments and Grading:
Electronic Portfolio: The major assignment for this course will be the building of an electronic portfolio focused on current topics such as (1.) the protection of personal information, (2) information ethics in healthcare, (3.) the global digital divide, (4.) national security and civil liberties, (5.) intellectual property rights vs. the right to know, (6.) DNA information and cloning, (7.) nanotechnology, (8.) the information industry; and containing assignments such as weekly journal entries, resource pathfinders, and an information ethics case study problem for analysis.

Blog Postings: Five blog postings (Weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7) will be due on Mondays by noon of each week. Weekly postings should be between 200-300 words and should reflect the readings with engagement with the assignment question or topic. You may use charts, tables, and hotlinks in your text and may attach small audio and video files. You will post your reflections to your own blog forum on the course site and interact with others in your small, blog ring group.

Grades will be based upon the following:
(50%) Major Term Project: The Completed Electronic Portfolio on a Current Issue (Progress report due in Week 5—15%; Final due in Week 10—35%)

(40%) 5 Blog Postings and Interaction with Other Students in a Blog Ring (Weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 )

(10%) Collaboration and Cooperative Learning (Class Participation, Initiative, Creativity, and more)

Grading Scale
A= 90-100
B= 80-89
C= Below 79

Special Needs and Accommodations: If you have a disability and need special help, you must identify yourself to the Drexel Disability Office in time for your needs to be reviewed and appropriate plans made for help.

Required Texts:
Herman Tavani. (2004) Ethics and technology: Ethical issues in an age of information and communication technology. John Wiley. See http://www.wiley.com/college/tavani

Richard A. Spinello and Harman T. Tavani (eds.) (2003), Readings in cyberethics. 2nd ed. Jones and Bartlett. Also see web resources at http://www.jbpub.com/cyberethics/toolsforlearning.cfm

Fiction, Movies, and Media
Selected short stories, novels, movies, radio, and audio resources. For examples, please refer to the Master Syllabus for Global Information Ethics. We will be adding more selections throughout the term. Your suggestions are welcome.

Web Resources

Examples of Optional Readings and Resources: The reading books below may be valuable in your professional library. Other readings and resource lists will be given throughout the term.

Richard Holeton (ed.) (1997). Composing cyberspace: Identity, community, and knowledge in the electronic age. WCB/McGraw Hill. Also see companion website at http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/english/holeton

Richard A. Spinello and Harman T. Tavani (eds.) (2001), Readings in cyberethics. Jones and Bartlett. Also see web resources at http://www.jbpub.com/cyberethics/toolsforlearning.cfm

Albert Teich (ed.), Technology and the Future. Wadsworth. Most recent edition. Also see companion website, Albert Teich’s Technology and the Future Toolkit, at http://www.alteich.com/

Weekly Schedule of Readings and Assignments:

Week 1: Information Ethics in the News

Introduction to information ethics in relation to other areas of applied ethics, including computer ethics, cyberethics, bioethics, engineering ethics, media ethics, and related areas in research and public policy;

Week 2: Information Ethics in History and Philosophy—The Past as Prologue

Philosophy of information and philosophy of technology as applied in contemporary life—family, work, entertainment, sports, national and global security;

Weeks 3: Decision-Making 1

Various models of decision making in professional practice and civic participation;

Week 4: Decision-Making 2

Week 5: Professional Practice, Ethics, and Law

Week 6: Public Policy, Professional Ethics, and Law

The application of information ethics to professional practice and participation in public policy, including the relationship between ethics and law;

Week 7: Current Ethical Dilemmas--- Access and Ownership
Week 8: Current Ethical Dilemmas--- Privacy and Security
Week 9: Current Ethical Dilemmas--- Community

Week 10: The Future of Information Ethics

Ø Community such as intellectual property rights, copyright, and copyleft; the USA Patriot Act and civil rights; the digital divide and information democracy; and global information justice.

Info679: Information Ethics from the ESTE

2005-12-25T20:47:00.000-05:00

Big News-- The Hagerty Library just added the electronic version of the Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics to its collection. Check out the cool interface (Gale Reference Collection) and pay special attention to the article on Information Ethics by Ed Elrod and Martha Smith (your humble professor). For those of you outside of the Drexel network, take a look at the Gale site for more info on this terrific resources (out the summer of 2005). Other articles and authors of interest including Luciano Floridi.

Go to the Hagerty Library site to find this resource: http://www.library.drexel.edu

Also, take a look at the indexing with hyperlinks. Very cool.

Info679: Essential Readings: The Biggies

2005-12-24T09:27:00.000-05:00

Key Readings: If you read nothing else, read these:

Weeks 1-3 (This list is complete.)

Elrod and Smith. 2005. Information ethics. In The Encyclopeida of Science, Technology, and Ethics. See Hagerty Library's electronic reference.

Smith, M. 1992 Infoethics for leaders, in Library Trends, Winter, 1992. See if the text is online or look for it in your local library or order from ILL. (Your searching skills are very important in this class.)

Capurro, R. Information technologies and technologies of the self. http://icie.zkm.de This is the website for the International Center for Information Ethics

Moor, J. Just consequentialism and computing, in Spinello and Tavani (2nd ed.) Text for the course.

Floridi, L. and Sanders, J. W. The foundationalist debate in computer ethics, in Spinello and Tavani (2nd ed.) Text.

Weeks 4-6 (More for these weeks will be posted later.)

Winner, Do artifacts have politics? See text on Infoethicist blog. Note the date when this was written.

Smith, Global information justice. Library Trends. (See how many indexes lead you to the full text of the article. Also, see if which libraries in your local area have Library Trends or other periodicals in the field of library and information science.)

Weeks 6-10 (More will be added here.)

Lessig, L. The laws of cyberspace, in Spinello and Tavani (2nd ed.) Text.
Also see Lessig's presence on the web. Try Clusty http://www.clusty.com ; also Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com ; try Google Scholar http://scholar.google.com Look for Lessig in the literature of library and information science.

Anytime

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://www.unesco.org

ALA: Code of Ethics and Intellectual Freedom Statement http://www.ala.org

ACM: Code of Ethics http://www.acm.org Also in Spinello and Tavani (2nd ed.)

Info679: The Traditions of Librarianship

2005-12-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Tradition of Librarianship

as They Inform Information Ethics
Access
Intellectual Freedom
Freedom to Read
Privacy and Confidentiality
Service
Balanced Collections
Professional Neutrality
Respect for All (including employees)

On the traditions of librarianship, see the website of the American Library Association (http://www.ala.org ) and other resources on the history of librarianship, particularly in the United States.

Access

Intellectual Freedom

Freedom to Read

Privacy and Confidentiality

Service

Balanced Collections

Professional Neutrality

Respect for All (including employees)

Keep these in mind as we move through the term together.

Info679: Shall We Wiki?

2005-12-19T22:05:00.000-05:00

Blogs and now wiki's. Take a look at the Wiki world.

This is the key wiki we'll talk about this term. Shall we contribute an article about Information Ethics for Wikipedia? Set up an account and see how it works.
http://www.wikipedia.org

Also take a look at http://www.liswiki.com/wiki/Main_Page

We'll not only talk about using wiki tools and contributing to them, but also consider starting wiki groups ourselves and the big topic of social networking in cyberspace.

Info679: Free Access to Information from Libraries Unlimited

2005-12-19T19:42:00.000-05:00

Free Access to Information from Libraries Unlimited

One of the most useful ways that publishers can promote themselves is to invite free access to their sources. In this case, Libraries Unlimited has given open access to the Online Dictionary of Library and Information Science. As publishers struggles to know what business models will work in the new information environment, initiatives like this are to be applauded. We'll look for other examples of this kind of service from other publishers. Think about this: If you were working for a publisher in library and information science or in another academic field, how would you envision the future both for business and for social responsibility. See below:

http://www.lu.com/odlis

Info679: "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" By Langdon Winner

2005-12-11T18:47:00.000-05:00

See the full text of Langdon Winner's famous article, "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" 1986

http://www-personal.si.umich.edu/~rfrost/courses/Women+Tech/readings/Winner.html

Think about how you would update this article's key question for the information and communications of today--- the Internet? Internet filtering? IM-ing? Pod casting? Mobile phones? Computer in the classroom? Blogging? Wiki's? Virtual reference? Napster et al.?
What else?

Info679: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

2005-12-11T18:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/index.htm

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Look especially at Article 19.

Info679: Information Ethics at UNESCO

2005-12-11T18:06:00.000-05:00

Information Ethics at UNESCO http://www.unesco.org

Check out the links below:

Portals - Real time updates
Archives Portal
Links:7836
Categories:1137
Updated:
2005-12-09
Libraries Portal
Links:14209
Categories:899
Updated:
2005-12-04
Information Society Observatory
Links:2054
Categories:303
Updated:
2005-12-05
Free & Open Source Software Portal
Links:697
Categories:78
Updated:
2005-10-

Info679: Information Ethics on the Invisible Web

2005-12-11T18:03:00.000-05:00

Sources for Information Ethics on the Invisible or Deep Web? Where to Look!

Take a look at this useful pathfinder on the Invisible Web!

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/InvisibleWeb.html

Info679: WebJunction: Preparing the Current and the Next Generation

2005-12-11T17:54:00.000-05:00

WebJunction: Preparing the Current and the Next Generation
http://www.webjunction.org

WebJunction is a substantial partnership to promote libraries and librarianship. Funded largely by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and co-ordinated by OCLC and others, WebJunction is an experiment in providing educational resources in a virtual community setting. See for yourself what WebJunction can do to help you enhance your work and service.

Info679: Librarians' Index to the Internet

2005-12-11T17:51:00.000-05:00

Librarians' Index to the Internet

http://www.lii.org

Info679: Pathfinders from the Internet Public Library

2005-12-11T17:49:00.000-05:00

Pathfinders from the Internet Public Library

http://www.ipl.org/div/pf/

These will give you an idea of the format and scope. Look for other examples and articles about pathfinders and bibliographic instruction.

The International Center for Information Ethics

2005-12-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

The International Center for Information Ethics
http://icie.zkm.de

Marti's Faculty Website

2005-12-11T08:12:00.000-05:00

Take a look http://www.cis.drexel.edu/faculty/msmith

I had wonderful help in setting this up. Feel free to get help from your friends and colleagues who know about building websites. MMS

From Outsell --Neighborhoods of the Information Industry

2005-12-10T15:40:00.001-05:00

From Outsell-- Neighborhoods of the Information Industry-- For educational use only.
Get your own poster copy of this chart from Outsell. Use a new search engine to look for Outsell's website. If you do not have one in mind, look at http://searchenginewatch.com

Blog This: Why are we using a blog for an online course?

2005-12-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

Blog This: Why are we using a blog for an online course, for Information Ethics? Blogging is an important new way of communicating for library and information science professionals and in libraries.

Are we still going to use our Blackboard course site? Yes, indeed.

We're going to be innovative and brave in this course, using blogging, the course site, and lots of other new ways to learn and communicate. For me, part of studying ethics in a graduate, professional course is experiencing moral and ethical challenges. In actual practice, we find ourselves confronting new technologies and needing to decide whether or not to add them to our professional and/or personal lives. If we think of new technologies as potential technologies of the self, then all new technologies require our moral imagination to accept or reject them. Let's get concrete and think what difference it makes to use any kind of personal technology-- silverware for eating, cars for transportation, TV's and movies for entertainment. Now translate that into the professional context of the information professions and ask how we understand our use of online systems and databases, printers and fax machines, and now blogs and podcasting? How do these technologies change us, our work, and self-understanding. Think about all of this as you are using various technologies of the self to do the work in this course.

Info679: Assignments--The Online Portfolio-- Life on the Web

2005-12-05T20:23:00.000-05:00

Assignments--The Portfolio-- Life on the Web
You'll present your work and learning for Information Ethics on a website of your own creation. The site can be very simple or very complicated. The point is to experience presenting yourself on the web. Do you already have a web site? That's great. You can set up a spot for our class. If not, then you'll be able to consider several alternatives.

You may want to start with the Drexel resources:
Web/Media
IRT
NEWS!!
SERVICES
Computer Accounts
The Computer Fixer
Web/Media Support

WebITS Getting Started Web Workshops Online Courses FAQs Contact Us
Publishing Your Website on University Servers
Once you have all of your web documents (HTML files, graphics, etc.), you will need to place the files on a web server. Once the web pages and the graphical files are placed on the web server, your web site will be available to the world. There are a variety of web servers at Drexel and MCP Hahnemann:
The web server associated with DUNX1 (http://dunx1.irt.drexel.edu) also known as http://www.pages.drexel.edu
Drexel's main web server (http://www.drexel.edu)
WebCT server (http://webct.drexel.edu)
Determing which server to useUse the descriptions below to decide which server best suits your needs.
Personal home pages - FOR EVERYONE
Personal web pages for students, faculty and staff are stored on the DUNX1 server and can be mounted using a DUNX1 userid and password.
Anyone with a dunx1.irt.drexel.edu account has the ability to create her own web page.
Your dunx1.irt.drexel.edu account's userid and password are that same as your mail.drexel.edu account.
Recognized student organizations - can store their home pages on DUNX1. The organization will need an organizational dunx1 account. The organization must be recognized by the university and registered with the Office of Student Life.
Administrative Departments
Drexel departmental web sites can be stored on Drexel's main web server called www.drexel.edu. Representatives of academic or administrative departments may request access to place information on Drexel's main web server. If interested you may request access by contacting us via the form located on the Contact Us page of this site.
Courses - FOR FACULTY
Faculty may use WebCT to complement their courses. Click here for more information. or email webct@drexel.edu

Info679: Readings-- Using the Hagerty Databases for Books and Articles

2005-12-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

Using the Hagerty Databases for Books and Articles

http://www.library.drexel.edu To access Drexel library's subscription journals, you will need your Student ID #. XXXXXXXX

Below I've posted some of the links, but be sure to navigate the site itself as well.

Articles databases: Start with the ACM Digital Library, LibraryLiterature, LISA, and ERIC

W. W. Hagerty Library
Health Sciences Libraries
Archives
Drexel University Libraries
Hours
Resources
Library Services
About the Libraries
All Electronic Resources Library Catalog Course Reserves Databases by Subject Databases by Title E-journals E-books E-theses E-newspapers E-reference New Resources Subject Guides Tutorials/Online Instruction Other Area Libraries
Borrowing Library Materials Interlibrary Loans E-Z Borrow Check your Library Record Reference Assistance Library Instruction Off-campus Access
Services for: New Students Faculty Distance Learners Patrons with Disabilities
Libraries and Collections Hours Locations Staff/Phone Numbers Library Newsletter Visitor Information Computing Facilities Policies Make a Suggestion Contact Us
eBook databases:

OCLC WorldCat:

Digital Reference:

Print Books: InterLibrary Loan

Info679: Readings--Luciana Floridi--- Information Ethics: On the Philosophical Foundation of Computer Ethics

2005-12-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

Historical Perspectives on the Beginnings of Information Ethics

How to read this article? Skim and pay attention to the basic arguement and the footnotes rather than the complex analysis. Of special interest to those who are interesting in the history of scholarly communication and the development of the field of information ethics.

Intro to the reading: This reading is important to our course because it represents the term, information ethics, being used by a very well respected scholar in the philosophy of information and in computer ethics. This article represents a turning point in the growth of the field of information ethics because it brings the terminology into the arena of scholarly discourse in the most established field of computer ethics. After this article there is a marked increased in the use of the term information ethics being used the in scholarly literature of computer ethics.

Note that Floridi makes a case for information ethics as foundational to computer ethics based on his definition of information and the philosophy of information. Floridi represents the analytic style of philosophy and seeks to define basic categories that can serve as building blocks for developing ethical theory. The descriptive style of ethics doesn't depend upon specific definitions in order to address practical ethical challenges. Both the descriptive and the analytical styles are valuable. Analytical reflection provides a basic framework for moving toward rules or norms for conduct and policy making. The descriptive style is not as oriented around rules and norms. We talk about that more later.

http://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/~floridi/ie.htm

Information Ethics: On the Philosophical Foundation of Computer Ethics

Luciano Floridi, version 2.0

A shorter version of this paper was given at ETHICOMP98 The Fourth International Conference on Ethical Issues of Information Technology, Erasmus University, The Netherlands, 25 to 27 March 1998, hosted by the Department of Philosophy Erasmus University, The Netherlands, in association with Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility De Montfort University, UK, Research Center on Computing and Society Southern Connecticut State University, USA, East Tennessee State University, USA.

The paper is forthcoming in the Proceedings of the conference and I shall gratefully acknowledge any useful comments or suggestions for improvements. Please send your emails to Luciano.Floridi@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

For a list of resources see A Short Webliography on Computer Ethics

For information on research in CE in recent years in the fields of philosophy and computing, see the Appendix

For a reading list see A Short Reading List on the Philosophy of Computer Ethics
Index of the paper sections

The Foundationalist Problem
Macroethics and Computer Ethics
A Model of Macroethics
From Computer Ethics to Information Ethics
Information Ethics as an Object-oriented and Ontocentric Theory
The Properties of the Infosphere
The Normative Aspect of Information Ethics: Four Moral Laws
Information Ethics as a Macroethics
Case Analysis: Four Negative Examples
Conclusion

Information Ethics: On the Philosophical Foundation of Computer Ethics
"We, who have a private life and hold it infinitely the dearest of our possessions…"
Virginia Woolf, "Montaigne"
in A Woman’s Essays (London: Penguin, 1992), p. 60.

1. The Foundationalist Problem
Lobbying, financial support and the undeniable importance of the very urgent issues discussed by Computer Ethics (henceforth CE) have not yet succeeded in raising it to the status of a philosophically respectable topic. If they take any notice of it (see appendix), most philosophers look down on CE as on a practical subject ("professional ethics"), unworthy of their analyses and speculations. They treat it like Carpentry Ethics, to use a Platonic metaphor.
The inescapable interdisciplinarity of CE has certainly done the greatest possible harm to the prospects for recognition of its philosophical significance. Everyone’s concern is usually nobody’s business, and CE is at too much of a crossroads of technical matters, moral and legal issues, social as well as political problems and philosophical analyses to be anyone’s own game. Philosophers’ notorious conservatism may also have been a hindrance. After all, Aristotle, Mill or Kant never

Info679: Rafael Capurro--Information Technologies and Technologies of the Self

2005-12-05T15:10:00.000-05:00

(Note that this posting is part of a course on Information Ethics for Dragon U. I will be editing it in the next few weeks. The course starts officially in January.)

Introduction to the Reading: Compare this article with Floridi's paper on the foundations of information ethics. Capurro's paper is an excellent example of the descriptive style of ethical reflection. It is informed by the traditions of philosophy represented by Habermas, Foucault, Ricoeur, and Ihde. Capurro is the scholar who work I identify with most. When I first got into the field, this is the article that made me want to work in the field. Over the years Capurro has become a good friend as well as a colleague. Take time to look at his web page.

Info679: Reading: Rafael Capurro, Information Technologies and Technologies of the Self

http://www.capurro.de/self.htm

See Capurro's own webpage. Note that he has posted most of his published works.

http://www.capurro.de

Info679: Key Web Sites

2005-12-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

Info679: Key Web Sites

Required Texts:Herman Tavani. (2004) Ethics and technology: Ethical issues in an age of information and communication technology. John Wiley. See http://www.wiley.com/college/tavani

Richard A. Spinello and Harman T. Tavani (eds.) (2003), Readings in cyberethics. 2nd ed. Jones and Bartlett. Also see web resources at http://www.jbpub.com/cyberethics/toolsforlearning.cfm

International Center for Information Ethics http://icie.zkm.de

International Review of Information Ethics http://www.i-r-i-e.net

American Library Association http://www.ala.org See the Office of Intellectual Freedom

Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) http://www.epic.org

American Civil Liberties Union-- ACLU http://www.aclu.org

More to come. As you find good sites, please add them to our list.

Info679: Library Blogs

2005-12-05T15:00:00.002-05:00

Info679: Look for examples of library or library-related blogs from your area. Share what you find with your fellow students. We'll post some of the most relevant on our External Links area of Bb. Start with http://www.lii.org Be sure to look for library blogs in the libraries and other institutions near you. Does your library or information workplace have a blog?

Info679: Why Use Blogging in Graduate Professional Education?

2005-12-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Info679: Why Use Blogging in Graduate Professional Education?

Explore this topic by looking for articles on blogging and the library and information professions in Library Lit and LISA. http://www.library.drexel.edu

Is "Blog" or "Blogging" a controlled vocabulary term in either index?

Teaching BioInfoEthics: A Course I'd Like to Teach

2005-12-05T14:56:00.000-05:00

Below is an outline of a course that I would love to teach. It's designed for undergrad, grad students, professional programs, or continuing education. With so many issues in bioethics and healthcare ethics (DNA research, cloning, digital patient records, body data for surveillance and national security, datamining in public health) clearly focused around issues of information use and abuse, BioInfoEthics seems like a natural next step in applied ethics.
****************************************************************

Teaching Bioinfoethics: Preparing Students for Decision-Making in Research, Practice, and Public Policy

Bioinfoethics: A field of applied ethics concerned with biomedical, living systems in relation to the information systems that enable or restrict the transfer (creation, organization, dissemination, evaluation, and use) of data, information, and knowledge between those living systems and individuals or institutions in the global society.

***************************
Scientific American recently called the field of bioinformatics the new gold rush because genetics without bioinformatics has no future. (Scientific American, 7/2000) If so, then in the coming years, bioinfoethics may not be far behind. The ethical questions are already in the news.

Who should own the Human Genome or have access to data about it?
Does the promise of new drug therapies justify exclusive proprietary access to genetic information?
Should genetic testing be required for jobs or parenthood?
Shall we as a society constrain cloning and cloning research or is cloning an appropriate reproductive technology?
Do the claims of public safety trump concerns for personal privacy in mandating DNA databanks?
Is iris identification or body scanning a necessary security technology--in sensitive workplaces, in public spaces?
Should brain fingerprinting be used to prosecute the guilty and exonerate the innocent?

******************************************

Looking back almost fifty years from the perspective of 2000, after Dolly the sheep and the rapid conquest of the human genome, one could argue that Joseph Fletcher in 1954, signaled the beginnings of bioinfoethics with his book, Morals and medicine: The moral problems of: The patient's right to know the truth, contraception, artificial insemination, sterilization, euthanasia.

Fletcher asserted that the patient has the right to know the truth about a terminal illness or about reproductive choices. Despite its lack of constitutional status, the right to know has been more and more morally compelling in the last few decades. With the power to have relevant information and use that information in making decisions, the patient/consumer shares a responsibility that was once held exclusively by the physician. The right to know has entered into public policy with provisions for informed consent and advanced directives. Beyond medicine, the public's right to know is often affirmed. For example, the environmental movement, typified in the annual celebration of Earth Day, grew from public concern with threats to clear air, water, soil and access to research data, sometimes from whistle-blowers, to build a case for change in government and industry practices. The Internet has fostered the notion that everyone has the right to know everything all the time and even to have free music and other copyrighted materials. While 24/7 access to all of the world's knowledge is not very realistic, still the expectation of instant information gratification has never been higher.
Many of the issues in medical ethics and environmental ethics that were once controversial now seem almost tame compared to the clashes of values in genetics and bioinformatics. And the stakes are high as matters of profit, life, insurance, and death collide. The field of applied ethics (medical ethics, environmental ethics, information and computer ethics, mass media ethics, cyberethics, and business ethics) has a rich literature and a distinguished history of analysis and insight to use in engaging these new challenges.

*******************************
When biology and medicine meet informatics (information systems management, statistics, computer science) and they meet on the Internet, then new complexities require renewed reflection. The curriculum proposed will use the concepts of Identity, Knowledge, and Community to analyze current issues in light of philosophical and ethical traditions. The needs of undergraduate, professional, and graduate students, both technical and non-technical, will be addressed. A classroom-based, web-based, or combination of setting will be considered as well as the wealth of print, electronic, and multi-media resources available to enrich teaching and learning. Below is a sampling of books, papers, and web sites that would be useful in preparation. ************************************
Bynum, Terrell W. and Rogerson, Simon. (Eds.) (1996). Global information ethics: Selected Papers from ETHICOMP95. Science and Engineering Ethics (UK). 1996 2:129-256.

#####
Capurro, Rafael. 1996. Information technology and technologies of the self, Journal of Information Ethics 5(2):19-28.
#####

Fletcher, Joseph. (1988). The ethics of genetic control: Ending reproductive roulette. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.
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Floridi, Lucas. (1999): Information ethics: On the philosophical foundation of computer ethics. http://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/~floridi/ie.htm.
#####

International Center for Information Ethics. http://www.infoethics.net/
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Johnson, Deborah G. (1994). Computer ethics. (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
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Jonas, Hans. (1966). The phenomenon of life: Toward a philosophical biology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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Jonas, Hans. (1984). The imperative of responsibility: In search of an ethics for a technological age. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
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Mason, Richard, Mason, Florence, and Culnan, Mary. (1995). The ethics of information management. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
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Mitcham, Carl. (1995). Computers, information and ethics: A review of issues and literature. Science and Engineering Ethics, 1 (2):113-132.
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Nash, R. F. (1989). The rights of nature: A history of environmental ethics. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
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Smith, Martha M. (1997). Information ethics. Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST), Vol. 32, 1997 (pp. 339-366). Medford, NJ: Information Today for the American Society for Information Science (ASIS).
**************************************************************

Finally, some possible directions for the research agenda of bioinfoethics will be suggested including consideration of global ethical traditions and the role of international non-governmental organizations (NGO's) such as UNESCO (United Nations Economic, Social, and Cultural Organization) and documents such as the Universal Declaration of Genetic Rights (http://www.unesco.org/ ).
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UNESCO. http://www.unesco.org/webworld/infoethics_2/eng/proceedings.htm/

Observatory on the Information Society

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http://www.unesco.org/webworld/observatory/index.shtml - (1999-2000): World Communication and Information Report 1999-2000

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http://www.unesco.org/webworld/wcir/en/
UNESCO. Observatory on the Information Society. URL:

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http://www.unesco.org/webworld/index.html
UNESCO. Webworld Infoethics. URL:

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http://www.unesco.org/webworld/infoethics/infoethics.htm

United Nations General Assembly. (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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Article 19. XIX. Article 19. The International Centre Against Censorship. URL: http://www.article19.org
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Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. URL: http://www.cpsr.org

Info679: Read this first: Introduction to the Course-- Defining Information Ethics

2005-12-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

Introduction to the Course-- Defining Information Ethics and Locating Information Ethics among the Fields of Applied Ethics, Information, Computers, the Internet, Information and Communications Technologies and Lots of Other Stuff

There are so many ways to define information ethics. Let me suggest a simple place to begin. Take a look at my blog posting here on February 23rd. This definition applies to the uses and abuses of information in the past, the present, and the future. While it's true that we are much more aware of information issues today, we can also use ethical analysis to understand the past. Of particular interest to us are inventions such as the alphabet, the book, the printing press, the telephone, the digital computer, the fax, and the Internet. What else comes to mind when you think of inventions that make information available or to hinder access to information? Next think of major events and periods of history that give us clues to the dynamics at work when humans come in contact with information and information technologies. Think of the beginnings of agriculture, the rise of cities, the Industrial Revolution, and the nuclear age. What information did the earliest farmers need? How did they learn how to grow crops? What about the rise of citities? Most historians note that record keeping was one of the characteristics of city life. Maybe there was an early Dilbert in the offices of early urban bureauracracies. Before the Industrial Revolution, we have the beginnings of printing. Do you see a relationship? Does being a reader, a literate person, change a person's self image? How? Who could learn to read in the early days? When did reading become an essential skill of living and learning? Think also about the rise of modern science and how the Industrial Revolution has shaped our world today. Think also of how education has changed over the centuries. Think of the history of higher education and the concept of the university. What was taught in the early American universities? When did the curriculum change? How is the curriculum changing today? If theology was the queen of the disciplines long ago and then was replaced by Science, will information technologies replace Science? Next we'll move on to some of the philosophical traditions to add to the historical bones we've been filling with flesh. Don't worry if you are not familiar with all of this history. We'll all be filling in our blanks throughout the course through our discussions among ourselves. We are always learning and never will know it all. That keeps us humble.

For more on the history of information ethics and the contributions of many key scholars see:

The International Center for Information Ethics

http://icie.zkm.de

Info679: Lecture 5-- Professional Practice, Ethics, and Law

2005-12-05T14:22:00.000-05:00

Lecture 5-- Professional Practice, Ethics, and Law

There are many professional societies have codes or guidelines for ethical behavior of its members. While these codes inform member behavior, they are also important for presenting the values and goals of the group to the larger public. As you read the various codes, think of how they are understood by the insiders (professionals) and the public. One of the frequent criticisms of codes in the library and information science professions is that they lack any means of enforcement. Unlike the medical or legal professions, librarians, software designers, and information architects are not licensed or certified by the state. Think about what this means for the status and role of the profession and for the public image of the field. In what other ways do librarians and other information professionals seek to defend their value to society in the public arena and how do they engage as professionals in public policy advocacy?

See the various codes of interest:

American Library Association
http://www.ala.org See The Office of Intellectual Freedom

Computer Science
See also ACM http://www.acm.org

ASIST http://www.asis.org

Does SLA have a code of ethics? Why or why not? http://www.sla.org

Look at the groups of most interest to you to see if they have codes or other statements of ethical commitment.
ASIST

Info679: Lecture 2--Information Ethics in History and Philosophy: The Past as Prologue

2005-12-05T14:16:00.000-05:00

Lecture 2: Information Ethics in History and Philosophy-- The Past as Prologue

In this lecture I invite you to consider the historical and philosophical foundations of information ethics. In a previous lecture I covered some of the historical background. For much more, you may want to consult a good basic book such as The Control Revolution by James R. Beniger. For the philosophical background, you may want to consult the Encyclopedia of Philosophy noted below. Here I will present an outline of ideas and concepts for us to use throughout this term.

From the Hagerty Library Site: http://www.library.drexel.edu

"Welcome to the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online, or REP Online - your dynamic online resource for researching, teaching and studying in the philosophy arena and related disciplines.
·More than 2000 articles, from Aristotle to Nominalism and from Personal Identity to Zeno of Elea" Start with terms such as ethics, morals/morality, deontology, utilitarianism, analytic philosophy, I. Kant, norms/normative, duty, justice, John Rawls (theory of justice), applied ethics, social ethics, social responsibility.

Of particular interest may be resources in both the history of philosophy of information and the history and philosophy of technology. For most of our work, we'll focus on the practical dimensions of philosophy as it bears on information ethics. From Spinello and Tavani, read J. Moor, "Just consequentialism and computing." Here I'll address the background needed to understand this article.

Moor seeks a unifying theory of ethics to apply to information, computing, and technology in current reflection and for decision and policy making. He calls his unifying theory "just consequentialism."

Moor--Consequentialism Constrained by Justice
Here Moor combines the two major traditions of ethical reflection-- utilitarianism and deontology.

Moor--The Good as the Enemy of the Just
Look for the conflict between the Good and the Just. How is this illustrate in controversies today? Take, for example, the tensions between those who produce music and those who download it.

Moor--Computing in Uncharted Waters
In this part of the discussion, Moor talkes about how ever new technologies present more and more challenges to our ethical analysis and our decision-making. See if you can find out who talks about ethics as "tentative ethics."

Also by James Moor-- What is Computer Ethics? 1985
Note this early article. The first mention of Information Ethics in articles came in 1988 ande 1989.

Also see Gert, Common Morality and Computing (in Spinello and Tavani)
Of importance here is an important distinction between morality and ethics.
We'll use morality to mean the ideas and practices that shape the everyday behavior
of ordinary people even when they are not reflecting on their actions. Ethics even
applied ethics, will be used to refer to intellectual reflection on morality, individual behavior,
practices and their justfications, and public policy. Note that Capurro and many others use this distinction.

INFO679: Lecture 1-- Information Ethics in the News--Nature, Humanity, and Technology

2005-12-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

INFO679: Information Ethics
Lecture 1: Information Ethics in the News

Welcome to Information Ethics. We'll start our course by exploring some of the hot information ethics issues in the news today and consider some of the thinking tools that we'll be using throughout the term.

My approach to the field is very descriptive rather than normative. That means that first we will learn about what is happening in the real world and how different people, organizations, and governments are responding to the issues. Later on we'll consider the normative side of applied ethics. The normative side seeks to define the rules and practices that are the most morally justified. You may want to consults the basic online philosophy sources from the Hagerty Library (http://www.library.drexel.edu) when you need to understand the terminology. The plus, of course, is that you will be using online, digital reference sources.

******************************************************************************

One resources is the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online. From the intro:
"Welcome to the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Online, or REP Online - your dynamic online resource for researching, teaching and studying in the philosophy arena and related disciplines.
·More than 2000 articles, from Aristotle to Nominalism and from Personal Identity to Zeno of Elea·Over 100 new articles added since launch of REP Online in 2000·October 2005"
*********************************************************************************
Now A Few Hot Topics: (Look in your local newspapers and magazines for articles in these areas.)

Intellectual Property Rights vs. Intellectual Freedom
Privacy: Personal and Public Implications
Information Use for National Security
The Global Digital Divide
Regulating the Internet--Filtering and More
The Uses of Information for Genetics
The Open Source Movement

******See below a list of the concepts I'll be using throughout the term. I've noted where you will find the sources of these concepts and terms.*****

Terminology and Concepts

Balancing Three Dimensions: Nature, Humanity, and Technology (See Capurro, Information Technology and Technologies of the Self
Major Themes in Information Ethics: Access, Ownership, Privacy, Security, and Community (Smith, 1992)
The Ethical Self (Smith, 1992)
The Ethical Professional (Smith, 1992)
The Global Information Environment (Smith, 1992)
Global Information Justice (Smith, 200?)

**************************************************

The Tradition of Librarianship as They Inform Information Ethics

Access
Intellectual Freedom
Freedom to Read
Privacy and Confidentiality
Service
Balanced Collections
Professional Neutrality
Respect for All (including employees)

This introductory lecture is about some of the thinking tools that will benefit you in this course. There will be more detail as we move along.

Current Writing Projects

2005-12-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

Let me share a couple of projects that I'm working on right now. The major project is a special issue of the Journal of the American Society of Information Science and Technology on Global Information Ethics. I'm a co-editor with Dr. Toni Carbo from the University of Pittsburgh. We have a team of wonderful people working on papers. I'm writing a history and perspectives article to set the tone of the article; Toni is doing the formal intro to the issue. Right now I'm asking scholars in the field to send me short statements about what they remember about the beginnings of the field and how they got interested in research in the area.

Another project is a book of readings on Information Ethics and Policy. Again Toni Carbo and I are working together. We hope to gather up key readings that could be used in LIS courses or by general readings interested in the area. Our angle will be slightly different from what is available right now. We plan to include some official documents, early statements on the issues, and some hot policy issues in the news now. Suggestions? Let us know.

INFO679: Information Ethics-- The Course

2005-10-17T10:01:00.000-04:00

I'm back. It's been a busy fall, but now I'm ready to get back to regular blogging. I'll be teaching Information Ethics in our Winter Quarter at Dragon U. Hope some of my prospective students will find this blog a good way to get into the field. Also, I hope students will let me know what topics are of most interest. What are the hot topics that matter to you all? Privacy? National Security and the Patriot Act? Censorship? Internet Filtering? Evolution and Intelligent Design (the role of scientific information in society)? Information ethics and the media? Journalistic integrity and the privacy of sources? Privacy and health records, DNA, etc.? Start looking at TV, movies, newspapers, magazines, and Internet sites with some of these issues in mind....more to come.

EP--Advising-- New Students' Fears--Can I Do This?

2005-08-28T11:22:00.000-04:00

EP-- Advising--New Students's Fears--Can I Do This?

Can I Do This?

Over the years, our numbers suggest that most of our students in LIS programs are between 37 and 42. While averages don't show the range of ages, they do indicate that most of our students have been out of formal education for quite a long time. So some of you who fall into this category may be asking, "Can I succeed in grad school?" My answer is, "Yes you can and probably more successfully than you would ever imagine." Why is this? Let me suggest some of the advantages that older students have. Some advantages come from career clarity, life experience, and maturity. Those students who are currently in the workplace and especially those in libraries, publishers, or the information industry have even more reason to feel prepared. What about younger or less experienced students? Aren't those students more accustomed to school demands and more up on technology? I'd say "yes" and "no". Let me list the pluses that matter.

Life experience matters because it gives us perspective and teaches patience.
Life experience brings most people a fairly realistic view of themselves and their abilities.
For many people, years of raising children, working, maintaining a house, managing money, and other adult life skills build a sense of confidence and also resilience in times of stress. I've told some students that changing thousands of diapers makes one able to face something as otherwise threatening statistics or html.
To someone with a three year old or a demanding, but boring job, sitting and reading may seem like a vacation.
If you want to do it, you can.
Think of pursuing your degree as a new adventure and an investment in yourself far beyond what it may mean to your career.
When it's hard and frustrating, be proud of yourself for facing the challenge.
When it's fun, exciting, or you do really well, celebrate!

EP--Advising--Why You Need Your Own Webpage

2005-08-27T15:21:00.001-04:00

EP--Advising--Why You Need Your Own Webpage--- The Quick Answer

You will be so very pleased when you can have your own webpage for your job search or other professional opportunities.
Why start it now? Because you need time to learn about the content and to master the software and skills to make a good one.
Use the free services and support from Dragon U. to get started.

The Ethical P (EP)-- Advising-- Professional Degrees

2005-08-27T14:15:00.000-04:00

The Ethical P (EP)-- Advising-- Professional Degrees

So what is a professional degree in a grad school? Why is a professional degree called a terminal degree? These are important questions for several reasons. The most significant one is the matter of grades. In a grad school's masters program like history or English, a masters degree normally leads to the Ph. D. or at least the notion that you may want to get into the a doctoral program. Not usually so with a professional degree. Think medicine, law, and library science. These are degrees that lead into certain professional fields without assuming additional formal education, although more education is not discouraged and there are internships, clerkships, and other such. The point is that terminal degrees are simply that--higher degrees are not dependent upon the profesional degree. So there is truly no need to obsess over grades. Most people get a mix of A's and B's. When we admit students, we expect them to do well. Most people do very well or else they drop out. It is truly your choice, so get the most out of the experience and focus on what you want to learn to meet your goals. As a library director, I was often suspicious of someone who only had A's. Why? Because the profession is about initiative and creativity as much as about completing assignments. I looked for people who would take on a challenge or something unknown and be willing to make mistakes. Just give it some thought.

The Ethical Professor-- Advising--New Section of the InfoEthicist

2005-08-27T13:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Ethical Professor-- Advising--New Section of the InfoEthicist

Ethical Professor--Advising

Ethical Professor--Advising--Disclaimers and Disclosures

As a part of the InfoEthicist, I'm going to explore the ethical dimensions of being a faculty member. I will invite my current students, advisees, and others to read and comment on the various topics I will be presenting. If you think of a topic you would like to present here, please consider a guest posting. Or start your own blog and I'll put in a link here. So shall we begin?

Advising--Disclaimers and Disclosures

I am currently on the faculty of a university. Let's call it Dragon U--DU for short. I'm not so concerned with any of you knowing where I am, but I would prefer that my blog not be easily visible on the web. We'll see how that works. In any case, whatever I write here is my own. I don't represent DU, only myself. I will not be discussing any official policies or other matters that require official decision-making. I'm not in charge of making those kinds of decisions anyway, so we should be ok. What I do want to do is to raise issues and provide whatever helpful suggestions I have on higher education, graduate education, professional education in Information, more specifically in Library and Information Science. My ideas have been shaped by my own personal history. I've only been working at DragonU for three years, just starting year four. I've been in higher educaton in one way or another for over thirty years. I've been a student in higher education for almost my whole life. I'm from the generation of women who went to college expecting to find husbands and a good life as a wife and mother. It worked for some, but for me I did get my first husband, a baby, and then a divorce and a real job to support myself and my baby. What a surprise. Even with two more husbands, I've continued to work one, two, or three jobs. I've gotten and needed more degrees. I've needed to move away from home and family to create my life. On another angle, I've taught and been an administrator in higher ed working with adult students since the early 1980's. Much of what you will read here comes from my experience and also from what I learned from Malcolm Knowles' writings and others who were early in articulating the difference in the ways we should educate adult learners in contrast to children and traditional age (18-21/22) people in higher ed. I love working with adults. So enough for this first post, more about me will come through in future posts. You can also learn more about me on the faculty website at DragonU. More details later.

Let me know that you are out there. Comments encouraged.

Blogging for ASIST-- Charlotte, 2005

2005-08-23T08:38:00.000-04:00

New Blogging Adventure-- Joining the Bloggers to Support the ASIST Annual Meeting--2005--Charlotte, NC-- http://www.asis.org Having my own blog is so handy at a time like this---an invitation to do more blogging. But this year is very special. There are so many people in ASIST now working on my favorites--information ethics and ethics and technology issues. I'll see a lot of these people and many good friends in Charlotte. We'll be able to talk about our
new group blog GlobalInformationEthics (You can get there from here.) and all of our other projects. I'm so pleased that blogging is getting to be a popular way for people to interact at meetings. It's such a good way to get to know new people both before and after the meetings--such a good way for those who can not attend to see what happened and feel part of the action--such a different kind of record of how we work together. I see blogging and wiki networks as the greatest things for scholarly communication since the Internet. Who knows where this will lead.....but I want to be there.

From SLA: So You Want to Read Some Science Fiction related to Information Ethics?

2005-06-06T19:35:00.000-04:00

Today I want to engage us in thinking about science fiction as it enlarges our vision and imagination for thinking about ethical issues for problem solving and decision-making. I'm currently attending the SLA meeting in Toronto http://www.sla.org . Tonight there is a session on science fiction related to technology and libraries of the future. I've used science fiction as well as other fiction in my infoethics classes. I'll report here what I learn tonight. Feel free to post your favorites. I'll start a short list here.

Science Fiction (Short Stories, Novels, and Poetry):
Let me start with Octavia Butler's work and short stories by Isaac Asimov and some of Ray Bradbury including Fahrenheit 451. Right now I'm looking for good examples on nanotechnology.

The Information Ethics Archives--University of Pittsburgh

2005-05-08T09:09:00.000-04:00

Information Ethics Archives

This summer Toni Carbo and I will start working on the newly established Information Ethics Archive at the University of Pittsburgh. Please consider sending us your papers and other materials in the future. We are looking for funding and will be able to count on the expertise of the archival staff in the library at Pitt. What a wonderful opportunity to document our field from its beginnings. You will hear more about this soon. Do contact me or Toni if you would like to contribute your papers, your money, and/or your expertise.