toni samek - bio
Brief Bio:
* Appointed Faculty Fellow in 2010, Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Research, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
* Recipient of a 2008 Graduate Teaching Award (Faculty of Education, University of Alberta)
* First Winner of the 2007 debut Library Journal Teaching Award
* Information Ethics Fellow, 2006-07, Center for Information Policy Research, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
* Twice Convenor, Canadian Library Association Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom
* Canadian Association of University Teachers Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee Member
* Book and Periodical Council Freedom of Expression Committee Member
* Editorial Advisory Board Member, International Review of Information Ethics
* Advisory Board Member, Information for Social Change
* Advisory Board Member, Litwin Books
* Advisory Board Member, Counterpoise
I have been working as an educator and scholar at the School of Library and Information Studies, University of Alberta since 1994. Prior to that, my library and other work experience comes from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S.A. and the following all in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Halifax City Regional Library, Saint Mary University's International Education Centre, Nova Scotia's Department of Solicitor General, ForceTen Computer Services Limited, and Sight & Sound Productions Limited.
My education includes a Doctor of Philosophy (Library and Information Studies) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Library and Information Studies from Dalhousie University, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.
My teaching, research, and service interests include critical librarianship, intercultural information ethics, global information justice, human rights, intellectual freedom, academic freedom, and social justice.
I am the author of the 2001 book Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility in American Librarianship, 1967-1974, published by McFarland & Company Inc, Publishers, U.S.A. (In 2003, the book was published in Japanese translation by the Kyoto University Library and Information Science Study Group.) The historical work examines the American Library Association’s profound and contentious professional identity crisis during the Vietnam conflict. The book’s present day relevance is most notable in its treatment of library neutrality and librarianship in time of war, revolution, and social change.
In March 2007, I published a new book for Chandos (Oxford) Publishing titled Librarianship and Human Rights: A Twenty-first century guide. The book was published in 2008 in Spanish translation and Latin American adaptation by Ediciones Trea, S.L., titled Biblioteconomía y derechos humanos: Una guía para el siglo xxi.