IFLA Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE)

International Conference
"Censorship and Access to Information: History and the Present"

Call for Papers

Sponsored by

• Committee on the Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (FAIFE/IFLA)
• National Library of Russia

and

• Russian Academy of Sciences
  St. Petersburg Branch
  Institute of the History of Natural Sciences and Technology

with the assistance of

• The Pennsylvania State University
• St. Petersburg State University Faculty of Journalism

The organizing committee of the conference "Censorship in Russia and Access to the Information: History and the Present" announces a conference to be held in March 16-18, 2005. The conference will deal with the historical and contemporary control and access of information, the social responsibility of participants in the "informational" process, and the role of libraries and mass media journalists in an "informational society.":

Aspects of these issues in Russia and abroad will be considered. Examples of proposed topics include

• The World Summit on an information society, and the availability of information;
• From information societies — to a society of knowledge;
• The policy and the responsibility of the state in providing access to information;
• The role of libraries and the mass media journalists in the formation of an "informational society";
• Legal aspects of an "informational society": libraries, the state and communities of citizens, groups, and corporations;
• An information policy in "traditional" and "informational" societies: theoretical approaches and empirical solutions;
• Modern ways for the control of information, and the ethics of "informational" conduct;
• The right to information in electronic sphere (problems of filtering);
• Censorship in the history of Russia and other countries;
• State censorship and social groups’ censorship: which is worse? (choosing the lesser of two evils);
• Libraries, "informational society" and the transformation of the concept of the human being;
• "Informational" culture, science and common sense in an "informational" society;

Special attention will be given to the analysis of different techniques in the formation of conditions and first stages of an "informational" society, including the processes of humanization, as well as dehumanization, of individuals, groups, regional and trans-regional communities.

The organizing committee reserves the right to select papers for presentation at the conference, as well as for subsequent, peer-reviewed publication of the conference proceedings. The deadline for letters of interest and an abstract (1 page in Word format) is October 31, 2004. All communications with the organizing committee must be by electronic means, or on a diskette mailed to the organizing committee (see addresses below). The conference program bulletin deadline for inclusion of an abstract of a paper is January 1, 2005. Completed papers to be presented must also be submitted in Word format AND paper (one copy) by January 15, 2005, to one (1) of the co-chairmen AND to the secretary of the conference.

Cultural activities, including excursions in the city and suburbs of Saint Petersburg, are anticipated, and participation is optional, as a separate cost to each individual. All questions relative to cultural programs, accommodation in hotels, purchases of tickets, etc., should be addressed to the organizing committee.

Official languages of the conference are Russian and English.

For all conference participants, the registration fee will be $200. (USD).

Additional information on the conference and its implementation will be posted on the conference website: http://www.nlr.ru/tus/160305/
This FAQ site will also serve as a venue for pre-conference dialogue.

The address of the organizing committee is:

National Library of Russia: Natalya G. Patrusheva, Librarian
Sadovaya, d. 18
St. Petersburg, 199069, RUSSIA

Co-chairmen:

Vladimir R. Firsov, Deputy Director, National Library of Russia

Mikhail B. Konashev, Deputy Director, Russian Academy of Sciences
St. Petersburg Branch, Institute of the History of Natural Sciences and Technology
Phone: +7 (812) 118-86-65
FAX: +7 (812) 310-61-48
E-mail: v.firsov@nlr.ru or mbkonashev@mail.ru

Richard Fitzsimmons, Director of the Library, The Pennsylvania State University
Worthington Scranton Campus, Dunmore, Pennsylvania 18512-1699 USA
Phone: +1(570) 963-2632
FAX: +1(570) 963-2635
E-mail: rxf@psulias.psu.edu

Paul Sturges
Department of Information Science
University of Loughborough
Loughborough LE113TU, United Kingdom
Tel. +(44)(1509)223069
FAX +(44)(1509)223053
E-mail: r.p.sturges@lboro.ac.uk

Secretary