The value of intellectual freedom in twenty-first-century China: Changes, challenges, and progress

Abstract The American Library Association’s (ALA) “Core Values of Librarianship” (2004) serves as an important vehicle in introducing and creating cross-cultural dialogues on values such as intellectual freedom with countries where there are starkly different political views and cultural ideas. This paper positions the Core Value of Intellectual Freedom within the historical context of China. How has the ALA fostered a culture of intellectual freedom in this country? Since the advent of the Cultural Revolution in China during the 1960s, censorship has been severely imposed on all levels of society. Libraries were burned, shut down, or forced to adapt to changes in beliefs and policies that promoted the ideas and values of Chairman Mao Zedong, the leader of the Revolution. In contrast, decades after recovering from the Revolution in the twenty-first century, libraries in China are flourishing, with rich print and digital collections and special services in the face of varying degrees of governmental censorship. Using memoirs, travel papers, and essays written about China’s libraries, the paper traces and analyzes the historical development of China’s censorship policies in relation to Intellectual Freedom, and emphasizes how this Core Value still plays a vital role in the country today through international library cooperation and Sino-American partnership universities.published or submitted for publicationOpe

Understanding the Roles of Public Libraries and Digital Exclusion Through Critical Race Theory: An Exploratory Study of People of Color in California Affected by the Digital Divide and the Pandemic

With the arrival of COVID-19, public libraries have been closed or partially re-opened in various phases. This qualitative study explores the lived experiences of select library users in California, particularly people of color who experience digital exclusion, and how they use their public libraries prior to and during the pandemic. The study is guided by two research questions: 1. What are the barriers in using public libraries’ technology resources experienced by patrons of color before and during the pandemic? 2. What are their perspectives, purposes, and beliefs in using technologies in the public library before and during the pandemic? Using critical race theory to illuminate users’ stories and experiences in accessing the internet through their public libraries, the research underscores the constraints that patrons of color experience and how public libraries and its workers can re-imagine their technology services and resources to mitigate restrictions posed by the digital divide and to better serve their communities of color

Documenting COVID-19 Experiences: An Interview with Academic Librarian Gina Murrell

An interview with Gina Murrell by Raymond Pun for the blog Infobase. Originally published June 9, 2020: https://www.infobase.com/blog/featured/documenting-covid-19-experiences-an-interview-with-academic-librarian-gina-murrell

Mapping Out G.I.S. Day Globally and Collaboratively: Lessons Learned

In this short presentation, the speaker will address how he promoted open source mapping tools in an event called Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) Day in a global network university: NYU Shanghai in China where he works. In November 2014, the speaker collaborated with two other universities that form NYU\u27s global network university: NYU in New York and NYU in Abu Dhabi to promote G.I.S. Day across three continents. The speaker will share his experiences on promoting mapping tools globally and collaboratively: the lessons learned and how to effectively outreach and engage with students across the global network through events such as G.I.S. Day. Attendees may be inspired to organize their own G.I.S Day in November and to collaborate with other universities across the globe to promote open access mapping tools

Guest Editorial: Special Issue on Sustainability and Libraries

Guest Editorial: Special Issue on Sustainability and Librarie

What Collaboration Means to Us: Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiatives in the Library Profession

In this column, we explore what collaboration means to us, particularly on addressing and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives in the library profession

Strategic Planning for the Chinese American Library Association: From Process to Implementation

This report explored the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA)’s strategic planning process for 2020-2025 during COVID-19. The paper introduced CALA’s mission statement, values, and discussed the importance of the strategic plan. A strategic planning task force was formed to create an opportunity for membership input in virtual town hall meetings and surveys. The authors presented a case study on the process of revising a strategic plan and discussed the implementation phases. The authors also shared the challenges and recommendations in organizing strategic planning for a library association

Bridging the digital divide: understanding public library users' technology needs and purposes through critical race theory

This dissertation-in-progress research seeks to address the impact of the digital divide on ethnic communities living in Fresno County, California. This qualitative research study seeks to address the following questions: what, if any, assistance with technology in the public library is lacking for ethnic communities, and what are ethnic communities' purposes and beliefs in using technologies in the public library? The study frames critical race theory to understand the social relationships and structures of inequities of the digital divide in Fresno by exploring the human stories and narratives from people of color experiencing the issue deeply and how they use the public library's technology resources purposefully and personally. This research contributes to existing studies of how a global issue such as the digital divide impacts local communities from various ethnic groups including migrant and immigrant ones, and their information seeking behaviors and needs