On May 5, 2015, the Member Communications Standing Committee of the Canadian Library Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques announced the CLA 2015 Student Article Award is being presented to University of Alberta MLIS student Gianmarco Visconti for his paper: "Queer Muslim Users: Intersectional Spaces in Libraries." His submission was a condensed version of his LIS 501 Foundations in Library and Information Studies term paper in fall term 2014.
Excerpt from CLA Press Relase: "Gianmarco's interesting paper reflects on the idea that "systems of marginalization propagate because dominant society believes marginalized people do not have any stakes within the system they occupy." He poses the question - "So, how do we assess the information needs of individuals who do not fit into the niche we have created for them?" He argues that "queer muslims deserve access to materials that pertain to their lives, as there is no guarantee that a space dedicated to new Canadians or to LGBTQ people will be relevant or safe for them." He concludes that librarians must anticipate the need for these safe spaces and create them."
SLIS proudly congratulates Gianmarco for his critical academic contribution to the broader community!
See the CLA press release here:
http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News1&CONTENTID=16745&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm