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According to this article in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, branch libraries in Santa Cruz County have posted signs (as well as an online statement) warning patrons that “Although the Santa Cruz Library makes every effort to protect your privacy, under the federal USA PATRIOT ACT (Public Law 107-56), records of the books and other materials …
Spurred on by an October 22, 2002 letter from the Vermont Library Association, Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) introduced a new bill on March 6, the Freedom to Read Protection Act, to exempt libraries and bookstores from Section 215 of the Patriot Act. He did so with a bi-partisan coalition of 24 co-sponsors. Section 215 is …
From the New York Times, Computers in Libraries Make Moral Judgments, Selectively, is a commentary by Geoffrey Nunberg who was an expert witness for the American Library Association in their case challenging the constitutionality of the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
Below are links with details about Wednesday’s arguments by Solicitor General Theodore Olson and Paul Smith, for the American Library Association, in United States v. American Library Association, 02-361. Start here, with Shelf-Censorship, an opinion piece that includes useful links and an important perspective on the key issues of the case, and then move on …
From the USAToday, this Op-Ed, Library restrictions borrow from colonial-era abuses is worth a read. And an opposing view from another Op-Ed in the same paper: Congressman Pickering on Children’s Internet Protection Act.
On March 5, the government will argue before the Supreme Court that the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) should be applied and that federally funded libraries must filter Internet access to patrons. See my previous posting on this case here, as well as recent topical articles from the USAToday, Case tests Congress’ ability to make …
Via Digital Libraries, news about a new blog, VIP2, “for librarians, visually impaired individuals, and others interested in talking about digital books, talking books, digital audiobooks, library services for the visually impaired, and other issues of interest.”
From the New York Times, Online Library Wants It All, Every Book: “The directors of the new Alexandria Library, which christened a steel and glass structure with 250,000 books in October, have joined forces with an American artist and software engineers in an ambitious effort to make virtually all of the world’s books available at …
A new bill introduced in the Oregon Senate on February 25, Senate Bill 656, “Directs public libraries to install filtering software on computer terminals that provide access to Internet in children’s areas or near children’s areas.”
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) released a report yesterday, highly critical of the FBI, that identified serious problems impacting the FISA process: FBI Oversight in the 107th Congress by the Senate Judiciary Committee: FISA Implementation Failures – An Interim Report. Senators Release Committee Report on FISA Implementation Failures and …
From FindLaw’s Writ: If the Supreme Court Holds That Public Libraries Cannot Require Software Filters, Are There Other Ways to Protect Children on the Web? Oral arguments in this case are scheduled to begin on March 5. Also, see the American Library Association CIPA web site.
This commentary from the Lakeland, Florida Ledger clearly states the ramifications of cost-cutting plans by the state’s governor which will result in dismanteling a unique and valuable historical library collection developed over the course of 157 years. There is an effort underway to petition the legislature via collecting digital signatures to block implementation of the …
