Symposium on Indigenous Matters and IFLA Journal Special Edition
The Hybrid Symposium will take place at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, Mexico on Wednesday, August 7 and Thursday, August 8, 2024. There will be additional seminars during the same week and we strongly encourage symposium participants to attend these events as well if possible.
The final paper deadline will be after the symposium (likely in the fall of 2024) to provide authors with the opportunity to include feedback received during the symposium. Paper submissions will undergo double-blind peer review in consideration for publication in the IFLA Journal.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS:
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Indigenous Matters Section, with the FAIFE and CLM Advisory Groups seeks abstracts for a hybrid symposium on the following theme:
"Stewarding Indigenous Knowledge through Ethics, Law, and the Archive"
Indigenous knowledges, languages and histories are prevalent in libraries, archives, and museums, but often face issues which stem from colonialism, structural racism or assimilation. Professionals working and researching in these areas must work with Indigenous knowledge experts and systems of memory, to consider legal issues and ethical mandates when acting as custodians of the rich cultural heritage of Indigenous Peoples. With the expansion of digital collections and archives, these issues can be highlighted, healed or reinforced in complex ways. In this symposium, participants will share their knowledge and receive considered feedback on topics ranging from:
- Legal developments affecting Traditional Cultural Expressions
- Collaborations between Indigenous Peoples and heritage institutions that
empower Indigenous knowledges and cultural heritage
- Fair use versus misappropriation of Indigenous cultural items
- Ethical priorities for libraries when supporting Indigenous knowledges, languages, and histories
These topics are not meant to be exclusive, but rather to demonstrate some of the potential issues to be explored in the Symposium. We welcome workshops, paper discussions, and other formats of presentations (not just formal presentations). The Symposium is held jointly by the Copyright and Other Legal Matters Advisory Committee, the FAIFE Advisory Committee and the Indigenous Matters Section of IFLA.
The Special Issue reflects IFLA Journal's tradition for timely discussion and the widest community engagement with emerging trends, cutting-edge best-practice, and innovative research. We invite all interested researchers and practitioners to submit their proposals to the Symposium Issue for constructive feedback. Researchers and practitioners can implement the initial feedback gained during the Symposium before final paper submission. Contributions can relate to any LIS sector. We particularly welcome contributions from Indigenous and First Nation Peoples.
While the symposium is a hybrid event, organizers strongly encourage presenters to attend in person. Please note on your submission whether you plan to attend the event in person in Mexico City during the week of August 5-9.
Kindly submit abstract proposals to Sara Benson at srbenson@illinois.edu for best consideration by March 27, 2024.
Abstract proposals must include the following:
Name, title, employer or affiliated organization, country, and email of speaker(s)
Brief biographical statement about each speaker (maximum 100 words) including clear identity information (i.e. Indigenous Nation or community membership, non-Indigenous presenter)
Title of proposed presentation
Abstract of presentation (maximum of 300 words), including specific mention of Indigenous involvement in the topic of the presentation.
Willingness to comply with IFLA's Authors' Permission (Papers / Slides will be published in IFLA's online Repository following the conference)
Indication of whether presentation will be in-person or remote
For in-person presentations: Confirmation that at least one of the authors can attend the IFLA symposium and present in-person if accepted. (If sponsorship as a Featured Speaker is sought, please indicate).
For virtual presentations: Confirmation that a recorded presentation will be made available to the session organizers at least one week before the scheduled session. Confirmation that presenters will be available to participate virtually in the discussion.
Limited sponsorship is available if you wish to attend in person but lack funding to travel. Please note on your proposal if you seek sponsorship as a Featured Speaker.
The symposium will be the basis for a Special Edition of the IFLA Journal. Please plan to submit a full-length article for the IFLA Journal Edition based on your presentation for inclusion in the Journal. Please note that journal submissions will undergo double-blind peer review.
Partner and Sponsor Opportunities
Is your organization interested in supporting the Indigenous Matters Symposium? Partnerships and sponsorships are available to fund Featured Speakers, student attendance, and more. If you are interested in sponsoring this symposium, please contact Sara Benson at srbenson@illinois.edu
Guest Editors of the symposium and the IFLA Journal Special Edition:
Jade Alburo is the Librarian/Curator for Southeast Asian, Pacific Islands, and Asian American Studies at UCLA Library. Prior to UCLA, she was a Reference Librarian in the Library of Congress' Main Reading Room and a CIRLA Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. Jade holds an MLS from the University of Maryland, College Park, an MA in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and a BA in English and Religious Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently serves on the IFLA Indigenous Matters Standing Committee (2021-2025) and was previously chair of the 2016 National Diversity in Libraries Conference (NDLC, now IDEAL) and president (2012-2013) of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA).
Sara Benson is the copyright librarian and an associate professor at the Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an affiliated associate professor with the Center for Global Studies, European Union Center, and the School for Information Science at the University of Illinois. She currently serves as Head of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions delegation to the World Intellectual Property Organization. She holds a JD from the University of Houston Law Center, an LLM from the School of Law at Berkeley, and an MSLIS from the School of Information Science at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the library, Sara was a lecturer at the University of Illinois College of Law for ten years. Sara is the best selling editor of the ACRL book titled "Copyright Conversations," and the author of the ALA Editions book titled "Compact Copyright."
Collence Takaingenhamo Chisita is a research fellow based at the University of South Africa, (UNISA) and a National Research Foundation ( NRF) South Africa C2 rated researcher ( 2023-2028). He is an author of five books, numerous journal articles and book chapters. Collence has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of South Africa from 2018 to 2021. He has served as a Standing Committee (SC) for IFLA -Literacy and Read Section ( 2009-2013). Collence is currently the Secretary of the Africa Library and Information Associations and Institutions (AFLIA) Library Education and Training Institutions Section (LETIS). His current co-edited book "Fombad, Madeleine C., Chisita, Collence Takaingenhamo, Onyancha, Omwoyo Bosire and Minishi-Majanja, Mabel K. Information Services for a Sustainable Society: Current Developments in an Era of Information Disorder, Berlin, and Boston: De Gruyter Saur, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110772753"is gaining traction on a global scale within the Information Science landscape. Collence is a knowledge activist with a voracious appetite to collaborate and build a better world. Collence has traveled the world as a presenter and keynote speaker at international LIS , ICT and humanities conferences.
Dr. Raj Kumar Bhardwaj is the recipient of the Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the UK, he's committed to excellence. Notable honours include the Informatics Innovation Award 2022, Informatics Outstanding Researcher Award 2022, and ASIALA Outstanding Research Award. Currently Chief Librarian at St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, he's been pivotal as Assistant Professor at the Central University of Punjab. He introduced four new courses aligned with the National Education Policy 2020. Holding a Doctorate from the University of Delhi, he has over 65 research publications, and delivered more than 100 talks, and trained 500+ Government school librarians in Delhi. Dr. Bhardwaj completed several major research projects and was involved with IFLA's IM section as an Information Coordinator. He is also the founder of startup ISVI which works for visually impaired students.
Dr. Mohit Garg is working as Assistant Librarian (Senior Scale) at Central Library, Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi. Before joining the IIT Delhi, he worked as Assistant Librarian at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (A Central University), Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh. He has qualified UGC-NET-JRF and Ph.D. from IGNOU, New Delhi. He holds B.Tech(IT) from USICT, GGSIPU, New Delhi, and MSLIS from Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore. He is a two continuous term (2017-2021, 2021-2025) Standing Committee Member of IFLA Indigenous Matter Section, Netherlands, and other international and national associations. He has published Research papers in Scopus Indexed, and UGC CARE Listed Journals. His areas of interest are Application of ICT, Open Science, Research Methodology, Research Ethics, Information Retrieval, Data Science, and Machine learning.
Dr. Melissa G. Ocepek is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the School of Information Sciences. Her research draws on ethnographic methods and institutional ethnography to explore how individuals use information in their everyday lives. Her research interests include everyday information behavior, critical theory, copyright, and food studies. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin in the School of Information.
Melissa Minds VandeBurgt, throughout her nearly 20 years in academic libraries, has sought to integrate the work of archives, special collections, museums, and digital initiatives in an effort to share the human experience. Melissa will begin her tenure as Director, Special Collections Research Center at Temple University in April 2024. She served as Director, University Archives and Special Collections at Florida Gulf Coast University for 12 years. Ms. VandeBurgt holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her research and scholarly work is focused on social justice, the material culture of the Holocaust, and developing archival collections that equitably represent all people that create the historical record. She has served on IFLA's Indigenous Matters Section since 2017.
Carissa Vogel is the Law Library Director of the University of Iowa Law Library, one of the largest academic libraries in the United States, and a Professor of Instruction at the University of Iowa College of Law. In addition to numerous academic service and board positions, she serves as a Commissioner for the Iowa Access to Justice Commission and has led a team of academic and government librarians on the creation and development of the People's Law Library of Iowa, an easy-to-understand, basic information website about the law. Carissa holds a JD from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, a MLIS and Special Certificate in Law Librarianship from the University of Washington iSchool, and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her time at the University of Iowa, she was and Associate Dean for Library Services, Director of the Law Library, and Professor of Legal Research at the Dr. Lillian and Dr. Rebecca Chutick Law Library at the Cardozo School of Law where she was received the Monroe Price Award for Distinguished Service. She regularly presents on leadership and management of academic law libraries as well as the future of collections. Carissa has served on IFLA's Advisory Committee on Freedom of Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) since 2023.