Panel Abstracts

Accessibility in Physical and Digital Academic Library Spaces

Nadia Clifton, Whitney Hughes, and Evan Miles

Libraries claim that they are welcoming to everyone, but this claim does not often reflect reality. It is easy and tempting to focus on accessible materials and programming, but those cannot be provided if patrons cannot access the library space itself. This panel will explore universal design in physical and digital library spaces, the challenges of making current spaces accessible, and creative physical and digital solutions to overcoming those challenges.

Slides

Capitalism and Storytelling: Profiting Off of the Other

Macy Ferguson, Meg Foster, and Sarah Sculnick

Cultural appropriation is as old as colonialism; but recent calls for diversity and“new voices” have blurred the line between inspiration and theft. In this panel, we will examine three areas of “representation” -literature, news, and intellectual property -and look not only at whatstories are being told, but by whom. Can a white manwrite a book with a Latinx protagonist? When do videos of police brutality become clickbait? Does a surge in “ethnic” food indicate consumption in the name of cultural appreciation or Western profit? How does capitalism turn counter-narratives through storytelling into a vehicle for further oppression.

Disability and Public Library Instructional Services: Assessing Community Needs, Designing Accessible Websites, and Creating Accessible Materials

Paul Khawaja, Nicole Pawelski, and Rachel~Anne Spencer

Public libraries exist to serve their communities and must consider patrons’ needs when designing and delivering library instruction and related materials. However, not all community members, particularly those with disabilities, can access instruction and materials in the same way. Therefore, it is critical to include disabled patrons in conversations about the usefulness of instructional content and the accessibility of programs and related materials, including technology. We will explore community outreach, digital presence, and instructional design and the creation of course materials, within the context of disability studies.

The Ethics Behind the Advancement and Economics of the E-Sports Industry

Peter Conlon and Mike McGinniss

E-sports can be defined as a multiplayer video game played competitively for spectators. E-sports are typically played at the highest level of competition by professional gamers. Due to the unforeseeable rapid growth of e-sports, there has been a disconnect between regulation of the industry and expectations for personal success. Players can be very driven and have a lot of expectations for their career, but most will not make it very far.This panel will address the current state of the e-sports community, women gamers within the e-sports industry, how the e-sports industry has affected family dynamics, the issues behind availability and access as well as the conflicting relationship between organization and player.

Going the Next Mile: How 21st Century Initiatives Like Mobile Makerspaces and Bookmobiles Can Break Down Barriers to Patrons’ Access to Information Services in Low-Income Communities

Catherine Gallagher, Margaret McGuire, Deane Rynerson, and Kristen Stockdale

Using a Critical Race Theory lens, we will explore how library staff can use initiatives such as Mobile Makerspaces and Bookmobiles to break down barriers between public libraries and patrons’ access to information.

Health and Data in the Digital Age: Who is Responsible?

Aleksandra Daws, Christina Getaz, Kathryn Konrad, and SophiLink

As technology becomes more and more entwined with our personal healthcare, a question comes to the fore: Who is responsible for making sure the effect of technology is positive? This presentation will dive into this ethical quandary, exploring such topics as: Should individuals share their personal health data? How can social media sites ensure a safe experience for the users? Who should be responsible for preventing the spread of health misinformation online? And how can fitness and other health-related apps best serve the informational and health needs of their users? Ethical responsibility of health data is a critical issue, one we hope to elucidate through this presentation.

Public Libraries in Times of Crisis

Genna Crites, Sharon Demorest, and Mariel MacGowan

A consideration of the role of the public library when faced with natural and man-made disasters. We will examine public libraries in response to three conditions of crisis: natural disaster, social disaster (community unrest), and continuous crisis (daily stress). Examining the ways libraries react to these crisis conditions before, during and after the event should provide insight into the current role of libraries as community foundations and ways libraries could respond more effectively.

Reclaiming Privacy and Dignity in a Digital, Algorithmic World

Brian Lee, Nor Ortiz, Jessica Qiu, and Madeline Snipes

This panel will explore various aspects of privacy surrounding the digital collection of personal information. We will begin by looking at large-scale data collection aggregators and sellers, and how individuals can protect themselves and advocate privacy practices benefiting their communities. Then we will examine the responsibilities individuals have to help protect others’ privacy and how this facilitates individual control over reputation.

The Right to Happily Ever After: Representing People of Color and LGBTQ+ Populations in Adult Romance Sections of Public Libraries

Meg McMahon, Holly Roper, Faith Wahlers, and Kat Zimmerman

Romance is a genre where people of color (POC) and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) populations have been historically excluded from mainstream library collections. We will first discuss critical race theory and counter-stories, and explain how POC and LGBTQ+ romance is a counter-narrative to the white, heternormative romance novel. We will then discuss how four local libraries that serve demographically different communities represent counter-stories in their adult romance sections.

Working Toward a Radically Inclusive Historical Record Through Culturally Competent Archival Description

Brooke Csuka, Nicole Pawelski, and Tierra Thomas

Archivists hold tremendous power, shaping content and context in the historical record. But traditional archival description is embedded with institutionalized practices that favor white, Christian, upper class, heterosexual, and cisgendered cultural norms, and the archival field remains a majority white profession, keeping those norms in place. These imbalances have created an inaccurate archival record that has historically excluded marginalized voices. This panel will examine the issues inherent in traditional, white-centered description practices and how archivists can work toward a more inclusive, culturally competent practice.

Poster Abstracts

The Use of “Redmap” in the Creation of Congressional Districts

Lindsey Braxton, Joshua Kutac, and Tanner Paul

“Redmap” is a piece of mapping software created by the Republican State Leadership Committee in 2010. Republican lawmakers have since used the software in multiple redistricting efforts. The software uses large amounts of data in order to pinpoint very granular areas in a state that is being redistricted to favor Republicans. It utilizes a method of gerrymandering to redistrict areas in order to favor candidates that otherwise would not have been chosen by voters. This project examines how Redmap has been used in the past, how this differs from more traditional gerrymandering efforts, possible legislative responses, and the ethical implications these responses.

An Ethical Analysis of Responsibility for Autonomous Vehicles

Carson Cutright, Riley Head, Radhika Jagani, and Suvrat Jhamb

The presence of autonomous driving technology is rapidly increasing and has brought much debate on its implications. More specifically, a dilemma falls around determining responsibility in a collision if the driver has given control to an automated system. Our poster analyzes the impacts of self-driving vehicles on different stakeholders in different situations. We ultimately arrive at the conclusion that the liability of autonomous vehicles should fall in line with the same rules of liability as regular vehicles.

Social, Moral, and Legal Implications of Genetic Databases in regards to Global Public Health

Janavie Gandhi, Ami Patel, Catherine Young, and Katherine Wilder

DNA databases, or cohesive collections of DNA profiles, of individuals who have opted in to gather more information about their personal genetic history have been susceptible to risk of privacy disclosure of large corporations who own the DNA database data of these individuals. In addition, the ethical implications of the certain actions companies can take in turn for profit with this data rises as a moral issue in how it affects the lives of those who the data came from.

The Datafication of Children: Digital Footprints Before Their First Steps

Duncan Hemminger, Shawn Logan, and Libby Soucaze

In today’s digital age, nearly everyone has subjected himself or herself to datafication. From Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and Snapchat, to instant messaging and emails, people everywhere all the time are adding themselves to the seemingly limitless cloud of computerized data. What, then, are the implications and consequences of adults on such social media sites posting pictures of their children, some of who are not yet even born, subsequently datafying an entire generation that has yet to take their first steps?

Healthcare Devices and Our Privacy

Alexis Gaviola, Ally Fiets, and Aylish Wastchak

Patient data is collected and shared over a network of medical devices. This network is vulnerable to security breaches, because of the system itself and improper access of it. The unsecure network of medical devices puts patients, medical professionals, and healthcare companies at risk for privacy violations. Training staff, new forms of security, and pinpointing security breaches are all potential actions to reduce the security risk and ensure security of patient information. It is important to recognize that sharing data, if authorized by the patient, can be valuable to medical research and should remain an option. The main ethical concern with this topic is the question of how companies are using data from healthcare devices and whether or not it is being misused. This research examines how data is being used, how it is being protected and how to minimize risk of data sharing while maximizing its benefits to patients.

Ethical Implications of the Business Model of the Social Media Giants

Jennifer Dominguez-Ayona, Kent Kiatthanapaiboon, and Gene Sosankin

As technology advances, more and more people are being drawn to social media. Social media has become integrated into the lives of millions, with the impacts being both negative and positive. A 2018 Pew Research Center survey states that 97% of teens age 13-17 use some form of social media and 45% of teens say they use these sites almost constantly. Keeping this in mind, do social media companies have an obligation to create more ethical platform designs and follow ethical guidelines?

2019 Archive