February 27, 2012 Lecture Will Explore Role of Libraries in Improving Lives of Citizens in Jalisco, Mexico

The Humanities and Social Sciences Division at the Library of Congress will present a lecture on “The Role of Libraries in Achieving a More Inclusive Information Society for Women: A Case Study in Jalisco, Mexico.” The talk, by doctoral candidate Anne Peacock, will start at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, in the Mary Pickford Theater on the third floor of the James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. It is free and open to the public. No tickets are needed.

Peacock’s lecture will draw on research conducted for her thesis “Freedom of Expression’s Role in Creating Universal Access to the Global Information Society,” which evaluates how access-to-information and freedom-of-expression laws, at international, regional and national levels, are implemented into policy. It looks at whether these policies ensure access to information to marginalized communities. Peacock evaluates the efficacy of Jalisco’s Digital Agenda, a Mexican state’s initiative to implement a digital inclusion policy, ensuring access to information technology to improve the lives of its citizens.

Peacock is a doctoral candidate at the Human Rights Center of the University of Essex in England, where she earned a master’s degree in theory and practice of human rights. She received an undergraduate degree from Franklin & Marshall College, where she majored in government with a minor in computer science.

The Humanities and Social Sciences Division provides reference service and collection development in the Main, Local History and Genealogy, and Microform reading rooms at the Library of Congress. It regularly sponsors programs in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 151 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.