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The Institute of Museum and Library Services commissioned a recently published study from the Information Institute at Florida State University, Public Libraries and the Internet 2002: Internet Connectivity and Networked Services, (PDF) to evaluate the extent of Internet connectivity in U.S. public libraries. The results, gleaned from 1,100 respondents, indicate that almost all public libraries …
For librarians around the country, concerns about the Patriot Act and patron privacy rights have only increased in the wake of recent news about the administration’s proposed Patriot II legislative initiative. From Sunday’s Ohio Toledo Blade, this article, Libraries fear loss of privacy as FBI searches for terrorists, illustrates the conflicting positions at issue involving …
The February 2003 issue of D-Lib Magazine features five articles on providing expert, thorough and interactive research services to users through collaborative online technology applications.
Congress has approved a far reaching preservation program which will allow the Library of Congress to collect and provide access to a potentially vast database of digital content. The Librarian of Congress issued a press release on February 14 detailing the background and goals of this pioneering $99.8 million project, Preserving Our Digital Heritage: Plan …
Stuart Urwin has launched a new online service for librarians and information professionals that provides a fully searchable current awareness database of association meetings, exhibitions and trade shows, book fairs, and training courses. The site is called Library Events, and also offers a free monthly newsletter update.
The Center for Democracy and Technolgy (CDT) filed an amicus brief (PDF) in the Supreme Court on February 10 in the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) case, supporting the lower court decision (210 F. Supp 2d 401) overturning the requirement that federally funded libraries must filter Internet access to patrons. See also the library of …
To save printing costs of approximately $50,000, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney announced that the new state budget will be available in only one format, online. For those citizens with no access to the Internet, the governor’s office recommended using public library access.
Privacy and Security, A librarian’s dilemma, addresses the challenges faced by public librarians post 9/11 who are committed both to the country’s safety and security, as well as to their patron’s right to privacy. Law professor and library law expert Mary Minow states the issue succinctly: “How do we make sure we protect the privacy …
In a follow-up to my recent post on fraud in the library/school E-Rate fund, a preliminary investigation has now been launched, at the direction of House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman W.J. “Billy” Tauzin. Tauzin is a vocal critic of the program, and through his spokesman stated, “Schools are hooked up to the Internet …
Safeguarding Our Patrons’ Privacy: What Every Librarian Needs to Know about the USA PATRIOT Act & Related Anti-Terrorism Measures, videotape (120 minutes) and manual (27 pp.), published December 2002, are available for $35 from the Association of Research Libraries.
Project Gutenberg was established in 1971 as a volunteer effort to make important texts freely available in electronic form to readers around the world. To date, the collection comprises 6,267 e-books. See Any Text. Anytime. Anywhere. (Any Volunteers?) for background on this well known project and the challanges it faces.
Oral arguments on the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) case are scheduled for March 5. Solicitor General Ted Olson’s 55 page brief (PDF) in U.S. v. American Library Association (ALA) is now available here. Olsen argues that the lower court decision (210 F. Supp 2d 401) overturning the requirement that federally funded libraries must filter …
