NDSA Code of Conduct

NDSA is committed to providing a harassment-free experience for all participants in NDSA activities and events, regardless of age, culture, abilities, bodies, ethnic origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, nationality, race, religion, or socioeconomic status. NDSA welcomes participation from people all over the world from a wide range of social, cultural, and professional backgrounds. With that in mind, we are committed to inclusivity, free expression of ideas, and creating an experience in which participants feel welcome to learn and exchange ideas in an environment of mutual respect.

This Code of Conduct applies to all meetings, events, working groups, social events, online communication channels including social media, and other activities organized by or affiliated with NDSA, whether in person, online, or in a hybrid model.

Expectations of Attendees

We expect that participants will help to create a mutually respectful environment through the following suggested actions:

  • Participating in a constructive, considerate, and active way.
  • Refraining from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
  • Listening as much as you speak and remembering that colleagues may have expertise you are unaware of.
  • Encouraging and yielding the floor to those whose viewpoints may be under-represented in a group.
  • Giving credit where it is due.
  • Seeking concrete ways to make physical spaces and online resources more universally accessible.
  • Being mindful of your environment and your fellow participants.
  • Staying alert, as Active Bystanders, to the welfare of those around you.

Unacceptable Behavior

Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, retaliatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech and actions are unacceptable. This includes in online environments, at all related events, and in one-on-one communications carried out in the context of NDSA activities.

Examples of harassment include but are not limited to:

  • Sexist, racist, discriminatory, or exclusionary verbal or written comments.
  • Use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces including presentation slides.
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following.
  • Repeated misgendering or disregarding preferred pronouns.
  • Harassing photography or recording, including not respecting requests to not be photographed.
  • Sustained or repeated disruption of talks or other events.
  • Inappropriate or unwelcome physical contact and sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. All attendees are subject to this anti-harassment policy. Event organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund.

Reporting Code of Conduct Violations

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, there are several channels through which you may report Code of Conduct violations.

For in-person events, you may:

  • Speak with a member of NDSA leadership team or the DigiPres conference planning committee, identified by name badges and/or lanyards. Staff will assist by taking incident reports, providing escorts as needed, or otherwise helping those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event.
  • Report the incident over email to ndsa.digipres@gmail.com, if you prefer.

For online events and communications, including Interest Group or Working Group meetings, the NDSA Slack, or NDSA mailing lists, please use the method below that is most comfortable to you.

  • Reach out to the identified co-chair or appointed Code of Conduct monitor via private Zoom chat during the meeting.
  • Reach out to any of the group’s co-chairs after the meeting.
  • Report the Code of Conduct concern/violations to the designated NDSA representative as provided by the event coordinator/moderator.
  • Report the Code of Conduct concern/violations using the anonymous form. This form is received by members of NDSA Leadership, as well as designated Code of Conduct monitors for each event.
  • Report the Code of Conduct concern/violations to one or more people on the Leadership team.

For any report, please consider including the following information (as appropriate/as comfortable):

  • What happened, where, and when, including any supporting information you may have.
  • Who was involved.
  • What you would like to see happen, including follow-up from NDSA Leadership.
  • Your contact information.

References: BitCurator Consortium, DLF, iPRES, NISO Plus, Texas Conference on Digital Libraries