Session 030: Business Meeting I, 19 August, 10:15 – 12:15, Oval 11

Session 130: Business Meeting II, 22 August, 08:00 -10:30, Conference Room A

Session 151a: Can we be Neutral about Neutrality? FAIFE Flash Session, 22 August 13:15 – 13:45, Main Court

Rising concerns about fake news, calls for filtering or censorship of materials expressing (perceived) extremist views, and long-standing challenges about what libraries should or should not offer their users have fed discussions about the place of neutrality in librarianship today. What does it mean to be “neutral”, and is this still a worthwhile objective?

Session 160: Information Inequality, FAIFE Open Session, 13:45 – 15:45, Main Court (SI)

Twenty years ago, we worried about the “digital divide” and hoped that it would be resolved by the simple expansion of Internet access the country and around the world. But while billions of people now have access to the Internet—in one way or another—not all access is equal. The FAIFE session this year explores three kinds of “information inequality” that remain or have become real issues for the world’s Internet users.

Session 232: Being Open About Open, Joint FAIFE/CLM/ARL Session, 24 August,10:45 – 12:45, IASE Conference

‘Open Access’ publications represent a growing share of total scholarly output, and the principle that research outputs should be free to read is increasingly accepted by institutions and governments alike. Yet this is still a rapidly developing field, with questions as to effectiveness, financial sustainability, and how to ensure that it realises its potential to ensure that the right research can get to the people who need it. This session will consider a variety of perspectives, and feed discussion about what more can be done.