In a blog post on if:Book titled the myth of universal knowledge 2: hyper-nodes and one-way flows, Ben Vershbow reports on a set of interesting discussions about international information flows, … Read more if:Book on the “trade imbalance” in international information flows…
This month is the 40th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act, which sets up the process by which the public can get access to unpublished government information. The National … Read more 40th Anniversary of FOIA
Libraries in the UK have been in a state of crisis for the last decade or more far beyond the degree of troubles we’ve seen in the U.S. Library use … Read more The “Love Libraries” campaign (UK)
Washington State recently passed a law against internet gambling that contains a provision banning speech that “aids and abets” the gambling industry it defines as illegal. As it is explained … Read more Censorship via Washington State Anti-Gambling Law
Susan Maret has an article in the latest issue of Progressive Librarian titled Formats are a Tool for the Quest for Truth: HURIDOCS Human Rights Materials for Library and Human … Read more HURIDOCS
Students of media consolidation and market censorship are well aware of the importance of small, independent and alternative publishers in providing balanced viewpoints in libraries. In our practice as librarians … Read more Resources for the Alternative Press
SRRT Statement to ALA Council, 6/28/06 The Action Council of the Social Responsibilities Round Table made the decision that we could not leave New Orleans without issuing a statement bearing … Read more SRRT Statement on New Orleans
ALA Annual 2006 Report to SRRT By SRRT Councilor Al Kagan Having our meeting in New Orleans after Katrina was strange, sad, and even heartbreaking for those who saw the … Read more Al Kagan’s Council Report to SRRT
Librarian Karen Coyle (who has so often been excellent on tech and privacy issues) has an article online, with lots of good pictures, titled, Proud to Swim Home: NOLA after … Read more Proud to Swim Home: NOLA after Katrina
Can History be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the Past, by Roy Rosenzweig, originally published in The Journal of American History Volume 93, Number 1 (June, 2006): 117-46, … Read more Can History be Open Source? Wikipedia and the Future of the Past
The New Orleans Times Picayune published an article on Sunday about Madeleine Albright’s appearance at the ALA Conference. The article was focused on Albright’s comments about the Cuban “independent librarians,” … Read more Ann Sparanese’s letter to the Times-Picayune
Interesting post in if:Book, about the new book coming out in France, Quand Google d?ɬ©fie l’Europe : plaidoyer pour un sursaut, by Jean-No?ɬ´l Jeanneney. Jeanneny, who is the director of … Read more if:Book – Google and the myth of universal knowledge: a view from Europe
Here is an article in Salon by novelist Susan Straight, reflecting on the situation in New Orleans after her appearance at the conference. I think most of us who were … Read more Flooded and Forgotten
Councilor James Casey prepares a nice report after each conference and shares it publicly. Here is his report on ALA Annual 2006: AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING – New Orleans … Read more Jim Casey’s notes on ALA Annual 2006
Over the next few days I’ll be reporting on aspects of the ALA Conference that just took place in New Orleans, and talking about some of the things that ALA … Read more Conference reports coming up
The school board in Miami, Florida just voted to remove a book from the school’s library – “Vamos a Cuba / A Visit to Cuba” – because they consider it … Read more Ironic Dade County
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an informative article on Jo Ann Pinder’s firing.
On this day we celebrate the Barnette decision. West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on flag day, 1943, … Read more Happy Flag Day
Jo Ann Pinder, a completely mainstream librarian and longtime head of the Gwinnett County, Georgia, library system, was recently fired from her job by the library board, with no explanation … Read more Conservative campaign forces Georgia librarian from post
The Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards were announced in late April of this year. The award is described thusly: “The Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards are given annually to the … Read more Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards