Library Juice 1:23 - July 15, 1998
Contents: 1. News stories appearing in the July 13 American Libraries Online 2. Religion and the Founding of the American Republic--LOC 3. Federal Trade Commission About Privacy 4. Best Places to Live in America 1998--_Money_ 5. For the Record 1997: The UN Human Rights System 6. Contents Pages From Law Reviews and Other Scholarly Journals 7. Conservative News Service--MRC 8. AFLIB-L - Listserv about African Libraries 9. African Journals Online (AJOL) 10. Contours - new journal on people of African descent worldwide 11. Bibliographies on Queer Theory for the beginner 12. Sustainable Development Timeline 13. Web Resources from Gary Price, George Washington University 14. Socially Responsible Careers - Jobs You Can Live With (new book) 15. June Issue of Electronic Green Journal analyzes anti-green web content 16. EPIC/PI Launch New Privacy Web Site: http://www.privacy.org 17. Call for essays - Women's and Gender Studies Literature in Libraries 18. Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography, version 19 19. THE ETHICS OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION IN THE 21st CENTURY (conference) 20. The MAI and libraries Quote of the week: "Never regard your study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs." -Albert Einstein _____________________________________________________________________________ 1. News stories appearing in the July 13 American Libraries Online <http://www.ala.org/alonline/> * Library of Congress, Smithsonian Plan Music Museum * 14,410 Letters Protest ALA Filtering Policy * New Library Postal Rate Will Reflect Modest Increase * Texas School District Unplugs Filter * Burst Pipe Douses University of Iowa Library * Republicans Discuss E-Rate with High-Tech Leaders * Gilreath Sentenced for LC Theft * Blame for Fiscal Woes Shifts from Director to Board * Morgan Library Gains Pierre Matisse Archives * Meeting Held on Boston Branch Vandalism * Getty Buys World's Most Expensive Book American Libraries' Web site also features the latest "Internet Librarian" columns by Karen Schneider; AL's "Career Leads" job ads; listings of conferences, continuing-education courses, exhibitions, and other events from AL's "Datebook"; and Tables of Contents for the current year. _____________________________________________________________________________ 2. Religion and the Founding of the American Republic--LOC http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/religion.html This magnificent companion site to a new US Library of Congress exhibit draws upon the holdings of the Library and other archives to illustrate the importance of religion in the founding and making of America during the 17th through 19th centuries. The site is divided into eight parts, including America as a Religious Refuge, Religion and the American Revolution, and Religion and the New Republic. Each section consists of background information and thumbnail images of manuscript fragments, portraits, book title pages, documents, or other artifacts. These images, which users can enlarge by clicking on the thumbnails, are contextualized by the accompanying detailed captions and bibliographical information. In addition to the over 200 images, the site contains a complete object list of the exhibition. [JS] The Scout Report: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. Federal Trade Commission About Privacy http://www.ftc.gov/privacy/ _Privacy Online: A Report to Congress_ http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy3/index.htm The US Federal Trade Commission provides this site, highlighted by the availability of its _Privacy Online: A Report to Congress_. This 43 page monograph "provides an assessment of the effectiveness of self-regulation as a means of protecting consumer privacy on the World Wide Web,... based on a comprehensive online survey of the information practices of commercial Web sites, including sites directed to children, conducted in March 1998; an examination of current industry guidelines governing information practices online; and the record developed in Commission hearings and workshops held since 1995." In addition, the site offers tips on how to protect personal information, transcripts of relevant congressional testimony, useful information about protecting your privacy while you "travel" the Net, and FTC pamphlets on consumer protection and privacy information, among other features. [JS] The Scout Report: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. Best Places to Live in America 1998--_Money_ http://pathfinder.com/money/bestplaces/ 1997 Rankings http://www.pathfinder.com/money/best-cities-97/index.html 1996 Rankings http://pathfinder.com/money/best-cities-96/index.htm _Money_ magazine has added a new wrinkle to its annual Best Places to Live rankings. The controversial, yet fascinating, rankings no longer provide one single list. Lists are now broken out by size within geographical area, ending the possibility for any one city to create billboards claiming itself the best place to live. In this way, the rankings hope to "narrow the scope and rank each place within its own region and population group," while also guaranteeing that no city can finish lower than 50th. Each city ranking is accompanied by a statistical snapshot, and there is an explanatory paragraph for the winners. The site also allows users to compare costs of living between any two cities and find the best city for them based on 63 factors in nine categories. Rankings for 1997 and 1996 are still available. [JS] The Scout Report: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 5. For the Record 1997: The UN Human Rights System http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord1997/ Produced by Human Rights Internet (HRI), this six volume report provides a country-by-country overview of human rights issues with links to relevant UN documents. The first volume includes an introduction, an appendix of UN bodies and mechanisms, a discussion of methodological and technical issues, and notes on major developments in the United Nations human rights system during 1997. The remaining volumes contain individual country reports, grouped by region. Each report contains links to treaties and reports to treaty bodies on a number of key topics. These include: Land and People; Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Civil and Political Rights; Discrimination against Women; and Rights of the Child. Additional resources at the site include an internal search engine. [MD] The Scout Report: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 6. Contents Pages From Law Reviews and Other Scholarly Journals--UT Tarleton Law Library http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/tallons/content_search.html The University of Texas at Austin's Tarleton Law Library provides this simple and powerful current awareness tool to help law researchers keep abreast of articles in the over 750 law reviews and scholarly publications Tarleton receives. The library posts tables of contents for journals it has received within the past three months. Journals are listed alphabetically and organized in very broad geographic terms (US and non-US). Simple keyword searching is available. TLL provides document delivery of requested articles for a fee. [JS] The Scout Report: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 7. Conservative News Service--MRC http://www.conservativenews.org/ Provided by the Media Resource Center, the Conservative News Service aims to give users an alternative to what it calls "a liberal bias in the American news media and a frequent, liberal double-standard in editorial decisions on what constitutes 'news'." It does this via a mix of short digest news articles and longer analytical articles in eight areas, including politics, economics, defense, religion, and culture. The X-Pert/Files/Links section contains links to conservative experts and their institutions in 45 subject areas. In addition, the site includes links to information about several conservative talk shows ("Radio Uplink") and several bulletin boards. CNS was created by MRC Chairman L. Brent Bozell III. [JS] The Scout Report: http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/scout/report/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 8. The AFLIB-L Listserv is about African Libraries. AFLIB-L is a new, lightly moderated, discussion list that aims to provide a forum for libraries in Africa and "encourage contact and communication between and among professionals on the continent." The Primary language will be English, but they soon hope to support French and Portuguese as well. Anticipated themes for discussion include professional problems and issues, the application of technology, and notices of major projects. To subscribe send email message to (leave subject line blank): listserv[at]statelib.pwv.gov.za In the body of the message type: subscribe AFLIB-L Yourrealfirstname Yousecondname For complete details on AFLIB-L, please contact the moderator at <Deonie[at]statelib.pwv.gov.za> Warmest Regards Arun Kumar Tripathi _____________________________________________________________________________ 9. African Journals Online (AJOL) INASP International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications presents AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) African Journals Online aims to promote the awareness and use of African-published journals in science, technology and medicine. It offers access to either the tables of contents or the full text of journals published since 1997. Tables of contents of seven journals in science and technology are available at the INASP site on: http://www.oneworld.org/inasp/ajol/ Expansion is planned and a further ten journals have been approached. Photocopies of articles appearing in the tables of contents may be purchased from INASP and profits from these will be remitted to the journal concerned. The full text of three medical journals is available as part of the Bioline service on: http://www.bdt.org.br/bioline/ Users of Bioline can subscribe to a journal or pay for the full text of individual articles. Prices are supplied by the publisher and all income is returned to the publisher. African Journals Online is managed by INASP and received initial funding from UNESCO. --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- From NetInLib-Announce: http://www.targetinform.com/netinlib/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 10. Contours - new journal on people of African descent worldwide Contours, a new, multidisciplinary journal exploring the experiences of people of African descent all over the world, invites submissions for its premier issues. Contours will publish refereed scholarly articles, fiction, poetry, and societal and cultural commentaries. The journal will publish scholarly articles from disciplines as diverse as sociology, political science, history, anthropology, and psychology; art, film, music, literary, and cultural criticism; and medicine and the health sciences. Suggested deadline for submissions is August 1, 1998; later submissions will be considered for Volume Two. Preferred language for submissions is English; however, we will accept manuscripts in any language. If a manuscript in a language other than English is accepted, a translation will be published. Contours will be published three times a year by Indiana University Press and is supported by the African and African-American Studies program and the history department at Duke University. To request a style sheet, inquire further, or to submit manuscripts (four copies), contact: Contours, Duke University, Box 90719, 121-N Carr Building, Durham, NC 27708, USA (919) 660-3197 fax: (919) 660-3198 e-mail: LLHORN[at]ACPUB.DUKE.EDU Book Reviews If you would like your recently published or forthcoming book to be considered for review in Contours, please have your publisher submit a review copy to: Professor Sheila Smith McKoy Book Review Editor, Contours English Department Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37235 USA -------------------- Lynda Horn, Assistant Editor, Contours llhorn[at]acpub.duke.edu _____________________________________________________________________________ 11. Bibliographies on Queer Theory for the beginner X-To: The Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Librarians Network <gay-libn[at]usc.edu> On Wed, 3 Jun 1998, Dion Smythe wrote: > I tired this on another discussion list but they were so busy have a > queer moment of fanniage and name-calling that the request sank with > only one response. However: if _you_ were asked for a beginner's > biblio on Queer Theory, what would _you_ recommend? > > I'm not after so much the full monty [ho ho] of the scholarly biblio, > but what people think is useful/accessible/a good read/provoking. > > Dion You might try looking at: Nordquist, Joan. Queer theory: a bibliography. Santa Cruz, CA: Reference and Research Services, 1997. (Social theory, no. 48) Here are some monos/collection that may help: Garber, Linda Lesbian identity poetics: judy Grahn, Pat Parker, and rise of queer theory. Foster, Thomas C.... The gay '90s: disciplinary and interdisciplinary formations in queer studies. Jagose, Annamarie. Queer theory: an introduction. Seidman, Steven. Queer theory: an introduction. More gender trouble: feminism meets queer theory. Sinfiled, Alan. Cultural politics, queer reading. Garber, Linda. Tilting the tower: lesbians, teaching, queer subjects. De Lauretis, Teresa. queer theory: lesbian and gay sexualities Al _____________________________________________________________________________ 12. Sustainable Development Timeline A new tool for understanding Sustainable Development. http://iisd.ca/timeline/ The Sustainable Development Timeline was prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, through the project "Spinning the Web", sponsored by the International Development Research Centre and IISD. Thanks Stacy Matwick Information for Sustainable Development Project International Institute for Sustainable Development 161 Portage Ave., E 6th floor Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3B 0Y4 Voice: (204)958-7755 Fax: (204)958-7710 E-mail: smatwick[at]iisd.ca WWW home page: http://iisd.ca A very old man once directed his gardener to plant a beautiful but slow growing tree. "Do you realize." said the gardener. "This tree won't bear fruit for decades?" "Why then," said the old man, "plant it right away, for there is no time to lose." --------------- From NetInLib-Announce. Details at: http://www.targetinform.com/netinlib/ _____________________________________________________________________________ 13. Web Resources from Gary Price, George Washington University Subject: Web Resources Update To: Multiple recipients of list COMLIB-L <COMLIB-L[at]LSV.UKY.EDU> Greetings from D.C. A quick message to alert all of you that the web compilations that I maintain continue to grow at a rapid pace. Please come by for a visit. Your invited to check in often as new links are added throughout the week. ------------------- ------------ Direct Search http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/direct.htm Numerous additions to all areas. Make special note of the "Government (U.S. State & City)" link. Several additions have been made to this collection as well. btw, this page can be contacted directly at: http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/state.htm Recent additions include: Internal Revenue Service-Exempt Organization Database Nuclear Explosion Database State of Washington Business Records New York Lobby Data Web Based Verb Conjugator Real-Time In Flight Airplane Tracking UNESCO Register of Development Activities ----------------------------- List of Lists Several new lists along with along with updating broken or outdated links. Also a new lower-level page has be created with links to major bestseller lists and new book lists. Other additions include: Forbes Richest People (Woldwide Billionaires) 100 Best Places to Work in IS (Computerworld) Connecticut Top 100 Delinquent Taxpayer Accounts 1998 Washington Post 200 Various WWW Rankings and Statistics (Internet World) ------------- Speech and Transcript Center http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/speech.htm Recent addtions include: Speeches from- Asian Development Bank Officials Prime Minsiter Tony Blair Speeches by senior central bankers from around the world _________________ cheers, gary Gary D. Price, MLIS George Washington University Virginia Campus Washington, D.C. and Ashburn, VA gprice[at]gwu.edu 703-729-8235 703-729-8237 (fax) _____________________________________________________________________________ 14. Socially Responsible Careers - Jobs You Can Live With (new book) Please feel free to repost this message or reprint it in an appropriate newsletter. Socially Responsible Careers. Jobs You Can Live With Reviewed by Fred Stoss (SUNY University at Buffalo) Jobs You Can Live With: Working at the Crossroads of Science, Technology, and Society Susan M. Higman, Ed. Student Pugwash USA 815 15th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 202/393-6555 202/393-6550 FAX spusa[at]spusa.org www.spusa.org/pugwash/ This is a directory of organizations working for a better world. The mission of Student Pugwash USA is to promote socially responsible applications of science and technology in the 21st century. Each entry is provide the standard point-of-contact information and a profile of the organization (including its mission statement, programs, and descriptions and requirements for available positions and internships. Additional chapters provide helpful hints for job searching, resume and cover letter preparation preparation, interviewing tips, and other relevant resources for locating sources of employment. Jobs You Can Live With is for students and young professionals who are in the midst of their academic studies or are just beginning their careers and want to start their lifes work by creating a more just, secure, and sustainable world. A tremendous resource for identifying internship opportunities. The environmental and natural resources are very well represented in this compendium. Thanks to a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this reference book can be ordered free of charge. _____________________________________________________________________________ 15. June Issue of Electronic Green Journal analyzes anti-green web content Please route this to other lists, newsletter editors, and others having an interest in the environment. The June 1998 issue of the Electronic Green Journal opens with a very profound editorial, Hot Air on the Web. It is an important description of the virulent anti-environmental rhetoric that is running rampant around the country, and describes some of the tactics being used to contort and confuse environmental issues to meet predetermined political and financial agendas. It can be accessed at: http://www.lib.uidaho.edu:70/docs/egj08/force1.html _____________________________________________________________________________ 16. EPIC/PI Launch New Privacy Web Site: http://www.privacy.org EPIC and Privacy International have launched The Privacy Page, a completely redesigned online privacy resource located at www.privacy.org. In addition to a regularly updated news archive on privacy issues, the site features links to privacy tools, privacy resources, international privacy sites, consumer information, kids and privacy, and the EPIC privacy bookstore. StraightScoop, another weekly feature, presents an opinionated summary of the main issues in the current online privacy debate. The Privacy Page is available at: http://www.privacy.org _____________________________________________________________________________ 17. Call for essays Women's and Gender Studies Literature in Libraries The Centre for Interdisciplinary Women's Studies (ZiF) at Humboldt University Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany) publishes twice a year a "Bulletin" with a certain theme in every volume. The proposed "Bulletin" for the summer semester 1999 will take a look at several aspects of literature about women's and gender studies in libraries and current standpoints in the information science concerning these questions. This is a wide field and both in theoretical and practical ways more developed in the US, Canada and Northern Europe than in Germany itself. There are also differences between America and Germany in the historical ways of institutionalization of women's studies which determined the ways how books are collected and stored. I've been running the information and documentation at ZiF as an information specialist for nine years. It is on the one hand connected with a Berlin wide Lesbians' and Women's Archives Network. On the other hand our office belongs to the library system of Humboldt University. Since we established a Curriculum for Gender Studies in October 1997 we are responsible for ordering literature for the university library reqired for women's and gender studies, too. This is the basis our questions about women's studies collections are rising from. For our proposed bulletin we are looking for essays about your experiences how to build up and develop women's/gender studies collections, how to integrate or specially locate them in a larger library system and how to evaluate them. (I've read the basic literature from - for example - Suzanne Hildenbrand, Sarah M. Pritchard, Susan E. Searing, Hur-Li Lee a.o. and of cource the proceedings of the last International Women's Conference on Information 1994 ("Women, Information, and the Future") with the very interesting experiences from Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands as well.) We are especially interested in theoretical frameworks about the special or integrated place of women's studies collections in libraries or large university library systems. We'd like to publish experiences about user interests to gender studies as an interdisciplinary access and about the evaluation of collections (conspectus, collection development policy statements - we don't yet have in Germany!). Your essays should be written in English (or German); they should be 3-20 pages long. Please send your articles, completed with some information about your vita by November 1, 1998 to: Dr. Karin Aleksander, Zentrum fuer interdisziplinaere Frauenforschung, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, Sitz: Sophienstr. 22 A, D-10099 Berlin. You could send it as an attachment to: karin=aleksander[at]rz.hu-berlin.de. Early submissions are very welcome. Unfortunately we can't pay for your article, but we will send you two copies of that "Bulletin". Sincerely, Karin Aleksander _____________________________________________________________________________ 18. Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography, version 19 Version 19 of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography is now available. This selective bibliography presents over 600 articles, books, electronic documents, and other sources that are useful in understanding scholarly electronic publishing efforts on the Internet and other networks. HTML: <URL:http://info.lib.uh.edu/sepb/sepb.html> Acrobat: <URL:http://info.lib.uh.edu/sepb/sepb.pdf> Word: <URL:http://info.lib.uh.edu/sepb/sepb.doc> The HTML document is designed for interactive use. Each major section is a separate file. There are live links to sources available on the Internet. It can be can be searched, and it includes a collection of links to related Web sites that deal with scholarly electronic publishing issues. The Acrobat and Word files are designed for printing. Each file is over 190 KB. (Revised sections in this version are marked with an asterisk.) Table of Contents 1 Economic Issues* 2 Electronic Books and Texts 2.1 Case Studies and History* 2.2 General Works 2.3 Library Issues 3 Electronic Serials 3.1 Case Studies and History 3.2 Critiques 3.3 Electronic Distribution of Printed Journals* 3.4 General Works* 3.5 Library Issues* 3.6 Research 4 General Works 5 Legal Issues 5.1 Intellectual Property Rights* 5.2 License Agreements* 5.3 Other Legal Issues 6 Library Issues 6.1 Cataloging, Classification, and Metadata 6.2 Digital Libraries* 6.3 General Works* 6.4 Information Conversion, Integrity, and Preservation* 7 New Publishing Models 8 Publisher Issues 8.1 Electronic Commerce/Copyright Systems* Appendix A. Related Bibliographies by the Same Author Appendix B. About the Author Best Regards, Charles Charles W. Bailey, Jr., Assistant Dean for Systems, University Libraries, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2091. E-mail: cbailey[at]uh.edu. Voice: (713) 743-9804. Fax: (713) 743-9811. <URL:http://info.lib.uh.edu/cwb/bailey.htm> <URL:http://info.lib.uh.edu/sepb/sepb.html> _____________________________________________________________________________ 19. THE ETHICS OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION IN THE 21st CENTURY (conference) Subject: The Ethics of electronic Information To: IFLA-L[at]INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA **** EXTENDED CALL FOR PAPERS **** THE ETHICS OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION IN THE 21st CENTURY Fogelman Executive Center, The University of Memphis September 24-27, 1998 Sponsored by: The University of Memphis Libraries and The University of Tennessee - Memphis Health Sciences Library and Biocommunications Center URL for EEI21 - Memphis - 1997: http://www.memphis.edu/ethics21/index.html The proceedings for EEI21 - Memphis - 1997 will be published by Purdue University Press in Summer, 1998. See also http://www.memphis.edu/ispages/technology/oct97/ SYMPOSIUM VENUE Fogelman Executive Center, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, U.S.A. http://www.people.memphis.edu/~operations/fec_list.htmlx Additional Memphis Web Site: http://www.memphistravel.com CALL FOR PAPERS The Symposium Executive Organizing Committee seeks original research and application oriented papers and presentations from scholars and practitioners engaged in a broad array of subject areas and academic disciplines, and which address ethical issues attendant to the proliferation of electronic information and information technology. The deadline for receipt of proposals is July 24, 1998. The following guidelines should be observed in the preparation and submission of proposals: 1. The proposal should be an abstract of your paper which is at least 500 words in length. 2. The heading should include the title of your paper, followed by the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s), and the name, address, FAX number, and e-mail address of the author who will present the paper at the Symposium. 3. Acceptance will be at the discretion of the Review Committee. The Committee anticipates acceptance of approximately 15 to 18 papers for presentation at the symposium. The presenting author will be notified of the Committee decision no later than two weeks after receipt of the proposal. 4. Upon acceptance of proposals, authors are required to forward by September 4, 1998, a copy of their papers as a MS Word 6.0 file. The text, format, and citations of all papers must follow _The Chicago Manual of Style_. 5. PROPOSALS SHOULD BE SENT BY July 24, 1998 TO: Dr. Lester J. Pourciau Director of Libraries and Chairman Executive Organizing Committee, EEI21 - Memphis McWherter Library 203 The University of Memphis Campus Box 526500 Memphis, TN 38152-6500 Email: pourciau[at]memphis.edu CONTACT FOR GENERAL INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE: Mr. Tom Mendina Assistant to the Director The University of Memphis Libraries Phone: 901/678-4310 FAX: 901/678-8218 Email: tmendina[at]memphis.edu _____________________________________________________________________________ 20. The MAI and libraries Subject: The MAI and libraries To: IFLA-L[at]INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CA Dear list members, The following document was prepared for the British Columbia Library Association Information Policy Committee and distributed at the annual Canadian Library Association conference in June 1998. Because the MAI would affect libraries around the world, we are forwarding this document to the IFLA list. Written primarily for a Canadian audience, many of the points should nevertheless be relevant elsewhere. We hope that you will find it both informative and useful. Please feel free to distribute widely. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WHAT WILL THE MAI DO FOR LIBRARIES? Absolutely nothing! Read on for more information..... WHAT IS THE MAI? The MAI, or Multilateral Agreement on Investment, is a treaty being negotiated by the OECD countries to facilitate the flow of capital across borders and around the world. Paving the way for the "global economy", the MAI proposes to create a "level playing field" for investors by drawing up investment guidelines and by standardizing the treatment of foreign investment globally. Unfortunately, this treaty would be devastating for the citizens of the signatory countries. All sectors of society would be affected including labour, the environment, health care, education and culture, as capital finds itself free to flow everywhere, even into areas that are now considered public. Often referred to as "NAFTA on steroids", the MAI is a similar type of treaty, but one that goes well beyond NAFTA in granting multinational corporations incredible powers, most notably by preventing governments from creating new laws, and enabling corporations to take governments to court for trying to enforce existing laws, should these laws (new or existing) conflict with the articles of the MAI. Sound incredible? But it's true. The MAI would affect countries all over the world, starting with the OECD member states, and working its way into the developing world. All sectors of society would be affected. Contrary to popular belief, a belief encouraged somewhat by mainstream media's reporting on the issue, the MAI is not dead. It is very much alive, just resting. WOULD LIBRARIES BE AFFECTED BY THE MAI? Yes. Public libraries could disappear altogether. HOW? Under the MAI's "national treatment" clause, foreign corporations have the right to the same treatment as national companies. They must not be discriminated against and must receive the same perks as nationals. Because libraries receive subsidies from the government, and because subsidies fall within shooting range of the MAI, libraries could find themselves in jeopardy. Consider the following scenario: A foreign "information services" company enters (in this case) Canada and sets up operation. The company defines its services as similar to those offered by libraries here in Canada. It then demands equal treatment with Canadian libraries under the articles of the MAI. Equal treatment would include government subsidies, and the government would then be faced with the following options in response to this demand: 1. Subsidize the information services companies to the same degree as libraries. 2. Decrease subsidies to libraries, and then extend this decreased level of assistance to the foreign corporations as well. 3. Cut funding to libraries altogether and thereby avoid subsidizing every information services company that enters Canada. Option #3 is the government's most probable choice, or, less likely, option #2. Libraries are already struggling under current funding levels. The worst case scenario could be a complete closure of public libraries due to lack of funds. Another possibility is that they would take the initiative and start their own fund-raising, including fee-for-service schemes, a trend that has already found roots in some library systems in Canada. The end result would be reduced service to the public. Potentially, they could lose access through libraries and have to pay the information services companies for the information they need, or, should libraries survive, the public would be required to pay them for services that were once free. Libraries would be in competition with corporations and information would become a commodity in the marketplace. At the moment, there is some assurance of equitable access to information for all citizens. If the above scenario were to play itself out, information access could be restricted to all but the richest in our society. Education and health care have been pin-pointed as potential casualties under the MAI. Consider the possibility of privatized education - schools and post secondary institutions vying for paying "customers". How will academic libraries fare? We could see the day when academic libraries will serve only those who can prove they've paid the price of admission. How about cooperation between libraries? Will interlibrary loan become a thing of the past? OTHER POTENTIAL THREATS Copyright legislation could come under fire. Specifically, the fair dealings clause, which allows library users to make a copy of a part of a work for personal use only. A corporation (such as a publisher) could easily see such copying as an interference in their ability to make a profit and could challenge it at an international tribunal at the World Trade Organization. Under the MAI's "expropriation" clause, which states that any obstruction of a corporation's ability to make a profit is challengeable, they could be successful at such a bid. Another concern stems from the MAI's lack of performance requirements for multinational corporations. At the moment, Canadian libraries are required to use Canadian distributors to acquire their materials. Given the above scenario, where information services companies could be competing with libraries, the foreign corporations would not be required to use local distributors, buy local materials, or support local authors. Clearly, the collections in Canadian libraries could suffer, to say nothing of the book trade and the health of our literary communities. One dominant culture could emerge around the world. The scenarios presented here could play themselves out the world over, differing in the details but having the same overall effect: a reduction in the quality of life of the general population and the health and vitality of the society, all in the name of the global corporation's right to make a profit. WHAT YOU CAN DO TO VOICE YOUR CONCERN To date, there has been no public input. The British Columbia government has openly opposed the MAI and will be holding public hearings in the fall of 1998. - Concerned citizens are welcome to submit briefs stating their concerns. - If you are not a resident of BC, write your provincial government, demanding similar hearings in your province. Provinces that have spoken out against the MAI include: PEI, British Columbia, the Yukon and Saskatchewan. - On the federal level, voice your opposition to the treaty by contacting the Honourable Sergio Marchi, Minister for International Trade: fax: (613) 947-4452; email: Marchi.S[at]parl.gc.ca and the Office of the Prime Minister: fax: (613) 941-6900 or send an email through the following website: http://pm.gc.ca/mail_room/contact_pm/index.html-ssi Finally, stay informed on the issues of globalization and the MAI. Spread the word and educate others. Knowledge and public outcry are the world's best weapons against this treaty and others like it. The following websites contain up-to-date information on the MAI, including the draft text of the actual agreement: http://www.canadians.org/mai.html and http://www.policyalternatives.ca/maiindex.html In April 1998, the British Columbia Library Association added its voice to the growing number of organizations opposed to the treaty. We invite you to take this information back to your home province and petition your own association to take similar action. BCLA Information Policy Committee prepared by Fiona Hunt June, 1998 _________________________________________ Fiona Hunt, MLIS fionah[at]unixg.ubc.ca *********************************************************************** * IFLA-L is provided by the International Federation of Library * * Associations and Institutions (IFLA). For further information about * * IFLA activities, including organization or personal affiliate * * information, contact: IFLA[at]ifla.org * * * * URL: www.ifla.org * *********************************************************************** ______________________________________________________________________________
Web Page created by Text2Web v1.3.6 by Dev Virdi
http://www.virdi.demon.co.uk/
Date: Thursday, October 29, 1998 12:08 PM