Library Juice 7:12 - June 11, 2004
Contents:
1. Links...
2. John E. Buschman named Futas winner
3. Lannan Video collection for donation to libraries
4. Action Alert: Call your representative to stop HR 3179
5. Artists reportedly subpoenaed in Patriot Act case
6. Turn your library into cash! COLLIB-L discusses OCLC and Barnes & Noble
7. U.S. Military use of Anti-Arab book
8. ALA and Walgreens.... implications
Quote for the week:
"Talking about the information commons helps bring into focus diverse
phenomena that are otherwise fuzzy or thought to be inconsequential,
such as the role of the public domain in enabling creativity. It helps
us revisit the premises of copyright law and reveal how some of its
assumptions may be empirically questionable in the digital age. For
example, it turns out that copyright and contracts are not the only
ways to elicit or distribute valuable knowledge in the digital age.
Why can't public policy reflect this fact?"- David Bollier, "Why We Must Talk about the Information Commons,"
Law Library Journal 96 no2 267-82 Spr 2004
Homepage of the week: David Bollier
http://www.bollier.org/_________________________________________________________________________top
1. Links...
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Bibliographic and Web Tools for the Alternative Press
http://libr.org/AIP/bibtools.html[ updated on Libr.org ]
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LITTLE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE ALTERNATIVE PRESS
By Stacey Barber
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~ssbarber/AltPressBib/little_bibliogrpahy_of_the_alter.htm[ found surfing ]
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Idaho graduate student acquitted of using Internet to support terrorism
June 10th, 2004
By Bob Fick, Associated Press
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001952936_webstudentacquitted10.html[ from Don Wood to IFRT ]
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Recruitment Office Protest
A young man protesting a military recruitment office dressed as an Iraqi
prisoner was arrested on felony charges.
http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/this_just_in/documents/03885837.asp[ sent by Michele McGinnis to the PLG list ]
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Disney through the Web looking glass
by Brian Martin and Brian Yecies
First Monday, Vol 9, No. 6-7, June 2004
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/current_issue/martin/[ Found surfing ]
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Boy's 'Violent Poem' Conviction Is Appealed
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poet28may28,1,1546361.story[ Center for Arts and Culture Update ]
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S.F. Art Gallery Owner Beaten Up for Showing Anti-Torture Painting
http://www.progressive.org/mcwatch04/mc060104.htmlAttacked for art, S.F. gallery to close
Backers rally after violent responses to painting of tortured Iraqis
SF Chronicle, May 30th
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/05/30/BAGF46UAJB1.DTL[ from Mark Hudson to the SRRT list ]
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George Soros on the USAPATRIOT ACT
http://www.ourfuture.org/docUploads/tba2004-thurs_soros.doc[ Kathleen de la Pena McCook to the ALA Member-Forum list ]
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Liblicense: Licensing Digital Information
A resource for librarians
http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml[ found surfing ]
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Message from the Guest Editor: So We Never Forget The Destruction of
United Talmud Torah Grade School Library
By Toni Samek
School Libraries: A Journal of the Canadian School Library Association
Volume 23, Issue 4, 2004
http://www.schoollibraries.ca/Article.aspx?ArticleID=39[ From Elaine Harger ... see Elaine's article in the same issue ]
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Libraries in search of a future [The Daily Star]
By Ron Chepesiuk
The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/05/29/d405291503102.htm[ from Library Link of the Day - http://www.tk421.net/librarylink/ ]
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Copyrights and Copywrongs:
Interview with Siva Vaidhyanathan on the "rise of intellectual
property and how it threatens creativity."
Stay Free Magazine, No. 20
http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/archives/20/siva_vaidhyanathan.html[ Sent to Stay Free readers by Carrie McLaren ]
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HEALTH OF U.S. DEMOCRACY TIED TO NEW MODEL
FOR PUBLIC ACCESS TO ONLINE INFORMATIONReport on "Information Commons" Released
By Free Expression Policy Project
Author: Nancy Kranichhttp://www.fepproject.org/policyreports/InformationCommons.pdf
http://www.fepproject.org/policyreports/infocommons.contentsexsum.html-----
MAPPING THE DIGITAL PUBLIC DOMAIN: THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Pamela Samuelson
Law & Contemporary Problems [66 Law & Contemp. Probs. 147]
http://law.duke.edu/journals/66LCPSamuelson[ Found in references at the end of an article by David Bollier ]
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"Individuals, alone or in association, are the constituents of democracy,
and real human beings, not corporate entities, are the bearers of the moral
claims of autonomy to freedom of expression."
Yochai Benkler, Property, Commons and the First Amendment: Toward a Core
Common Infrastructure 8 (March 2001)
(White Paper for First Amendment Program of Brennan Center for Justice,
New York City School of Law)
http://www.law.nyu.edu/benklery/WhitePaper.pdf-----
Library Dust: Writing from Michael McGrorty
http://librarydust.typepad.com/library_dust/[ sent to me by Michael McGrorty ]
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Martin, Brian. (1998). Information Liberation.
Challenging the Corruptions of Information Power.
London: Freedom Press, 189 p. ISBN 0 900384 93 X.
Online fulltext, HTML:
http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/pubs/98il/ilall.html
Online fulltext, PDF:
http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/pubs/98il/ilall.pdf[ from Zapopan Muela to ALAWORLD ]
_________________________________________________________________________top
2. John E. Buschman named Futas winner
CHICAGO - John E. Buschman is the 2004 recipient of the American
Library Association (ALA) Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award.
The $1,000 award and citation, donated by the Elizabeth Futas
Memorial Fund, recognizes and honors a librarian who invests time and
talent to make positive changes in the profession of librarianship."Committee members were impressed by Buschman's willingness to
challenge the common wisdom, and to ask the hard questions about the
library and information science profession," Gloria J. Coles award
chair.Buschman is department chair and collection development librarian at
Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He was nominated by
Kathleen de la Peña McCook, professor at University of Southern
Florida, Tampa and 2003 Beta Phi Mu winner said, "Buschman
exemplifies the characteristics delineated in the Catalyst for Change
criteria. He has invested thousands of hours in time and talent to
examine the philosophical and ethical foundations of librarianship.
He has worked in a sustained fashion for change in the American
Library Association and he has inspired a generation of librarians to
ask hard questions about the ethics of our professional practice."Lincoln Cushing the electronic outreach librarian at the Institute of
Industrial Relations at UC Berkeley, Calif., supported Buschman's
nomination and stated "John has left his indelible mark on the
profession through a lifetime of scholarship, writing and public
speaking. He has consistently and rigorously pursued numerous facets
of the library community. Intellectual freedom, digital divide, selfcensorship,
and collective amnesia have all been the targets of
John's piercing intellect. He relentlessly challenges the easy and
fashionable answers to difficult questions. His most recent work,
Dismantling the Public Sphere, is perhaps the culmination of this
intellectual trajectory, and others significant insights into major
policy issues confronting our profession."The Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award will be presented
Tuesday, June 29, during the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla.
_________________________________________________________________________top
3. Lannan Video collection for donation to libraries
Since 1988, the Lannan foundation has produced full-length video programs
featuring major poets and writers from around the world reading and
discussing their work. The intent of the video series is to promote the
work of contemporary writers, to broaden the audience for literature, and
to record writers for archival purposes. There are currently 83 titles in
the series.Programs featuring Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, Wendell Berry, Lucille Clifton,
Eduardo Galeano, William Gass, Jorie Graham, Robert Hass, Gish Jen, Jamaica
Kincaid, Li-Young Lee, W.S. Merwin, Czeslaw Milosz, Chet Raymo, Adrienne
Rich, Wallace Shawn, and A. J. Verdelle were recently added to the library.
Donation Program
Lannan donates the Video Library to public libraries, high schools, colleges
and universities, literary, community, and cultural centers, and
correctional institutions. All videos are in VHS format. For more
information on the donation program you can send an email to jo[at]lannan.org,
call 505.986.8160 x 112, or send a letter to Jo Chapman, Lannan Foundation,
313 Read Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501http://www.lannan.org/video/
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4. Action Alert: Call your representative to stop HR 3179
"Bill of Rights Defense Committee"
STOP THE SECRET EXPANSION OF THE PATRIOT ACT
Next Wednesday, June 16th, the House Intelligence Committee is expected to
consider expanding the USA PATRIOT Act by slipping portions of the
Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Tools Improvement Act of 2003, HR 3179, into the
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005. HR 3179 includes the
following provisions from the leaked Justice Department draft of the
Homeland Security Enhancement Act, AKA "Patriot II":* A "lone wolf" provision that applies the Patriot Act's surveillance and
investigation provisions to persons acting alone. (The Senate has already
passed this as a stand-alone bill.)* Penalties for failure to cooperate with overbroad powers for the FBI to
issue secret National Security Letters (NSLs) requesting private
information, with no checks and balances* Secret use of information from NSLs in immigration proceedings, which
would deny immigrants their fifth and fourteenth amendment protections from
being "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."
There is no evidence that the FBI needs these provisions. Furthermore, it
is too early to consider expanding the USA PATRIOT Act. We have not yet had
adequate congressional oversight of how the government is using the
surveillance provisions of the PATRIOT Act. Some provisions of the PATRIOT
Act are set to expire at the end of 2005, so Congress will need to review
them next year -- when all of these issues can be publicly debated and
analyzed.The intelligence authorization bill generally contains many important
provisions, and it must pass every year, so it is difficult for members of
Congress to vote against it even if it contains some provisions they oppose.
Therefore, it is critical to stop the inclusion of HR 3179 in committee.In this e-mail you will find
* Background information
* What you can do
* Links for more information
* Sample phone scripts and e-mail blogs
* Reminder: CLRA introduction Tuesday, June 8
* List of House Intelligence Members by StateBackground Information
Last year, Reps. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Porter Goss (R-FL)
introduced HR 3179, a bill that would expand the FBI's ability to obtain
records without a court order and wiretap people without meeting normal
constitutional standards. After various organizations voiced opposition to
the bill, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on HR 3179 last
month, where former Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) testified against the bill.After the hearing, it was reported that Rep. Goss, who is the Chair of the
House Intelligence Committee, was likely to tack the provisions of HR 3179
onto the annual intelligence authorization bill, which his committee debates
and votes on behind closed doors.You may recall that last December, another section from Patriot II, which
expanded the FBI's ability to use secret National Security Letters, was
tacked on to the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2004 without the
knowledge of most members of Congress. It was passed, and President Bush
signed the bill on Saturday, December 13, the day of Saddam Hussein's
capture by U.S. forces in Iraq. Texas Congressman Ron Paul called the
tactic "a stealth enactment of the enormously unpopular 'Patriot II'
legislation."To stop this stealth tactic from being reused, the grassroots must show its
strength and resolve to protect and restore our civil liberties.What You Can Do
If you oppose this bill and the undemocratic process of, please call your
House of Representatives member during a National Call-In Week to Protect
Civil Liberties. Tell your Rep. that you oppose expanding the PATRIOT Act
and do not want the House Intelligence Committee to tack provisions of HR
3179 onto the intelligence authorization bill. (See sample phone scripts
below) To obtain the phone number for your Representative, call the
Congressional Switchboard at 202-225-3121 or visit
<http://www.congress.org/>;.If your Representative is on the House Intelligence Committee (see list at
bottom of this message), it is especially important that you voice your
opposition to this bill and forward this alert to other constituents of the
committee member.Links for More Information
* HR 3179's Bill Text, Summary, and Status:
<http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.r.03179>;:
* Conservative Opposition to the Bill at:
<http://www.spectator.org/util/print.asp?art_id=6644>;
* Bob Barr's full testimony before the House Judiciary Committee
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security's hearing on HR
3179, which was held on May 18th:
<http://www.aclu.org/news/NewsPrint.cfm?ID=15778&c=206>;Sample Phone Scripts and E-mail Blogs
Sample Script for Constituents in Intelligence Committee Members' DistrictsCall your Representative's office and ask for the staff person who handles
Intelligence Committee issues.Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Your Hometown]. I am calling to urge
Representative [Last Name] to oppose HR 3179, and in particular to oppose
including the provisions of HR 3179 in the intelligence authorization bill.
HR 3179 would expand the PATRIOT Act, and I do not think those important
issues should be decided behind closed doors. Congress must take up the
PATRIOT Act next year when it reviews the sunset provisions, and all of
these issues should be publicly debated next year. Please urge
Representative [Last Name] to oppose the provisions of HR 3179 when they are
considered on June 16th.Sample Script for Constituents Outside Those Districts
Call your Representative's office and tell the staff person who answers the
phone:Hi, this is [Your Name] from [Your Hometown]. I am calling to urge
Representative [Last Name] to oppose HR 3179. I understand that the House
Intelligence Committee may tack the entire bill onto the Intelligence
Authorization Act for 2005 at a closed markup session on June 16th. I ask
that Representative [Last Name] contact members of the House Intelligence
Committee and urge them to oppose both HR 3179's provisions and their
inclusion in the authorization bill. HR 3179 would expand the PATRIOT Act
and I do not think those important issues should be decided behind closed
doors. Congress must take up the PATRIOT Act next year when it reviews the
sunset provisions, and all of these issues should be publicly debated next
year.Sample E-mail or Blog Message
Please spread the word by telling family, friends, and colleagues to call
their Representatives as well by posting the following message in a blog or
e-mail:Legislation is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives to expand the
USA PATRIOT Act -- and there are reports that HR 3179 will get slipped into
an intelligence agency bill that will be debated and voted on behind closed
doors on June 16th. Please urge your Representative to oppose this bill,
and to oppose allowing these important issues to be decided without public
participation. Congress should be adding oversight provisions and judicial
checks and balances to the PATRIOT Act, not expanding it behind closed
doors. See <http://www.bordc.org/legislation.htm>; for more information.Reminder: CLRA introduction Tuesday, June 8
Thank you to the organizations that have signed on to the Civil Liberties
Restoration Act letter of support. The Rights Working Group now has a
website <http://www.rightsworkinggroup.org>;, which includes talking points
on the act <http://www.rightsworkinggroup.org/clratp.pdf>;. Please call your
House Member and Senators and urge them to support the bill.List of House Intelligence Members by State
State, District Name, Party Telephone
Alabama, 5th Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, D (202) 225-4801
Alabama, 2nd Terry Everett, R (202) 225-2901
California, 50th Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R (202) 225-5452
California, 14th Anne Eshoo, D (202) 225-8104
California, 24th Elton Gallegly, R (202) 225-5811
California, 36th Jane Harman, D (202) 225-8220
Florida, 14th Porter Goss, R (202) 225-2536
Florida, 23rd Alcee Hastings, D (202) 225-1313
Georgia, 8th Mac Collins, R (202) 225-5901
Illinois, 18th Ray LaHood, R (202) 225-6201
Iowa, 3rd Leonard Boswell, D (202) 225-3806
Maryland, 2nd C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, D (202) 225-3061
Michigan, 2nd Peter Hoekstra, R (202) 225-4401
Minnesota, 7th Collin Peterson, D (202) 225-2165
Nebraska, 1st Doug Bereuter, R (202) 225-4806
Nevada, 2nd Jim Gibbons, R (202) 225-6155
New Jersey, 12th Rush Holt, D (202) 225-5801
New York, 24th Sherwood L. Boehlert, R (202) 225-3665
North Carolina, 5th Richard Burr, R (202) 225-2071
Texas, 16th Silvestre Reyes, D (202) 225-4831We thank you for taking these vital steps to protect your civil rights and
liberties.Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Web: www.bordc.org <http://www.bordc.org>;
Email: info[at]bordc.org <mailto:info[at]bordc.org>
Phone: 413-582-0110
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5. Artists reportedly subpoenaed in Patriot Act case
http://www.caedefensefund.org/
June 2, 2004
ARTISTS SUBPOENAED IN USA PATRIOT ACT CASE
Feds STILL unable to distinguish art from bioterrorism
Grand jury to convene June 15Three artists have been served subpoenas to appear before a federal
grand jury that will consider bioterrorism charges against a
university professor whose art involves the use of simple biology
equipment.The subpoenas are the latest installment in a bizarre investigation
in which members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force have mistaken an
art project for a biological weapons laboratory (see background
below). While most observers have assumed that the Task Force would
realize the absurd error of its initial investigation of Steve Kurtz,
the subpoenas indicate that the feds have instead chosen to press
their "case" against the baffled professor.Two of the subpoenaed artists--Beatriz da Costa and Steve
Barnes--are, like Kurtz, members of the internationally-acclaimed
Critical Art Ensemble (CAE), an artists' collective that produces
artwork to educate the public about the politics of biotechnology.
They were served the subpoenas by federal agents who tailed them to
an art show at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The
third artist, Paul Vanouse, is, like Kurtz, an art professor at the
University at Buffalo. He has worked with CAE in the past.The artists involved are at a loss to explain the increasingly
bizarre case. "I have no idea why they're continuing (to
investigate)," said Beatriz da Costa, one of those subpoenaed. "It
was shocking that this investigation was ever launched. That it is
continuing is positively frightening, and shows how vulnerable the
PATRIOT Act has made freedom of speech in this country." Da Costa is
an art professor at the University of California at Irvine.According to the subpoenas, the FBI is seeking charges under Section
175 of the US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, which
has been expanded by the USA PATRIOT Act. As expanded, this law
prohibits the possession of "any biological agent, toxin, or delivery
system" without the justification of "prophylactic, protective, bona
fide research, or other peaceful purpose." (See
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/175.html for the 1989 law and
http://www.ehrs.upenn.edu/protocols/patriot/sec817.html for its USA
PATRIOT Act expansion.)Even under the expanded powers of the USA PATRIOT Act, it is
difficult to understand how anyone could view CAE's art as anything
other than a"peaceful purpose." The equipment seized by the FBI
consisted mainly of CAE's most recent project, a mobile DNA
extraction laboratory to test store-bought food for possible
contamination by genetically modified grains and organisms; such
equipment can be found in any university's basic biology lab and even
in many high schools (see "Lab Tour" at
http://www.critical-art.net/biotech/free/ for more details).The grand jury in the case is scheduled to convene June 15 in
Buffalo, New York. Here, the jury will decide whether or not to
indict Steve Kurtz on the charges brought by the FBI. A protest is
being planned at 9 a.m. on June 15 outside the courthouse at 138
Delaware Ave. in Buffalo.<SNIP>
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6. Turn your library into cash! COLLIB-L discusses OCLC and Barnes & Noble
[COLLIB-L:69] turn your library into cash!
Date: 05/18/04 06:59 am
From: Barbara Fister <fister[at]gac.edu>
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgfrom OCLC:
>As of Sunday, May 9th, 2004, FirstSearch libraries can enable a link from
>detailed records in WorldCat to Barnes & Noble (www.bn.com), providing users
>with an additional means of obtaining sought-after books and materials.And better yet, another way for libraries to become fronts for
megacorporate interests! how hip is that? And with every sale, you can get
a kickback!!!I have a great idea. Let's link subject searches to WalMart. That way when
someone has an information need, it will take them directly to the source
that will satisify it. Want to look up horticulture? We'll take you
straight to gardening tools! Why mess around? Straight to the source,
seemless integration. We could probably talk them into giving us a few
pennies for each sale. And if this hurts local independent businesses, so
what? We're thinking of our customers, right?Barbara Fister
non-prophet.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[COLLIB-L:72] RE: turn your library into cash!
Date: 05/18/04 10:21 am
From: "Strauber, Christopher " <StrauberC[at]wofford.edu>
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgI'm not sure I'm comfortable with having a single corporate sponsor
associated with the library, but I don't think it's unreasonable to try
and provide patrons a variety of ways to get access to the materials
they want. If you're looking in Worldcat it usually means your local
library doesn't have them. A certain number of patrons would have the
disposable income to make purchasing them possible, others would use
ILL, but my impression is that most become frustrated and give up-which
doesn't serve anyone's interests. Also, the reviews and other additional
information supplied by BN or Amazon or whoever frequently answer the
patron's "Do-I-Really-Want-This?" question better than the Worldcat bib
record.Having said that, I'm not sure it's a good idea. But I don't think it's
an evil one.Chris Strauber
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[COLLIB-L:73] RE: turn your library into cash!
Date: 05/18/04 10:32 am
From: "Naomi Hospodarsky"
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgPersonally, I'm not so sure that "convenience" really has to mean
"corporate". I'm disturbed that this kind of linking is happening. I
would NOT want to see this at my library, certainly not my academic
library, which I feel should be free from sticky corporate fingers.Additionally, what kind of access to patrons' search history would the
corporation have? I'll bet they're tracking that information.Surely there are other ways of getting book reviews, and "other
additional information" besides linking to corporate interests...Naomi Hospodarsky
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[COLLIB-L:70] RE: turn your library into cash!
Date: 05/18/04 09:15 am
From: "Drew, Bill" <drewwe[at]MORRISVILLE.EDU>
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgWhy isn't OCLC making arrangements with the independent booksellers? There
is a website and online store that independents can join. I have forgotten
its URL. I also work for a non-prophet group. (smile).Bill Drew
[COLLIB-L:71] Independent booksellers
Date: 05/18/04 09:19 am
From: "Drew, Bill" <drewwe[at]MORRISVILLE.EDU>
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgI just found the link for independent booksellers:
Book Sense: http://www.booksense.com/
Wilfred (Bill) Drew
Associate Librarian, Systems and Reference
Morrisville State College Library.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[COLLIB-L:75] RE: OCLC - Are We Practicing CounterImplementation?
Date: 05/19/04 05:54 am
From: "Bell, Steven" <BellS[at]philau.edu>
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgIf anyone isn't thrilled by OCLC's latest effort at innovation, the
keyword in the message was "enable". In other words, if you don't think
this works for your patrons or you don't support the concept, just
"don't" do it. OCLC deals with thousands of different libraries, no two
alike, so what might not work in your culture may be just the ticket for
another user community.Having received Barbara Fister's message on the same day as one from
Steve Gilbert (president of the TLT Group) inspired me to share a
portion of Gilbert's message, which I thought in some way might be
relevant to Fister's. I suppose it has something to do with the way we
react to new ideas and innovation - and how others react to our own
innovation. Sometimes we're very open to it and sometimes we
"counterimplement" - and we may all know a colleague or someone within
our institution that is always on counterimplement mode. Gilbert was
referring specifically to situations at higher education institutions
that create obstacles to the acceptance to and introduction of
technology into the teaching and learning process.Perhaps OCLC's effort to create links between FirstSearch and for-profit
corporate booksellers is misguided or just plain dumb, but on the other
hand it may be a really smart strategy for helping itself and
cash-strapped libraries to continue to do all the good work for which
they are responsible. Isn't ACRL promoting a 3 or 4 hour workshop at ALA
(being actively promoted by Steve Coffman) on new and innovative (and
very non-library like) techniques for raising revenue? So maybe this
isn't such a great idea, but this is the sort of innovation that might
lead to some better or more palatable measures that will enable OCLC and
our libraries to remain relevant and of benefit to our user communities.While we all have every right to question or even ridicule
organizational strategies, we should also ask ourselves if doing so is a
subtle form of counterimplementation. More importantly, what do we do
when others use counterimplementation to prevent our efforts at
innovation?Here is the excerpt:
"Counterimplementation is most likely to occur when outsiders bring in
threatening new technologies."..."In practice, there are many valid
reasons to go beyond passive resistance and actively try to prevent
implementation. Many innovations are dumb ideas. Others threaten the
interests of individuals and groups by intruding on their territory,
limiting their autonomy, reducing their influence, or adding to their
workload. While we all may try to act in the 'corporate' interest, we
often have very different definitions of exactly what that is." ..
"Obviously there is a fine line between honest resistance to a project
one feels is misguided and selfish sabotage of a necessary innovation.This comes from the following article:
"Information Systems and Organizational Change," Peter G.W. Keen,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. In: Communications of
the ACM archive, Volume 24 , Issue 1 (January 1981); Pages: 24 - 33
ISSN:0001-0782 ACM Press, New York, NY, USA
(available at: http://portal.acm.org/toc.cfm?id=J79
<http://portal.acm.org/toc.cfm?id=J79&type=periodical&coll=GUIDE&dl=ACM>;
&type=periodical&coll=GUIDE&dl=ACM&CFID=21435828&CFTOKEN=230
64005Steven Bell, Director
Paul J. Gutman Library
Philadelphia University
bells[at]philau.edu.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[COLLIB-L:79] RE: OCLC - Are We Practicing CounterImplementation?
Date: 05/19/04 12:54 pm
From: Barbara Fister <fister[at]gac.edu>
To: College Libraries Section <COLLIB-L[at]ala.org>
Reply to: COLLIB-L[at]ala.orgI am not, nor have I ever been, a card-carrying counterimplementationalist.
Nor am I a saboteur or a grumpy old fuddy-duddy when it comes to change. In
fact, I have been accused of liking change too much. I particularly enjoy
skewering traditions that make no sense. However, when something new comes
along that makes no sense I'm more than ready to skewer it too."While we all may try to act in the 'corporate' interest, we often have
very different definitions of exactly what that is." ..My interest is not corporate at all. That's my point. Libraries are not in
business to do business with business. We provide information at no charge
because society asks us to as a public good. Society has a right to be
browned off with us if we start having alliances with business -
unnecessarily, because believe it or not our patrons can shop without our
help - and they may wonder who's side we're on. Is this an identity crisis
or what? I swear, library users know what libraries are for better than we
do. (There I go, being unhip again.)"Obviously there is a fine line between honest resistance to a project one
feels is misguided and selfish sabotage of a necessary innovation."If anyone can prove to me there is anything the least bit necessary about
this I'll kiss the pig of your choice. Fer heaven's sake, students show up
at the reference desk carrying printouts from Amazon. "You have this book?"
You think they'll go through our catalog to shop? The investment in this
project could be better spent on making the darned catalogs easier to use,
not easier to leave in order to buy a book that the library doesn't provide
because we're busy building alliances with corporations so we can think
we're as cool as they are.The amount of money libraries will earn through these partnerships will be
so close to zilch it's hardly worth arguing about. What it seems to me IS
worth arguing about is whether libraries should sell out to corporate
interests like this and call it innovation. Especially on the backs of
independent bookstores. Not that it will succeed in damaging them as much
as it will damage our relationship with them. About which yes, I care more
than our relationship with B&N dot com.We're not just betraying our professional values, we're betraying the
public - just as our institutions do when they sell out their research
programs to corporate interests and when in the interests of
self-aggrandizement faculty publish their tax-supported research in
overpriced for-profit journals.Harumph. Call me countercultural, just not counterimplementwhatzit.
Barbara
_________________________________________________________________________top
7. U.S. Military use of Anti-Arab book
Racism Watch Calls for Action to End Use of Anti-Arab Books by the U.S.
GovernmentFor immediate release: June 2, 2004
For more information: Ted Glick, 973-338-5398
Manning Marable, Director of African American Studies at Columbia
University, today called for immediate action to be taken to end use by the
U.S. military of a book, "The Arab Mind," by Raphael Patai. In the words of
Brian Whitaker, Middle East correspondent for Britain's Guardian newspaper,
the book presents "an overwhelmingly negative picture of the Arabs.""It is outrageous that a book full of racially charged stereotypes and
generalizations would be a major source of alleged 'knowledge' about Arab
people within any branch of the government," Marable charged. "It reminds me
of how Africans and Native Americans, later joined by Mexicans, Asians and
other Latin people, were dehumanized for centuries over the course of our
nation's history. Such overt racism is not only wrong and backwards, it is
dangerous, having a direct connection to what took place at Abu Ghraib and
other U.S.-controlled prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan."In an article posted on May 24th on the Guardian website,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/01223525,00.html, 7792,
, Whitaker explains that the use of "The Arab Mind" was
mentioned earlier this month by Seymour Hersh in an article in the New
Yorker magazine. Hersh says, "The Patai book, an academic told me, was 'the
bible of the neocons on Arab behaviour.' In their discussions, he said, two
themes emerged-'one, that Arabs only understand force, and two, that the
biggest weaknesses of Arabs is shame and humiliation.'"Whitaker explained that "my own further enquiries about the book revealed
something even more alarming. Not only is it the bible of neocon
headbangers, but it is also the bible on Arab behaviour for the US military.
According to one professor at a US military college, The Arab Mind is
'probably the most popular and widely read book on the Arabs in the US
military.' It is even used as a textbook for officers at the JFK special
warfare school in Fort Bragg."Among the racist generalizations made in the book, according to Whitaker:
-that, as the title implies, there is one "Arab mind." "The idea that 200
million people, from Morocco to the Gulf, living in rural villages, urban
metropolises and (very rarely these days) desert tents, think with some sort
of single, collective mind is utterly ridiculous," Whitaker charged. -that
Arabs "hate" the West; -that "the Arab view (is) that masturbation is far
more shameful than visiting prostitutes;" -that "once aroused, Arab
hostility will vent itself indiscriminately on all outsiders."Other disturbing statements made in the book include:
-"The fact remains that under traditional Islam, efforts at human
improvement have rarely transcended ineffectuality." -What emerges. . . is
the picture of a human type which readily and frequently throws off the
restraints of discipline and, especially in mass situations, is likely to go
on a rampage." -"The unwillingness of the Arabs to 'dirty their hands,' to
engage in manual labor, is a trait not easily overcome."Patai concludes his book by stating that "the challenge facing the Arab
world in the 1980's [conclusion written in 1982] is to digest the
overwhelming influx of Western things, techniques, skills, and knowledge. .
. Its successful accomplishment will require total dedication and
concentration, which will be possible only if the Arabs can rid themselves
of their obsession with and hatred of Zionism, Israel and American
imperialism. . ."Whitaker describes the book as "a classic case of orientalism which, by
focusing on what Edward Said called the 'otherness' of Arab culture, sets up
barriers that can then be exploited for political purposes."Marable called upon George Bush to immediately issue an order that this book
should no longer be used within any branch of the U.S. government, and he
called upon John Kerry, Ralph Nader, members of Congress and others to
demand that he do so. He also called for a Congressional investigation into
the curricula being used in the military and government departments
interacting with Arab countries."A public repudiation of the views expressed in this book and a
Congressional investigation into the nature of the curricula being used to
'educate' those interacting with Arab and Islamic cultures is one part of
what is necessary to demonstrate to the world that action is truly being
taken to get to the bottom of the Abu Ghraib scandal," Marable explained.
"Those who claim the mantle of political leadership must demonstrate that
they 'get it' when it comes to opposing racism, and taking these steps is a
clear-cut way to do so."2004 Racism Watch was founded in early February at a national meeting in
Atlanta, Ga. Members of its Advisory Committee include Edward Asner, Ed
Begley, Jr., Noam Chomsky, Ron Daniels, Barbara Ehrenreich, Bill Fletcher,
Jr., Manning Marable, Elizabeth Martinez, Cynthia McKinney, Phil Tajitsu
Nash, Susan Sarandon, Ron Walters, Tim Wise and Howard Zinn. George Friday
and Ted Glick are the National Co-coordinators. More information can be
found at http://www.racismwatch.org/.
_________________________________________________________________________top
8. ALA and Walgreens.... implications
ALA and.. Walgreens?
Date: Yesterday 10:55:45 pm
From: MCR <iskra[at]earthlink.net>
To: alacoun[at]ala.org, member-forum[at]ala.org
CC: "srrtac-l[at]ala.org" <srrtac-l[at]ala.org>, plgnet-l <plgnet-l[at]listproc.sjsu.edu>
Reply to: iskra[at]earthlink.netI see on the ALA Web site's front page the proud announcement of a
partnership between ALA and the bloated corporation , Walgreens,The partnership is advertised as promoting the informing of the
public about the new Medicare regulations.Walgreens, the largest pharmacy chain in the country, has, of
course, its own agenda in being concerned with these changes. ALA has
partnered with a mega-corporation with vested interests in medicare
legislation in order to somehow --- in their corporatized minds ---
serve the public''s information needs about Medicare. It appears
that it will be using libraries to distribute Walgreenm-identified
brochures or material!What a lovely pairing this has created!
For the details of what this charmed relationship involves see the
ALA web site
<http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=News&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=67309>;Who us Walgreens?
Walgreens is, as far as I know, currently a non-union, antiunion
company. By our own principles in our by-laws we should probably have
nothing to do with them on that account alone. Here's a profile of
them: WALGREEN'S 2001 profit was $885.6 million. CEO L. Daniel Jorndt
earned $2.18 million. Walgreens workers earn $6.20 - $7.50 an hour,
mostly part-time hours and no health benefits. The average
Walgreen's worker would have to work 260 years to earn what Jorndt
earned in just one year! That pretty much tells you what profiteers
we have at Walgreeens as our 'partners" . WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE WE
DOING WITH CORPORATIONS LIKE THIS, ACTUALLY PROMOTING THEM IN OUR
PRESS RELEASES AND ACTIVITIES?? IT IS SCANDALOUS.Here are some unctuous quotes from the press release on the web
hailing this appalling duumvirate of supposed information equity:>We are pleased to work with Walgreens to bring this information to
>our libraries and to highlight the role of librarians in keeping our
>communities healthy and well-informed."
>
>
>"Walgreens is committed to helping people make informed healthcare
>decisions. By working with the American Library Association, we
>are able to provide information to all segments of the population
>that use public libraries as their primary source for information,"
>added Walgreens President Jeff Rein.
>...
>About Walgreens: Walgreen Co. is the nation's largest drugstore
>chain with fiscal 2003 sales of $32.5 billion. The company operates
>4,397 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico and plans to open 425 new
>stores in fiscal 2004. The company also operates Walgreens Health
>Initiatives, which provides pharmacy benefits manageThe Execeutive and Staff of ALA MUST be called to account for this
kind of reckless corporate prostitution of ALA and of librarianship.
We should not be the partners of corporations with special interests,
in distributing their information packages. This is impermissible and
must stop!Mark Rosenzweig
ALA Councilor at large.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[MEMBER-FORUM:99] Re: ALA and.. Walgreens?
Date: Today 11:16:14 am
From: "Mary Ann Meyers" <ljmmam[at]hypermall.net>
To: <iskra[at]earthlink.net>, <alacoun[at]ala.org>, <member-forum[at]ala.org>
CC: <srrtac-l[at]ala.org>, "plgnet-l" <plgnet-l[at]listproc.sjsu.edu>
Reply to: ljmmam[at]hypermall.net> The Execeutive and Staff of ALA MUST be called to account for this
> kind of reckless corporate prostitution of ALA and of librarianship.
> We should not be the partners of corporations with special interests,
> in distributing their information packages. This is impermissible and
> must stop!
>
> Mark Rosenzweig
> ALA Councilor at largeHear, hear Mark!
Librarians should take a step back and try to see the bigger picture of what
is happening to public libraries and the public commons. This ALA/business
partnering you and I and others find offensive represents one link in a
subtle slide into the eventual privatization of libraries. Here is a
relevant news item posted on ALACOUN by Kate Corby --"I've been reading the recent posts about the Core Values document. There is
a vital need for this document that clearly and succinctly says why
libraries are valuable by outlining the social values they uphold. I want to
step forward to encourage a cooperative spirit. I think it important that
individual members be willing to work out differences and get a document
approved and available. This "news" from Michigan might serve as
inspiration:The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a right leaning think tank in
Michigan. They have issued a set of proposals for budget cutting to help
balance the budget without new taxes.
http://www.mackinac.org/article.asp?ID=5046 The section of proposals for
the Department of History Arts and Libraries very clearly outlines why using
public money to support institutions like libraries endangers free
expression and civil liberty. In the full document at
http://www.mackinac.org/article.asp?ID=5141
they suggest: "libraries need not be public entities. Private libraries do
exist, and have throughout our nation's history. Indeed, one of America's
first lending libraries, established in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin,
was created as a civil institution for the betterment of mankind, thanks to
the private donations of individuals and to fees paid by users. "
This report has been endorsed by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce which is
urging the governor to find something besides increased fuel and cigarette
taxes to fund the state budget.
The Michigan Library Association has responded to this statement:
MLA Policy StatementThe Michigan Library Association strongly opposes the proposal by the
Mackinac Center for Public Policy to eliminate state funding for Michigan's
public libraries and libraries serving the blind and physically handicapped.Strong, vital public libraries are an essential part of vibrant communities.
Public libraries teach children, serve small businesses and the unemployed,
assist the investor, support the entrepreneur and contribute to the quality
of life for Michigan residents. Successful states have strong public
libraries.Since our very first constitution the people of Michigan have believed that
strong public library service is an essential part of the quality of life
and education in our state. Funding for public library service has been a
joint state and local responsibility and should remain so.The Center's call for privatization of our state's public libraries is bad
public policy and is bad for Michigan.MLA will continue to monitor this report and legislative reaction to it.
Posted by,
Kate Corby
Education and Psychology Reference Librarian
Michigan State University Libraries
100 Library
East Lansing Michigan 48824
(517) 432-6123 ext. 121
FAX (517) 432-8050
http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
[MEMBER-FORUM:100] RE: ALA and.. Walgreens?
Date: Today 11:31:27 am
From: "K. G. Schneider" <kgs[at]bluehighways.com>
To: <iskra[at]earthlink.net>, <alacoun[at]ala.org>, <member-forum[at]ala.org>
CC: <srrtac-l[at]ala.org>, "'plgnet-l'" <plgnet-l[at]listproc.sjsu.edu>
Reply to: <kgs[at]bluehighways.com>Although corporate partnerships can play a positive role for ALA, it
concerns me that the Walgreen "partnership" places ALA (and participating
libraries) in the role of uncritically promoting the Medicare Drug Discount
Card Program, the "informational" campaigns for which, political pundits
have pointed out, are thinly-disguised endorsements for the Bush
administration. Passage of this program was so controversial that AARP lost
thousands of members, many of whom fled to the Alliance for Retired
Americans.From the ARA: "by all reports the drug cards are not delivering the promised
savings, or the political victory, many had hoped for. Savings are not
materializing, and reports show that double-digit increases in drug prices
have wiped out any discounts through the cards."If we were concerned about the health of America's citizens, we would
promote information on all sides of this complex issue. And we'd organize
drug-buying trips to Canada for retired librarians--perhaps in "partnership"
with the ARA.I'm sure it wouldn't take much research to learn how much money Walgreen had
pumped into the Medicare Drug Discount Card Program. How much did we get
for our "partnership"--and was it really worth it?Karen G. Schneider
kgs[at]bluehighways.com
_________________________________________________________________________top
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