ID: 332
/ [Single Presentation of ID 332]: 1
Panels
90 minutes
Confirmation 1: I/we acknowledge that all session authors/presenters have read and agreed to the ASIS&T Annual Meeting PoliciesTopics: Privacy; Ethics; and Regulation (information ethics; computing ethics; AI ethics; open access; Information security; information privacy; information policy; legislation and regulation; international information issues)Keywords: Neutrality, libraries, ethics, rights, liberalism
Neutrality in Library and Information Ethics: A Debate in Alternative Foundations
Shannon Oltmann1, Emily Knox2, David McMenemy3, Stuart Hamilton4
1University of Kentucky, USA; 2University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; 3University of Glasgow, UK; 4Local Government Management Association, Ireland
Neutrality is a concept that has been under significant critique both within wider society and library and information science. Supporters cite it as a worldview that respects the choices of individuals and that no one view of the common good should prevail in a pluralistic society. Critics argue that it reflects an out-of-date concept that enshrines power structures created by those already powerful and limits the choices and opportunities for those without power. This panel reflects on the arguments and considers what a library and information science ethic that does not build itself around neutrality might look like.