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

FAIFE Satellite Meeting 2014 in collaboration with Globethics.net.

Date

14-15 August 2014

Librarians, archivists and other information workers all over the world are quite aware of their profession's ethical implications. Archivists have already published their international code in 1996 (the ICA Code of Deontology). On the library side, despite the fact that in more than 60 countries library associations have developed and approved a national code of ethics for librarians, there was no international code until August 2012, when the Governing Board of IFLA approved the new IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians and Other Information Workers. Globethics.net Foundation based in Geneva took part in its elaboration.

Although the international Code has now been launched and accepted as an official policy of IFLA, the FAIFE Committee considers that the work should continue, because a code of ethics must be a living document and because ways have to be found to implement ethics and ethical reflection more deeply in the day-to-day work in libraries and archives. This is the intention behind the Conference on "Ethical Dilemmas in the Information Society: How Codes of Ethics Help to Find Ethically Based Solutions" being organised from 14-15 August 2014 in Geneva/Switzerland, to discuss ethical dilemmas and to use the Code as an incentive to bring ethical issues more prominently in professional and public debates.

Venue

The Conference will be held in a beautiful castle, near the Lake of Geneva, Switzerland. This convenient and welcoming venue will give participants ideal conditions to meet, to concentrate and to enter into a living and rich debate.

Programme

The programme will offer three keynote speeches by invited speakers and three workshops. For the workshops, we are looking for nine (9) contributors, who are willing to share their experience and their views on the following issues:

• Codes of ethics in practice: i.e.
  - methods to create and discuss a code of ethics;
  - how to popularise a code;
  - how to use it;
  - how to maintain it;
  - individual vs. institutional ethics;
• Ethical values and dilemmas in the library and / or archive workplace:
  - access to information;
  - responsibility towards individuals and society;
  - open access and intellectual property rights;
  - integrity of documents;
  - respect of historical context;
  - authenticity of documents;
  - colleagues and employer/employee relationships;
  - privacy, secrecy and transparency;
  - neutrality, personal integrity, professional skills.

Important Dates

Selection committee

Prof. Dr Christoph Stueckelberger, Globethics.net Executive Director and Founder;
Prof. Dr Hermann Roesch, FAIFE Committee Vice-Chair; and
Amélie Vallotton Preisig, FAIFE Committee Member and Globethics.net Senior Associate.

Please send your abstract by e-mail to:

Amélie Vallotton Preisig
E-mail: vallotton@globethics.net

Your paper may be selected either to be presented at a workshop or to be published in the Globethics.net Global Digital Library on Ethics.

Please note

All expenses, including registration for the conference, travel, accommodation etc., are the responsibility of the authors/presenters. No financial support can be provided by IFLA, but a special invitation can be issued to authors.

Congress Attendance Grants

The French National Committee and IFLA have worked hard to secure funds for Conference Participation Grants. Up-to-date information will be available on our Conference Participation Grants webpage.