Library Juice 5:26, August 8, 2002

Contents:

  1. Resolution "In FAVOR of USAPATRIOT ACT & TIPS"
  2. The Book Campaign (Gaza & the West Bank)
  3. Tapes of dissent
  4. Call for submissions for issue #1 of "riot librarrrian"
  5. Congressmen voice "concern" over Science paper
  6. NOLA Bookfair
  7. I Dreamt the Death of Free Speech Now (song)
  8. THE REFERENCE DESK SONG
  9. Another Atrocity at a Cuban Library Followed by Another
  10. NewBreed Librarian: New Issue and a Farewell
  11. Reclaiming the Commons
  12. Statement of Condolences
  13. Links


Quote for the week:

"...(I)nformation and data processing instrumentation are not independent
or autonomous elements in society. How, and for what purposes, they are
employed constitute essential and defining features of the social order. In
the case of information, two dramatically different ways of using it can be
imagined. One is to regard information as a social good and a central
element in the development and creation of a democratic society. Under this
premise, information serves to facilitate democratic decision making,
assists citizen participation in government, and contributes to the search
for roughly egalitarian measures in the economy at large. Comprehensive and
well-organized public information enables decision makers to make rational
resource allocation decisions; to prioritize social claims; to maximize
social welfare. It allows them to overcome baleful practices that harm the
general welfare, like pollution, smoking, and armaments production. Such
information resources allow leaders to promote the development of science
and invention that are socially beneficial and to organize historical
experience for meaningful contemporary reflection and use. In brief,
comprehensive, well-organized public information enables decision makers to
bring past knowledge and experience to bear on current issues and problems.

"In contrast to information as a social good, a different approach can
treat information as a privately produced commodity for sale. Actually,
since Gutenberg, information has been bought and sold. Yet in the 500-year
evolution of the industrial-capitalist state, social movements have sought
to reserve some share of the community's information production and supply
for common use. The public library system and the great land-grant
universities are among the signal achievements of these efforts in the
United States.

"In the 1990's, with the indispensable assistance of computerization,
information is being produced, packaged, stored, and sold. Public
stockpiles of information, government and academic, are being acquired in
all sorts of imaginative and pecuniary ways by private companies. A
vigorous and aggressive Information Industry Association successfully
promotes its own objectives. In this pervasive atmosphere of privately
acquiring, processing, and selling information, the public library system,
a long-standing custodian of the idea and practice, of information as a
social good, is tottering. Its function is being redefined and stripped of
its social character...

"...Many librarians resist this direction and work valiantly, sometimes
successfully, in the democratic tradition, defending the general social
good. Their efforts are part of a larger democratic struggle that is not
going well at this time. Alongside besieged public schools and public
libraries are other organizations and institutions with democratic
objectives and agendas that are also being swamped by technological,
financial, and political pressures of the voracious market economy."

from Herbert Schiller's Information Inequality, p. 35.
(London, New York: Routledge, 1996) ISBN: 0-415-90765-9


Homepage of the week: David Dodd
http://arts.ucsc.edu/GDead/AGDL/david.html

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1. Resolution "In FAVOR of USAPATRIOT ACT & TIPS"

Proposed ALA Council resolution "In FAVOR of USAPATRIOT ACT & TIPS"
(also known as the ALAPATRIOT resolution)

Whereas, despite significant misgivings among our members about the
constitutional, common legal, and political basis of the USAPATRIOT
ACT & TIPS, we have to 'be practical'.(although that injunction does
not appear in our ALA policy and guidelines).

Whereas, being an association which worships the 'fait accompli' and
which desires to always be seen to 'make the best' of the worst
possible situations,

Whereas, there are clearly professional opportunities for librarians
as well as risks associated with the PATRIOT ACT and TIPS

Whereas the amount of 'information'  being gathered on each other as
citizens and residents will increase exponentially

and

Whereas, we are 'information professionals' who can collect, organize
and access information with efficiency and accuracy

and

Whereas., we must, moreover, extend 'the right to know' even to the
government, which needs to know everything about everybody at every
given moment in order to prevent one more terrorist act, and against
whom, perhaps above all, we cannot discriminate in information
service provision

Therefore

Be it resolved that ALA encourages the use of the USA PATRIOT ACT to
specifically involve the employment of newly hired & additional
on-the-ground degreed librarians, as well as paraprofessionals and
staff,, to help meet the government demand for covert information
which we are uniquely situated to provide

and

Be it further resolved that the TIPS program specifically stipulate"
librarians and library workers" in government-supported institutions
- that is, institutions supported in whole or part (i.e. the vast
majority of libraries) -- as a key category of informants, calling
for the employment of more such workers with additional compensation
for added 'espionage' duties in their field of information-provision.

and

Be it finally resolved that the Institute of Museum and Library
Services be enjoined to work with ALA to coordinate the massive
mobilization of library resources, human and otherwise,to create  the
"Panoptikon Society"  which is necessitated " -- "post 9/11" as the
saying goes  -- for the prevention of any further acts of terrorism
anywhere ever. (but especially 'Islamic terrorism', which lacks even
the patriotic component of homegrown terrorism, either individual or
state-sanctioned)

As moved by Marek Rozncwejk
ALA Councilor at large

second to be found (or else)

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2. The Book Campaign (Gaza & the West Bank)

What is the Book Campaign? The Book Campaign was established to source
  children's books for the children of the refugee camps in Gaza and the
  West Bank of the Jordan River. However, after the Israeli invasion of
  March and April 2002 and the destruction of the facilities in the
  universities and colleges of the West Bank we decided to expand the
  program to include institutions of higher learning.

     * We are sponsoring a drive to collect books and software for the
       children in the refugee camps in both languages English and
       Arabic.
     * We are collecting books and software in the academic fields of
       mathematics, science, social studies and other relevant subjects.

  As for the university level books we are seeking books and software in
  all subjects and fields such as mathematics, science, social sciences,
  psychology, sociology and literature up to the graduate level. The
  goal is to continue the efforts of the Bir Zeit University [click here
  to view their site] to provide world class education to a population
  that has been under occupation since 1967 and deprived of the basic of
  education and economic development.

  We accept used and publisher's copies of books and encourage college
  and university professors world wide to give the students of Bir Zeit
  university a helping hand by sending them used and new copies of the
  software, text books and research that they have in their libraries.

  Also, we encourage students worldwide to show solidarity with the
  students of Bir Zeit University by collecting textbooks, software,
  research journals or collect funds to assist the library of Bir Zeit
  to update its inventory.

  If you like to help us in this effort please ship your books to:

       Mr. Nadem Nashef
       Association for Arab Youth
       Address: P.O.BOX 99604 Haifa 31996 Israel
       Email: baladna[at]zahav.net.il
       http://www.baladna.4t.com

  We recommend that you ship all books and software by surface mail to

  Mr. Nashef to reduce the cost of shipping
  and if you feel generous please take some
  time and donate by using the "donate" button
  on the side to contribute few dollars to the
  library of Bir Zeit University. The funds
  will go directly to the library and will only be used to buy books and
  software intended for the education of the youth of Palestine.

  For more information you can contact Riad Hamad at
  Palestinbooks[at]yahoo.com who will be glad to provide you with any
  further assistance you might require.

  For online donations by credit cards you can use the secure Paypal
  system by clicking on the button on right this page."Never doubt that
  a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world.
  Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

  Margaret Meade

http://pcwf.virtualactivism.org/books.htm
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3. Tapes of dissent

From: "Preston Enright" <publicmind[at]msn.com>
To: SRRT Action Council <srrtac-l[at]ala.org>
Subject: [SRRTAC-L:8164] tapes of dissent
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 2002 11:42:31 -0600

Hello,

Thank you to everybody for your kind response and suggestions
regarding my recent offer of free audiotaped lectures by progressive
speakers to any library that will shelve them. A couple of people
suggested that I write a more detailed announcement, so here it is:
I've been doing a great deal of independent media work for the past
several years in community radio, public access TV, book co-ops and
other projects. The broadcast work was simply recording lectures of
progressives and airing them. The speakers have always been enthusiastic
supporters of my efforts to share their thoughts with others. Oftentimes,
I would get requests from listeners for copies of the tapes.
They've also been used as fundraisers for activist groups, and they're a
convenient technology for busy people to become acquainted with
alternative perspectives. The right-wing has been disseminating taped
lectures of their thinkers for years, to say nothing of their near total
monopolization of the discussion over the country's radio waves.

Here in Denver, where I live, the Denver Public Library receives two
copies of every tape I've produced (24 and counting), and they are checked
out constantly. The impression we sometimes feel that people don't care
about these issues is false. There's often a waiting list for the Chomsky
material!

What I do is not much of a business, this is not a limited offer so I
can turn around and sell you something. This is an effort to network with
people who believe in democracy and are tired of the massive deception
taking place regarding the environment, the economy, public services,
foreign policy, etc. These tapes are great tools for sparking a broader
conversation around pressing issues.

Below is a list of speakers and topics, I'll have several more in the near
future.

Dan Baum "Social Control and the War on Drugs"
Blase Bonpane "State Terror and US Foreign Policy"
Peter Breggin "Ritalin and Our Children"
Angela Davis "Race. Class and Prisons"
Amy Goodman "The Other Side of the News"
Richard Grossman "The Corporate Colonization of Our Lives"
Winona LaDuke "Honoring the Earth"
Robert McChesney "Corporate Control of the Media"
Bill McKibben "Creating Livable Cities in the Oil Age"
Ralph Nader "Corporate Control and Social Injustice"
Loretta Ross "Human Rights Education and Social Injustice"
Walter Turner "The Changing Face of Africa"
Howard Zinn "Bringing Democracy Alive"
Plus, the Noam Chomsky collection - a May 5 Washington Post article on
Chomsky noted that he is the most-cited living author on the planet. And
on the all-time citations list, he just passed Cicero and is gaining on
Freud. His lectures are extraordinary.
"Anarchism"
"Foundations of World Order"
"Market Democracy: Doctrine and Reality"
"The Middle East Peace Process"
"The Myth of Free Markets"
"Neoliberalism and Global Order"
"Oil and Terror in Iraq"
"Responsibility of Intellectuals"
"Rule of Force: Iraq and Kosovo"
"Social Change" (with Kathleen Cleaver)
"Universal Grammar"
"US Foreign Policy and the Media"

Peace,
Preston Enright
publicmind[at]msn.com
303.830.7183
What's Left
PO Box 18070
Denver, CO 80218
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4. Call for submissions for issue #1 of "riot librarrrian"

Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 09:40:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sara Pete <saralibrarian[at]yahoo.com>
Subject: call for submissions for issue #1 of "riot librarrrian"
To: feminist[at]MITVMA.MIT.EDU, wss-l[at]ala.org

To all feminists library workers and users,

This is a call for submissions for a zine project I am
working on with a friend from library school. The
title will be "Riot Librarrrian: Breaking the Binding
of Patriarchy since 2001". It is a zine about
feminism, the library, library workers and the spaces
where these things collide. Though this zine will be
of interest to feminist library workers, the intended
audience will simply be feminists (and those
interested in feminism).

SO-- We are looking for drawings, comics, pictures,
and writings to include in issue #1. We are looking
for stories from feminists (contributions from
feminists of all genders are welcome) about using the
library, working in the library, going to library
school, etc. We will also be including annotated
bibliographies of feminist resources (books, zines,
magazines, websites) for feminists to look for at
their libraries, and to ask their librarians for if
they don't find these items. We are looking for
advice for feminists from feminist librarians on how
to use the library. (As an example I will give the
call number ranges of feminist material according to
Dewey and according to LC.) We are also interested in
critiques of the Dewey and LC classification systems
and are planning a small article about Melville Dewey
and what a jerk he was. (I've been told that
prospective students of his library school were
expected to send in their measurements and
escriptions of their eye colors with their
applications!).

If we decide not to include an entry that we receive
we will write a letter explaining why. We will not
edit any entries without first discussing the proposed
changes with the contributor. This zine will be put
together out of our pocket money and we may charge a
dollar or two to cover copying expensives. (We will
be giving away many copies as well.)

Entries should be rather short. Bland entries will
not be considered.

Thanks very much for your time. I hope to be
bombarded with your feminist brilliance soon.

Sincerely,
Sara (riot librarrrian) Pete
saralibrarian[at]yahoo.com
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5. Congressmen voice "concern" over Science paper

[ALACOUN:7858] Fw: [COL:423] Congressmen voice "concern" over Science paper
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 20:23:47 -0600
From: "Bernadine Abbott Hoduski" <ber[at]initco.net>
To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org>
Reply to: ber[at]initco.net

Hi Council,  This attempt by Members of Congress to limit access to
information about scientific research in the name of prevention of terrorism
should cause us all concern.  Will limiting access to another scientist's
work  keep a scientist from finding the answer to a medical crisis?  Or is
that just the price we have to pay for greater security.   How will the
government decide what can be published and what can not be published.  So
far these Members of Congress are only talking about research funded by the
government.  (that is a large chunk of the research).  What if government
decides that all research needs to be censored.  How will this affect the
search for cures for many ailments.    Please read this resolution and
discuss it with the scientists who use your library.  The ALA Committee on
Legislation would like your feed back on this sensitive issue.  Bernadine
Abbott Hoduski, Chair of the Committee on Legislation
-----Original Message-----
From: Patrice McDermott <pmcdermott[at]alawash.org>
To: ALA Committee on Legislation <col[at]ala.org>
Date: Monday, August 05, 2002 2:26 PM
Subject: [COL:423] Congressmen voice "concern" over Science paper

SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
             Volume 2002, Issue No. 72
             August 5, 2002

CONGRESSMEN VOICE "CONCERN" OVER SCIENCE PAPER

Publication of a controversial scientific paper that described the
synthesis of an infectious polio virus from mail order components has
prompted several members of Congress to introduce a resolution expressing
"serious concern" about the paper, which appeared July 11 in Science
Magazine online, and calling for tighter controls on the publication of
certain scientific research.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Dave Weldon and seven others on July 26,
would urge the scientific community to ensure that information that may be
used by terrorists is not made widely available.

It would further call upon the executive branch to reexamine its
classification policies in light of the recent polio virus paper, which was
funded by DARPA.

"The executive branch should examine all policies, including national
security directives, relevant to the classification or publication of
federally funded research to ensure that, although the free exchange of
information is encouraged, information that could be useful in the
development of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons is not made
accessible to terrorists or countries of proliferation concern," according
to the draft resolution.

See the text of House Resolution 514 here:
             http://www.fas.org/sgp/congress/2002/hres514.html

The relevant "national security directive" is National Security Decision
Directive 189, which declared that "It is the policy of this Administration
that, to the maximum extent possible, the products of fundamental research
remain unrestricted." That 1985 directive remains in effect. See:
             http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nsdd/nsdd-189.htm

Although the House resolution arguably overstated the significance of the
Science paper as a blueprint for manufacturing other viruses, it noted
correctly that "the principle that the article demonstrated could have been
demonstrated by using a harmless bacterial virus."

In other words, the paper was intended to be provocative. And now it has
provoked.

The House resolution, and other consequences of the polio virus paper, are
discussed in a news story and an exchange of letters in the  August 2 issue
of Science Magazine.

In response to penetrating criticism of the paper's publication from
Stanford researcher Steven M. Block, Science editor Donald Kennedy
defended the decision to publish.

"Sticking one's head in the sand and hoping that unpleasant realities will
go away has never been a fruitful approach to science or to public policy,"
he wrote.
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6. NOLA Bookfair

Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 12:32:37 -0500
From: gk darby <gkdarby[at]earthlink.net>
To: rory[at]libr.org

Hello Rory:

Here is something that might be of interest to your readers: On October 26,
2002, in New Orleans, street cars, booze, books, artists, publishers,
readers and librarians are coming together for a celebration of book
culture.

For more information address: http://www.nolabookfair.com/

If you wish, I can also send you an extended explantion of the ideas behind
the fair.

best best,
gk darby

garrett ct. press
http://www.gcpress.com/

----------

Re:
Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2002 15:56:28 -0500
From: gk darby <gkdarby[at]earthlink.net>
To: rlitwin[at]earthlink.net

>Darby,
>
>cool. Please do send me an extended explanation of the ideas behind the
>fair.

History of Babylon Lexicon and the New Orleans Bookfair

Inspired by the work of Jon and Gypsy Lou Webb's Loujon Press, Outsider
magazine, and the Bukowski books, Babylon Lexicon started in January, 2001
with a show at Barrister's Gallery as an exhibition of artist books: books
made by hand by any means possible, with any intention in mind, with any
material at hand, and for anyone who wanted to pick them up to muse over.
We used the show as an excuse to make our own books and to see who else in
New Orleans was making books.

All sorts of books and all sorts of people came together for the first
show. It was an informal and inspired gathering. The majority of the books
might have fallen under the category of "fringe" art, instant expression,
but there were also more traditional gems. Books made of metal, pigskin
leather, paper, garbage...No two books were alike -- some contained
collage, some painstakingly letterpress printed and hand bound, some xerox
copied and Kinko's-bound, and some hand-illustrated. There were also
zines, sketch books, old diaries childhood notebooks, and found oddities.

For the first year, we held free binding workshops and held meetings to
educate anyone interested in learning traditional book making methods and
to share ideas. This has tapered off, but those in the original group have
gone on to expand their skills and learn from what they saw at the show and
what others around the world are doing. The use of the book as a form of
artistic expression is limited only by the artist's ability.

The next show was even larger, in submissions and in attendance. D. Eric
Bookhardt wrote about both shows for the Gambit, and in December, 2001,
Doug Maccash attended the opening and wrote about it for the Times
Picayune.

Edwin Blair, who worked with Jon Webb and funded some of their work,
exhibited some of the letterpress books that he has published with Perdido
Press: a chapbook written by Hunter S. Thompson, among others. Karoline
Schleh, Laura Richens, Miriam Martin (of the New Orleans School of
Glassworks and Printmaking Studio), and Raegan Robinson, all experienced
printers and book makers, also exhibited their work.

In addition to the artist books, local small presses were encouraged to
attend. As well as Perdido Press, among these were Bill Lavender's Lavender
Ink, Dennis Formento's Surregional Press, New Mouth from the Dirty South,
Lit City, and Garrett County Press.

The book arts culture may be stronger in other regions of the United
States, but New Orleans has a strong literary and publishing tradition.
Babylon Lexicon serves as a forum and a platform for passing on
information, ideas, and tradition. Interest and participation grows with
each show. Mark Kennedy of Faulkner House Books purchased some work from
the last show, and there is strong support from local independent book
sellers. Brian Valenza, a dealer from New Haven, Connecticut, who runs
PABA, a gallery devoted to artist books has begun to work with some artists
and plans to include books from his collection in the next Babylon Lexicon
show. Nexus Press, out of the Contemporary Art Center in Atlanta, will
also exhibit in the next show.

Artists' books and small press publications often overlap in form and
content. Therefore, Babylon Lexicon is open to any and all forms of books,
with the exception of those mass-produced by large presses. It is only
practical therefore, that we are expanding the scope of the show by forming
an independent press book fair. This allows Babylon Lexicon to focus on
artists' books, while at the same time remaining faithful to the ideas of
the show and creating room for broader participation: it is part of an
undercurrent of modern culture wherein people seek originality, honesty of
expression, and books made for the love of books and ideas. The excitement
is contagious for those who attend and participate.
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7. I Dreamt the Death of Free Speech Now (song)

[PUBLIB] I Dreamt the Death of Free Speech Now
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 08:33:21 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Thomas J. Hennen Jr." <thennen[at]haplr-index.com>
To: Multiple recipients of list <publib[at]sunsite.berkeley.edu>
Reply to: thennen[at]haplr-index.com

Greetings,

A musing on the CIPA: I Dreamt the Death of Free Speech Now

To the tune of I dreamt I saw Joe Hill last night by Earl Hawley Robinson

"I dreamt the death of free speech now..."

I dreamt the death of free speech now
In every library.
But judges know, as amendments go,
Free speech can't die, it's first.
Free speech can't die, it's first.

In CIPA, once there was a plan
to halt the knowledge flow
They're using kids; and that's a crime, but
Free speech is still not dead.
Free speech is still not dead.

If Proper Types can kill free speech
The Constitution will not stand.
Takes more than bills to change the law,
Free speech just will not die.
Free speech just will not die.

But standing there as big as life
Is the [at] we still can use...
So send this on, for free speech sake
It's time to organize
It's time to organize

Free speech ain't dead,
It cannot die, you see.
When library users need to know
Librarians are on their side
 Librarians are on their side

From San Diego up to Maine,
In school and library
People seek and find truth in
Free speech and libraries!
Free speech and libraries!
I dreamt the death of free speech now
In every library.
But judges know, as amendments go,
Free speech can't die, it's first.
Free speech can't die, it's first.

For reference:

In 1914, during struggles over free speech in Utah, IWW organizer and
songwriter Joe Hill was, most people said, framed on a murder charge. Even
appeals from President Wilson did not stop his execution in 1915. Fellow
Wobbly songwriter Earl Hawley Robinson wrote "I Dreamt O Saw Joe Hill Last
Night" at a leftist summer camp in 1936.  In 1967 Bob Dylan angered some,
including no doubt recently un-blacklisted Robinson, and inspired others
with his variation, "I Dreamt I Saw St. Augustine."
"I dreamt I saw Joe Hill Last Night" by Earl Hawley Robinson
http://crixa.com/muse/unionsong/u017.html

--------------------------------------
I also have a longish piece on the first ever copyright case - involving
St.
Columba, the monk who would have been Ireland's patron saint but for his
banishment to Scotland because he started a war by copying a prayer book!
The king ruled "to every cow its calf, to every book its owner."  Some have
rumored that this "Battle Book of the Clan O'Donnell" may still be
around...
Let me know.

Thomas J. Hennen Jr.
thennen[at]haplr-index.com
http://www.haplr-index.com
Voice: 262-886-1625
Fax: 262-886-5424
6014 Spring Street
Racine, WI   53406

"Share knowledge, seek wisdom."

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8. THE REFERENCE DESK SONG

(sung to the tune of "What a Wonderful World")

I see Theresa Green, Reg Roses too
I see them borrowing, for me and you
As around the computer, I am twirled;

I see books of blue and pages white
The Library Open Day, the research at night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Forget the TV gameshow, the answers we supply
Are in the books you people, always leave awry;
Feel free to borrow, all our pencils too -
Don't think we don't know, when your book's overdue.

I can see from your look, you want to know
Where the books are, that aren't 'on show';
And I think that you're from the dark underworld.
Yes, I'm glad that all the old books got hurled.

More great songs by Amanda Credaro (aka Biblia, the
Warrior Librarian) at:
http://warriorlibrarian.com/LOL/songs.html
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9. Another Atrocity at a Cuban Library Followed by Another 

                 The Friends of Cuban Libraries
               (www.friendofcubanlibraries?.org)

ANOTHER ATROCITY AT CUBAN LIBRARY FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER

Following the visit to Cuba by a high level delgation of librarians from
the American Librarian Association (ALA), libraries of all kinds have
become the principal target of the forces of darkness, the Cuban
government.

The May 31 issue of the French human rights publication Carte des Canaille
et Canards repeating as yet unverified charges published in Carta de Cuba
-- an unknown but absolutely reliable source -- reports that the libraries
of Communist Cuba continue to be the principal target of Castro's
repression and published the following two items:

-Apparently using as an example the US campaign to blame rap music for
inner city violence and drive it out (including the burning of recordings,
provoking of incidents at clubs, harassment of rap singers, and the
publication and broad distribution of the speeches of Tipper Gore) the
Cuban authorities, thinking they were moving towards democracy US-style,
raided yet another rap concert in a library, this time one held in in the
living room 'independent library' of 75 year old half-deaf independent
librarian Roberto Quente. The raid at the unlisted 'Menendez Brothers
Trust Library', netted 2,000 rap enthusuasts. Date to be announced.

-A one-legged independent librarian had his crutch stolen by Cuban
security, but not before (inspired by cops in the US Abner Louima case in
NYC) being sodomized with the crutch. Fortunately, only the swimsuit issue
of Sports Illustrated was confiscated by the authorities for further
investigation.

As to the reason for these acts of repression, the editor of Carta de Cuba
states that, according to high officials, the top priority of the security
apparatus of Cuba has shifted inexplicably to libraries, independent and
otherwise.

In the US, noted activist and self-aggrandizing monomaniac, Robert Kent,
has greeted this shift in focus to libraries with a satisfied "I told you
so" and promised that he would be reporting many more such incidents in the
future, one way or the other.
===========
NOTE: Send this information to relevant listservs and news organizations,
and please stay tuned for a very important announcement, to be issued by the
Friends in the near future, regarding a landmark development in the growth of
Cuba's independent library movement.
>
> (WWW.FRIENDOFCUBANLIBRARIES?.ORG)
>
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10. NewBreed Librarian: New Issue and a Farewell

Date: 1 Aug 2002 18:46:54 -0000
From: NewBreed Librarian <crew[at]newbreedlibrarian.org>
To: Rory <rlitwin[at]earthlink.net>

The last 18 months have been chock-full of sweat and joy as we've worked
indefatigably to create a resource we hoped would inspire and resonate
with progressive librarians of all ages and at all libraries. Pilgrims
that we are, we poured our hearts into this emprise, growing and learning
throughout the entire process. But now, even though there's plenty of
love
left, there's simply not enough time to keep NewBreed Librarian afloat.
So, borrowing from Tom, goodnight to the street sweepers, the night
watchman flame keepers, and goodnight to NewBreed, too.

But we're not leaving you empty-handed - we've got one more issue of
NewBreed Librarian to share with you:

http://www.newbreedlibrarian.org/
________________________________________________________________________top


11. Reclaiming the Commons

[ALACOUN:7838] Reclaiming the Commons
Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2002 11:41:43 -0400
From: "Robert P. Holley" <aa3805[at]wayne.edu>
To: ALA Council List <alacoun[at]ala1.ala.org>
Reply to: aa3805[at]wayne.edu

I believe that the following brief description and link to the full article
are important for Council because libraries preserve and
disseminate many of the cultural resources that are parts of the
"commons."

I for one am very worried about the loss of public goods. When the
information wasn't considered very valuable, corporate America let
libraries distribute it and praised them for doing it. Now that
information has acquired value, suddenly the for-profit sector has
wants to lock it up and provide it to only those who can pay.
Libraries with their free access are part of the enemy.

Furthermore, I worry that any attempt for libraries, schools, and
universities to become more like business will end in their being
swallowed up by business because business has a long history of
knowing how to make a profit while libraries are "newbies." I'm
concerned that all libraries will get are the crumbs after business
has dined on the feast.

Bob Holley
Councilor at large

MAGAZINES & JOURNALS

A glance at the summer issue of the "Boston Review":
Protecting the "commons" of American ideas and resources

David Bollier, a co-founder of Public Knowledge, a
public-interest group, writes the primary essay for a forum
called "Ruled by the Market?," which focuses on the "silent
theft" by private entities of such assets as knowledge, natural
resources, and taxpayer-financed research.

Mr. Bollier collectively calls those assets "the commons" -- a
"vast range of resources that the American people collectively
own, but which are rapidly being enclosed: privatized, traded in
the market, and abused." The for-profit appropriations of
airwaves, forests, and the discoveries of government-financed
pharmaceutical research are "troubling because they
disproportionately benefit the corporate class and effectively
deprive ordinary citizens of access to resources that they
legally or morally own," he writes.

The dangers that such market-driven ownership presents to the
poor and disadvantaged, and the stifling effect on creativity
and community health that such balkanization inflicts,
practically beg for vigorous public action, Mr. Bollier says.

"It's time to stop granting private entities free access to and
use of public resources," he declares, and it's time to return
to the longstanding American tradition of protecting resources
through such means as conservation, urban planning, and
land-grant-university models. It is time, he concludes, "to
revive this tradition of innovation in the stewardship of public
resources. ... But first we must recognize the commons as such,
name it, and understand the rich possibilities for reclaiming
our common wealth."

The article is available online at
http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR27.3/bollier.html
________________________________________________________________________top


12. Statement of Condolences

Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 08:12:25 -0700
From: Rory Litwin <rlitwin[at]earthlink.net>
To: member-forum[at]ala.org, srrtmem[at]ala.org, srrtac-l[at]ala.org
Reply to: rlitwin[at]earthlink.net

On behalf of the members of the Action Council of the Social
Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association, I wish to
express our grief at the news of the death today of a Dina Carter, a fellow
library worker from the Jewish National Library. Carter, an Israeli of
American origin, was among those killed in the bombing carried out by the
Hamas group at the Mount Scopus campus of Hebrew University.

The vicious circle of deadly violence must be broken. We extend our
condolences to the family and friends of Dina Carter and to her colleagues
at the Manuscripts and Archives division of the Jewish National Library, and
we reaffirm our commitment to a just and binding peace which alone can
provide security and all other human rights for Israelis and Palestinians
alike.

Rory Litwin
Social Responsibilities Round Table Coordinator
________________________________________________________________________top


13. Links

-----

Mack's Earplugs ad ("She's not your typical librarian")
http://www.macksearplugs.com/x/diving_board_ad0.jpg
[ LISNews ]

-----

The much talked-about Queensborough Public Library dress code:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2169609.stm
[ Librarian.net ]

-----

Laura Flanders' pollyanna-ish _Nation_ article on how librarians
are "resisting" the G-men
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=13625
[ Librarian.net ]

-----

Why filtering laws just won't work
http://news.com.com/2010-1071-947431.html
[ Don Wood ]

-----

Report on damage to Palestinian libraries
http://www.pitt.edu/~ttwiss/irtf/palestinlibsdmg.html
[ Al Kagan, Tom Twiss ]

-----

A 12-Step Program for Media Democracy
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&c=1&s=olson20020722%20
[ Center for Arts and Culture Update ]

-----

Net Filter Use Jumps in Libraries
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8432254.html?tag=dd.ne.dht.nl-sty.0
[ Center for Arts and Culture Update ]

-----

The Web didn't kill libraries. It's the new draw.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0725/p02s02-ussc.html
[ Center for Arts and Culture Update ]

-----

Fuck up someone's life by sending the FBI an anonymous tip using this form:
https://www.ifccfbi.gov/complaint/terrorist.asp

-----

Patriot Registration form
http://www.whitehouse.org/initiatives/patriot/index.asp

-----

Operation TIPS-TIPS: Report TIPS informants
http://www.all-the-other-names-were-taken.com/tipstips.html

-----

Dot-org Decision Looms Large for Noncommercial Speakers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12982-2002Jul28.html
[ Benton Foundation Communication-Related Headlines ]

-----

Your Grocery List Could Spark a Terror Probe
http://villagevoice.com/issues/0230/baard.php
[ Declan McCullagh's POLITECH ]

-----

Sexuality Issues in Libraries Group (formerly Burning Issues Group)
http://www.silg.org.uk/
[ Jessamyn West ]

-----

Cooperative Song Index
http://www.sjvls.org/sjvis/songs/
[ Librarians' Index to the Internet ]

-----

Librarian's Book Club
http://culaw2.creighton.edu/library/lbc/
[ Troy Johnson to the PUBLIB list ]

-----

AUTODAFE (translating and disseminating censored literature)
http://www.autodafe.org/
[ Don Wood ]

-----

Tribute to Ranganathan
http://www.isibang.ac.in/DRTC/srr/
[ Librarians' Index to the Internet ]

-----

Information Technology and Globalization, by by Laura Koltutsky
http://www.slis.ualberta.ca/cap01/laura/ithome.htm

-----

Text files for leftists with a situationist orientation
http://textz.com

-----

Center for Intellectual Property and Copyright in the Digital Environment
http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/cip/cip.html

________________________________________________________________________top


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