Library Juice 2:17 - Library Juice is now a book and a blog

Library Juice 2:17 - April 28 Contents: 1. Librarian.net 2. Intellectual Freedom Action News on the web 3. Dr. Laura Schlesinger Hates the ALA 4. NY Times Article on preserving digital resources 5. Internet Library of Law and Court Decisions 6. Price's List of Lists 7. ALiNUS - Academic Library Newsletters 8. Open Directory Project news 9. Researchbuzz 10. Reference sites for Drugs, Pharmeceutical and Pharmacy info 11. NLM LocatorPlus 12. Address Directory - Politicians of the World 13. Help Save or Restore Pacifica Radio's Archives 14. NCLIS Adopts Principles for Public Library Service 15. Letter Concerning Columbine High School Library 16. 1,000 Jokes from the Prairie Home Companion 4th Annual Joke Show Quote for the week: "I guess that what keeps me in librarianship, even though it has at times been extremely frustrating and even perilous, is a sort of compulsion to share, particularly ideas and information. That accounts for the kind of networking activity which I confess transcends just library colleagues and spills over into the local and even national community. On discovering a piece of solid information that I suspect would interest, say, a small press person or somebody in a particular movement group, or a "new word" collector, I simply find myself unable to suppress the instinct, the impulse, to get it to that person. So this compulsion results in a kind of pro-active, selective dissemination of information, except some would claim that maybe it's not so selective." Sanford Berman, interviewed by Jim Dwyer for _Technicalities_, v.6, n.11 (Nov. 1986), p.13. Reprinted in Sanford Berman, _Worth Noting_, 1988, Jefferson, NC, McFarland. _________________________________________________________________________ 1. Librarian.net Jessamyn West has long been an excellent resource for what's new on the web. Now she has set up a website specifically for librarians who want to keep track of what's new in our mother country, Libraryland. The URLs point to resources for librarians to use as well as to articles and fun stuff that librarians in particular can appreciate. There's currently something new every day or so. Look for this site to develop over the coming months unpredictable ways and become a favorite bookmark. In case you didn't guess the URL, it's http://librarian.net _________________________________________________________________________ 2. Intellectual Freedom Action News on the web IFAN (Intellectual Freedom Action News), from February 1997 to March/April 1999, is available through the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) Web site at http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/ifan_pub.html _________________________________________________________________________ 3. Dr. Laura Schlesinger Hates the ALA Dr. Laura Schlesinger, the bitter, mean radio TV psychotherapist, is attacking ALA for its stand on intellectual freedom, in particular for poisoning our Nation's children with unfiltered internet access. You can see what she says at her website: http://wwww.drlaura.com and going to the monologe or letters sections of her site. She describes some pretty kinky sexual situations in describing the dangers of browsing from ALA's website! On the air she said something to the effect that people should stop going to libraries and go to bookstores instead. A caller objected that bookstores were expensive. Dr. Laura said "They have sales sometimes." "Saturday Night Live" may have gone downhill, but lately they've been doing a ripping Dr. Laura - you might want to catch it if you've heard her show. Dr. Laura made the news not long ago because of some lawsuit over nude photos of her on the internet; pictures from when she was young and foolish (I am told). _________________________________________________________________________ 4. NY Times Article on preserving digital resources <http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/circuits/articles/08arch.html>http:// www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/circuits/articles/08arch.html _________________________________________________________________________ 5. Internet Library of Law and Court Decisions http://www.phillipsnizer.com/internetlib.htm Maintained by Martin H. Samson, a partner at Phillips Nizer Benjamin Krim & Ballon LLP, this site offers summaries of Internet-related court decisions. Brief synopses, organized by topic (Copyright, Domain Name, First Amendment, Spamming, etc.), are available for each decision, with links to a more extensive summary with analysis, quotes, and the full text, where available. The site also offers a keyword search engine, but be sure to select Internet Library in the pull-down menu. Users can subscribe for email notification of new additions. [MD] >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _________________________________________________________________________ 6. Price's List of Lists http://gwis2.circ.gwu.edu/~gprice/direct.htm A collection of countless links to myriad resources covering a vast range of topics, all having subsidiary links. Broad topics include: archives and major library catalogs; bibliographies and bibliographic aids; books; business and economics; (full text); government (U.S. and foreign); government (U.S. state and city); humanities; legal; news sources and serials; ready reference; science; social sciences; subject specific. There is also direct access to nine advanced search interfaces. While the subheadings under the broad topics are arranged alphabetically, the recent additions are listed in random order. It's not possible to come even remotely close to listing all of the links. It's worth exploring. A word of warning: I've found a couple of links that are no longer available. Submitted by: Bill Bader billb[at]library.stpaul.lib.mn.us From: ResPool - http://members.tripod.com/~rtiess/respool.htm _________________________________________________________________________ 7. ALiNUS - Academic Library Newsletters http://libaxp.hartford.edu/llr/alinusin.htm Hosted by the University of Hartford Library, ALiNUS is a gateway to over 300 online newsletters from academic libraries. Designed to foster communication among academic librarians, the ALiNUS database features newsletters with a variety of content, design, and intended audiences. For instance, some highlight new acquisitions and special collections; others feature services or resources for students and faculty; some contain scholarly library science articles; and some others are no-frills internal notices to library staff. Any and all, however, can be used by librarians for comparison with their own newsletter or simply as a back door into the individual library. Users may browse the full list of newsletters or search by title or institution. [MD] >From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ _________________________________________________________________________ 8. Open Directory Project news * Lycos and HotBot have adopted the Open Directory Open Directory Project data is being used as the main directory content for both Lycos.com and HotBot.com. * Open Directory Project data is now integrated with the Netscape browser What's Related feature. Surf to a site that appears in the Open Directory, click on What's Related, and there will be a link back to the category where the sites appears. These developments, together with the existing audience given to the directory at dmoz.org and Netscape.com, give the Open Directory Project data a huge boost in reach and exposure. See http://dmoz.org/about.html for links to more information about these stories. _________________________________________________________________________ 9. Researchbuzz http://www.researchbuzz.com This site started in April 1998 as a companion site to Official Netscape Guide to Internet Research, which was published in April 1998 in a 2nd edition. Since the book is a year old, however, the site has evolved to focus more on Internet research resources. Most business days you can get the latest on new research sites and information by checking out ResearchBuzz. ResearchBuzz is also available as a free weekly newsletter. Click the ResearchBuzz link for more information. If you're interested in more general resources, check out the Weblog, which is interesting stuff that turns up while I surf, but which might not have much to do with Internet research. Maybe you want some more specific Internet research help. See Quick Tips for brief pointers on how you can make the most of your Internet research. Visit the Articles for more in-depth discussions of Internet research topics. If you want to learn more about the book, you can get the essentials here. You can also read a couple of book excerpts here. Poke around and enjoy! Have an idea for a resource list or a topic you'd like to see covered in an article? Send some feedback. _________________________________________________________________________ 10. Reference sites for Drugs, Pharmeceutical and Pharmacy info The premiere vol. 1, no. 1 of the Journal of Southern Academic and Special Librarianship dated, June, 1999. Includes a "Webliography" of reference sites for Drugs, Pharmaceutical, and Pharmacy related information. See: http://www.icaap.org/SouthernLibrarianship/ -- _____________________________________________________ Paul T. Jackson Trescott Research Information Consultant tresres[at]gte.net ------------------------------------------------------- Those who say it can't be done should never interrupt the one doing it. From: ResPool - http://members.tripod.com/~rtiess/respool.htm _________________________________________________________________________ 11. NLM LocatorPlus National Library of Medicine to Unveil New Online Catalog, LOCATORplus, on the Web on Monday, April 12 On Monday, April 12, the National Library of Medicine will unveil its new web catalog, called LOCATORplus, which will allow anyone with Internet access to find out what books, journals, audiovisuals, manuscripts, and other items are contained in the world's largest medical library. There are many exciting new features will be available via LOCATORplus. Customers using the catalog from the Web can search by author, MeSH subject, title, conference name, keyword and many other specific fields, then e-mail the results to themselves. Current receipts of both serial and monograph material will be displayed along with information about material which is on order or available electronically. Hotlinks to online journals will be available from many records. Direct access to a variety of other resources will be available from LOCATORplus including MEDLINE, MEDLINEplus, Images of the History of Medicine, TOXNET, HSTAT, and other U.S. medical library catalogs. LOCATORplus is part of NLM=s new integrated library system (ILS) which was installed for in-house use in November 1998. The ILS is being used for acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, collection management, circulation and preservation. LOCATORplus is the ILS's online public access catalog and serves as the retrieval engine for the Library's cataloging records, replacing existing online access methods, such as Locator, CATLINE, AVLINE and SERLINE. LOCATORplus brings together a number of previously disparate databases, along with information formerly available only to staff, using state-of-art information retrieval technology. Beginning April 12th, NLM=s LOCATORplus can be found at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/locatorplus/ The site is updated daily. For a preview of the system a Quick Start Tutorial can be found at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/locatorplus/tutorials/quickstart/sld001.htm *********************************************************************** * 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 * *********************************************************************** _________________________________________________________________________ 12. Address Directory - Politicians of the World (forwarded to SRRTAC-L by Al Kagan) April 3, 1999 Hello, Thought you might find the following website to be a useful resource for any international letter writing/lobbying/ advocacy campaign: Address Directory - Politicians of the World http://www.trytel.com/~aberdeen/ Snail mail and, being added, e-mail, phone and fax contact info for the provincial governors, prime ministers, presidents and monarchs of 195 nations. ie: Slobodan Milosevic Federal President Savezna Skupstina 11000 Belgrade, Serbia Yugoslavia e-mail: slobodan.milosevic[at]gov.yu webpage: http://www.gov.yu Best regards, Donald V. Address Directory - Politicians of the World http://www.trytel.com/~aberdeen _________________________________________________________________________ 13. Help Save or Restore Pacifica Radio's Archives ==== Dear Librarian: This letter is being sent to you to inform you of the possibility that a very valuable source of research material may be threatened with loss or dispersal. The Pacifica Archives, a collection of 50,000-plus tapes in addition to other documents, photographs and disc recordings, currently is in a state of neglect, being stored improperly, with current cataloging efforts not up to the task. Why should you care? You may not even be a listener to Pacifica Radio (KPFK FM 90.7 in Los Angeles). I am writing to you in hopes that as a librarian and scholar you may wish to help preserve a treasure trove of late 20th Century American cutting edge thought and radio broadcasting. This archive is under threat of loss due to a management structure which has developed within Pacifica that envisions itself as another imperial presence within the world of public radio broadcast, in the mode of KUSC and KLON (for those of you who are classical music and jazz listeners, respectively). In the process there is evidence that the current assets of the Pacifica Foundation are increasingly being viewed as just that -- assets which may be disposed of for the sake of seeking other "corporate goals". The enclosed letter was written by Mr. Alan Stein, who was briefly employed by as the Pacifica Archivist. As his letter explains, the serious deficiencies in the management and administration of the Pacifica Archives he discovered and was prepared to report on to Pacifica management were essentially smothered by his sudden dismissal and the rewriting of a short report in its stead by Lynn Chadwick (now Executive Director of Pacifica) citing no serious problems and no need to allocate any additional resources to the proper management of the Archives. This is not a letter asking you for a contribution. It is written in the hope that you will be sufficiently concerned about the loss of this important arhive to try to involve whatever professional associations with which you may be affiliated to protest against the deterioration and possible loss of the Pacifica Archives. For further information .... etc. February 22, 1999 Dr. Mary Frances Berry Governing Board Chair Pacifica Foundation National Board 624 Ninth St. NW #700 Washington, DC 20425 Reg.: February 1999 National Board Meeting Dear Dr. Berry: As the Archivist responsible for the Pacifica Radio Archives I thought you should know that I did not prepare the two page PRA February 1999 Board Report. I am writing you to set the record straight before the National Board meets. Although I was to have prepared the Archives Board Report, I was instructed not to do so by Gail Christian. Ms. Christian is the author of the report, which will be presented. As I am struck by the inaccuracies that the report contains. I am submitting my own version to you. By way of introduction I am a Certified Archivist and Librarian who came to the Pacifica Radio Archives from the California State Library. I was hired as the Pacifica Radio Archivist on November 1, 1998. Lynn Chadwick suddenly terminated me on February 18, 1999 in order to prevent me from reporting at the 1999 Pacifica Foundation Governing Board Meeting. As a former Library of Congress Junior Fellow I was responsible for curating the "Amassing American Stuff," WPA art exhibit and conference with John Cole at the LC Center For the Book in 1994. In 1995 I was a USIA/ACOR Fellow who traveled to Amman, Jordan to undertake a six-month survey of the Jordanian Labor Force, post Desert-Storm. In 1997-98 I received an Arthur Weinberg Fellow at the Newberry Library in Chicago. I have presented academic papers at numerous conferences and am also an accomplished photojournalist, with more than a decade of media experience. My work has appeared in The University of California Press, TriQuarterly, The San Francisco Examiner, the Library of Congress Information Bulletin, and LC Gazette. I have been a researcher and still photographer for a handful of historical documentaries and features, including the acclaimed drama, NORTHERN LIGHTS. In 1992 I was awarded a New York Times Company Foundation Grant. In 1993, I was an Albert P. Weisman Scholar in Broadcast Communications at Columbia College, Chicago, where I graduated with honors and began working with Studs Terkel in his radio archives. I am an active member of the Society of California Archivists, the Society of California Archivists, the Southwest Oral History Association, the American Library Association, and the Oral History Association. During the four months I have been at the Archives, I have witnessed a variety of practices, which I believe jeopardize the preservation of the important historical material over which I putatively have had responsibility. In fact, I feel that my efforts to employ my professional expertise has been undermined at every turn by Ms. Christian and another consultant from the Bay Area, Adi Gevins, and that the lines of responsibility for decisions at the Archives shift at a bewildering rate. As an historian, Dr. Berry, you can appreciate the need to preserve Pacifica's history. Not only is the collection intrinsically valuable for the historical material it contains, but it will be used more often in the next century in a multi-media context, especially with the Proliferation of much fine public history programs throughout the United States and abroad. Here are some of the pressing problems and concerns for the collection that I have as an Archivist: � BACKLOG INFORMATION Here is factual Backlog information regarding the PRA: Approximately 6,000 tapes sent from WBAI have been inventoried but not prioritized for cataloging. These will need to be audited by the volunteers already recruited by the Archivist. Democracy Now! September, 1997-February, 1999 not cataloged Approximately 245 tapes Living Room July, 1997-August, 1998 not cataloged Approximately 250 tapes Sunday Salon January-February, 1999 not cataloged Approximately 8 tapes Explorations with Michio Kaku June, 1997 to January, 1999 not cataloged. These will have to be audited by volunteers. Approximately 77 tapes Restoration Project Backlog (cataloged, in need of restoration work) Approximately 2,000 tapes Office area contains 1,000 tapes not cataloged, not climate controlled either Off-site storage presents access and preservation problems in that there has been a long history of Pacifica tapes being moved around from site to site � STATION RELATIONS On February 1, 1999 I was told by Gail Christian not to go through the KPFK tape archives with Pam Burton. This was contrary to my Archival training, and to the Pacifica Radio Archives policy to develop good station relations. � RECORDS MANAGEMENT PLAN/ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN The Archives should play a key role in the development and implementation of a Pacifica records management plan (which could be modeled under the Strategic Plan). However, the Archives do not serve as a key repository for the Pacifica Foundation nor does it serve the full needs of the producer/archivist who is concerned about the preservation of his or her show. Historically, Pauline Kael, Eric Bauersfeld, Max Schwartz, Ed Robbins, and many others have kept their original tapes because the Archives did not and still does not have the reputation as THE ARCHIVE OF PACIFICA. It has also lost tapes during periodic moves and earthquakes, and its air conditioner goes out every six months or so until it gets another jolt of freon. The temperature in the Archives, often set by Gail Christian, is excessively warm and unstable for tapes. Many a producer and Archivist has questioned the unstable environment, and attempts at temperature control have not met with Ms.Christian's cooperation. When the former Archivist, Julie Graham made such an attempt to stabilize the environment at PRA she had a staff mutiny on her hands, led by Gail Christian. The Archives' collections have been deaccessioned over the years due to limited resources at Pacifica. Periodically the Board has taken a hard look at the need to keep the entire collection. Consequently, one can find NFCRB tapes and manuscripts from Pacifica at the National Public Broadcasting Archives in Maryland; manuscripts at the Social Action Archives in Madison, Wisconsin, and tape libraries at each Sister Station. For example, KPFK has about 3,000 tapes stored, which are technically out of the Archives storage facility - stored in a non-air-conditioned traffic control room at KPFK. An immediate priority suggested by the Archivist (but not "approved" by Gail Christian or Adi Gevins) would have been to survey, duplicate, and share tape resources, while at the same time trying to maintain a stable environment for all Pacifica tapes. Additionally the Pacifica photographic collection needs to be cataloged and inventoried for the PRA and efforts need to be made to preserve that collection and make it more accessible too. RESTORATION PROJECT (NHPRC) 1987-1990 Approximately 2,000 tapes in the Archive are in the active process of disintegration due to their advanced age. They were originally recorded on acetate stock which was made to last only a few years, and many tapes have severe lubrication and splice problems. Pacifica Archives did not allocate enough time to the restoration process. Over 6,000 reels of endangered tapes were targeted for preservation in 1987. The project resulted in the remastering of 3500 hours of tapes and came to an end in January 1990. Since then the remainder of the tapes have not been restored. In order not to loose them entirely, there is an urgent need to have them re-recorded. Apparently the National Historical Publications and Resources Commission (NHPRC) was not notified of this. A distinction must be made that the project was not completed due to limited resources, not intentional negligence. Included in this early collection are the literature, music history, popular culture, and social movements of the 20th Century. For example: Sigmund Freud speaking in English during his last lecture tour of the United States, a ten- part lecture series produced in 1963 on the history of the Mexican-Americans in California, one of four existing interviews with John Coltrane, an interview in South Africa with Steve Biko, a unique collection of Northern California Indian Tales, actuality of the Vietnam War from both South and North Vietnam, a rare interview with Elijah Muhammed, documentaries on Martin Luther King, Jr., on the Winter Soldiers Investigation, and interviews with Jessica Midford, Aldous Huxley, and Iranian students in the occupied American embassy in Teheran. � DISC RECORDINGS In my weekly archival reports I observed that PRA holds some 250 sound recording discs of early Pacifica broadcasts, potentially containing up to 125 hours of material. I encouraged Lynn Chadwick, Adi Gevins, and Gail Christian to look at these materials, since they are the earliest items documenting Pacifica recording history and could be used to showcase the 50th Anniversary. No attempt was made by any of them to even consider my recommendation. These valuable items should NOT be at PRA but instead should be transferred to the National Public Broadcasting Archives in Maryland where they can be properly preserved and made available to researchers. � MISREPRESENTATION/JOB RESTRUCTURING AT PRA Gail Christian restructured the Pacifica Radio Archivist's job on 1/22/99 without consulting with the Archivist or the Pacifica Board. Pacifica management (Lynn Chadwick) and consultants (Gail Christian, Adi Gevins) collectively supervised the Archivist during a "Special Review (Probation) Period" which effectively reduced the Archivist's review period from six months to four months. The Archivist was terminated prior to March 1st, when the special review period final report was to have been submitted to Lynn Chadwick by Gail Christian and Adi Gevins. Once again, Pacifica Radio Archives is without a professional archivist, thanks to Gail Christian. The same sort of restructuring pattern occurred with Pam Burton (former Director Pacifica Radio Archive, 1993-1997) and Julie Graham (former Archivist, 1997-1998) who also left because of Gail Christian. � RECOMMENDATION FOR THE PACIFICA NATIONAL GOVERNING BOARD MEETING, FEBRUARY 27-28, 1999. Archivist Alan H. Stein intends to speak on Sunday, February 28th at the 1999 Pacifica National Board Meeting. As former Archivist for Pacifica, he will recommend an audit of a Federal Grant from the NHPRC for the Pacifica Archive Tape Restoration Project; an audit and investigation of Adi Gevins (Pacifica Consultant) and her husband, Michael Cousins (Pacifica Attorney) for a possible conflict of interests; and the removal of Gail Christian, who fabricated large portions of the Pacifica Radio Archives February 1999 Board Report. She is a former National Program Director, Pacifica Program Service Archive Director, and a paid Pacifica consultant, since October 1998. Additionally, I propose instead of a Board Archives Committee, the formation of a Pacifica Radio Archives Advisory Board to advise the Archivist and Executive Director in developing the direction of the PRA, including policy development, program preservation, fiscal accountability, and long range planning It is clear to me and others that my termination came on the eve of my plans to expose Ms. Christian and the problems faced by the PRA under her so called direction. My comments and recommendations do not seem to have met with the approval of Ms. Christian and Ms. Gevins, who informed me that my "special introductory period" had been shortened from 6 months to 4 months, and that they did not intend to continue my services. This once again leaves Pacifica without an archivist. Generally, I have encountered what appears to be lack of respect both myself personally as well as the position of Archivist. Both my predecessors feel the same way. My symposium and conference budget was cut in order to make funds available for "consultants salaries." Ms. Christian has shown the same disdain for the Pacifica tapes. According to eyewitness reports, she wanted to dispose of most of the WBAI tape library - thousands of tapes. They were removed from the Archives and stored off-site in order for her not to dispose of them. When I began my job, she asked me to stop archiving Larry Bensky's "Living Room," and I politely refused to do so. In order for the Archives to best serve Pacifica and the public it is imperative that you and the Board assure these tapes are preserved for the 21st Century. We have a mutual respect for the collection and in historic preservation. While I don't expect you to respond directly to this letter, you should know that I can be called upon at any time to be of any kind of assistance to you in regards to the Pacifica Radio Archives. Sincerely, Alan Harris Stein Certified Archivist/Librarian ________________________ http://www.radio4all.org http://www.radio4all.org/freepacifica _________________________________________________________________________ 14. NCLIS Adopts Principles for Public Library Service For Immediate Release For Information Contact April 21, 1999 Barbara Whiteleather NCLIS Adopts Principles for Public Library Service Washington, DC - The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) has passed a resolution adopting Principles for Public Library Service based on the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto. The 1995 UNESCO Manifesto was prepared as an aid to improving public library services in both developed and developing countries. Commission Members took this action during their meeting on April 7, 1999 in Ann Arbor, MI. The Principles clearly articulate the Commissionís long-standing belief that public library services should be provided on the basis of equality of access for all; specific and appropriate services and materials should be provided for those in need, regardless of disability or age, in appropriate media, using modern technologies as well as traditional means. The Principles put forth 12 key missions considered to be the core of public library services and they specifically address issues of funding, legislation and networks, as well as operation and management issues. In adopting this resolution, the Commission encourages decision makers at national, state and local levels and the library community at large within the United States to provide public library service in conformance with the Principles. Vice Chair Martha Gould, Reno, NV, observed, ìBecause we are always raising the bar on the level of excellence in public libraries, we urge all Federal, state and local governments to consider these Principles when making policy and funding decisions affecting our public libraries. We believe that by adopting and implementing these Principles for Public Library Service, our libraries will set new and higher standards of service and continue to serve as models for lifelong learning throughout the world.î Commissioner Bobby Roberts, Director, Central Arkansas Library System, stated, ìThese Principles reinforce the need for community collaborations, which are the basis of good government. Libraries are an integral part of every community and, as such, must always search for better ways to provide the best possible service. This document provides another model of excellence for public libraries to strive to achieve.î The full text of the NCLIS Resolution follows: WHEREAS Congress has affirmed that library and information services adequate to meet the needs of the people of the United States are essential to achieve national goals and to utilize most effectively the nationís educational resources; and WHEREAS Congress established the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) as a permanent, independent agency of the Federal government to advise the executive and legislative branches on national library and information policies and plans; and WHEREAS the Commission has the primary responsibility for developing overall plans for meeting national library and informational needs and for the coordination of activities at the federal, state, and local levels, taking into consideration all of the library and informational resources of the nation to meet those needs; and WHEREAS the Commission concurs with the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto that the public library, the local gateway to knowledge, provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social groups; and WHEREAS the Commission concurs with the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto that the public library is a living force for education, culture and information, and an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women; and WHEREAS the Commission shares with UNESCO the conviction that the establishment and maintenance of public libraries is a task of government at national and local level; and WHEREAS the Commission hopes that educators, social and cultural workers, and community leaders will stimulate interest and promote by all available means the availability of public library service which will meet the needs outlined in these Principles and be a central and dynamic force in their community. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Members of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science hereby adopt the following Principles for Public Library Service and encourages U.S. implementation of the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto: A gateway to knowledge Freedom, Prosperity and the Development of society and of individuals are fundamental human values. They will be attained through the ability of well-informed citizens to exercise their democratic rights and to play an active role in society. Constructive participation and the development of democracy depend on satisfactory education as well as on free and unlimited access to knowledge, thought, culture and information. The public library, the local gateway to knowledge, provides a basic condition for lifelong learning, independent decision-making and cultural development of the individual and social groups. This Manifesto proclaims UNESCOís belief in the public library as a living force for education, culture and information, and as an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women. UNESCO therefore encourages national and local governments to support and actively engage in the development of public libraries. The local center of information The public library is the local center of information, making all kinds of knowledge and information readily available to its users. The services of the public library are provided on the basis of equality of access for all, regardless of age, race, sex, religion, nationality, language or social status. Specific services and materials must be provided for those who cannot, for whatever reason, use the regular services and materials, for example, linguistic minorities, people with disabilities or people in hospital or prison. All age groups must find material relevant to their needs. Collections and services have to include all types of appropriate media and modern technologies as well as traditional materials. High quality and relevance to local needs and conditions are fundamental. Material must reflect current trends and the evolution of society, as well as the memory of human endeavor and imagination. Collections and services should not be subject to any form of ideological, political or religious censorship, nor commercial pressure. Missions of the public library The following key missions which relate to information, literacy, education and culture should be at the core of public library services: 1. Creating and strengthening reading habits in children from an early age; 2. Supporting both individual and self-conducted education as well as formal education at all levels; 3. Providing opportunities for personal, creative development; 4. Stimulating the imagination and creativity of children and young people; 5. Promoting awareness of cultural heritage, appreciation of the arts, scientific achievements and innovations; 6. Providing access to cultural expressions of all performing arts; 7. Fostering intercultural dialogue and favoring cultural diversity; 8. Supporting the oral tradition; 9. Ensuring access for citizens to all sorts of community information; 10. Providing adequate information services to local enterprises, associations and interest groups; 11. Facilitating the development of information and computer literacy skills; and 12. Supporting and participating in literacy activities and programs for all age groups, and initiating such activities if necessary. Funding, legislation and networks The public library shall in principle be free of charge. The public library is the responsibility of local and national authorities. It must be supported by specific legislation and financed by national and local governments. It has to be an essential component of any long-term strategy for culture, information provision, literacy and education. To ensure nationwide library coordination and cooperation, legislation and strategic plans must also define and promote a national library network based on agreed standards of service. The public network must be designed in relation to national, regional, research and special libraries as well as libraries in schools, colleges and universities. Operation and management A clear policy must be formulated, defining objectives, priorities and services in relation to the local community needs. The public library has to be organized effectively and professional standards of operation must be maintained. Cooperation with relevant partners - for example, user groups and other professionals at the local, regional, national as well as international level - has to be ensured. Services have to be physically accessible to all members of the community. This requires well situated library buildings, good reading and study facilities, as well as relevant technologies and sufficient opening hours convenient to the users. It equally implies outreach services for those unable to visit the library. The library services must be adapted to the different needs of communities in rural and urban areas. The librarian is an active intermediary between users and resources. Professional and continuing education of the librarian is indispensable to ensure adequate services. Outreach and user education programs have to be provided to help users benefit from all the resources. The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is a permanent, independent agency of the Federal government charged by Public Law 91-345 to advise the President and Congress on national and international library and information policies and plans. Kim A. Miller U.S. NCLIS 1110 Vermont Avenue, NW; Suite 820 Washington, DC 20005-3552 202-606-9200; fax 202-606-9203 kmiller[at]nclis.gov _________________________________________________________________________ 15. Letter Concerning Columbine High School Library PLEASE PASS ON... Fred Stoss ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 14:46:15 -0400 From: Kathleen M Delaney <kdelaney[at]ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU> Folks, The following message from the Archives & Archivists list concerning Columbine High Library is being cross-posted to several lists. Please excuse duplications. An additional message regarding the staff of Columbine indicated the names of the staff. Card, letters and e-mails are being forwarded to them. Staff include: Liz Keating, Librarian; Mary Swanson, Librarian Lois Kean, Aide Carol Weld, Technician Kathleen Keffer, Volunteer (e-mail c/o Bobbie Ponis <rponis[at]jeffco.k12.co.us> Mail messages to: Messages for Columbine Library Staff Jefferson County Public Schools P.O. Box 4001 Golden, CO 80401-0001 Donations to: Jefferson County Public Schools 1829 Denver West Drive, #27 P.O. Box 40001 Golden, CO 80401-0001 Specify how you want the donation directed (i.e., library collection, computers, etc.) For those interested, the Littleton Colorado Jaycees have set up a fund to help with repairs to the damaged to the library. In addition to the clean-up, extensive water damage occured when sprinkler system activated. Donations can be sent by check to: Columbine High Library Fund c/o Littleton Jaycees P.O.Box 1008 Littleton, CO 80160-1008 Kathleen M. DeLaney Project Archivist University Archives 420 Capen Hall University at Buffalo e-mail: kdelaney[at]acsu.buffalo.edu tel: 716-645-2916 fax: 716-645-3714 _________________________________________________________________________ 16. 1,000 Jokes from the Prairie Home Companion 4th Annual Joke Show http://phc.mpr.org/activities/19990410_jokeshow/index.shtml _________________________________________________________________________ L I B R A R Y J U I C E | http://libr.org/Juice/ | | Except where noted, items appearing in Library Juice | are copyright-free, so feel free to share them with | colleagues and friends. Library Juice is a free weekly | publication edited by Rory Litwin. Original senders | are credited wherever possible; opinions are theirs. | Your comments and suggestions are welcome. | mailto:Juice[at]libr.org This page was created by SimpleText2Html 1.0 on 28-Apr-99.