code-of-conduct.md

Islandora Collaboration Group: Code of Conduct

Introduction, values, and scope

This set of principles articulates the values of the Islandora Collaboration Group (ICG) and lays out the ways that we want to treat each other. This evolving document not only expresses expectations for our interactions, systems of accountability, and means of care; it is also a space for us to aspire to make our small part of the digital library, higher ed, and tech worlds more equitable, just, and inclusive.

We acknowledge that the ICG, our institutions, and our professions are predominantly white. We also recognize that we must actively work against the intersecting structures of white supremacy, misogyny, patriarchy, ableism, heteronormativity, and other forms of oppression that are prevalent in all of the spaces where we work. We acknowledge that this work is hard, that we don’t always have all the answers, that progress is uneven, and that some of our aspirations (including centering disability justice and racial justice in our work and membership) are at the moment not explicitly part of the work of our group. We do, however, commit to doing the work of equity and justice not only by interrupting oppressive individual behaviors but also by fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment that supports our values and goals: making digital library/repository resources easy to use and accessible, particularly to under-resourced and smaller institutions; valuing and including so-called “soft skills” as much as “hard skills”; and building a vibrant, supportive community that collectively develops, improves, and supports open-source software critical to preserving a wide array of cultural heritage and scholarly materials.

The following code of conduct applies to our interactions across many online and interpersonal/face-to-face spaces and encounters, including our hack/doc events, discussions, and conferences or other events where we are representing the ICG or related projects. This code of conduct governs how we want to relate to one another as well as how we want to treat and be treated by collaborators external to the ICG, including vendors with whom we work. We commit to iterate on this code as we grow, revisiting and revising it at major in-person events (in particular, inviting people at ICG events who are not a part of the ICG to read, discuss, critique, and update the code of conduct as they need). The ICG Governance Group will also review these principles yearly and vote on any additions, changes, or deletions.

ICG Code of Conduct

The ICG conducts a great deal of its work via online spaces (including Slack, email, and virtual meetings), and we consider those spaces as important and productive as in-person meetings or other in-person events. We are dedicated to providing collaborative experiences that are free from all forms of harassment, and inclusive of all people no matter what the platform or physical space. We expect that our members and collaborators will:

• be humane and welcoming in all forms of communication, especially remote communication, where opportunities for misunderstanding are greater
• listen as much as speaking and remember that colleagues may have expertise of which others may be unaware
• encourage and yield the floor to those whose viewpoints may be under-represented in a group
• respect pronouns (making sure also that there is space to provide pronouns) and favor gender-inclusive collective nouns (“people,” not “guys” or “ladies”)
• accept critique graciously and offer it constructively, and give credit where it is due
• avoid and interrupt microaggressions
• ensure that our online and physical meeting spaces, activities, and shared content are universally accessible (rooms, audio/video setups, presentation material, publications)
• document meetings and decisions thoroughly and communicate decisions in a timely manner
• pay attention to time zones and religious observances when scheduling events
• give preference to partners and vendors that have existing codes of conduct consistent with the ICG’s CoC or have made tangible commitments to doing this work

Harassment of any kind within an ICG activity space (virtual or physical) is forbidden; harassment can include “unwelcome or offensive verbal comments (including jokes) or nonverbal expressions related to: age; appearance or body size; employment or military status; ethnicity; gender identity or expression; individual lifestyles; marital status; national origin; physical or cognitive ability; political affiliation; sexual orientation; race; or religion. Harassment can also include use of sexual and/or discriminatory images in public spaces (including online); deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; bullying behavior; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.” (DLF Code of Conduct, https://www.diglib.org/about/code-of-conduct/)

Methods of Accountability

Attendees and/or ICG members within virtual or in-person meetings who violate these rules may be asked to leave the event/space or online activity by either the event organizer or the ICG Steering Committee.

Within the ICG community, the Code of Conduct Subcommittee is responsible for ensuring that community members adhere to and respect the Code of Conduct (following the process below). During an event like a hack/doc, the event organizers (who will clearly identify themselves) are responsible for ensuring participants are safe and any concerns can be addressed directly to them. If the Code of Conduct Subcommittee members are not in attendance, they will appoint 2 in-person attendees to ensure a reporting mechanism consistent with the processes outlined below.

The ICG Code of Conduct Subcommittee has drafted and will maintain methods of accountability and restorative processes for when this code is breached:

• We are all (everyone in ICG, working with ICG, or attending one of our events) responsible for upholding the Code of Conduct and interrupting abuse, microaggressions, harassment, and other violations of the Code. In many cases we can shift behaviors in this way, and victims may not feel the need to raise a formal complaint (although you are always welcome to do so). You can always ask anyone in the ICG to support you in shifting the behaviors of colleagues and interrupting harassment.

• If you do want to submit a formal complaint to the Code of Conduct Subcommittee, you can do so in one of two ways:

  • Form with anonymous option
  • Or email to subcommittee members (Martha Tenney mtenney@barnard.edu, Sarah Goldstein sgoldste@mtholyoke.edu, and and/or Sarah Walden McGowan swaldenmcgowan@amherst.edu--you can email any or all of us)

• You can expect these responses from the ICG Code of Conduct Subcommittee:

  • The subcommittee will investigate and determine severity (severity of individual action, system of actions / repeat)
  • The ICG Code of Conduct Subcommittee will document action and protect confidentiality as much as possible. However, depending upon the type and severity of the incident, we may not be able to keep confidentiality (such as in cases where a threat was made or a situation that involved violence); the Code of Conduct Subcommittee will determine this on a case-by-case basis.
  • Depending on severity, the ICG Code of Conduct Subcommittee will decide on course of action. Actions may include asking/warning harassers to stop behavior or removing them from the setting in which they are harassing (which may be an in-person event or virtual meeting, a subcommittee, or the ICG as a whole). The subcommittee will investigate/discuss and bring to the ICG Steering Committee if needed (particularly in more egregious cases, when the response may include removing someone from the ICG).
  • In all cases, the subcommittee will work to ensure a timely process.
  • In all cases, the subcommittee will report back to the ICG Steering Committee each month with actions taken.

• The subcommittee will provide support for the victim and for any actions they may want to take beyond this complaint process (e.g. mediation, legal action, reporting at their institution or organization).

Sources

In creating this document, we were inspired by and made use of the Vox Product Team Code of Conduct, the DLF Code of Conduct, the DHSI Statement on Ethics and Inclusion, the Ansible Community Code of Conduct, the XFR Collective Code of Conduct, and the Recurse Center’s User’s Manual.