Library Juice 2:4 - January 20, 1999
Contents: 1. News stories appearing in the January 18 American Libraries Online 2. Ruling in favor of Alameda County Library in Filtering Case 3. Center for Electronic Records, NARA - Announcement of new web content 4. Trial & Error -- _Chicago Tribune_ (Miscarriages of Justice) 5. Digital Freedom Network - http://www.dfn.org/ 6. _Library Management_'s Internet Research Register 7. Libraries For the Future: Announcement of a book and a forum 8. Montana Library Association Filtering Resolution 9. Proposed Resolution Implementing the 'Poor People's Policy' (ALA) 10. Proposed Resolution on Subject Headings Relating to Class and Poverty (ALA) 11. A chill in the air for SRRT (SRRT Newsletter article) 12. During the Monica Show: Congressional Copyright Giveaway 13. VolunteerMatch 14. Effective Communication (e-zine) 15. Some library humor (reference question contest) 16. The Goat Farmer Quote for the week: "Education ... has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading." -G.M. Trevelyan ** NOTE: Library Juice will not be published next week. ** Next issue will be out on February 3. ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. News stories appearing in the January 18 American Libraries Online Date: Fri, 15 Jan 1999 16:05:29 -0600 From: "Gordon Flagg" <gflagg[at]ala.org> To: member-forum[at]ala.org Subject: American Libraries Online January 18 news stories (ad) Reply-To: member-forum[at]ala.org News stories appearing in the January 18 American Libraries Online <http://www.ala.org/alonline/> * Livermore Plaintiff Vows to Appeal after Suit Is Dismissed * Coalition Files Amicus Brief against Child Online Protection Act * Arkansas Bill Would Mandate Filters in Schools and Libraries * Online Publisher Challenges Copyright Extension Act * Montana State University Seeks $7.5 Million for Crucial Improvements * Savannah Branch Closings Threatened * Blind Author Threatens NYPL with Lawsuit * Plea of 12-Year-Old Restores Blubber to School Library * Wichita Falls Officials Consider Censorship by Petition * Mom Challenges School's Offering Beginners' Love * Santa Paula Library Settles Wrongful-Termination Suit * Illinois State Library Director Resigns to Accept Post in Governor's Cabinet * Technology Funds Pass Over Wisconsin Rural Districts * Maine Bill Seeks to Consolidate Cultural Grants * Texas School Library Closed for Poor Air Quality * Consultant to Assess Jacksonville PL System * Clinton Resubmits Controversial Envoy Nomination to Senate * Survey Says Internet Not Replacing Traditional Information Sources * Marx, Engels Letters Turn up in China's National Library 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. Ruling in favor of Alameda County Library in Filtering Case An Alamdea County Court judge has again dismissed a suit filed by a mother charging that the library has a responsibility to use Internet filters. A story about Thursday's ruling can be found at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/1999/01/15/state023 8EST0207.DTL Linda Wallace, Director Public Information Office American Library Association 50 E. Huron St. Chicago, IL 60611 Tel: 800-545-2433, ext. 5042 Fax: 312-944-8520 E-mail: lwallace[at]ala.org ________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Center for Electronic Records, NARA - Announcement of new web content From: Theodore J. Hull Date: Jan. 14, 1999 Subject; Center for Electronic Records Announcement This message is being posted to a number of Listservs. Please forgive cross-posting and length. This message updates information last posted October 21, 1998. ================================================================ The Center for Electronic Records, (U.S.) National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has updated some of its material on the NARA homepage. The general URL is http://www.nara.gov/ with information about the electronic records program and holdings available at http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic. The 'Title List: A Preliminary and Partial Listing of the Data Files in the National Archives and Records Administration' is current as of December 30, 1998, and has entries for more than 14,000 of the over 100,000 electronic records files in the custody of NARA. The direct link to the Title List files is http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic/tlintro.html. Title List files are also available via FTP. Anonymous FTP (password 'guest') to FTP.CU.NIH.GOV, directory NARA_ELECTRONIC. A READ.ME file on the FTP site provides further information about the 'Title List' and Title List extract files. Note that the full 'Title List' file has 23,331 lines and is approximately 1.5 megabytes in size. Among the new entries in the Title List are the Federal Assistance Awards Data System, 1st and 2nd Quarter, FY1998, in the Records of the Bureau of the Census (Record Group 29), the Federal Procurement Data System, FY1989-FY1997 in the Records of the Federal Supply Service (Record Group 137), as well as other new entries in the Records of the Department of Transportation, Research and Special Programs Administration (Record Group 467); and Records of the Health Resources and Services Administration (Record Group 512). The Center has also updated its on-line descriptive handout for electronic records in the Records of the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic/sec.html) to incorporate a description of the Institutional Investor Study, 1968-1970, data files and the Ownership Reporting System, October 1997-January 1998, data file. The Center also revised its on-line Reference Report #8, *Electronic Records of the World War II Era* (http://www.nara.gov/nara/electronic/wwii.html). The World War II report now includes descriptions of a number of electronic records series processed into the Center's holdings since 1994. Among them are the World War II Prisoners of War Punchcards in the Records of the Office of the Provost Marshal General (record Group 389) and the Census Tract Data, 1940: Elizabeth Mullen Bogue File (Donated Historical Materials). I hope this information is useful. THEODORE J. HULL Archives Specialist Center for Electronic Records National Archives and Records Administration (301) 713-6645 cer[at]nara.gov ________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Trial & Error -- _Chicago Tribune_ (Miscarriages of Justice) http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ws/0,1246,21398,00.html This major investigative series from the _Tribune_ documents hundreds of homicide cases where innocent people were sent to jail, some to Death Row, because of the "egregious misconduct" of prosecutors, usually in the form of suppressing evidence or using evidence that they knew to be false. The study begins in 1963, when the Supreme Court ruling in Brady v. Maryland forbad prosecutors from "suppressing evidence favorable to a defendant for purposes of determining guilt or imposing a sentence." In their search for cases that violated this ruling, the _Tribune_ examined approximately 11,000 court rulings and 8,700 news stories on wrongful convictions or prosecutor misconduct. At the site, users can navigate a clickable map to view state lists of defendants whose murder convictions were overturned, overviews of selected states, and summaries of representative cases. In addition, the site archives the series's feature articles, which have appeared in the _Tribune_ over the past week. [MD] >From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ ________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Digital Freedom Network - http://www.dfn.org/ Digital Freedom Network - http://www.dfn.org/ A human rights organization that is publishing the work of political dissidents who are repressed in their own country as well as related news articles and Web sites. Carole Leita, cleita[at]sunsite.berkeley.edu LIIWEEK Listowner and Coordinator of the Librarians' Index to the Internet http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/InternetIndex/ ________________________________________________________________________________ 6. _Library Management_'s Internet Research Register From: "Eileen Breen" <EBreen[at]mcb.co.uk> To: <NetInLib-Announce[at]targetinform.com> Subject: Register your research with the new on-line service available from March 1999 Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 13:32:04 -0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 (Normal) Importance: Normal Library Management Internet research register Library Management would like to offer you the opportunity of registering details of research projects on which you or your organization/institution are working, for publication in a searchable, browseable on-line database from March 1999. The database will be available to all those organisations which subscribe to the full-service Library Management; all registrants; and members of selected professional associations/institutes. The service will be a comprehensive database which will be international in coverage. Editorial objectives The research register will report on current research worldwide, and research completed during the past six months, which focuses on any aspect of the management and library and information services. Research may be linked to an academic course of study or project, be independent, or organization-based/in-house. The register aims to maintain a sound balance between theory and practice. Entries which report on applied research are, therefore, particularly welcome. Benefits of registering your research A research register provides the scholarly community with pre-publication information and the potential for further networking. It provides the practitioner community with early information on new areas for application and development. It also allows the researcher to: Make sure that you are not duplicating research already under way Identify possible research methodologies Identify peers for collaborative research projects Identify possible sources of funding for research Identify types of research under way, e.g. theoretical, applied research, case study Identify areas where research is needed The research register will build up into a resource enabling the history of research in a particular area, to be tracked. Why Internet? An on-line research register has functional possibilities not achievable with either print or CD-ROM format. It is possible for an online facility to be "live", i.e. updated on a continuous basis, and make hyperlinks to the location of publications which have resulted from research. The host journal The journal hosting the research register is Library Management published by MCB University Press (UK). . If you are not already familiar with it, you may like to view the journal web page at http://www.mcb.co.uk/cgi-bin/journal1/lm Register today! In order that your research is registered as soon as possible, please complete the online questionnaire at http://www.mcb.co.uk/literati/research_registers Patricia Layzell Ward Editor, Library Management ________________________________________________________________________________ 7. Libraries For the Future: Announcement of a book and a forum PUMP UP THE VOLUME: PRESERVE A PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE! For more information, visit: http://www.lff.org/advocacy/public.html or contact Jamie McClelland (800-542-1918, jamiem[at]lff.org). This February, on the third anniversary of the E-rate, the law authorizing discounted telecommunications services for libraries and schools, Libraries for the Future is sponsoring two events that bring together a diverse group of public library, community television, museum, community technology, and independent media advocates to pump up support for electronic public spaces. First, LFF will release PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE: LIBRARY ADVOCACY FOR THE INFORMATION AGE. This booklet documents many of the ways public libraries and other organizations are designing public spaces in cyberspace. Combining best practices with down to earth policy information, PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE includes profiles of the latest free, innovative library based Internet and computer programs, public libraries experimenting with communication and information services rarely seen on the library agenda, and a digital policy primer written for the beginner. This booklet shows through example the common threads uniting public libraries, public information, public media, public policy and our right to information. Check Libraries for the Future's website in February to access a free online version. Print orders will be available for $9.95. To reserve a copy, contact Jamie McClelland (jamiem[at]lff.org). In addition, on February 2, 1999, Libraries for the Future, the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, and the Walker Art Center will present a forum discussion entitled: LENDING CULTURE, MAKING MEDIA: LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS IN THE DIGITAL AGE. In the future will libraries become the lenders of culture? Will museums become the repositories of information? New digital technologies make it possible for artists to make their work accessible over the Internet. At the same time, these technologies allow museums and public libraries to "lend" their collections and archives in ways never before possible. This panel discussion examines the ways artists, particularly independent video and film makers, use the Internet to exhibit and distribute their work, how public libraries and museums work together to create digital media and information collections, and finally how we can preserve public access to the Internet so everyone can participate. The forum will take place at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN and will be free to the public. Free copies of PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE will be available for those that attend. Libraries for the Future (LFF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to information equity, literacy and the preservation and renewal of libraries as essential tools for a democratic society. The Association for Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF) is a national service organization for independent media, providing programs and services, as well as a sense of community. The Walker Art Center is a catalyst for the creative expression of artists and the active engagement of audiences that focuses on the visual, performing, and media arts of our time. For more information, contact: Jamie McClelland, Libraries for the Future, jamiem[at]lff.org, 800-542-1918. ________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Montana Library Association Filtering Resolution Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 09:37:16 -0600 From: "Don Wood" <dwood[at]ala.org> To: Intellectual Freedom Action News <ifaction[at]ala1.ala.org> Subject: Montana Library Association Adopts Resolution on Filters Reply-To: dwood[at]ala.org Sender: owner-ifaction[at]ala1.ala.org This resolution was unanimously adopted by the Montana Library Association Board at its' meeting October 23rd, 1998. A Resolution on the Mandated Use of Internet Filters in Libraries Whereas, in light of recent and controversial efforts by federal and state entities to impose the mandated use of Internet filters on school and public libraries, and Whereas, libraries provide unfettered access to information in order to maintain an informed citizenry in our democratic society, and Whereas, objective evaluation of existing Internet filters reveals serious and inherent flaws in such software which unintentionally block valid sites while not blocking all sites which may prove potentially offensive to someone, and Whereas, prior restraint on access to information may be unconstitutional, and Whereas, librarians in public libraries do not serve a role as in loco parentis and cannot judge what a parent may wish for his or her child, and Whereas, sweeping state or federal constraints circumvent the rights of local citizens to exert local control Therefore be it resolved that Montana Library Association supports the principle of free and unrestricted access to information as a foundation of an informed citizenry in a democratic society, And be it further resolved that, the MLA opposes broad mandates to restrict access to the Internet through the exclusive use of Internet filters. And be it further resolved that the Montana Library Association does not recommend the use of Internet filters and opposes attempts by the federal or state governments to require such use. We believe that decisions regarding use of Internet filters must remain at the local level. Beth Boyson Intellectual Freedom Committee Montana Library Association ________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Proposed Resolution Implementing the 'Poor People's Policy' (ALA) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 13:13:10 -0600 (CST) From: Sandy Berman <sberman[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> cc: olospoor[at]ala.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: sberman[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us Sender: owner-alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org Dear Resolutions Committee Chair: Please add the following resolution to the Philadelphia Midwinter agenda: RESOLUTION ON IMPLEMENTING THE 'POOR PEOPLE'S POLICY' -WHEREAS in 1990 ALA Membership and Council adopted a policy on "Library Services To Poor People" (#61); and -WHEREAS that policy has not been systematically implemented within the American Library Association although hunger, homelessness, and poverty persist within America and adversely affect the full annd fruitful use of library resources; -THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that ALA Council asks the Executive Board to craft acomprehensive implementation plan, including the appropriation of necessary staff and other resources, which will be presented to Council no later than the Midwinter 2000 meeting; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Executive Board direct all ALA units and divisions to report what they have already done and plan to do to implement the Poor People's Policy, this to be accomplished no later than the Midwinter 2000 meeting. -Submitted by Sanford Berman, Counselor At-Large -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sanford Berman sberman[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us Hennepin County Library phone: 612-694-8570 12601 Ridgedale Drive fax: 612-541-8600 Minnetonka, MN 55305 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Proposed Resolution on Subject Headings Relating to Class and Poverty (ALA) Date: Tue, 19 Jan 1999 14:16:55 -0600 (CST) From: Sandy Berman <sberman[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us> To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org> cc: olospoor[at]ala.org Subject: RESOLUTION ON SUBJECT HEADINGS RELATING TO CLASS AND POVERTY MIME-Version: 1.0 Reply-To: sberman[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us Sender: owner-alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org Dear Resolutions Committee Chair: Please add the following resolution to the Philadelphia Midwinter agenda: WHEREAS the American Library Association in 1990 adopted a "Poor People's Services Policy" (#61) that promotesw, in part, "the ready accessibility of print and nonprint materials that honestly address the issues of poverty and homelessness, that deal with poor people in a respectful way, and that are of practical use to low-income patrons"; and WHEREAS that same policy encourages activities and programs "likely to reduce, if not eliminate, poverty itself"; and WHEREAS Library of Congress subject headings can importantly affect access to vital library resources on hunger, homelessness, and poverty, as well as shaping library users' attitudes toward those topics; and WHEREAS LC headings currently impede or distort access to much relevant material because of antiquated or insensitive language, coupled with a failure to recognize a host of significant subjects actually represented in library collections; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that ALA Council urges the Library of Congress to: a) replace PUBLIC WELFARE and PUBLIC WELFARE ADMINISTRATION with the more familiar forms WELFARE and WELFARE ADMINISTRATION; b) humanize the current heading, POOR, by transforming it into POOR PEOPLE; and c) swiftly establish and assign these warranted and essential headings related to poverty and social policy: CHILDREN OF UNEMPLOYED PARENTS, CLASSISM, CLASSISM IN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT [ECONOMIC POLICY, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, LAW, etc.], CORPORATE POWER, CORPORATE WELFARE, DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM, ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY, FOOD SHELVES, HOMELESS AFRO-AMERICAN WOMEN, HOMELESS BOYS, HOMELESS FAMILIES, HOMELESS FAMILY SERVICES, HOMELESS GIRLS, HOMELESS MENTALLY ILL PERSONS, HOMELESS PEOPLE IN ART, HOMELESS PEOPLE'S ART, HOMELESS TEENAGERS, INTERCLASS FRIENDSHIP, LOW_INCOME HOUSING, NONCLASSIST CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, POOR AFRO-AMERICAN FAMILIES, POOR PARENTS, POOR PEOPLE--EMPOWERMENT, POOR PEOPLE--RIGHTS, POOR SINGLE MOTHERS, RIGHT TO SHELTER, VIOLENCE AGAINST HOMELESS PEOPLE, VIOLENCE AGAINST POOR PEOPLE, WELFARE CONSUMERS--RIGHTS, and WORKING POOR PEOPLE. -Submitted by Sanford Berman, At-Large ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sanford Berman sberman[at]sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us Hennepin County Library phone: 612-694-8570 12601 Ridgedale Drive fax: 612-541-8600 Minnetonka, MN 55305 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________________ 11. A chill in the air for SRRT (SRRT Newsletter article) (Note: I submitted this for publication in October. Since then the issues I discuss have only become more urgent. Please get involved if you have a chance...) As a relatively new member of SRRT who is watching its activities and relationship with the larger body via SRRTAC-L, I am concerned about the hostility SRRT has been experiencing recently. Elsewhere in this issue there is coverage of the controversy over SRRT's letters to outside organizations sent on its own stationery. SRRT's response to a letter from Ann Symons reminding us on behalf of council that we are not to "speak for the association" seemed reasonable and unproblematic to SRRT members who discussed it in advance, but it received a received a generally hostile response from non-SRRT council members. What is going on? It seems to be an opportune time to take stock or our situation within the ALA and to work out strategies for the future. I'll take a step toward that here, with a description of some recent history and a summary of some strategic projects that have been started. In the 1994 ALA elections, members voted to raise the quorum at membership meetings to a number that practically guarantees that the they will not have an official voice. SRRT members voiced opposition to the change and felt the measure was given a biased presentation by a council that had a vested interest in its outcome, and the vote would never have gone the way it did if members knew what the measure was really about. (There has been conflict and controversy surrounding SRRT going back to its inception, but I'm not qualified to talk about it yet, nor do I have the space, so I'm beginning with the 1994 vote. An article in the upcoming issue of _Progressive Librarian_ (PL #15) gives some of the historical background to these issues.) Since 1994, the vote on the membership issue and SRRT members' agitation for democracy in ALA have been milked by Councilors and members of the library press for their own public relations purposes, at times in clear opposition to the goals of SRRT. As Al Kagan points out in his letter to _American Libraries_ (Sept. 1998, p. 34), the previous issue's coverage of the Membership Meeting ("Membership Still Chatting, _AL_, Aug. p.98) calls the opposition to the quorum change only "a handful of ALA members," and brings out the suggestion that we are "radicals bent on bogging down the association over social issues." Kagan mentions in passing that SRRT is one of the Association's largest Round Tables, a fact that would seem surprising to people whose only knowledge of us is gleaned from the library press and the member-forum discussion list, which at times seems to be a hangout for our angriest antagonists. SRRT members have had other ideas about what is bogging down ALA council. In his August 1st editorial in _Library Journal_, John Berry called the council's leadership of ALA into question and explained its inaction on major issues as a consequence of its makeup: "In truth, Council can't act because its membership is dominated by administrators, the majority of whom see librarianship as a management problem." They delegate responsibility for resolving problems to groups composed of "experts" on the question, but tend to be imbalanced in their composition. They are predisposed to outcomes that the force of gravity has already presented to us in the form of the problems: outsourcing, privatization, disappearance of the concept of the library inlibrary education, etc.) Reaction to Berry's editorial on the Council's discussion list was predictably sharp, and scapegoated a "minority (that) drives the issues" as the cause of Council's foundering. (Kent Oliver's phrase.) It is as easy to say that the opposite is true, that a stubborn opposition to any social elements in the agenda is keeping Council from part of its appropriate business, at the cost of much wasted time. But this perspective is nearly undetectable in the library press. SRRT is sometimes even protrayed in a false light to support the idea that it is a handful of radicals obstructing the Council. A good example is _American Libraries_ misquotation of Mark Rosenzweig's comments at a Council discussion of CD#55, the Resolution on Socially Responsible Investing. What he stated was that the ALA should use its money "not just as the lifeblood of the organization, but for social betterment." _AL_'s quotation of him left out the word "just," creating the false impression that the resolution's backers were interested in throwing away ALA's investments (that its money not be used as the lifeblood of the organization at all). Such false representations could potentially have a real effect on the outcomes of Council's business. The question arises, to what extent are the SRRT contingent and its sympathizers a minority on Council? And, what is the proportion on Council that really does resent or fear us, and to what extent are they representative of the membership in their views? These are difficult questions, and a partial answer could be got by a detailed analysis of Councilors' voting records over the years. SRRT-inspired resolutions have fared well historically, and from a historical perspective few would deny SRRT's ultimate value to the organization. In relation to this history, the current inquisition of SRRT in paranoid reaction to Action Council's distribution of its own resolutions to outside groups seems almost incredible. WHAT YOU CAN DO Whatever is to account for this chill, SRRT needs to organize a strategic response. There have been recent steps in that direction, beginning with a meeting at the 1998 summer conference to form a Progressive Caucus in ALA. The intention there is to organize an effort to move the ALA in a more progressive direction, as well as to re-democratize its structure. Central to this process will be efforts to elect sympathetic individuals to ALA Council and other offices. Some specific ideas for doing this were discussed but plans have yet to be ironed out. This meeting was called by Mark Rosenzweig, and was reported in _Library Journal_, June 29, 1998. You can contact Mark Rosenzweig at iskra[at]earthlink.net if you wish to be involved in this effort. Within SRRT, at the annual meeting it was decided to form an ad hoc committee to investigate the possible formation of a permanenet Public Relations Committee. The ad hoc committee has yet to be formed, and the need is obviously pressing. Fred Stoss, coordinator of the Task Force on the Environment, has agreed to form this committee and is actively seeking your participation, comments, and suggestions. If you are interested in helping to investigate the feasability and activities of a PR committee and possibly helping to get it started, contact Fred Stoss at fstoss[at]acsu.buffalo.edu. Also under discussion is the idea of getting the _American Libraries_ editors to start a regular column to allow Round Tables to discuss their interests and voice their concerns. Something like that could go a long way toward correcting the anti-SRRT bias that is detectable at the moment. Unfortunately, this fact in itself might reduce the likelihood of the column seeing the light of day in the first place. Al Kagan has written about this idea on SRRTAC-L. If you have specific ideas in relation to this, you can contact him at akagan[at]uiuc.edu. Whether we simply dealing with a spate of bad weather or an actual climatic change, the future of SRRT is in our own hands. Certainly, this has always been true, and there has always been this sort of conflict, What we are seeing might just be a spate of bad weather, or it might represent an actual climatic change. Certainly there has always been opposition, and the future of SRRT has always been in our own hands, but right now might be good time to face our situation with a strategic attitude and to bring more SRRT members into the work of maintaining our place and effectiveness within the ALA. -Rory Litwin, MLIS rlitwin[at]libr.org ________________________________________________________________________________ 12. During the Monica Show: Congressional Copyright Giveaway Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 22:44:12 -0500 To: declan[at]well.com From: Jonathan Zittrain <zittrain[at]law.harvard.edu> Subject: copyright lawsuit FYI! How Long Is Too Long? Recent Congressional Copyright Giveaway Claimed Unconstitutional January 12, 1999 - Cambridge, MA - Lawrence Lessig, the Berkman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, announced today the filing of a lawsuit on behalf of Eldritch Press, a non-profit organization that posts literary works in the public domain onto the Internet. The suit challenges Congress's recent retroactive extension of the term of copyright by another twenty years. Professor Lessig is joined as counsel by Professor Charles Nesson and Jonathan Zittrain of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, and Geoffrey Stewart of Hale and Dorr. In 1790, Congress provided for up to twenty-eight years for a work's copyright--after which the work would enter the public domain, freely copyable and usable by anyone. Since then, Congress has enacted a series of extensions, including the Copyright Act of 1976, which provided for copyright terms of up to seventy-five years--retroactively extending copyright for works written long ago and otherwise about to enter the public domain. Last year, Congress once again retroactively extended copyright terms through the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 (CTEA). A book published in 1923 under the old law would have come into the public domain on January 1, 1999, but under the new statute the copyright prevents the work from entering the public domain until January 1, 2019. "You get the feeling that works created on or after 1923 seem destined never to enter the public domain; Congress arbitrarily extends the copyright monopoly on them every twenty years, by another twenty years, like clockwork," said Zittrain. "It's particularly troublesome when the speed and access of the Internet promises a substantial audience for the works that remain locked up." Fortunately, the Constitution offers clear guidance on the subject. In enumerating Congress's powers in Article I, section 8, it clearly says that Congress may "... promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for LIMITED TIMES to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries" (emphasis added). "The Constitution empowers Congress to propose a bargain whereby authors have a limited time to benefit exclusively from their work, after which the public may freely benefit from the intellectual property they create," said Nesson. "This allows for an economic incentive to publish while also respecting the public's ultimate right to share and share alike with speech. That's why the Constitution provides that Congress's judgment be carefully scrutinized when it seems intent on making a copyright go on indefinitely--or when it allows for the odd bargain of, retroactively, more monopoly time for authors who are long dead, or have long since transferred their rights in their work to someone else, having been fully willing to work with the shorter copyright time limit at the time they wrote." Eric Eldred founded the Eldritch Press in late 1995 as a means of demonstrating that computers could be used to present books on the Internet in new ways, and in ways that improved upon the capabilities of print books. Initially, the Eldritch Press began with works of American literature, by authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Oliver Wendell Holmes (Sr.), and Henry James. Because some of the works Eldritch Press posts are not included in library collections or are long out of print, they are not obtainable by the public in any other way. The Eldritch Press now posts new works the moment they enter the public domain. The Eldritch Press site receives as many as 4,000 visitors per day and has been accessed from virtually all countries in the world. It has been recognized as one of the 20 best humanities sites on the Web from edSITEment (National Endowment for the Humanities). More information about the case, and an opportunity to join a coalition in support of it, may be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/eldredvreno. ### Contact: Emily Lenzner Berkman Center for Internet & Society 617/495-7547 http://cyber.law.harvard.edu Eric Eldred The Eldritch Press http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net ________________________________________________________________________________ 13. VolunteerMatch http://www.volunteermatch.com/ Provided by ImpactOnline, a nonprofit organization investing in the development of public interest Internet applications, this site allows users to search an online database of volunteer opportunities by zip code, distance, date, and category. Users who find an opportunity that fits their schedule and interest can sign up immediately via an online form. The opportunities are posted to the site directly by local organizations, so amount and variety can vary significantly by locale. Additional resources at the site include a searchable nonprofit directory and a list of virtual volunteering opportunities. [MD] >From the Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ ________________________________________________________________________________ 14. Effective Communication (e-zine) http://www.hodu.com Effective Communication is a new free e-zine which puts the spotlight on human communication - verbal and written - in the home and at the workplace. Reader participation is encouraged. Subscribe at our site or by e-mail to: winn[at]internet-zahav.net ("Subscribe in subject line) Contact: Editor: Azriel Winnett (From NewJour-L) ________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Some library humor (reference question contest) A little library humor to make your Friday better. Check out this site that lists reference question contest winners http://www.library.sos.state.il.us/isl/training/frcontestA.htm (Forwarded to the SJSU SLIS list by Sylvia Patrick.) ________________________________________________________________________________ 16. The Goat Farmer http://www.caprine.co.nz/ The largest circulation goat magazine in the world. The only professional magazine dedicated to goats only. The only magazine which takes an international overview of the goat industry. Subscription is required to access the online version of this periodical. Contact: TheGoatFarmer[at]caprine.co.nz (From NewJour-L) ________________________________________________________________________________ L I B R A R Y J U I C E | http://www.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
Web Page created by Text2Web v1.3.6 by Dev Virdi
http://www.virdi.demon.co.uk/
Date: Saturday, January 23, 1999 01:32 AM