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From this AP article: “The nation’s librarians, set back by a Supreme Court ruling upholding requirements for Internet filters to block p*****graphy, plan to step up pressure on software vendors to disclose more about how their products work.” Related articles worth a look: Questions and Answers on Web Filtering and this EFF webpage on Examples …
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Online Policy Group (OPG) yesterday announced the release of their joint report, Internet Blocking in Public Schools, A Study on Internet Access in Educational Institutions. “The study found that blocking software overblocked state-mandated curriculum topics extensively — for every web page correctly blocked as advertised, one or more …
American Libraries Online has an interesting article on AG Ashcroft’s June 19 presentation at the Aspen Institute Journalism and Homeland Security conference. Ashcroft is quoted as stating the following: “The Patriot Act simply does not allow federal law enforcement free or unfettered access to local libraries, bookstores, or other businesses…We need the help of the …
Library: An Unquiet History, by Matthew Battles. See the review in Newsday: “The charm of Battles’ book lies in its historical sweep and its appreciation for the browser’s delight. Cicero to Swift, Bacon to Borges – this is a book full of breezy learnedness. An earnest and passionate bibliophile, Battles traces the varied forms of …
In a 6 to 3 decision (56 pages, pdf) released today in United States v. American Library Association (02-361), the Supreme Court ruled that the Children’s Internet Protection Act does not violate the First Amendment, and Congress can thereby require the use of Internet filters by public libraries receiving federal funds. See also: My related …
National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program: An Interview with Laura Campbell, Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives Library of Congress. From the ariticle editors: “In January Congress approved the Library of Congress’s Plan for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), which will enable the Library to launch the initial phase of building …
Copyright and licensing for digital preservation. “Libraries cannot preserve digital material they do not own. Adrienne Muir describes a new project to identify copyright and licensing issues that currently hinder digital preservation and looks at whether new legislation (UK) will help.”
Steven D. Hinckley, Associate Dean for Library and Information Technology & Professor of Law, University of South Carolina, authored, Your Money or Your Speech: The Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Congressional Assault on the First Amendment in Public Libraries, in the Washington University Law Quarterly, vol. 80, No. 4, Winter 2002 (via The …
From ALAWON, the American Library Association Washington Office Newsline: “On June 11th, Representatives Joseph M. Hoeffel (PA-D), Sam Farr (CA-D), and House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (MI-D) announced their joint sponsorship of H.R. 2429, the Surveillance Oversight and Disclosure Act. This bill would require greater reporting by the Justice Department on USA PATRIOT Act activities, …
From the June 13 USGPO news release: “With nearly a quarter of a million titles available online and free of charge, and with public retrievals exceeding 32 million every month, GPO Access (www.gpoaccess.gov), a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), has become one of the principal tools for providing public access to official …
According to this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the National Library of Medicine has created and published freely available standards, called the Journal Archiving and Interchange Document Type Definition (DTD), for the uniform digital publication and distribution of journal content.
Via postings today on Law-Lib, the first from Judith C. Russell, the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, this important information on the status of the bookstores across the country, and the second from Marian Storck, Legal Information Specialist, U.S. Attorneys Office: “Essentially, the bookstore closures result from an overall decline in sales due …
