Author archives

Federally Funded Databases Continue to Disappear

In Another Casualty (registration re’q), Margaret M. Jobe, Chair, Notable Documents Panel, American Library Association’s Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) reviews the federal databases and resources that have been removed from the public domain by the Bush Administration in the name of national security, as well as those that may be eliminated in the near …

Subjects: E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

Library and Bookseller Protection Act

S.1158, A bill to exempt bookstores and libraries from orders requiring the production of tangible things for foreign intelligence investigations, and to exempt libraries from counterintelligence access to certain records, ensuring that libraries and bookstores are subjected to the regular system of court-ordered warrants, was introduced on May 23 by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA).

Subjects: Legislation, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy

Proposed New EU Constitution

From UPI: “A proposed European constitution…calls for an elected president of Europe and a binding bill of rights, but at Britain’s insistence, it drops the notion of creating a federal “United States of Europe.” An edited version of the draft is available here. The full-text of the six documents (in pdf) are as follows: Preamble …

Subjects: EU Data Protection

Librarians in California Protest Patriot Act

SFGate.com reported on public protests against the Patriot Act by Palo Alto librarians. In addition to the librarians, the article states that the “police chief is supporting a resolution before the Cicty Council next week that would prohibit her department from aiding the FBI in Patriot Act searches, interviews or surveillance without evidence that a …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Patriot Act, Privacy

Electronic Initiatives in Federal and State Courts

The New York Times reports on the steadily growing implementation of technology applications in courtrooms around the country, including the use of PowerPoint presentations, video and audio conferencing, the Web, and flat-screen computer monitors. For related information, see the website of the Courtroom 21 Project, “which seeks to determine how technology can best improve all …

Subjects: Courts, Internet