A look at the incarcerated Cuban librarians

and the reactions of the ALA

Katie Hill
School of Library and Information
Management
Emporia State University
 Introduction
• I have developed an interest in libraries in
other countries

• I had read some of the editorials about

the Cuban situation in U.S. newspapers

• I think this research is important to the

library and information profession
because of it’s apparent violation of the
idea of free access to information
Overview

• In April of 2003, a group of

Cuban individuals, including
journalists and librarians, were
arrested.
Dr. José Luis García Paneque is
one of the many Cuban
librarians that have been held in
a Cuban prison since 2003.

• The librarians arrested were incarcerated because they

were allowing Cuban citizens to have access to their
personal collections (independent library).
 Overview continued
• The Cuban nation is a Communistic
society and has strict restrictions in place
to monitor the type of information their
citizens can have access to.
• Since their arrest many organizations around the world
have demanded their release.
• Through my research I plan to show how the library
community has responded to the incident.
• I will look specifically at the American Library Association
(ALA) as well as the International Federation of Library
Associations (IFLA).
Terms and Definitions
• ALA—American Library Association

• IFLA—International Federation of Library

Associations

• Jewish World Review—A newspaper publication

that columnist Nat Hentoff writes for frequently

• Independent Libraries—the term given to the

personal collection of the jailed Cuban librarians
Literature Review
Literature Review continued
Research Questions
• How has the American Library
Association responded to the recent
imprisonment of Cuban librarians?

• What impact has the International

Federation of Library Associations
(IFLA) had on recent imprisonment of
Cuban librarians?
Population and Setting

• My research will focus on the

independent librarians that were
arrested throughout the country of
Cuba in April 2003.
Limitations

• Travel to Cuba for first-hand accounts

would be important and vital to my
research. However, because of
financial and time constraints this
might not be possible.
Methodology

• My study is a document analysis.

• I will be focusing my research on
several different written reports and
articles.
• I will analyze each document in an
attempt to discover the answers to my
research questions.
Timeline
• October 2007: Research Topic
• Mid-November 2007: Formulate outline and
thesis
• Late November: Submit research proposal
• December 2007: Possible travel to conduct
interviews
• January 2008: Begin writing research paper
• February 15, 2008: Submit final research
paper
Other Relevant Details

• As mentioned in the timeline, I would

like to travel to Cuba to do interviews
in an attempt to get first-hand
accounts from the jailed librarians.
• I also plan to submit my research
paper for publication upon its
completion.
References
• Lloyd, M. (2006). Speaker Castigates
Library Group for Its Stance on
Cuba. Chronicle of Higher
Education, 52(23), 41.