Library Juice 4:38 - October 24, 2001
Contents:
- Invisible-web.net
- Dollars and Cent$ - The Price of Information
- Booknotes, the web log
- "Just another library blog"
- A closer look at weblogs
- Security for Activists: Overcoming Repression
- U.S. buys exclusive rights to satellite imagery of war zone
- Phila. man hassled, detained, barred from flight because of book
- Women, Information and the Developing World
- RLG and OCLC collaboration on digital libraries
- First Amendment Schools Grant Award Program
- Networks Accept Government "Guidance"
- Flag-burning suspect ordered not to touch U.S. flag
- Secrecy News
- Freedom of speech an uphill battle in Chico, CA as well
- The IFLA Position on The World Trade Organization
- More on terrorist Orlando Bosch
- H-Utopia
Quote for the week:
"This is the most information intensive war you can imagine.... We're
going to lie about things."- Military officer involved in planning the response to the World Trade
Center attack. (Washington Post, 9/24/01)
Homepage of the week: Fiona
http://www.blisspix.net/me/________________________________________________________________________top
Invisible-web.net
About this site
This site is a companion to The Invisible Web: Finding Hidden Internet
Resources Search Engines Can't See by Chris Sherman and Gary Price.It includes a directory of some of the best resources the Invisible Web has
to offer. The directory includes resources that are informative, of high
quality, and contain worthy information from reliable information providers
that are not visible to general-purpose search engines.We give precedence to resources that are freely available to anyone with
Web access. However, we do include a few select resources that are either
free to search but have resulting fee-based content (such as News Library),
or charge a small fee to search and a fee to access full-records. Some
sites may be free to search and access full records, but require the user
to register at no charge before granting access.In general, we like the idea of comparing the resources available on the
Invisible Web to a good collection of reference works. The challenge is to
be familiar with some key resources prior to needing them. Information
professionals have always done this with canonical reference books, and
often with traditional, proprietary databases like Dialog and Lexis-Nexis.
We encourage you to approach the Invisible Web in the same way-consider
each specialized search tool as you would an individual reference resource.________________________________________________________________________top
2. Dollars and Cent$ - The Price of Information
http://www.library.fau.edu/depts/ref/infocost.htm
Ka-Ching!
________________________________________________________________________top
3. Booknotes, the web log
This web log is good reading right about now.
________________________________________________________________________top
4. "Just another library blog"
Let's see what it turns into.....
________________________________________________________________________top
5. A closer look at weblogs
By Cindy Curling
"The trenches have been filling up lately with references to some new,
useful technologies. Weblogs in particular have been getting lots of
attention. I do my best to keep up with technological advancements,
especially when I think theyll save me time at my job, but I totally
missed the front end of this trend. I thought we all might benefit from a
closer look. Weblogs (blogs for short) have been around for about five
years. They are used mainly to create rolling pages of frequently updated,
chronologically listed links and commentary. Sometimes they are also used
for collaborative editing. Groups of people working on the same project,
for instance, can add materials to a hub site and discuss their work as it
develops. The first Weblog I really paid any attention to was the Virtual
Acquisition Shelf and News Desk (VASND) by Gary Price. Price has been
compiling useful resources on his Web sites for some time, but VASND is a
relatively new development for him. He started promoting it in March of
this year. When I first took a look, I thought the content was great, but I
wasnt sure I liked the format."http://www.llrx.com/columns/notes46.htm
________________________________________________________________________top
6. Security for Activists: Overcoming Repression
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 09:15:41 -0500
From: "Don Wood" <dwood[at]ala.org>
To: Intellectual Freedom Action News <ifaction[at]ala1.ala.org>Security for Activists: Overcoming Repression
http://www.publiceye.org/liberty/Security_for_Activists.htm"Political dissidents have always been the target of government repression
and corporate surveillance. It is important to take these attacks seriously
and object to them. At the same time it is important not to allow
fear-mongers to scare you away from political participation. Stories about
vast conspiracies and elaborate surveillance technologies can create an
atmosphere that discourages activism. This is what the opposition wants. On
this page you will find sensible and reliable information about safet and
security for political activists."Includes "Be Prepared," "Exercising Your Rights of Political Protest in
Washington D.C - A National LawyersGuild manual," "Waging War on Dissent,"
"Government Intelligence Abuse, "Propaganda, Deception & Demagoguery," and
a "Bibliography," with such books as Terrorism & The Constitution:
Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security. For book,
seehttp://www.cdt.org/policy/terrorism/terrorismbook.html
See also
What You Can Do To Oppose Censorship
http://www.ala.org/alaorg/oif/whatyoucando.htmlWhat You Can Do To Oppose Children's Internet Protection Act
http://www.ala.org/cipa/whatyoucandocipa.html________________________________________________________________________top
7. U.S. buys exclusive rights to satellite imagery of war zone
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 11:30:02 -0500
From: "Don Wood" <dwood[at]ala.org>
To: Intellectual Freedom Action News <ifaction[at]ala1.ala.org>U.S. buys exclusive rights to satellite imagery of war zone
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=15163"The U.S. military is paying for the exclusive rights to commercial
satellite imagery of Afghanistan even though its own satellites are thought
to take far better pictures.This could serve two purposes: to provide an extra eye on Afghanistan and
to prevent anyone else from peeking at the war zone, including the news
media.".......................
US buys up all satellite war images
by Duncan Campbell
The Pentagon has spent millions of dollars to prevent western media from
seeing highly accurate civilian satellite pictures of the effects of
bombing in Afghanistan, it was revealed yesterday. The images, which are
taken from Ikonos, an advanced civilian satellite launched in 1999, are
better than the spy satellite pictures available to the military during
most of the cold war. ...The US military does not need the pictures for its own purposes because it
already has six imaging satellites in orbit, augmented by a seventh
launched last weekend. Four of the satellites, called Keyholes, take
photographic images estimated to be six to 10 times better than the 1 metre
resolution available from Ikonos.The decision to use commercial rather than legal powers to bar access to
satellite images was heavily criticised by US intelligence specialists last
night. Since images of the bombed Afghan bases would not have shown the
position of US forces or compromised US military security, the ban could
have been challenged by news media as being a breach of the First
Amendment, which guarantees press freedom. [more]http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2001/011017-attack04.htm
________________________________________________________________________top
8. Phila. man hassled, detained, barred from flight because of book
Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 01:16:29 -0400
From: Declan McCullagh <declan[at]well.com>
To: politech[at]politechbot.comhttp://www.citypaper.net/articles/101801/news.godfrey.shtml
Novel Security MeasuresA local man was kept off a recent flight because of a book he was
carrying.
by Gwen Shaffer
Everyone knows it is a bad idea to try and board a plane carrying a
box cutter, a flight manual written in Arabic, or a sack full of
mysterious white powder. But with ultra-tightened airport security, a
book could also prevent you from boarding that plane.
No kidding. It happened just last week in Philadelphia.
Neil Godfrey arrived at Philadelphia International Airport around 9:30
a.m. on Wed., Oct. 10. His brother's girlfriend dropped him off with
plenty of time to spare before his 11:40 a.m. United Airlines flight.
Godfrey was on his way to Phoenix, where his father lives. From there,
the family was planning to head out for a vacation at Disneyland.
It is fair to say that Godfrey -- brother of City Paper webmaster Ryan
Godfrey -- doesn't look unusual for a 22-year-old kid living in Center
City.
His outfit that day was typical: black Dockers, a T-shirt with a logo
for the now-defunct Phoenix Gazette newspaper and New Balance running
shoes. He has a medium build, recently dyed jet-black hair and a quiet
demeanor.
When Godfrey stepped up to the ticket counter, the United clerk
informed him he had been selected for a random baggage search.
"No problem," he replied, going through the usual motions of checking
his bag and getting a boarding pass. Now toting nothing but a novel
and the most recent copy of The Nation magazine, Godfrey hiked through
the concourse toward his boarding gate.
As he passed through the metal detector, an airport security guard
furrowed his brow at Godfrey's reading selections as they disappeared
through the conveyor belt.
On the cover of the book, Hayduke Lives! by Edward Abbey, is an
illustration of a man's hand holding several sticks of dynamite. The
1991 novel is about a radical environmentalist, George Washington
Hayduke III, who blows up bridges, burns tractors and sabotages other
projects he believes are destroying the beautiful Southwest landscape.
"For the first time, it occurred to me the book may be a problem,"
Godfrey recalls.
He proceeded through the security checkpoint and sat down to read near
his boarding gate. About 10 minutes had passed when a National
Guardsman approached Godfrey.[...]
--
POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list
You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice.
Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/
To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html
This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/
________________________________________________________________________top
9. Women, Information and the Developing World
Joan R. Challinor, Ph.D.
World Bank and IMF Joint Library Meeting
October 11, 2000The expression "information is power" is much in vogue these days. And we
agree, at last, that women have an essential role in sustainable human
development. But, I ask, how have these twin realizations interacted? I
suggest that for many in the developed world they spin, endlessly
separated, like planets, never really touching, never striking each other
to produce the sparks which ignite action. It is, more than ever, important
to explore the ways in which the information revolution and the empowerment
of women may be brought together.Three fundamental convictions inspire my talk today:
.1) Women need full and unrestricted access to information if they are to
take their rightful place in the world..2) Women should be involved in every stage of gathering and disseminating
information and should determine what information is to be collected, and
how and in what form it is to be shared..3) All information gathered by worldwide organizations should include
complete data on women, and this information should be disseminated in a
form accessible and useable to women in every geographic and demographic
setting.http://www.nclis.gov/about/speeches/ospeeches/worldbnk.html
________________________________________________________________________top
10. RLG and OCLC collaboration on digital libraries
_Attributes of a Trusted Digital Repository: Meeting the Needs of
Research Resources_ [.pdf]http://www.rlg.org/longterm/attributes01.pdf
In March 2000, Research Libraries Group and OCLC formed a collaboration to
establish attributes of digital repositories for research institutions.
These organizations sought to build on the work of the Open Archival
Information System (OAIS) model and the 1996 report _Preserving Digital
Information: Report of the Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information_
(discussed in the June 14, 1996 _Scout Report_). The current 52-page report
attempts to codify understanding of the issues amongst the concerned
community (libraries, archives, historical societies, archivists, digital
librarians, computer scientists, and the like) and further develop
practical, structured approaches toward resolving problems of technology and
administration as well as trust and confidence. This report (for public
comment) will interest anyone concerned with the future direction of the
burgeoning digital record of our culture and the new roles traditional
institutions play. [DJS]From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/________________________________________________________________________top
11. First Amendment Schools Grant Award Program
The First Amendment Schools project, co-sponsored by the Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development and the First Amendment Center,
will award 10 grants of $12,000 each. Project schools will use the grant
funds, along with other resources the project provides, to transform how
the school community models and teaches students the rights and
responsibilities that flow from the First Amendment. Eligible applicants
are public and independent schools in the United States, including
elementary, middle and high schools. Applications are due March 15, 2002.
http://webserver2.ascd.org/web/firstamendment/gettinginvolved.cfmKathleen de la Pena McCook
kmccook[at]tampabay.rr.com
University of South Florida, Library & Information ScienceA-LIBRARIAN-AT-EVERY-TABLE
http://www.cas.usf.edu/lis/a-librarian-at-every-table/
________________________________________________________________________top
12.
MEDIA ADVISORY:
Networks Accept Government "Guidance"October 12, 2001
On October 10, television network executives from ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CNN
held a conference call with national security adviser Condoleeza Rice, and
apparently acceded to her "suggestion" that any future taped statements from
Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda group be "abridged," and any potentially
"inflammatory" language removed before broadcast.The question of how to present the words of bin Laden or representatives of
Al Qaeda is certainly a valid one for journalists to consider. The
statements require context and explanation of the kind journalists should
use to bracket the remarks of any party in a major news story. But it is
inappropriate for the government to dictate to journalists how to report the
news. In the context of recent heavy-handedness on the part of the
administration (including White House spokesman Ari Fleischer's ominous
remark that Americans "need to watch what they say"), Rice's request
suggests that the White House is actually asking for something other than
simple journalistic judgement.Originally the administration expressed concern about the possibility of Al
Qaeda members sending "coded messages" to their followers in the segments.
But Rice's main argument to the networks seems to have been that bin Laden's
statements must be restricted because of their content. NBC News chief Neal
Shapiro told the New York Times that Rice's main point "was that here was a
charismatic speaker who could arouse anti-American sentiment getting 20
minutes of air time to spew hatred and urge his followers to kill
Americans."Although presented as only a call for caution, there's a danger that the
White House conference call may make broadcasters think twice about airing
any footage of bin Laden at all.The following day, Fleischer took the administration's campaign further and
contacted major newspapers to request that they consider not printing full
transcripts of bin Laden's messages. "The request is to report the news to
the American people," said Fleischer. "But if you report it in its entirety,
that could raise concerns that he's getting his prepackaged, pretaped
message out" (New York Times, 10/12/01).To its credit, the Times has apparently resisted such requests, but some
media executives seem to actually appreciate the White House pressure.
"We'll do whatever is our patriotic duty,'' said News Corp executive Rupert
Murdoch (Reuters, 10/11/01). In an official statement, CNN declared: "In
deciding what to air, CNN will consider guidance from appropriate
authorities'' (Associated Press, 10/10/01). CNN chief Walter Isaacson added,
"After hearing Dr. Rice, we're not going to step on the land mines she was
talking about" (New York Times, 10/11/01).The point is not that bin Laden or Al Qaeda deserve "equal time" on U.S.
news broadcasts, but that it is troubling for government to shape or
influence news content. Withholding information from the public is hardly
patriotic. When the White House insists that it's dangerous to report a news
event "in its entirety," alarm bells should go off for journalists and the
American public alike.----------
Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair[at]fair.org ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented example of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of
your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses, to us
at: fair[at]fair.org .FAIR ON THE AIR: FAIR's founder Jeff Cohen is a regular panelist on the Fox
News Channel's "Fox News Watch," which airs which airs Saturdays at 7 pm and
Sundays at 11 am (Eastern Standard Time). Check your local listings.FAIR produces CounterSpin, a weekly radio show heard on over 130 stations in
the U.S. and Canada. To find the CounterSpin station nearest you, visit
http://www.fair.org/counterspin/stations.html .Please support FAIR by subscribing to our bimonthly magazine, Extra!
For more information, go to:
http://www.fair.org/extra/subscribe.html . Or call 1-800-847-3993.FAIR's INTERNSHIP PROGRAM: FAIR accepts internship applications for its New
York office on a rolling basis. For more information, see:
http://www.fair.org/internships.htmlYou can subscribe to FAIR-L at our web site: http://www.fair.org , or by
sending a "subscribe FAIR-L enter your full name" command to
LISTSERV[at]LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU . Our subscriber list is kept confidential.You may leave the list at any time-- just send a message with "SIGNOFF
FAIR-L" in the body to: LISTSERV[at]LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU .FAIR
(212) 633-6700
http://www.fair.org/
E-mail: fair[at]fair.orglist administrators: FAIR-L-request[at]american.edu
________________________________________________________________________top
13. Flag-burning suspect ordered not to touch U.S. flag
Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2001 10:44:09 -0500
From: "Don Wood" <dwood[at]ala.org>
To: Intellectual Freedom Action News <ifaction[at]ala1.ala.org>
Reply to: dwood[at]ala.orgFlag-burning suspect ordered not to touch, handle or possess any U.S. flag
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=15102
"A man accused of burning an American flag has been ordered to have no
contact with any U.S. flags if he is released from jail."________________________________________________________________________top
14. Secrecy News
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-secrecy_news[at]fas.org On Behalf Of Aftergood, Steven
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 9:15 AM
To: secrecy_news[at]lists.fas.org
Subject: Secrecy News -- 10/17/01SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
October 17, 2001
- ASHCROFT TELLS AGENCIES TO RESIST FOIA RELEASES
- FRUS VOLUME ON GREECE DUE IN DECEMBER
- OCTOBER 17 COMES AND GOES
ASHCROFT TELLS AGENCIES TO RESIST FOIA RELEASES
Attorney General John Ashcroft has issued a new statement of policy that
encourages federal agencies to resist Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
requests whenever they have legal grounds to do so.The new statement supersedes a 1993 memorandum from Attorney General
Janet Reno which promoted disclosure of government information through
the FOIA unless it was "reasonably foreseeable that disclosure would be
harmful."The Ashcroft policy rejects this "foreseeable harm" standard.
Instead, the Justice Department instructs agencies to withhold
information whenever there is a "sound legal basis" for doing so."When you carefully consider FOIA requests and decide to withhold
records, in whole or in part," the Attorney General advised, "you can be
assured that the Department of Justice will defend your decisions unless
they lack a sound legal basis...."The new FOIA policy statement, issued October 12, is posted here:
http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/foiapost/2001foiapost19.htm
For purposes of comparison, Attorney General Reno's 1993 memorandum may
be found here:http://www.fas.org/sgp/clinton/reno.html
As with many of the Bush Administration's new restrictions on public
information, the new policy is only peripherally related to the fight
against terrorism. Rather, it appears to exploit the current
circumstances to advance a predisposition toward official secrecy.FRUS VOLUME ON GREECE DUE IN DECEMBER
The long-delayed publication of the official Foreign Relations of the
United States (FRUS) volume on US policy towards Greece, Cyprus and
Turkey in 1964-1968 is now scheduled for December of this year,
according to the State Department's latest status report on the FRUS
series.Publication of this unclassified volume has been fiercely resisted by
senior CIA officials because it alludes to covert US intervention in
Greek elections during the 1960s.The anticipated FRUS publication schedule, updated as of this month, is
posted here:http://www.fas.org/sgp/advisory/state/frusstat.html
The State Department Historical Advisory Committee on Monday approved
release of minutes of its June 2001 meeting. The minutes include
discussion of current declassification disputes with the CIA, a
forthcoming retrospective volume on the Congo, and National Security
Agency declassification activity in support of FRUS. See:http://www.fas.org/sgp/advisory/state/hac0601.html
OCTOBER 17 COMES AND GOES
Today marks a deadline that was established by the Clinton
Administration for declassification of 25 year old records, but this
milestone is not expected to have much of an impact.One of the "revolutionary" features of the 1995 executive order 12958 on
classification and declassification policy was its requirement that
historically valuable 25 year old records (that are not otherwise
exempt) were to be automatically declassified after 5 years "whether or
not the records have been reviewed" (Sec. 3.4).In 1999, executive order 13142 extended that 5 year deadline for
automatic declassification by 18 months for general records and by 36
months for intelligence records or those requiring multi-agency review.
See:http://www.fas.org/sgp/isoo/amendfact.html
Today, October 17, 2001, the 18 month extension period comes to an end.
What is the practical effect of this automatic declassification
deadline? "Not much," said an Administration official.The volume of records that might have affected by today's date has been
diminished by a number of factors: many records have been specifically
exempted under one of the executive order's nine exemptions; other
records have already been declassified; and many of the remainder have
been excluded from automatic declassification by congressional
intervention.Meanwhile, the Bush Administration is quietly developing a new executive
order on classification and declassification policy to amend or replace
the 1995 Clinton order. No details concerning a new order have been
disclosed.******************************
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.To SUBSCRIBE to Secrecy News, send email to <majordomo[at]lists.fas.org>
with this command in the body of the message:subscribe secrecy_news [your email address]
To UNSUBSCRIBE, send email to <majordomo[at]lists.fas.org> with this
command in the body of the message:unsubscribe secrecy_news [your email address]
Secrecy News is archived at:http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html
_____________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood[at]fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691
________________________________________________________________________top
15. Freedom of speech an uphill battle in Chico, CA as well
Re: Library Juice 4:36
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 09:26:07 -0700
From: "Dwyer, Jim" <JRDWYER[at]csuchico.edu>
To: "'Rory[at]libr.org'" <Rory[at]libr.org>, Juice[at]libr.orgAnother example of the backlash against free speech and academic freedom can
be found in the "mellow" college town of Chico, California. Political
Science Prof. George Wright made some restrained and measured comments at a
candlelight vigitl on September 18th about terrorism being a response to
U.S. policy and pointing out that while the thousands of deaths in New York
was truly tragic, it pales compared to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqui
children who have died as a result of the American embargo. He was shouted
down and eventually stopped speaking. Friends and colleagues surrounded him
to make sure he was not attacked. The coverage by our right-wing daily, the
Enterprise Record ( http://www.chicoer.com/ ) didn't even cover the rest of
the event, a walk to a downtown park for a continuation of the vigil which
councluded with someone from the Chico Peace Center and an evangelist
hugging in the center of the circle. The tv stations offered similar
"coverage." No, they already had their vicious little sound bites. While
most of the early letters railed against Wright, some of the more recent
ones have supported him. If you'd like to read them go to the website listed
above and enter "George Wright" in the Search Archive box.
Jim Dwyer
Chico State Univ.
________________________________________________________________________top
16. The IFLA Position on The World Trade Organization
[ALACOUN:6443] The IFLA Position on The World Trade Organization
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 11:06:26 -0500
From: "John W. Berry" <jberry[at]psinet.com>
To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org>
Cc: alaboard[at]ala1.ala.orgCouncil Colleagues:
At its first meeting on August 25 in Boston, the newly formed IFLA
Governing Board approved the following IFLA position on the World
Trade Organization (WTO).I share this with you because, three years ago, IFLA and the Canadian
Library Association
acted quickly on aspects of WTO activities that pose potentially
serious concerns for
libraries and publci sector cultural organizations all around the
world. Our association came to understand these issues quite late in
the game in the weeks just prior to the WTO Ministerial Conference
meetings in Seattle in November 1999.Why is this important to America's libraries, museums and other
cultural agencies?I quote from the document below:
"It is important to recognize that the WTO, and the international
trade authorities of its members, are engaged in shaping policy and
applications of this policy on an ongoing basis. While the infrequent
Ministerial Conferences with their attendant protests are the most
visible manifestation of the negotiations, the process is continuous,
with decisions often reached without public scrutiny. What makes the
WTO unique is that it has a binding dispute mechanism as part of its
operations with the strongest enforcement procedures of any
international agreement. IFLA urges its members to inform themselves
on the WTO and their national trade policy deliberations and to
promote the library and related issues when possible. Awareness of
international trade issues is a necessary component of effective
advocacy in shaping national policy, programmes and law as they
relate to library service."Please take the time to read the position statement to better inform
ourselves on the
issues we collectively face now and in the years ahead. (A useful
background paper on
the varied and complex issues that inform the IFLA statement may be
found at http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla66/papers/176-148e.htm)I have asked our International Relations Committee, Nancy R. John,
chair, to discuss the statement
at the 2002 Midwinter Meeting with a view to a status report to
Council at one of our meetings
in New Orleans.John W. Berry
ALA President
2001-02==========================================================
The IFLA Position on The World Trade Organization
INTRODUCTION
1. The World Trade Organization (WTO), with a growing membership
of over 140
countries, oversees a variety of treaties governing international
trade. The WTO treaties with the most significant implications for
libraries and the information sector are the General Agreement on
Trade in Services (GATS) and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).2. Libraries are a public good. They are unique social
organizations dedicated to
providing the broadest range of information and ideas to the public,
regardless of age, religion, physical and mental health, social
status, race, gender or language. The long-established library
traditions of intellectual freedom and equitable access to
information and cultural expression form the basis for ensuring that
library goals are achieved.3. Libraries of all types form an interrelated network, which
serves the citizenry, from the
great national, state and research institutions to public and school
libraries. The well being of libraries is essential in ensuring
access to the full range of human expression and providing
individuals with the skills necessary to access and use this content.
4. There is growing evidence that WTO decisions, directly or
indirectly, may adversely
affect the operations and future development of library services,
especially in not-for-profit institutions.
BACKGROUND
5. It is important to recognize that the WTO, and the
international trade authorities of its
members, are engaged in shaping policy and applications of this
policy on an ongoing basis. While the infrequent Ministerial
Conferences with their attendant protests are the most visible
manifestation of the negotiations, the process is continuous, with
decisions often reached without public scrutiny. What makes the WTO
unique is that it has a binding dispute mechanism as part of its
operations with the strongest enforcement procedures of any
international agreement. IFLA urges its members to inform themselves
on the WTO and their national trade policy deliberations and to
promote the library and related issues when possible. Awareness of
international trade issues is a necessary component of effective
advocacy in shaping national policy, programmes and law as they
relate to library service.SPECIFIC CONCERNS
NOT-FOR-PROFIT LIBRARIES
6. The GATS Agreement has the potential to open up all aspects
of a national economy to
foreign competition including public sector services such as
libraries. Corporations can be set up in any Member State and compete
against public services. In such instances, the foreign corporation
can challenge government support for public sector service and could
claim national treatment; i.e. the same level of subsidy received
from the government by the public sector agency. Sub-Central
governments (state/provincial, regional and municipal governments and
their management boards) are included in any agreements, which cover
the Member State.7. The GATS Agreement does not apply to "services supplied in the exercise
of government authority". Critics have argued that the WTO will
interpret this clause very narrowly. The GATS agreement itself states
"a service supplied in the exercise of government authority means any
service, which is supplied neither on a commercial basis, nor in
competition with one or more service providers". With the advent of
for profit on-line content providers targeting individual users of
education services and public libraries, the potential for GATS
challenges to traditional library service is increasing. While the
concept of allowing "competition" appears benign, the eventual
outcome of such challenges will be the undermining of the
tax-supported status of public sector libraries at the national,
regional and local levels. Without tax support, the library's role as
a democratic institution, making available the widest range of
material reflecting the diversity of society, will be compromised.8. In their submissions to the GATS negotiations, individual
countries make commitments
on service sectors which would then be subject to GATS requirements.
At the commencement of the second round of GATS negotiations in 2001,
thirteen countries had made a commitment to open negotiations on
"libraries, archives, museums and other cultural services."(1) Given
that specific library services will fall under other GATS categories
such as communications ("on-line information and data retrieval;
electronic data interchange"), even if they have not listed library
service, it is probable that many more countries will be entering
into GATS negotiations, which will directly affect libraries.9. IFLA encourages its members to promote awareness of library
values and concerns in the
context of GATS to the trade negotiators in their country. The
potentially far-reaching implications of trade liberalization in
services for not-for-profit libraries should be openly debated.
Negotiators should be strongly encouraged to ensure that government
support for traditional library service is not exposed to a GATS
challenge.INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
10. The TRIPS Agreement applies the enforcement apparatus of the
WTO to the Bern and
other conventions established under the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO). TRIPS has the potential to directly and
indirectly shape national copyright policy and law. In one instance
to date, a WTO dispute panel has found a permitted use in a national
copyright law in violation of international trade treaty commitments.
Ranging from fair use and similar fair practices to preservation
copying by libraries, permitted uses lay out the rights of users of
copyrighted content. There is little assurance that the balance
between the public interest and rights of content owners sought in
national copyright policy debate will be considered by the WTO in any
intellectual property disputes which come before it. WTO dispute
panels are "likely to resolve competing claims to intellectual
property with little regard for the non-commercial values upon which
a reasonable balance of private rights and public interest depends."
(2)11. The regulatory weight of the WTO has the potential to have a
chilling effect on the
development of national copyright law by providing those advocating
fewer permitted uses and extended protection a "trump card" to derail
advocacy efforts on behalf of users. IFLA urges its members to work
to ensure that the interests of libraries and library users are not
marginalized through the application of the WTO regime to domestic
copyright legislation.CULTURAL DIVERSITY
12. Publicly funded libraries are part of the cultural sector.
They are involved in encouraging
the development and promotion of cultural works, particularly
literature, and the preservation and dissemination of those works.
Libraries should be part of protections proposed for culture and
should support and be part of any possible separate treaty which
allows special consideration for cultural goods and services in
international trade.13. IFLA will work with national and international cultural groups to
create alliances for
achieving recognition and protection for the development of regional
and domestic cultural products. The objective of such an alliance is
the creation of cultural diversity and the encouragement of multiple
voices rather than homogenized and globalized cultural works, which
dominate by virtue of financial or corporate strength.14. While supporting the right of WTO Member States to promote
and nurture national
culture, IFLA opposes any obstacles to the free flow across
international borders of legally produced information and cultural
content normally collected or distributed by libraries. IFLA opposes
tariffs or other duties or taxes on the importation of print on paper
or digital content. Such measures have the potential to stifle
intellectual freedom.CONCLUSION
15. As an active international alliance of library and
information associations, libraries and
information services, and concerned individuals, IFLA is
strategically positioned to advocate at the WTO on behalf of
libraries and information services and to ensure that its members are
informed in order to be able to advocate effectively at the national
level.16. In order to ensure a strong public sector, IFLA and its
members will continue to build
links and work with library and information, archive, museum,
education and other organizations in furthering awareness of the
implications of international trade treaties for the public sector.Bolivia, Central African Republic, Ecuador, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong,
Iceland, Japan, New Caledonia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, USA, Venezuela.
(2) Steven Shrybman, "Information, Commodification and the World
Trade Organization",
IFLA Jerusalem Conference, Aug. 2000.
<http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla66/papers/176-148e.htm>;Approved by the Governing Board of IFLA, at its meeting in Boston,
USA, 25th August 2001.INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF
LIBRARY ASSOCIATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS (IFLA)
P O Box 95312
2509 CH THE HAGUE
NetherlandsSeptember 2001
Professional Address:
John W. Berry
Executive Director
NILRC: A Consortium of Community Colleges, Colleges and Universities
P.O. Box 390
Sugar Grove, IL 60554-0390John W. Berry
President
The American Library Association630.264.6345 (main office #)
708.366.0667 (direct voice to John Berry)
630.859.3229 (fax)
708.366.0728 (direct fax to John Berry)
312.399.1715 (cellular)http://www.nilrc.org
and
http://www.ala.org/berry________________________________________________________________________top
17. More on terrorist Orlando Bosch
http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/oct1999/corr-o26.shtml
If you were intrigued by the item a few weeks ago about the terrorist
currently living in Miami, this article will fill in the details. He
downed a Cuban jet in 1976. He was pardoned by George Bush Sr. for a
separate attack. Jeb Bush is currently protecting him from justice in
Florida. (Wouldn't it be embarrassing for him not to?) He and the other
man responsible for the terrorist attack were in the pay of the CIA at the
time."If you are not with us, then you are with the terrorists." Well, you're
with the terrorists either way; either you are with us or you're... not.More about U.S.-based anti-Cuban terrorism at:
http://www.radiohc.cu/i_mens1.htmlHere's an article from FAIR on U.S. coverage of the Bush versus the Clinton
pardons, with reference to Bush's pardon of Bosch:
http://www.fair.org/extra/0105/pardons.htmlHere's an article from Salon talking about the Bush pardons, with reference
to Bosch, which acknowledges that he is a terrorist.
http://www.salon.com/news/col/cona/2001/02/27/pardons/index1.htmlMake some noise about Orlando Bosch!
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18. H-Utopia
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~utopia/
The latest addition to H-Net's discussion networks explores issues of utopia
and is "devoted to discussion of utopianism in all its forms, from literary
expression to policy analysis to architectural criticism to activism." With
a focus on the forms, contents, and influences of utopian/ dystopian
thinking, the site allows users to participate in discussions and view logs
of past discussions and announcements. The welcome message link gives users
information about subscribing as well as some basic information about the
list and the editors. [REB]From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2001.
http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/
________________________________________________________________________top
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