Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct

The Mountain West Data Librarian Symposium is dedicated to providing collaborative and conference experiences that are free from all forms of harassment, and inclusive of all people. Small actions you can take will help us meet this goal. For instance, we suggest: listening as much as you speak and remembering that colleagues may have expertise you are unaware of; encouraging and yielding the floor to those whose viewpoints may be under-represented in a group; using welcoming language, for instance by honoring pronoun preferences and favoring gender-neutral collective nouns (“people,” not “guys”); accepting critique graciously and offering it constructively; giving credit where it is due; seeking concrete ways to make physical spaces and online resources more universally accessible; and staying alert, as Active Bystanders, to the welfare of those around you.

Anti-harassment Policy

We want the Mountain West Data Librarian Symposium to be a welcoming, supportive, and comfortable space for all participants, and we will work to make it a harassment-free environment. We do not tolerate harassment of symposium participants in any form.

It is important to understand the range of behaviors that may constitute harassment. Harassment can include unwelcome or offensive verbal comments or nonverbal expressions related to race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, appearance or body size, sexual orientation, country of origin, age, disability, physical appearance, body size, religion, national origin, physical or cognitive ability, political affiliation, veteran status or other protected class status, discriminatory or offensive images in public spaces, intimidation, stalking, harassing or unwanted photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants violating the anti-harassment policy may be warned or asked to leave by symposium organizers.

This policy is not intended to constrain responsible scholarly or professional discourse and debate. We welcome engagement with difficult topics, done with respect and care. Participants may discuss sensitive, discriminatory, offensive, or triggering topics in sessions if they are the subject of the session itself (e.g., a session focusing on the silencing of trans* history in institutional archives, or a session about workplace microaggressions experienced by people of color), but these subjects should be clear to participants prior to the start of the session.

Recording/Social Media Policy

We see the symposium as a place to share information, not only with other participants, but also with those who may not be able to attend. Sessions are, by default, considered open and can be written about on social media and photographed. If you do not want your picture taken, your words to be recorded or for either photographs or words to be attributed to you, please let other session participants know that. As a courtesy, please always ask prior to creating sound or video recordings of any sessions. Please be thoughtful and respectful with your photographs, recording, and sharing.

Each session can decide to adopt different rules at the beginning of the session (e.g., completely private, or no attribution without asking first) as long as it informs all participants who join the session.

Reporting Harassment or Violations

If at any point during the symposium you feel uncomfortable or harassed, or if you witness any violations of these policies, please reach out to anyone who introduces themselves at the start of the day as a symposium organizer. You may also email the conference committee at MountainWestDLS@gmail.com.

This code of conduct will be updated one month prior with additional details based on the accessibility and services at the host institution.

Participants at the Mountain West Data Librarian Symposium or any other MWDLS-hosted discussion or event (held online or in person, including sponsored social events) who are asked to stop harassing or intimidating behaviors are expected to comply immediately. Those who who violate our code of conduct may be warned, sanctioned, or expelled at the discretion of the organizers.

Acknowledgements

This policy is borrowed from the Midwest Data Librarian Symposium and is based on the DLF Forum Code of Conduct, and NYC Archives Unconference Code of Conduct, which is in turn based upon the following codes of conduct: Geek Feminism; DHSI; Code4Lib; ALA; LITA; AMIA; SAA; US OpenGLAM; ADHO; Recurse Center; Contributor Covenant; Vox Media; Scholars’ Lab and the AdaCamp event policies.