Wikipedia Scanner
One nice thing about true open source software, especially when it’s running a huge website like Wikipedia, is that creative programmers can make useful add-ons to it. Wired Magazine (which … Read more Wikipedia Scanner
Category: Information Ethics
American Library Association statements re: the “War on Terror”
Elaine Harger, outgoing coordinator of the ALA Social Responsibilities Round Table, compiled a list of resolutions by ALA Council on the War on Terror, for distribution to congressional offices on … Read more American Library Association statements re: the “War on Terror”
Israeli authorities planning to destroy a Palestinian library in Jerusalem
This isn’t an analysis of a military action after the fact, as with last July’s reports of the destruction of a public documents archive in Nablus. What is happening now … Read more Israeli authorities planning to destroy a Palestinian library in Jerusalem
Steven Bell tough on LIS discourse in Inside Higher Ed
Steven Bell has an article in the current Inside Higher Ed, entitled, “Good at Reviewing Books But Not Each Other,” about the major disfunctionality in LIS discourse: our excessive “niceness” … Read more Steven Bell tough on LIS discourse in Inside Higher Ed
Guantanamo secrecy through plea-bargains
Another example of the Bush Administration’s information evil. Marjorie Heins has some commentary on the Free Expression Policy Project’s website about Guantanamo prisoners’ recantations of abuse charges in exchange for … Read more Guantanamo secrecy through plea-bargains
Postal Rate Hike would hurt independent publishers
Media critic and theorist Robert McChesney is spearheading the campaign against the postal rate hike, which has Time Warner and other major magazine publishers’ money behind it. This is from … Read more Postal Rate Hike would hurt independent publishers
Al Kagan, letter to IFLA Journal on Freedom of the Press, Social Responsibility and the Danish Cartoons
From Al Kagan: One of my colleagues here has encouraged me to distribute this letter more widely, so here it is. It appears in the latest issue of the IFLA … Read more Al Kagan, letter to IFLA Journal on Freedom of the Press, Social Responsibility and the Danish Cartoons
Frankentoons back online
For several years I hosted Joel Kahn’s “Frankentoons,” a fun fair-use protest site, on Libr.org, and took it down due to a change in my hosting situation. I just received … Read more Frankentoons back online
Fighting the Bush Doctrine of Disinformation is a Librarian’s Mandate
I urge everybody to read Kathleen de la Peña McCook’s post on her main blog, Fighting the Bush Doctrine of Disinformation is a Librarian’s Mandate. She hits the nail on … Read more Fighting the Bush Doctrine of Disinformation is a Librarian’s Mandate
White House using private email to avoid the accountability of a public paper trail
This is so f-ing typical of the Bush Administration… White House staffers are using private internet domains for much of their work by email in order to avoid the accountability … Read more White House using private email to avoid the accountability of a public paper trail
140,000 National Security Letters
The justice department has been abusing a provision in the PATRIOT Act allowing them to issue “national security letters” to obtain information on citizens (140,000 so far) without a court … Read more 140,000 National Security Letters
Library and non-library issues
I am going to take another stab at outlining my views on “library and non-library issues.” Last time I did it I was sloppy in the way that I stated … Read more Library and non-library issues
The hidden story behind CPUSA’s donation of its archives to NYU
The Communist Party of the United States is presently in the news for donating its archive to the Tamiment Library at NYU. As many are aware, this archive was part … Read more The hidden story behind CPUSA’s donation of its archives to NYU
The Presidential Records Act of 2007
The Presidential Records Act of 2007 is a bill presently in Congress that would overturn Bush’s Presidential Order 13233 of 2001, which was one of many outrageous secrecy measures of … Read more The Presidential Records Act of 2007
Alternative Media Task Force
At the ALA Midwinter in Seattle, two SRRT task forces were combined into one. The Alternatives In Print Task Force was one of SRRT’s original task forces, and has consistently … Read more Alternative Media Task Force
Bushsecrecy.org
Just a link to a handy website, brought to you by Public Citizen, guiding you through all the ins and outs of one of the Bush Administration’s clearest and strongest … Read more Bushsecrecy.org
John Rendon – the Goebbels of our era
My friend John Gehner just told me about this watershed piece of investigative reporting by James Bamford, an article from Rolling Stone that won the 2006 National Magazine Award in … Read more John Rendon – the Goebbels of our era
Urgent message from LoC Professional Guild
Dear Friend of the Library of Congress, We are sending you this message because the Library of Congress Professional Guild, AFSCME Local 2910, needs your help. For over thirty years … Read more Urgent message from LoC Professional Guild
Dick Cheney’s stealth operation
Here’s a little detail about the present government that everybody should know. The Office of the Vice President, along with all executive branch offices, is required to submit a list … Read more Dick Cheney’s stealth operation
9th Circuit rejects Kahle vs. Gonzales, AAP PR
Just briefly mentioning two important things that I have neglected to follow here. 1). The 9th Circuit Court’s rejection of Brewster Kahle’s constitutional challenge to copyright laws that prevent people … Read more 9th Circuit rejects Kahle vs. Gonzales, AAP PR