I'm sure my titles will get more creative as the semester goes on, but I'm still mulling a lot of information over. I feel as though I understand Intellectual Freedom as a concept (at least at a very basic level and the importance it has to LIS) but I'm looking forward to growing and being challenged (no pun intended) in my beliefs. I know that in my future I will not deal with intellectual freedom issues in the way a public librarian will as I have no desire to enter public librarianship. (I have a great deal of respect for those who do enter it; I do not feel as though I have the patience to be successful in that environment.) I do feel strongly about banned books and do not believe that a book should be banned. However, when it comes to security issues (i.e. national security), I may not always agree. I am really excited to hear other points of view and for me to be questioned.
As I said in class, I’m probably most interested in the areas where intellectual freedom and academic freedom converge, and I also have an (albeit nerdy) interest in the Middle East. On the agenda in the coming weeks are projects to help us focus on how IF is important to a democracy. Both of these concepts are not very prevalent in most Middle East nations and one thing I hope to think about, at least here in my blog, is the role intellectual freedom can play or how IF can work in other forms of government.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree about being in a kind of holding pattern about If concepts. This class will really help me put IF into perspective as we apply these concepts to reality.
ReplyDeleteAre you specializing in the Middle East? I think that's a fascinating topic.
Plus, I would imagine that IF is simply not a common occurrence or a common subject for discourse. However, I've been surprised before.
Abigail, have you considered how the content of your writing in this blog might be considered by those in control of your international study options? I am thinking of our own national security agencies, as well as those of the country in which you hope to study.
ReplyDeleteOuch! Shellie raises an interesting point about intellectual freedom, especially in the age of the Internet and high technology. Many people tend to think of IF as an issue for public or school libraries but it may be all around us, whatever country we are in.
ReplyDelete