Library Juice 8:12 - July 1, 2005
Contents:
1. Links....
2. Historic resolution against the Iraq war passes ALA Council
3. Important resolution on Disinformation & Media Manipulation passes
4. Resolution on Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Library Materials
5. The UNITE HERE! Boycott at the Hotel Intercontinental, Chicago
6. Daniel Brandt on Google Print and the University of Michigan contract
7. Councilor Jim Casey's notes on the 2005 Annual Conference
8. Tom Eland replies to the Navasky quote from last time
Quote for the week:
"I am a critic of copyright in the same way that I am a critic of the
United States Government: I criticize it because I love it."- Siva Vaidhyanathan, author of _The Anarchist in the Library_ (Basic
Books, 2004), during his talk at the 2005 ALA Annual Conference,
"The Googlization of Everything: A Threat to the Information Commons?"
Homepage of the week: Siva Vaidhyanathan
http://homepages.nyu.edu/~sv24/Bio.html________________________________________________________________________top
1. Links....
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Librarians Win One for Constitutional Freedom
AFT Higher Education
http://www.aft.org/higher_ed/news/2005/patriot_library.htm[ from Dana Lubow to the SRRT list ]
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Two by Chris Dodge in the Utne Reader:
The New Monastic Librarians
http://www.utne.com/magazine/newsstand/utne130_monastic-librarians.pdfKnowledge for Sale: Are America's public libraries losing their way?
http://www.utne.com/magazine/newsstand/utne130_knowledge-for-sale.pdf[ from Chris Dodge to private recipients ]
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IFLA Journal 31 (2005) No. 2
http://www.ifla.org/V/iflaj/IFLA-Journal-2-2005.pdf[ Sjoerd Koopman to the IFLA list ]
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Links on self-censorship in contemporary media:
NYT's Downing Street Dissembling (june 13, 2005)
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050613/nyts_downing_street_dissembling.phpNixon's Empire Strikes Back (June 9, 2005)
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0609-29.htmSelf-Censorship and Torture: Abu Ghraib, CBS and American Power
(May 4, 2004)
http://counterpunch.org/peterson05042004.htmlAmanpour: CNN practiced self-censorship (Posted 9/14/2003 11:18 PM)
http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2003-09-14-media-mix_x.htmGulf War Coverage: The Worst Censorship Was at Home
(Special Gulf War Issue 1991)
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1518[ from Don Wood to IFACTION ]
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A Library as Material Culture: Typology and Symbol in the Community
by Clayton Funk.
CultureWork: A Periodic Broadside for Arts and Culture Workers
June 2003. Vol. 7, No. 3
http://aad.uoregon.edu/culturework/culturework24.html[ sent to me by Kathleen de la Pena McCook ]
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2. Historic resolution against the Iraq war passes ALA Council
Resolution on the Connection between the Iraq War and Libraries Whereas, the justifications for the invasion of Iraq have proven to be
completely unfounded; andWhereas, the war already has taken the lives of more than 100,000 Iraqis
and more than 1700 U.S. soldiers; andWhereas, these numbers will continue to mount as long as the U.S.
remains in Iraq; andWhereas, during the current occupation, many of Iraq's cultural
treasures, including libraries, archives, manuscripts, and artifacts,
have been destroyed, lost, or stolen; andWhereas, as long as U.S. forces remain in Iraq, the inevitable
escalation of fighting threatens further destruction of Iraq's cultural
heritage; andWhereas, the U.S. is spending billions of dollars every month for the
occupation; and
Whereas, even a small fraction of these resources would be more than
sufficient for rebuilding and greatly enhancing the libraries and
educational institutions of both Iraq and the US; therefore, be itResolved that the American Library Association calls for the withdrawal
from Iraq of all U.S. military forces, and the return of full
sovereignty to the people of Iraq.Resolved that the American Library Association urges the United States
government to subsequently shift its budgetary priorities from the
occupation of Iraq to improved support for vital domestic programs,
including U.S. libraries.Resolved that the American Library Association calls upon the United
States government to provide material assistance through the United
Nations for the reconstruction of Iraq, including its museums,
libraries, schools, and other cultural resources.Resolved that this resolution be sent to all members of Congress, the
Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the President of the
United States, and the press.Related ALA policies:
18.4 Resolution on Libraries and Cultural Resources in Iraq (June 25,
2003)
53.7 Destruction of Libraries
53.8 Libraries: an American Value
Additional precedent: ALA Resolution on the Southeast Asia Conflict
(1971)
Mover: Tom Twiss; Seconder: Mary Sue Brown
Approved by ALA Council, June 29, 2005
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3. Important resolution on Disinformation & Media Manipulation passes
RESOLUTION on DISINFORMATION, MEDIA MANIPULATION
& the DESTRUCTION of PUBLIC INFORMATIONWhereas the American Library Association recognizes the contribution
librarianship can make in giving support for efforts to inform and
educate the people of the United States on critical problems facing
society (Policy 1.1); andWhereas the mission of ALA is to provide leadership for the development,
promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the
profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure
access to information for all (Policy 1.2); andWhereas ALA has as one of its officially stated goals that government
information be widely and easily available (Policy 1.3: Priority Areas
and Goals); andWhereas inaccurate information, distortions of truth, excessive
limitations on access to information, and the removal or destruction of
information from the public domain are anathema to the ethos of
librarianship and to the functioning of a healthy democracy; andWhereas evidence exists revealing that some U.S. government officials
and agencies use disinformation in pursuit of political and economic
power, as well as war, thwarting the development of an informed
citizenry and constituting a "critical problem facing society"; andWhereas the list of documented instances of government use of
disinformation continues to grow, and includes:
- the distribution to media outlets of government produced "video news
releases" under the guise of independent journalism;
- the use of commentators paid by government agencies to express views
favorable to government policies in clear violation of Federal
Communications Commission regulations;
- the censorship of scientific studies warning of the true threat of
global warming;
- the fabrication and deliberate distortion of information used to
justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq;
- the removal of public information from U.S. depository libraries; and
- heightened assaults on constitutional rights under the guise of
"national security"; therefore be itResolved, That the American Library Association goes on record as
being opposed to the use by government of disinformation, media manipulation,
the destruction and excision of public information, and other such tactics;
and, be it furtherResolved, That ALA encourages its members to help raise public
consciousness regarding the many ways in which disinformation and media
manipulation are being used to mislead public opinion in all spheres of
life, and further encourages librarians to facilitate this awareness with
collection development, library programming and public outreach that draws
the public's attention to those alternative sources of information dedicated
to countering and revealing the disinformation often purveyed by the
mainstream media; and, be it furtherResolved, That this resolution be shared broadly with members of ALA, the
press, the public and government officials.June 26, 2005
Supporting Documentation:
ALA policy references:
.0.1 Mission, Priority Areas, Goals - Introduction
.0.2 Mission
.0.3 Priority Areas and Goals
.0.3.1 The Rights of Library Users and the USA PATRIOT ActSelected Bibliography on Disinformation
1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Washington DC: U.S. Congress.
1971 Pentagon Papers, by Neil Sheehan et al. New York: New York Times
1975 Inside the Company: CIA Diary, by Philip Agee. London: Allen Lane
1978 Dirty Work: the CIA in western Europe, by Philip Agee, & Louis
Wolf. New York: Dorset Press
1982 The Real Terror Network: terrorism in fact and propaganda, by
Edward S. Herman. Boston: South End Press
1985 Storm Over Chile, by Samuel Chavkin. New York: Dodd, Mead &
Company
1988 Agents of Repression: the FBI's secret wars against the Black
Panther Party and the American Indian Movement, by Ward Churchill and
Jim Vander Wall. Boston: South End Press
1989 The "Terrorism" Industry: the experts and institutions that shape
our view of terror, by Edward S. Herman and Gerry O'Sullivan. New
York: Pantheon.
1990 COINTELPRO Papers: documents from the FBI's secret war against
dissent in the United States, by Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall.
Boston: South End Press
1997 Warriors of Disinformation, by Alvin Snyder. New York: Arcade
Publishing.
1999 Cultural Cold War: the CIA and the world of arts and letters, by
Frances Stonor Saunders. New York: The New Press
1999 Psywar on Cuba : the declassified history of U.S. anti-Castro
propaganda, edited by Jon Elliston. Melbourne, Vic. & New York: Ocean
Press
2002 Body of Secrets : anatomy of the ultra-secret National Security
Agency : from the Cold War through the dawn of a new century, by James
Bamford. New York: Anchor Books
2003 Covert Action: the roots of terrorism, edited by Ellen Ray and
William H. Schapp. Melbourne: Ocean Press
2003 Abuse Your Illusions: the disinformation guide to media mirages and
establishment lies, edited by Russ Kick. New York: Disinformation Co.
2004 Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, by John Perkins. San
Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
2004 Inside the Pentagon Papers, by John Prados and Margaret Pratt
Porter. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.
2005 The Chavez Code: deciphering the intervention of the United States
in Venezuela, by Eva Golinger. Editorial de Ciencias Sociales________________________________________________________________________top
4. Resolution on Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and Library Materials
Resolution on Threats to Library Materials Related to Sex, Gender
Identity, or Sexual OrientationWHEREAS, some elected officials of federal, state, and local governments
have proposed to restrict or prohibit access to materials related to
sexual orientation within their publicly funded libraries; andWHEREAS, fair and equal representation of all the diverse expressions of
life of the citizens of these United States is protected by the First
Amendment and by state constitutions, and attempts to proscribe such
representation in publicly funded libraries violates freedom of speech;
andWHEREAS, libraries serve "all people of the community the library
serves," and "materials should not be proscribed or removed because of
partisan or doctrinal disapproval" (Policy 53.1, "Library Bill of
Rights"); andWHEREAS, "Intellectual freedom, the essence of equitable library
services, provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through
which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be
explored" (Policy 53.1.11, "Diversity in Collection Development"); andWHEREAS, "The American Library Association stringently and unequivocally
maintains that libraries and librarians have an obligation to resist
efforts that systematically exclude materials dealing with any subject
matter, including sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation" (Policy
53.1.15, "Access to Library Resources and Services Regardless of Sex,
Gender Identity, or Sexual Orientation"); and
WHEREAS, libraries have an obligation under the Library Bill of Rights
to disseminate information representing all points of view on the topic
of gay rights (Policy 54.17, "Gay Rights"); andWHEREAS, the American Library Association is committed to combating
prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination against individuals and
groups in library services because of sexual orientation (Policy 60.2,
"Combating Prejudice, Stereotyping, and Discrimination"); andWHEREAS, "Libraries are a traditional forum for the open exchange of
information. Attempts to restrict access to library materials violate
the basic tenets of the Library Bill of Rights"(Policy 53.1.6,
"Restricted Access to Library Materials"); andWHEREAS, the American Library Association recognizes the right and
responsibility of parents to pass on their values by monitoring their
child's access to library materials; andWHEREAS, the American Library Association affirms the important role of
local library boards, librarians, and library workers as promoters of
the American values of inclusiveness, tolerance, and mutual respect
within their communities; now, therefore, let it beRESOLVED, that the American Library Association affirm the inclusion in
library collections of materials that reflect the diversity of our
society, including those related to sex, gender identity, or sexual
orientation; and be it furtherRESOLVED, that the American Library Association encourage all American
Library Association chapters to take active stands against all
legislative or other government attempts to proscribe materials related
to sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation; and be it furtherRESOLVED, that the American Library Association encourage all libraries
to acquire and make available materials representative of all the
people in our society.Adopted by the ALA Council
June 29, 2005
Chicago, Illinois
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5. The UNITE HERE! Boycott at the Hotel Intercontinental, Chicago
By Rory Litwin
A couple of days before the ALA Conference, I got a call from Anu
Pradhan at UNITE HERE! Local 1 in Chicago, the hotel union, to let me
know that the Hotel Intercontinental, where we would be having a
program on Sunday featuring Siva Vaidhyanathan, is under a boycott.The news was a shock. Anu understood that it was far too late to make
arrangements to move the program. She told me that the union did speak
to Diedre Ross at ALA as early as last November about the boycott.
Diedre informed them that she would alert members about it. As
coordinator of a Round Table that was sponsoring a program in that
hotel, you would think that she would have informed me. Unless I am
mistaken, I was not informed about it until Anu called me last week.Anyway, Anu and her associate in the union, Teran Loeppke, hoped that we
could use the situation as an opportunity to help the union. (The
boycott is in support of UNITE HERE! Local 2 workers in San Francisco,
who are in a dispute with five hotels owned by the Intercontinental
hotel company over health care and other issues.)Teran and Anu came to our first SRRT meeting at the conference, on
Saturday, and talked to us about the situation. Together came up with
a plan for what to do at Siva's program.With three or four hundred people in attendance, the moderator of the
program, Melissa Riley, very briefly explained at the start of the
event that we had just learned that the hotel was under boycott, and
let people know that letters were being passed out, addressed to the
hotel manager, expressing our feelings about attending a program in a
boycotted hotel.We passed out about two hundred copies of the letters and invited people
to sign them and hand them to us as they left the program at the end.
We collected a good stack of signed letters, and as people handed them
to us we invited them to join us in the lobby of the hotel to present
them to the manager on duty and have a few words with him through our
spokesperson, who was Theresa Tobin.About a dozen people came down to the lobby, with Siva Vaidhyanathan
joining us. (Siva said a few very supportive words about the
boycott during his talk.) We spoke to the manager on duty and delivered
the signed letters.Among the things the letter said was that we were offended that we were
not informed that a labor dispute exists with the hotel company. I think that
many people in the crowd that came to see Siva speak did feel this way,
and telling the hotel management in such a powerful fashion will get
the message across.Teran and Anu said that Local 2 in San Francisco will definitely hear
the news about this and will be grateful for our help.It was gratifying to turn such a bad situation into an opportunity to
help the union.If you would like to send your own copy of the letter, which you might
want to do if you attended a program at the Intercontinental or if you
stayed there, you can download a copy here:
http://libr.org/juice/docs/8.12/Mander_letter.rtfThese letters have an actual impact.
For more information about this boycott and the labor dispute behind it,
visit http://www.hotelworkersunited.org/boycott2.asp
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6. Daniel Brandt on Google Print and the University of Michigan contract
Google and Univ. Michigan
Date: Thu Jun 30 18:51:33 2005
From: namebase[at]earthlink.net
To: rlitwin[at]earthlink.netDear Rory Litwin:
I am very concerned about the agreement between the University of
Michigan and Google that will, over the next six years or so, allow
Google to copy all seven million items owned by the University.I realize that progressive librarians are not inclined to support
copyright issues. While I'm not a librarian, I consider myself a
populist. I was an antiwar activist during the late 1960s, and was
prosecuted for draft resistance in 1969-70. During the 1980s
I worked with anti-CIA individuals and publications in the
Washington, DC area, and introduced a number of them to
microcomputing.Despite my populist background, on this particular issue of the
University of Michigan's digitization project with Google, I feel
that a defense of copyright law is appropriate. U-M clearly intends
to violate Section 108 of the Copyright Act. Also, U-M is the most
determined of the five major libraries to hand over their entire
collection to Google. Stanford is less determined than U-M,
and the other three libraries are appropriately timid about
copyrighted material.I have a web page at www.google-watch.org/umich.html that explains
the situation with U-M and Google. It includes the confidential
agreement between them that was released on June 17 under the
Michigan freedom of information act, and it includes another subpage,
www.google-watch.org/busted.html, that makes the case for U-M's
violation of Section 108.Even if U-M backs down and announces that they have decided to
withhold copyrighted material from Google, there remain massive
problems with Google's agenda concerning material that is out of
copyright. These problems include privacy issues, as well as
cultural and censorship issues. But look at this from Google's
perspective: What percentage of AdWords clicks can Google expect
from public-domain material only, as opposed to the entire
collection of seven million items? My guess is that by requiring
U-M to abide by Section 108, Google's potential click-throughs will
be less than ten percent than what they would be otherwise. In
terms of search results for keywords, which will drive the traffic
to Google's snippets from books, there simply isn't that much
interest in pre-1930 material. (This 1930 date will be the
approximate cutoff by the time Google gets all this material
online).The question of whether the entire library project is commercially
viable for Google, once Google is denied copyrighted material, is
certainly one that they will consider carefully. They might even
leave off the ads and do it as a public service. The key to making
this happen is to pressure the University of Michigan to reconsider
their plans for Googlization. If we can get the University to reconsider,
despite the aggressive Google cheer-leading by U-M librarian
John Wilkin, then Google will not be able to convince any other
big libraries to turn over copyrighted material.I don't like carrying water for all the for-profit publishers who
are inclined to support this pro-copyright position of mine. But
let's face facts -- there is zero chance that anyone can challenge
Google in the short-term on substantive issues such as privacy, or
cultural or censorship issues. These issues are important, but they
don't have any clout compared to U-M's violation of Section 108.I urge all progressives and populists to support anyone who is
inclined to challenge the U-M's project on copyright grounds. The
stakes are very high, and we don't have the luxury of waiting until
the issues are framed in a more politically-correct manner.Sincerely,
Daniel Brandt
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7. Councilor Jim Casey's notes on the 2005 Annual Conference
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE - CHICAGO -
June 24-29, 2005. Notes by James B. Casey
The huge downtown area of Chicago offered much in the way of cultural
interest for Conference goers and proved to be popular despite the very
hot and humid weather and difficulty of major hotels located several
miles from the McCormick Place Convention Center. Attendance reached a
record level of 27,800, about 1,000 ahead of the previous record
achieved by an Annual at San Francisco and far ahead of the 19,575
attendance at the 2004 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. Such was
the expressed dissatisfaction with the Orlando site that the decision to
have Annual 2010 in that theme park area has been reconsidered.
Midwinter sites from 2006 to 2010 are San Antonio, Seattle,
Philadelphia, Denver and Boston. Annual sites from 2006 to 2010 are New
Orleans, Washington, Anaheim, Chicago and New York City (possibly).The 2005 Annual Conference nearly equaled the Orlando ALA in terms of
humidity and heat, but definitely surpassed it when it came to the
inadequacy of local planning. ALA Executive Director, Keith Michael
Fiels, explained to me why a bottleneck had developed at the foot of
escalators at McCormick Place forcing thousands of visitors to wait in
huge lines. He frankly admitted that the local arrangements had failed
to plan successfully for the approach of crowds. One of the most
recognizable Exhibits area entrances was directly adjacent to
Registration and both were in a relatively small space at the top of the
escalators near which visitors arrived via bus. This was, in itself, a
recipe for trouble in terms of crowd management. That there was an
alternate entrance to the Exhibits was not clearly denoted by signage
apparent to those thousands of visitors arriving by bus. Hence,
valuable time was wasted by countless ALA Members and Visitors.
Notwithstanding the record attendance, I am more than a bit embarrassed
that we couldn't do a better job of organizing local facilities. After
all, ALA is headquartered in Chicago and we have had Annual Conferences
here in the recent past (the latest was in 2000). I would have thought
that we could do better with logistics on our home turf despite the
enduring problem of distance between nearly all of the local hotels and
the Convention Center. For what it is worth, I offer my apology to
colleagues who were trapped in that idiotic and totally unnecessary
bottleneck.My wife Diane Dates Casey continued her important role as Cataloging and
Classification Section (CCS) Liaison to Association for Library
Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Planning Committee and
prepared to fulfill her new role as ALCTS Councilor (term July 2005-July
2008). As ALCTS Councilor, Diane will also serve as a member of the
ALCTS Board and its Executive Committee. I concluded my eighth year as
a Councilor-at-Large - having served 1996-2000, 2001-2005. My third
term on Council will end in July 2007. My one year as Chair of the
Resolutions Committee of Council (2004-05) and my four years of service
on the Resolutions Committee (2001-05) ended with the conclusion of
business in Council III on June 29.PLAYBOY: Although the Oak Lawn Public Library Board of Trustees
proceeded in a careful and measured manner in deciding not to comply
with the demands of one patron for the removal of Playboy magazine from
the Library's collection, the report of our Board's action at their June
21st Meeting was featured prominently in the Chicago Tribune of
Thursday, June 23 and also published in the ALA OnLine for June 24.
Consequently, I was congratulated and our Board was praised on a number
of occasions by many ALA members who had noticed the story. ALA
President-Elect Michael Gorman sent a personal message to me for our
Board of Trustees on June 25. "Dear Jim: Please convey to the
President and members of the Oak Lawn Public Library Board my admiration
of, and thanks for, their principled stance against would-be censors and
self-appointed arbiters of what may not be read and viewed by the
patrons of your library. Such pressures seem to be on the increase -
all the more reason to thank and support those who defend intellectual
freedom. Best wishes, Michael."PUBLIB AND WEB JUNCTION: Diane and I attended a reception for Web
Junction and PUBLIB participants on Friday evening. OCLC is assuming
the responsibility for hosting PUBLIB and may be sponsoring similar
receptions for PUBLIB participants in the future. With over 6,000
public library workers across the country participating in the PUBLIB
discussion list, this forum has become increasingly influential in the
Library profession and among vendors.RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE: During the first days of the Conference, Council
Resolutions Committee strived to organize the regular Council
resolutions, Membership Meeting resolutions, Tributes and Memorials that
had been coming into our hands via the Council List and via e-mail since
March. A considerable number also came into our review process in paper
form after the Conference had begun. Our objective was to review the
Resolutions for clarity and completeness (rather than the content or
opinion offered) before assigning them to the Agendas of Council I, II
and III. Added to our concerns at this Conference was the new feature
of Membership Meetings in which the lower quorum requirement enabled any
ALA Members to submit resolutions for consideration and which, if passed
by the Members attending that meeting, would go onto the Council agenda
for vote. We were dealing with some procedural matters related to
Membership Meetings for the first time in 30 or more years.COUNCIL ORIENTATION: On the morning of June 25, the Council Resolutions
Committee gave an excellent two hour instruction session for newly
elected Councilors. Some 35 Councilors were in attendance and I was
able to give a 15 minute lesson on the Resolutions process.LEGISLATIVE ISSUES: Due to my responsibilities as Chair of Resolutions,
I had to attend and speak at the Council Orientation program rather than
attend the Washington Office Briefing that is my usual choice at Annual
and MidWinter. Therefore, my connection with current legislative issues
was sparse in this ALA Annual. The one issue I did pick up on at this
Conference came to my attention via David Karre, Executive Director of
the Four County Library System in Vestal, New York. The Andrew Carnegie
Public Libraries Act introduced by Congressman Maurice Hinchey (22nd
District of New York http://www.house.gov/hinchey/ ) is designed to
amend the MLSA (Museum and Library Services Act) to enable it to award
grants for Library construction. MLSA doesn't currently provide
construction funding. The bill seeks some $200 million for fiscal year
2006 and each of the succeeding four years strictly for Library
construction. Literature provided on this bill from Hinchey's office
(sara.curtis[at]mail.house.gov <mailto:sara.curtis[at]mail.house.gov>) lists
some 36 Congresspersons (including such impressive names as Bernie
Sanders, Major Owens, John Conyers and Charles Rangel) as co-sponsors.
David Karre professed considerable impatience with the ALA Washington
Office for their unwillingness to support this effort for fear of
upsetting or compromising the existing MLSA situation. Karre's concern
was that legislators who are willing to come forth with support for
Libraries might not be apt to do so in the future if we are not prepared
to greet their exertions appropriately. --- I don't yet have a firm
opinion on this issue, but can confirm that there is a pressing need for
Library construction money since States have been cutting back on their
funding of such grants. In Illinois, our Construction grant monies that
were nearly $5 million as recently as 2001 have shrunk to less than
$300,000 during the last round of grants in January 2005. David is an
astute and perceptive questioner. He promised to bring the issue before
PUBLIB in order to elicit a more thoughtful position by ALAWO.ALA Legislation Day in Washington, D.C. has been scheduled for May 1 and
2 (Monday and Tuesday), 2006.MEMBERSHIP I - Unlike previous, toothless Membership Meetings, this one
actually featured a quorum and was able to entertain and pass
resolutions for consideration by Council. Three Resolutions emanated
from this Membership Meeting. A "Resolution on Equal Access to
Resources in Non-Roman Alphabets in Libraries" passed Membership, but
was eventually defeated narrowly in Council. Two other resolutions
passed Membership and were later passed by Council: "Resolution to Urge
Divisions to Decrease Dues for Retired Members" and "Resolution on the
Connection between the Iraq War and Libraries." With a quorum of only
75 Members required for action for the first time, Membership Meetings
(Saturday, 4-5 PM and Monday, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM) were vital and active.COMING FULL CIRCLE: THE LIBRARY AS PLACE: Given my committee and
councilor duties during this Annual, the President's Program on June 26
was the only actual program offering I was able to attend. It was a
good one, however.Dr. Lowell Catlett, consultant and eminent futurist, was both
entertaining and insightful. He repeatedly remarked upon his age (56)
and the fact that the entire generation of "baby boomers" is generally
planning to "re-engage" rather than "retire". He believes that there
will be a further proliferation of differentiated and segmented
interests among people as they show patterns of behavior and demand that
aren't easily confined to a set formula. Catlett remarked that people
are seeking "destinations" and spaces and experiences. "Starbucks isn't
about coffee. It is about PLACE!" He often repeated the formula: "Give
them what they want, when they want it and where they want it and you
'own them'"! In a sense, the Library of Catlett's future is a community
center catering to increasingly diverse tastes where "destination"
becomes a key. He insists that the public will definitely be willing
to pay for Libraries in the future as long as they continue to "give
them what they want, when they want it and where they want it." ---
Although extremely entertaining and seemingly correct in identifying the
fact that Libraries with the multi-dimensional service outlook have been
able to acquire tax dollars for expansions (at least in our area), I am
all too well aware that the anti-tax mode of some areas closes the door
soundly on Dr. Catlett's theories. You can't always "give them what
they want, when they want it and where they want it" without tax payers
who are willing to give the Libraries what they need in order to deliver
the services.COUNCIL I: On Sunday, June 26, the first Council Session included
several interesting reports from Council Committees and officers.
Business was transacted so efficiently, that we were able to deal with
several relatively controversial resolutions. [Final, amended versions
of Resolutions should be available shortly on the ALA web site.] The
Resolution on Workplace Speech submitted by Councilors Al Kagan and Mark
Rosenzweig had been referred to ALA legal counsel at the last
MidWinter. In this Annual, however, the movers sought and received
active support from the Intellectual Freedom Committee after modifying
some of the wording on the resolved clause. This more moderate version
passed quite easily. The resolution calling for a formal list of
"Endangered Libraries" (libraries in danger of losing funding and
possibly closing down) was referred to BARC (Budget Analysis and Review
Committee) for study. It was believed by many councilors that ALA's
identification of "endangered" libraries might be a complicated and
controversial matter. Soundly rejected was a resolution calling for ALA
to request that U.S. News and World Report magazine more frequently
evaluate and give quality ratings of Schools of Library Science.
Councilors were concerned that ALA's role in accrediting schools of
Librarianship might be compromised by any link to "rating schemes" in
the print media. The Resolution calling for ALA to propose a National
Deaf History Month (March 13-April 15) was passed unanimously.ALLIED PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION: Unlike the cursory and uninformative
MidWinter reports from Allied Professional Association (APA), the
reports delivered at this Conference were far more specific in terms of
discussion of the Certification of Public Library Administrator
programs. What escapes me is the notion of who would want to be
certified under such a program if such certification only lasted for
some 3 years and was not absolutely required by hiring institutions.
What I found most disturbing was the unwillingness of the planners of
these certifications to provide for a process by which certification
could be revoked even for such ethical lapses as theft of public funds.I was told that the legal system would take care of such matters and
that this certification would not attempt to emulate the disbarment or
loss of license of other professions that try to police their own
members. Without the possibility of a loss of certification, it would
seem that this "certificate" will be competing in the market place with
other post MLS options such as the MBA, Ph.D., J.D. and CPA, but without
the "panache" of those other credentials and with a 3 year requirement
for re-certification. I don't see how the ambitious administrator would
be especially likely to be lured into investing the time and treasure
needed for this "certificate" and can only imagine how the board seeking
a competent, honest director may hire a "certified scoundrel" whose
credentials can't be revoked. --- Although the APA's Business Plan
purported to offer up a "conservative budget" for FY 2006, I found their
estimates to be the stuff of fantasy fiction. For FYs 2003 to 2005,
the APA estimated revenue from Member Donations to be $48,750 for each
of those years, but realized only $6,000 in FY 03 and no more than
$27,000 for each of the next two years. Yet, for FY 06, they estimate
$36,500 as a revenue projection --- far above anything they had been
able to generate in the past three years. Even more fantastic is the
$92,500 anticipated for "publications" when they haven't generated
anything on that front in the past and are offering nothing better than
the notion of a "salary survey" for this publication venture.I hope that I am utterly wrong about APA's ability to survive and
prosper, but have seen very little to convince me that it will reach
puberty.ENDOWMENT FUND REPORT: Although the Endowment Fund performed fairly
well during the past year, I observed that the Socially Responsible
Investment (SRI) mutual fund (the only no-load fund employed by the
Merrill Lynch investment advisors) performed equally well, but with no
commissions required (14.9% in 2004 and -1.8% so far in 2005). One
Councilor noticed these results, but when asked why the SRI fund could
not be expanded from 1% to 5% of the total endowment (from $200,000 to
$1 million), we were told that the present Merrill Lynch managers were
running the Endowment less expensively than the no-load fund since they
charged only .75 "basis points". My questioning forced them to admit
that $157,000 is charged to ALA Endowment Fund every year for their
"expert management" of the fund (money which could otherwise be employed
to buy shares and earn more money for the Association) while the Ariel
fund charges ZERO dollars "out of the pocket" of the investor and earns
its profit out of the aggregate of all Ariel Fund investors.COUNCIL II: This session included an excellent review of the ALA
Strategic Plan (which was passed) and the ALA Treasurer's Report. ALA
is looking at some very tight budgets in the near future and will
probably have to seek out some cost containment options as well as
increases in revenue. Costs of Conferences seemed to be escalating, but
it was admitted that huge turnouts like this one in Chicago couldn't
help but improve the situation, while the low attendance at such places
as Orlando and Toronto created difficulties. [Why there is a tendency
to continue scheduling conferences at relatively remote and uninviting
locations such as Anaheim, Atlanta and Seattle and ignoring such
locations where huge attendance has occurred in the past, such as San
Francisco, is a mystery to me.] This session saw the final defeat of
the "Resolution on Equal Access to Resources in Non-Roman Alphabets in
Libraries". I am informed that ALCTS has been working on this complex
and difficult project for many years. The issue won't be ignored.COUNCIL FORUM II (Tuesday, 4:30 - 6:00 PM): This Forum - an informal
discussion of pending Resolutions - was productive and useful. I was
able to discuss several of the technical issues relevant to Resolutions
process and to the confusing advent of Membership Meeting Resolutions.
Two resolutions coming from the COL (Committee on Legislation) were
discussed. One pressed for a follow up on the recent victory in
limiting the range of the Patriot Act with a "Resolution on the U.S.A.
Patriot Act and Libraries" and another "Resolution on the Right of
Communities to Provide Broadband Internet Services". Other resolutions
were also discussed at some length and revised to improve their chances
of passage in Council III.COUNCIL III: I am pleased to report that ALL of the Resolutions
introduced at this Annual Conference were aired and addressed before
this session was concluded at about 12:30 PM. Both of the Committee on
Legislation Action Items (that had been discussed in the Council Forum)
were passed with flying colors. Also passed were "Resolution on
Threats to Library Materials Related to Sex, Gender Identity or Sexual
Orientation," Resolution to Decrease Division Dues for Retired
Members" (which was only an urging that this be done by the Divisions
rather than a mandate), "Resolution on the Connection between the Iraq
War and Libraries," "Resolution on Disinformation, Media Manipulation &
the Destruction of Public Information," and "Resolution in Support of
Immigrants' Rights to Free Public Library." Withdrawn for further study
was a Resolution on Impact of Division and National Conferences on
Chapter Conferences." Discussions were intense and substantive (most
of the time), but there was a surprising tendency in this session for
the Councilors not to worry about straying from "Library Issues". In
fact, I don't recall hearing that term : "This is not a Library issue."
even once from the floor of Council during the whole of this
Conference. There was a clearer connection in the minds of Councilors
--- at least in my own mind --- how the manipulation, destruction and
spinning of information can result in wars, ecological disasters and
other calamities that were previously thought best to be left to the
"experts" who supposedly run our government on our behalf. Librarians
who believe in the value and importance of access to accurate and
truthful information may come to view government actions predicated upon
an endless tapestry of lies and misinformation, to be a matter relevant
to their professional concerns. Instead of a "leftward tilt" on Council
evident, I detected more of a realization that what you don't know ---
or aren't allowed to know --- can literally kill you and a lot of other
folks as well.CONCLUSION: This was a highly successful and productive Conference in
many respects, but one in which the long lines of waiting visitors to
McCormick Place remains a source of embarrassment. We need to do a
better job of planning for such affairs. Time is valuable. However, we
didn't waste much time in Council during this Conference. President
Carol Brey and President-Elect (current President) Michael Gorman did a
fine job of running the meetings. Our Resolutions Committee Members
Larry Hardesty (the new Chair), Bill Paullin, Pat Hogan, Robert Holley,
and Sue Kamm did a great job of working our Resolutions Table and
keeping the wheels of progress moving forward. Eli Mina and Lois Ann
Gregory Wood and her staff did a remarkable job (as always) of
supporting our efforts.Thanks to the Oak Lawn Public Library for supporting my participation in
ALA.James B. Casey, June 29, 2005
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8. Tom Eland replies to the Navasky quote from last time
Re: Library Juice 8:11
Date: Tue Jun 21 10:37:21 2005
From: "Thomas Eland" <Thomas.Eland[at]minneapolis.edu>
To: rlitwin[at]earthlink.net, Juice[at]libr.orgI just could not pass up a response to the Library Juice 8:11 - June 17,
2005 quote for the week from Victor Navasky, publisher of The Nation
magazine :"...If you believe, as I do, that the difference between The Nation and
The National Review and The New York Times, in terms of ideology, is
that The Nation has the ideology of the liberal left, and the National
Review has the ideology of the conservative right, I would say The New
York Times Magazine - and the mainstream media write large - has the
ideology of the center, and it is part of the ideology of the center to
deny that it has an ideology."I would like to take issue with Mr. Navasky's left, right, center
analogy. Firstly, his statement that The Nation represents the liberal
left needs further qualification. The Nation does represent the current
definition of liberalism, but that means that it is only slightly left
leaning. There are many magazines that are far more representative of
the left such as Red Pepper, The New Internationalist, Toward Freedom,
Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, and Z Magazine. In These Times is even more
"left of center" than The Nation. Secondly, The New York Times (and "the
mainstream media write large") is not representative of the "ideology of
the center"--whatever that is--rather, they are representatives of the
political elite and the commercialized corporate press. To varying
degrees the New York Times and most other "mainstream media" represent
the interests and ideologies of the American ruling classes and operate
under corporate constraints. The "mainstream" corporate media are not
monolithic, and there are real editorial differences between the New
York Times and the Washington Times, CNN and Fox News, but the common
thread connecting them all is a corporate governance structure and a
reliance on advertisers to pay the bills (a reality also shared by The
Nation).It is not the "ideology of the center" to deny that it has an ideology.
It is the ideology of corporate capitalism to deny that it has an
ideology. Corporate capitalism is the economic norm in America, just as
centralized command and control communism was the norm in the old Soviet
Union. If Mr. Navasky wants to call this the ideology of the center then
he better take a closer look at his own magazine. The governance and
workplace structure of The Nation is very similar to Time or Newsweek,
and like them it is heavily reliant upon advertising to run its
operation. While The Nation represents a liberal voice within the
American capitalist context, it is far from representing a serious left
perspective.I do agree with Mr. Navasky that the National Review represents the
conservative right. That is why I read the National Review to learn what
one sector of the American right is saying. I also read the New York
Times to get a sense of American elite opinion, and what issues the
elite wish to ignore (all the news that is NOT fit to print). However, I
do not read The Nation to find out what the left is saying about issues,
for that I read Z Magazine, Red Pepper the New Internationalist,
Anarcho-Syndicalist Review, and to a certain extent In These Times. The
fact is that I gave up reading The Nation years ago because I find it
disappointing and timid in its analysis of the issues. But I have been
told that their lefty celebrity cruises are a lot of fun.Tom Eland
Librarian & Instructor
Library & Information Studies Department
Minneapolis Community & Technical College
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