04 March 2009

Article about CIPA in Public Libraries and Schools

I found this article to be an interesting comparative study on how CIPA works and fails in public libraries and schools. The article raises several thought provoking questions as to why public libraries are given the same kinds of guidelines/treatments as school libraries, when the end users and missions can differ wildly.

I also found the research conducted on filtering issues to be particularly valuable, as well as the information about the number of libraries that are NOT CIPA compliant on purpose.

Here is the citation for the article:
Jaeger, P (2009).Information Technology and Libraries. 28, 6-14.

Happy Reading!

2009 Call for Conference Programs, Preconferences, Roundtables and Posters

Participate as a program presenter at the 2000 Arizona Library Association Annual Conference on December 7-9, 2009 at the Renaissance Glendale Hotel & Spa in Glendale.

Proposals for Conference Programs, Preconferences, Roundtable and Poster Sessions are now being accepted through Friday, April 24, 2009. Visit the conference website at http://www.azla.org/displayconvention.cfm to submit your proposal via the online form.

2008 Conference Theme – Libraries Lighting the Way
This theme emphasizes how libraries are like a beacon, illuminating access to information when times are dark and using innovative ways to remain a vital and relevant source for our users and communities.

We invite program proposals on all topics such as:
Leadership Issues
Collaborative Projects
Emerging Trends and Innovations
Stewardship
Intellectual Freedom, Privacy, and Equity of Access
Technology Application
Service
Literacy, Learning, and Reading
Marketing and Outreach

Back by popular demand - Roundtable Discussions!
Roundtable discussions were so popular we decided to make them a permanent part of the conference. Lead a 45-minute informal, small group discussion session on a hot library topic. Facilitators develop a topic, facilitate discussion, and ensure useful content for the attendees. The role of facilitators is to keep the group focused, encourage creative thinking, and keep everyone involved in the discussion. Facilitators initiate group discussion but do not present a program or prepared lecture on the topic. This type of program will give attendees the opportunity to network, share information, and solve common problems.

President's Program Award
The AzLA Program Committee will select the program that best embodies the conference theme, Libraries Lighting the Way. This program will earn the title President’s Program and will be highlighted in the conference program book and on the conference web page. The award recipient will be acknowledged before the keynote address and will receive a plaque.

If you have any questions about submitting a proposal, please contact Tracy Hokaj at Tracy_Hokaj@tempe.gov or Sarah Kaufman at sarah_kaufman@tempe.gov.

25 February 2009

Applications open for 2009 Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship, sponsored by Freedom to Read Foundation

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) has opened applications for the 2009 Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship, which will enable a library school student or new professional to attend ALA’s 2009 Annual Conference.

The scholarship’s goal is to advance two principles that Gordon Conable held dear: intellectual freedom and mentorship. The 2009 ALA Annual Conference will be held July 9–15 in Chicago.

It provides for conference registration, transportation, housing for six nights and six days per diem. In return, the recipient will be expected to attend various FTRF and other intellectual freedom meetings and programs at conference, consult with a mentor/board member and present a report about his or her experiences. The 2009 Conable Scholarship recipient also will attend the Freedom to Read Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Gala, scheduled for Sunday, July 12 at the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The deadline for submitting an application for the 2009 Conable Scholarship is Friday, March 20; the award will be announced in April.

Students currently enrolled in a library and information studies degree program and new professionals (those who have worked in librarianship for three years or less) are eligible to receive the Conable Scholarship. Those interested must submit an application that includes two references and an essay detailing their interest in intellectual freedom issues. Applicants also are asked to attach a résumé, particularly those who are working professionals. If the recipient is already registered for ALA’s Annual Conference, he or she will have the conference fee refunded.

To apply for the Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship, visit http://www.ftrf.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/oifprograms/ifawards/conablescholarship/Conablemain.cfm. For more information, please contact Jonathan Kelley at (800) 545-2433, ext. 4226 or jokelley@ala.org.

Gordon Conable was a California librarian and intellectual freedom champion who served several terms as president of the Freedom to Read Foundation. He was executive vice president for public libraries at Library Systems and Services (LSSI) in Riverside, Calif., and was responsible for management and performance of LSSI’s public library contracts, including the 30-branch Riverside County, Calif., system. He also served as director of the Monroe County (Mich.) Library System from 1988–1998. During his tenure there, he withstood an intense controversy over Madonna’s book “Sex.” Before that he was associate director of the Fort Vancouver Regional Library in Washington. For his efforts, Conable received the Freedom to Read Foundation Roll of Honor Award and the John Phillip Immroth Memorial Award for “intellectual freedom fighters.” In 1994 he was the first librarian recognized as Michigan’s Public Administrator of the Year.

Following his unexpected death in 2005, his wife and FTRF created the Conable Fund, which provides funding for the Conable Scholarship. To contribute to the Conable Fund, visit the Conable Fund page, contact the Freedom to Read Foundation at (800) 545-2433, ext. 4226 or e-mail ftrf@ala.org.

The Freedom to Read Foundation, a sister organization of the American Library Association, was founded in 1969 to promote and defend the right of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in libraries and elsewhere. FTRF fulfills its mission through the disbursement of grants to individuals and groups, primarily for the purpose of aiding them in litigation, and through direct participation in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press.

18 February 2009

School Library Journal- A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6632974.html

05 February 2009

ACLU Video on Internet Filtering

The ACLU released a short video about why they feel Internet filters are not acceptable when mandated by the government. There is also a mention of the true lack of effectiveness in Internet filtering.

03 February 2009

Google Executives Face Jail Time for Italian Video

The New York Times recently reported that an Italian advocacy group seeks to punish Google for a 2006 posted Google video depicting a child with Down's Syndrome being teased by other boys. The trial is set to begin today.

This case will have broad implications for how all content sharing websites will be used on the social web in the future, if these executives are convicted.

You can view the article in it's entirety here.

21 January 2009

Library files may still be at risk under Obama

Eric Holder, US Attorney General- designate, said that he supports renewing a section of the USA Patriot Act that allows FBI agents investigating international terrorism or espionage to seek records from businesses, libraries and bookstores. If not renewed by Congress, the provision will expire at the end of 2009.

To read the whole article, click here: