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<p class="gmail-Body" style="line-height:150%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Palatino",serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"> Mason County District
Library and Abondia Center begin to explore Truth & Politics in the public
lecture series Shifting Landscapes on Monday March 7, with Clare Membiela
presenting <i>Upholding First Amendment
Rights – Free Speech, Expression, and Access to Information </i>at 7-8:30 pm at
the Ludington Area Center for the Arts, and on Zoom. Clare Membiela, Library
Law Consultant, Library of Michigan, will discuss public libraries’ role in
upholding the First Amendment day in and day out.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Body" style="text-indent:0.5in;line-height:150%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Palatino",serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The series will open
with an examination of the role of public libraries in supporting and upholding
the First Amendment. Public libraries have existed in the colonial </span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Arial Unicode MS",sans-serif" lang="AR-SA"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>“</span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">New World” since the early 1710s. Libraries
have defended the right of every person to read what they want without
restriction. First amendment constitutionalists, including the Supreme Court,
have upheld the role of public libraries to ensure freedom of speech and
expression as well as freedom to learn. As the Library of Michigan itself
states, freedom of speech is “not only about outward expression but also
knowledge and expression consumed.” Recently libraries, even in Michigan, have
been questioned about their commitment to “unbiased, non-partisan forums where
all patrons should have the right to read what they wish without fear of
retribution or censure.”<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Body" style="text-indent:0.5in;line-height:150%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Palatino",serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Other programs in
Shifting Landscapes’ examination of Truth & Politics include on March 14 - <i>What’s In an Ideology and What Are the
Consequences?: Rethinking Masculinity</i>, presented by Jessica Houser,
professor of psychology, West Shore Community College. The final Truth &
Politics event will take place March 21 - <i>Communicating
Across the Fence—or the Aisle</i>, presented by Brian Harrison, visiting
assistant professor of political science, Carleton College. In April, the Shifting
Landscapes series focuses on Economics (Apr 4, 11, 18).<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Default" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:150%;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span>This
2021-2022 series is exploring six areas of our lives that have been reshaped
during the Covid-19 epidemic and the many events that have occurred in the past
2 years. Truth and politics is the fifth topic in the Shifting Landscapes
series.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Default" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:150%;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span>In
asking questions about the nature and purpose of politics, and freedom of
expression, the Shifting Landscapes’ series seeks to address questions on
people’s minds. It also hopes the information helps people get more from news
sources, as well as professionals and others about social issues and news that
matters to them.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Body" style="line-height:150%;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Palatino",serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span><span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Default" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:150%;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span>Events
are free, live or by Zoom. Tickets are not necessary but registration is
helpful. To register: mcdl.pub/sl-register. To simply join the Zoom
presentation, go to <a href="http://mcdl.pub/SL-zoom" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline">mcdl.pub/SL-zoom</a>.
The link will be live about 6:45 pm on the day of the presentation. For information
check the Mason County District Library website: <span class="gmail-Hyperlink0" style="text-decoration:underline"><a href="http://mcdlibrary.org" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline"><span style="color:black">mcdlibrary.org</span></a></span><span class="gmail-None"> or contact Thomas Trahey, Mason County District Library at </span><span class="gmail-Hyperlink0" style="text-decoration:underline"><a href="mailto:ttrahey@mcdlibrary.org" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline"><span style="color:black">ttrahey@mcdlibrary.org</span></a></span><span class="gmail-None">
or Brooke Portmann, director of Abondia Center, at </span><span class="gmail-Hyperlink0" style="text-decoration:underline"><a href="mailto:baportmann312@gmail.com" style="color:blue;text-decoration:underline"><span style="color:black">baportmann312@gmail.com</span></a></span><span class="gmail-None"><span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="gmail-Default" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;line-height:150%;font-size:13pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif;color:black;border:medium none"><span class="gmail-None"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:150%"><span> </span>This
project has been funded by grants from Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural
Affairs and Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the
Humanities.</span></span><span></span></p>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align:left"><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Thomas Trahey</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Mason County District Library</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">Head of Circulation</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">231-843-8465</span></div></div><font size="2"><span style="font-family:garamond,times new roman,serif"></span></font><div style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>