Information is an equity issue, with the access to it provided by libraries a key factor in bridging information divides. As the information environment evolves, the task for those whose mission is to keep it just evolves with it. Join this session for a range of perspectives on what social justice means in the digital age, and how libraries can make a positive difference.
Panellists: Emilia Bell, Cristine Meng Ji, Richard Misilei, and Victoria Owen
Moderator: B. Shadrach
Emilia Bell
Emilia Bell is an ALIA Board Director, PhD candidate, and Manager of Research and Digital Services at Murdoch University Library. They are passionate about inclusive and impactful leadership that drives positive change for individuals, communities, and organisations. As a proudly queer and disabled person, their lived experience is a catalyst for community-building, partnership, and engagement.
In their practice and research, Emilia engages with themes such as open scholarship, evidence-based practice, and international librarianship. In 2023, Emilia received an Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and Australian Network on Disability (AND) governance scholarship for leaders with disability. They have gone on to be co-founder and be President of the Association of Neurodivergent and Disabled GLAMR Professionals Australia Inc. (ANDPA). In 2024, Emilia was awarded the ALIA Metcalf Award, recognising high achievement by an ALIA Personal Member in their first five years of practice in libraries and information services.
Christine Meng Ji
Associate Professor Christine Meng Ji is a leading researcher and educator in multicultural translation and communication. With more than 100 publications on multicultural, disability inclusive health translation to migrant languages, Professor Ji is fully committed to diversity, inclusion through her work on multilingualism and multicultural translation in Australia. Professor Ji serves a strategic advisor on multicultural health information translation to the Federation of Ethic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA). She received the 2024 New South Wales Government Community Service Award for individuals whose work has improved the quality of life of Australian multicultural communities. Professor Ji is an appointed member of the UNESCO Information For All Programme (IFAP) Working Groups of Multilingualism and Information Accessibility. A historical multilingual translator trained in London and Tokyo, Professor Ji is an elected member of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain for her passion in translating between East Asian and Mediterranean languages.
Richard Misilei
Richard Misilei, also known as Richy, is a NZ-born Samoan. He is the ‘Connected Communities Lead & Coach’ for the Māngere-Ōtāhuhu Local Board area within the South Auckland region. Prior to this, he had the pleasure of managing Tupu Youth Library, New Zealand’s only youth-focused library, for over 10 years. His leadership at Tupu was marked by a commitment to creating a safe and inspiring space for tamaiti (children [Samoan]) and rangatahi (young people [Māori]) to learn and grow.
Richy’s passion for community development is deeply rooted in God’s love for him, His reverence for God, and his ‘aiga (family [Samoan]). He brings a holistic approach to his work, recognising the importance of spiritual and familial support in nurturing vibrant communities. Richy’s efforts are driven by a genuine desire to empower people and communities to reach their full potential and finding their intrinsic value in Le Atua (God [Samoan]).
Victoria Owen
Victoria Owen holds a joint appointment as Information Policy Scholar-Practitioner in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto and as Special Advisor to the Dean on Information Accessibility at UTSC. Her complementary roles position her within the academic and experiential programs to contribute to the practice, principles, and scholarship of information policy. Her particular focus encompasses copyright, access, accessibility, human rights, and the public interest. Her background is in library administration in academic, special and public libraries, including the University of Toronto and the CNIB Library for the Blind. Victoria holds a Master’s in Library Science and a Master’s in Law, specializing in intellectual property. She serves on the board of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Accessible Book Consortium, Chair of the IFLA Advisory Committee on Standards, and a member of national and provincial policy and copyright committees. She was awarded the Robert Blackburn Distinguished Paper Award, the Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship, and the Larry Moore Distinguished Service Award.
B. Shadrach
Professor B. Shadrach is the director of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA). CEMCA is the regional centre of Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada and is an intergovernmental organisation in the status of United Nations Agencies, recognized by the Indian government that hosts the centre in New Delhi. In this position, he oversees programmes that enhance quality learning and access to education and skill development in Asia. He also serves on the Global Steering Committee of the Global Partnership of Artificial Intelligence (GPAI). He is also an International Alumni Ambassador for his alma mater, Loughborough University, UK, where he earned his PhD in Information Science.