Monroe Public Library info policy resources

Monroe Public Library in the U.S. has a great set of resources on information policy topics such as surveillance and the trans pacific partnership. These could be useful for that policy briefing assignment - and this would make a great case study!

Connecting Canada: flash conference at Uo Monday January 20

Possibly of interest for students interested in the digital divide or media democracy https://openmedia.ca/ConnectedCanada/Ottawa

Week 2 (January 14) exercises instructions

Following are two interlinked exercises drawing on the readings for this week (World Economic Forum Global Agenda Outlook and the Mansell and Tremblay report for the UNESCO vision of the knowledge society) in order to design an inclusive participatory consultation process to address what members of the class decide are important challenges or opportunities for information professionals. This kind of engagement is one of the key areas for open government. 

World Economic Forum – Global Agenda Outlook 2014

Top global trends, challenges and opportunities for information professionals

Group discussion

Overview: the purpose of this exercise is critical reflection on the trends and practice in strategic analysis from the perspective of an information professional. The outcomes of the group discussion will lead to the development of a list of topics to inform the evening’s second group exercise.

Step one: individual reflection (10 minutes)

Take some time to read through the following list of top 10 trends for 2014 according to the World Economic Forum report. Is it clear what is meant by each trend? If not, why not? Do you agree that these are the most important trends for 2014? Why or why not? Is there a different way of talking about each of these trends? 

1. Rising societal tensions in the Middle East and North Africa

2. Widening income disparities

3. Persistent structural unemployment

4. Intensifying cyber threats

5. Inaction on climate change

6. The diminishing confidence in economic policies

7. A lack of values in leadership

8. The expanding middle class in Asia

9. The growing importance of megacities

10. The rapid spread of misinformation online

Step two: small group discussion (30 minutes)

Form a small group, perhaps with the people seated closest to you. Start by introducing yourselves unless everyone already knows each other. Then decide who will be responsible for reporting back to the class. Everyone should get practice doing this, so if you were the reporter last week please encourage others to take this on.

Questions for the group:

1.     Does everyone understand the top 10 trends? If not, see if the group together can clarify or if there is consensus that a trend is not clear.

2.     Does everyone agree that these are important social trends for 2014? Are there other important trends that are missing? Does everyone agree with the way the trends are stated or would you suggest changes? 

3.     Identify major social trends (whether on this list or others your group identifies) that present important challenges or opportunities for information professionals. Start by making a list, then prioritize according to which trends offer the greatest challenges or opportunities, then identify the challenges or opportunities and the actions that information professionals can take.

4.     Review your list and prepare to report.

Step three: reporting to the whole class (10-15 minutes). 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Participatory Public Consultation Process Planning Group Exercise

Overview: the purpose of this exercise is to practice planning the kind of participatory decision-making described in Mansell-Tremblay report as essential to development of the knowledge society..

Step one: self-selecting groups (5 – 10 minutes)

Select the social trend (from the World Economic Forum exercise) that you’d most like to work on for this exercise. Form groups. Each group should decide how they would like to work, keeping in mind that it can be very helpful to identify a facilitator or chair and a recorder for the group. The purpose of this exercise is to learn how to develop inclusive participatory exercises. Let’s practice what we’re planning – everyone in the group should consider what each of us can do to encourage everyone in the group to actively participate.

Step two:  plan an inclusive public consultation process to address the selected trend (high-level overview draft; brief sketch) (30 mins.)

It may help to:

·      Picture the people you’d like to engage in the conversation, perhaps starting with a few individuals and considering one or more groups that could easily be marginalized. Why should they participate (from your perspective, and theirs)?

·      Consider timelines. Hint: if someone asks you your opinion about a complex topic with a short deadline just when you’re about to head out the door for a well-deserved vacation, how do you react?

·      How will people find out about the consultation?

·      How will you conduct the consultation process? Online? Using what tools?

·      What would meaningful engagement look like?

Step three: reflect on your plan and decide how and what you’ll report back to the whole group. (5 mins.)

Step four: report back (10 – 15 mins.)

Information policy briefing instructions and examples

ISI 5162 Policy Briefing Statement – examples and current issues winter 2014

Update Jan. 8: the EU has a "public consultation on the review of the EU copyright rules" with a deadline of February 5, 2014. EU laws affect people everywhere, so you don't have to live in the EU to participate. Participation in this consultation process (with a copy of your response handed in) would be appropriate for the policy briefing assignment. I recommend Maira Sutton's post on the Electronic Frontier Foundation blog as a starting point.  

Update Jan. 14: Industry Canada has a Science and Technology Consultation, comments due Feb. 7th. Possibly of interest under the Evidence for Democracy / Canadian War on Science policy topic. 

Due: Jan. 28 midnight. 2-3 pages (maximum). Single spaced.

In preparing your policy briefing statement it may be helpful to identify a target audience, or two audiences (see the examples below, library associations writing or signing letters to another body). The actor audience could be a library association or another information professional association such as ARMA or the Association of Canadian Archivists. To prepare your policy briefing statement you should investigate the policy issue and the background of your target audience(s). A good policy briefing will address the questions: why suggest change, and why listen to the suggestions.  Following are the suggested issues for 2014. If you would like to work on another issue, please check with the professor first.

Issues

·      Trans Pacific Partnership – intellectual property chapter

·      Evidence for democracy / Canadian war on science (the Fifth Estate Silence of the Labs may be of interest) - see also videos from recent Canadian Science Policy conference

·      Surveillance / privacy (Geist on Obama's statement on surveillance and Canada's silence may be of interest). Free webinar Friday Jan. 24: Big Data calls for Big Privacy

Examples

Canadian Library Association (2013). CLA Statement on Social Media Monitoring of Canadians. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2014 from: http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=14727

Internet Society (2012). To the negotiating nations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.  Retrieved Jan. 8, 2014 from: http://www.internetsociety.org/doc/negotiating-nations-trans-pacific-partnership-tpp-agreement. Signed by the International Federation of Library Associations.

Ontario Library Association (2012?). Unprecedented number of cuts to library programs in Canada. Retrieved Jan. 8, 2014 from: https://www.accessola.org/OLAWEB/Issues_Advocacy/issues/Unprecedented_number_of_cuts_to_library_programs_in_Canada.aspx?&WebsiteKey=397368c8-7910-4dfe-807f-9eeb1068be31&hkey=956ef508-5764-4311-b53d-f242a24199cd