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Update on BCLA Intellectual Freedom Statement Review

As you know, the BCLA Board has committed to a review of the current Intellectual Freedom Statement. The Intellectual Freedom Committee, made up of individual BCLA members and BCLA Board members, is responsible for reviewing the current BCLA Intellectual Freedom Statement and making recommendations for revisions to the Board. As co-chairs of the committee, we wanted to provide an update on the committee.

We know that conversations about intellectual freedom can be emotional and divisive, and in recognition of this we are using this committee to practice ways to have difficult discussions and navigate disagreement with thoughtfulness, recognizing that we are a community and that we value all of our community members.

To support this approach, the Intellectual Freedom Committee is working with professional facilitators Camille Dumond and Aslam Bulbulia, from Waterline Co-op. Waterline is a worker’s cooperative that focuses on leadership development, facilitation and training. The objectives of their work are:

  1. To help the group establish high quality working
  2. To co-create a shared framework for how to constructively engage in dialogue across differences.
  3. To support the group to navigate tensions in a generative
  4. To support the group to engage BLCA members in the process.

We are using a slow and thoughtful process grounded in dialogue and respect, that ensures time for reflection, and incorporates member and community, and multiple perspectives.  We anticipate the Intellectual Freedom Committee will present its final recommendations to the BCLA Board in late 2025.

As part of the process, you will see an engagement survey coming out in October. Please consider taking the time to participate and help shape the work of the committee. We hope that, with your input, we can create a statement that supports library work and library workers in all the different types of libraries in BC.

Information and future updates on the review and the work of the committee will be shared via email, on the Intellectual Freedom Committee subsite, and via the BCLA Forum.

With thanks,
Suzanne Rackover & Cristina Freire
BCLA Intellectual Freedom Committee Co-Chairs