Thank you so much for helping us revise the Intellectual Freedom Manual. We have a few more Interpretations that we would like input on before we head to publication. During the IFC Spring Meeting, we revised two Interpretations; identified one additional concern that would have been extremely difficult to incorporate into existing documents; and drafted two new Interpretations to address these concerns.
The new Interpretations are:
“Importance of Education to Intellectual Freedom” PDF
“Minors and Internet Interactivity” PDF (revised from the 2009 Midwinter Meeting)
The proposed revisions are:
“Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks” PDF
“Labels and Rating Systems” PDF
Deletions are struck through (e.g., deletion); insertions are underlined (e.g., insertion).
The IFC plans to present these Interpretations to the Council for adoption at its third session during the 2009 Annual Conference in Chicago. The committee, therefore, would appreciate receiving any comments prior to conference, if possible, or, at the latest, prior to its third meeting at conference, which is on Tuesday, July 14, 1:30 to 4:00 p.m., in the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Comiskey.
Please send comments on these Interpretations prior to conference to Deborah Caldwell-Stone, ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (phone: 1-800-545-2433, ext. 4224; fax: 312-280-4227; e-mail: dstone@ala.org; please copy nperez@ala.org). Written comments also may be left at OIF’s table in the ALA Office Area in McCormick Place until noon on Tuesday, July 14.
Thank you for your time and assistance. The committee looks forward to hearing your comments on its suggested revisions and the new Interpretations.
Doug Archer
Chair, Intellectual Freedom Committee
Monday, June 29, 2009
Fiber to the Library
OITP releases “Fiber to the Library: How Public Libraries Can Benefit from Using Fiber Optics for their Broadband Internet”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) of the American Library Association (ALA) releases “Fiber to the Library: How Public Libraries Can Benefit from Using Fiber Optics for their Broadband Internet Connections,” which articulates the benefits of fiber optic technology for public libraries and strategies to obtain such fiber connectivity. An important goal of this policy brief is to help applicants include “fiber to the library” in their federal broadband stimulus funding proposals under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Authors John Windhausen, ALA Consultant, and Marijke Visser, ALA Policy Analyst, address some of the basic issues involved in obtaining a fiber connection. They find that the cost of installing a fiber connection is often more reasonable than is sometimes assumed, and the benefits of laying fiber include creating jobs and providing "future-proof" connectivity that could accommodate libraries' telecommunications needs for decades.
“The ALA encourages every library to explore a fiber-based solution to their broadband needs – especially now because of the opportunity afforded by the federal broadband stimulus funding,” said Carrie Lowe, Director of OITP’s Program on Networks.
“Broadband access to the Internet is enormously important to fulfilling the mission and role of libraries in the 21st century to serve the American public,” said Mary Alice Ball, Vice-chair of OITP’s Telecommunications Subcommittee. “People of all ages and backgrounds increasingly depend upon the local library’s public access computers and Internet access and support to search for jobs, take classes, complete homework assignments, obtain medical information, and receive government information and services.” Indeed, “public libraries, as community anchor institutions, are the pre-eminent public computing centers,” explained Dr. Ball.
“Unfortunately, the ability of local libraries to meet these community needs is in jeopardy because of the lack of adequate broadband capability,” said Bob Bocher, Chair of OITP’s Telecommunications Subcommittee. “And while there are a variety of broadband solutions, fiber optic technology is the best long-term investment that most libraries can make to help meet their bandwidth needs for decades into the future.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) of the American Library Association (ALA) releases “Fiber to the Library: How Public Libraries Can Benefit from Using Fiber Optics for their Broadband Internet Connections,” which articulates the benefits of fiber optic technology for public libraries and strategies to obtain such fiber connectivity. An important goal of this policy brief is to help applicants include “fiber to the library” in their federal broadband stimulus funding proposals under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
Authors John Windhausen, ALA Consultant, and Marijke Visser, ALA Policy Analyst, address some of the basic issues involved in obtaining a fiber connection. They find that the cost of installing a fiber connection is often more reasonable than is sometimes assumed, and the benefits of laying fiber include creating jobs and providing "future-proof" connectivity that could accommodate libraries' telecommunications needs for decades.
“The ALA encourages every library to explore a fiber-based solution to their broadband needs – especially now because of the opportunity afforded by the federal broadband stimulus funding,” said Carrie Lowe, Director of OITP’s Program on Networks.
“Broadband access to the Internet is enormously important to fulfilling the mission and role of libraries in the 21st century to serve the American public,” said Mary Alice Ball, Vice-chair of OITP’s Telecommunications Subcommittee. “People of all ages and backgrounds increasingly depend upon the local library’s public access computers and Internet access and support to search for jobs, take classes, complete homework assignments, obtain medical information, and receive government information and services.” Indeed, “public libraries, as community anchor institutions, are the pre-eminent public computing centers,” explained Dr. Ball.
“Unfortunately, the ability of local libraries to meet these community needs is in jeopardy because of the lack of adequate broadband capability,” said Bob Bocher, Chair of OITP’s Telecommunications Subcommittee. “And while there are a variety of broadband solutions, fiber optic technology is the best long-term investment that most libraries can make to help meet their bandwidth needs for decades into the future.”
Friday, June 26, 2009
Internet Filter Lawsuit Pending in WA Supreme Court
State court to hear NCRL Internet filter lawsuit
By Rachel Schleif
World staff writer
Posted June 22, 2009
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over whether an Internet filter at the North Central Regional Library System violates freedom of speech rights.
"Several libraries are really looking at it close and holding their breath," NCRL Director Dean Marney said. "The state librarian is going to be there. How many times does a library get to the Supreme Court level?"
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the regional library system in 2006 on behalf of three North Central Washington residents and a pro-gun organization who say the library’s Internet filter policy violated their state and federal freedom of speech rights.
The lawsuit was originally filed in federal court. A federal judge referred part of the case to the state Supreme Court, which will decide whether the policy is lawful under the state constitution, said ACLU spokesman Doug Honig.
Read the full story at http://tinyurl.com/lv7hew
By Rachel Schleif
World staff writer
Posted June 22, 2009
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over whether an Internet filter at the North Central Regional Library System violates freedom of speech rights.
"Several libraries are really looking at it close and holding their breath," NCRL Director Dean Marney said. "The state librarian is going to be there. How many times does a library get to the Supreme Court level?"
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the regional library system in 2006 on behalf of three North Central Washington residents and a pro-gun organization who say the library’s Internet filter policy violated their state and federal freedom of speech rights.
The lawsuit was originally filed in federal court. A federal judge referred part of the case to the state Supreme Court, which will decide whether the policy is lawful under the state constitution, said ACLU spokesman Doug Honig.
Read the full story at http://tinyurl.com/lv7hew
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
State Early Learning Councils
This post is following up on librarian participation in State Early Learning Councils. Health and Human Services released the funding notice for states to apply for funds last Friday (6/12/09) . Money will now be coming to set up these Councils and to fund activity, and libraries could be included in state submissions.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Getting ready for ALA Annual Meeting...
As always, activity on the ALA Council listservs begins to heat up as we all prepare to meet in Chicago next month. One of the projects undertaken by Janet Swan Hill is how best to arrange the ALA Current Reference File (CRF), which have always been kept in hard copy in a (series of?) binders. The plan is to make the digitized documents available online as well as perhaps on a CD or flashdrive for those needing frequent access. The CRF contains full text of policies that were not included in their entirety in the formal Policy Manual, as well as such items as Interpretations and the original Council Document that presented the policy.
Questions posed by the chair of the PMC regarding the future of the CRF include:
1) Is the current practice regarding content of the Manual still desirable
or necessary?
a) Should all policies, no matter how long be in the Manual?
b) If not, should there be a case-by-case decision made (and who should make it)? There are some pretty long policies in the Manual at present, with 6.4 (the Operating Agreement) probably being the longest.
c) Should Interpretations be included in the Manual?
d) If not, should Interpretations still be in the Current Reference File, or should they be in a separate file of "Interpretations of Policy"?
e) If all policies are in the Manual, and all Interpretations in a separate file of Interpretations, then the CRF contains primarily historical and background documents. (this isn't a question, it's just information)
f) Is there any rationale for having one version of the Manual available online, and another in the print Handbook, or should whatever decisions are made for the online version apply to the print version? (Depending on how many longer policies are currently not in the Manual, this could have cost implications)
2) Is there a better, more descriptive term for the Current Reference File (no matter what it contains)
3) How should people be referred to the CRF? (links from the website and online version of the Manual?)
4) Is there any need to restrict access to the CRF? (e.g. members only?)
Please let me know if you have thoughts about the CRF.
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