LFI 2025

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

• [NEED LINK] Lecture video links]
• Code of Conduct
• Discord: A discussion platform that cohort members get invited to when LFI begins.
• Zoom video conference room: A private Zoom room that cohort members get the address to when LFI begins.

Schedule and curriculum

Schedule overview

Week	Date and time	Topic	Lecturer
1	TBD	Introduction to this course and each other
2	TBD	What is information democracy? And what are the problems we face?
3	TBD	Threats to speech and privacy in libraries (and their origins) and threat modeling
4	TBD	What are we fighting for? Messaging and talking points
5	TBD	Policies and practices
6	TBD	Vendor issues
7	TBD	Technology for liberation, or at least just better passwords
8	TBD	Technology practices and strategies, second week
9	TBD	HOLD FOR IN PERSON WEEKEND
10	TBD	HOLD FOR OFF WEEK FOLLOWING IN PERSON WEEKEND
11	TBD	Privacy audits and resisting data for data's sake, new data-driven business models, and making information democracy into a sustainable long term practice
12	TBD	Who benefits from surveillance and censorship? Tech billionaires and others we are up against
13	TBD	Did we miss anything? Policing, artificial intelligence, social media, reproductive health and privacy, anti-doxxing, immigrant threat models?
14	TBD	Closing week and final project presentations

In-person weekend subjects

• Powermapping
• Teaching and training others (staff and patrons)
• Building coalitions for support
• Final project work