[Libs-Or] ESU-SLIM: Free webinars next week

[Jeana Menger]

Please join Emporia State University’s School of Library and Information Management at these upcoming free webinars:

Tuesday, Aug. 31
Women’s Voices in Library Technology: Explored Through Citation Analysis in Library Publications, presented by Dr. Sharon Whitfield
12 p.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Mountain / 2 p.m. Central

Pre-register for the Zoom webinar<https://emporiastate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsc-yoqTwsGNa72HsvGKKcdZfdUDjHWiQ7>.

More than a decade ago, M. Lamont’s (2009) article, “Gender, Technology, and Libraries,” reported that there is an underrepresentation of women as first authors in library technology journals. Her findings presented a broad view that spoke of gender disparity and concluded that libraries have a dichotomized workforce, which consists of women librarians and men who are IT workers.

This webinar will discuss Dr. Sharon Whitfield’s research study, which replicates Lamont’s (2009) research. Dr. Whitfield uses current publications (2018-2020) and textual analysis of library technology journal article abstracts to find what technology themes women’s voices are present or absent. During this webinar, we will explore the findings of how women’s voices are being represented in library technology publications and determine if gender disparity continues in library technology publications.

Dr. Sharon Whitfield has been involved with library technology for more than 15 years. Her most recent position is as an Electronic Resources and User Access Librarian at Rider University, which is in Lawrenceville, NJ. Dr. Whitfield serves as the co-chair of ALA’s Women, Non-Binary, and Trans Workers in Library Technology interest group. The common thread that runs through Dr. Whitfield ‘s service and research is exploring gender segregation in library technology and how librarianship can overcome the existing “cultural gauntlet” for women and non-binary persons in library technology.

Wednesday, Sept. 1
Gendered Artificial Intelligence and Implications for Libraries, presented by Laila Brown
1 p.m. Pacific / 2 p.m. Mountain / 3 p.m. Central

Pre-register for the Zoom webinar<https://emporiastate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYodeCorzkjG9ajK8ADkSJh4OeGaTBcaOJG>.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly finding a place within libraries in the form of virtual assistants. Though digital, virtual assistants nevertheless embody gender, evident when their creators assign them gendered names, pronouns, voices, and speech patterns. More often than not, they are programmed to be “female” by default. This presentation will discuss how indiscriminate creation and adoption of feminized AI can perpetuate harmful stereotypes of women as submissive “helpers,” rather than actors in their own right. At the same time, librarianship—a field profoundly concerned with technology ethics and diversity, equity, and inclusion—is flush with opportunities for critical engagement with AI technologies.

Laila M. Brown is a reference librarian and social sciences subject specialist at Hawaiʻi Pacific University. She earned a Master's in Library and Information Science from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2018. Her research largely focuses on book clubs and their power to enhance participants’ commitment to intersectional feminist ethics. She is an advocate for open access, digital privacy, and critical consideration of gendered artificial intelligence.

[Emporia State University]
Jeana Menger, MLS
West Coast MLS Academic Advisor
School of Library and Information Management
Emporia State University
620-794-5436
www.emporia.edu/slim/<http://www.emporia.edu/slim/>

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