LFI 2026

Library Freedom Institute

Library Freedom Institute (LFI) is a training program for library workers focused on privacy, intellectual freedom, and critical technology. We teach librarians the skills necessary to support information democracy in the 21st Century; from educating community members, to installing privacy software, to influencing local policy.

General course information and resources

• Code of Conduct
• Discord for asynchronous discussion (link shared privately)
• Study pods (posted in Discord)
• Mailing list and wiki for weekly curriculum
• Zoom for weekly synchronous sessions (link shared privately)

Course structure

• 15 weeks and an in-person weekend, February 20th to May 29th
• In-person weekend is April 17-19
• Weekly sessions are Fridays from 11-2 pacific/2-4 eastern on zoom
• Weekly discussion questions and readings

What to expect/what is expected of you

• A generous and generative group to build community with, learn together, share ideas, experiences, and resources
• A unique curriculum rooted in honest engagement with the world
• Attend each weekly session
• If you need to miss a session, please email in advance
• Participate in weekly conversations
• Zoom sessions will be a mix of lecture, large group discussions, and breakouts
• Participate in asynch Discord convos
• Complete weekly readings (amount will vary, but week 2 is the most by far)
• Weekly topics are subject to change, sometimes wildly, based on group vibes, the world, and the prior week

Schedule and curriculum

Schedule overview

Week	Date and time	Topic	Lecturer
1	February 20th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Introduction to this course and each other	Alison and Tess
2	February 27th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Threat modeling, risk assessments, and the security mindset	Tess
3	March 6th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	How we got here: internet and surveillance origins, ideologies, and logics	Alison and Tess
4	March 13th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Carceral surveillance: how the state and its appendages use technology
5	March 20th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Technology for liberation, or at least just better passwords
6	March 27th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	More tech tools and anti-doxxing
7	April 3rd	off week
8	April 10th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	What are we fighting for? Messaging and talking points to convince others what's at stake and what we need to do about it
9	April 17-19	In-person weekend
10	April 24th	off week
11	May 1st, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	The AI hellscape
12	May 8th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Responsible data and intellectual freedom policies, and vendor issues
13	May 15th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Luxury surveillance: consumer technologies and online advertising
14	May 22nd	off week
15	May 29th, 11-1 pacific/12-2 mountain/1-3 central/2-4 pm eastern	Closing week: Alternative visions, and our shared ideas for longer term practice