January 2000

USNEws has an intersting
read Here on the new breed of Librarians.

\”Library science is a field transformed by the
cyber-revolution. A generation ago, \’\’the librarian had the
crepe-soled shoes and the bun and was holding court in a
book-lined environment,\’\’ says Carol Hoffmann, assistant to
the director of the University of Pittsburgh\’s library
system. Lately, explosive growth in the volume and import of
electronic
information has created demand across disciplines for people
expert in organizing and retrie

USNEws has an intersting
read Here on the new breed of Librarians.

\”Library science is a field transformed by the
cyber-revolution. A generation ago, \’\’the librarian had the
crepe-soled shoes and the bun and was holding court in a
book-lined environment,\’\’ says Carol Hoffmann, assistant to
the director of the University of Pittsburgh\’s library
system. Lately, explosive growth in the volume and import of
electronic
information has created demand across disciplines for people
expert in organizing and retrie\’\’Now, librarians are in hospitals. They\’re in law firms.
They\’re building Web sites,\’\’
says Hoffmann. They\’re freelancing as highly paid
researchers, or \’\’information brokers.\’\’ They\’re working for
software developers, testing programs for user friendliness.

\”The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is
preparing to conduct proceedings to make recommendations in
accordance with section 1201(a)(1) of the Copyright Act, 17
U.S.C.
1201(a)(1), which was added by the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act and which provides that the Librarian of
Congress may exempt certain classes of
works from the prohibition against circumventing a
technological measure that controls access to a copyrighted
w

\”The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress is
preparing to conduct proceedings to make recommendations in
accordance with section 1201(a)(1) of the Copyright Act, 17
U.S.C.
1201(a)(1), which was added by the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act and which provides that the Librarian of
Congress may exempt certain classes of
works from the prohibition against circumventing a
technological measure that controls access to a copyrighted
wThe purpose of this rulemaking proceeding is to determine
whether there are classes of works as to which users are, or
are likely to be, adversely affected in their ability to
make
noninfringing uses if they are prohibited from circumventing
such technological measures. This notice requests written
comments from all interested parties, including
representatives of
copyright owners, educational institutions, libraries and
archives, scholars, researchers and members of the public,
in order to elicit information and views on whether
noninfringing uses
of certain classes of works are, or are likely to be,
adversely affected by such prohibition.
DATES: Written comments are due by February 10, 2000. Reply
comments are due by March 13, 2000.
ADDRESSES: Submissions by electronic mail should be made to
1201@

From the Nando
Times.

A Greenville lawmaker has filed a bill to make public
libraries criminally liable if they fail to keep children
from pornography on the Internet.

From the Nando
Times.

A Greenville lawmaker has filed a bill to make public
libraries criminally liable if they fail to keep children
from pornography on the Internet.

Sen. Mike Fair, R-Greenville, said Wednesday his bill would
remove the legal protection libraries have under a 1991
state law that prohibits giving minors access to
pornography. Under Fair\’s bill, parents whose children are
exposed to pornography at the library could file an incident
report with a prosecutor, who would then decide whether to
bring an indictment, he said.




\”Since too many public libraries have been unwilling to
respond to legitimate concerns of the communities they
serve, libraries funded by those communities should not
enjoy special protection under the law,\” Fair said in a

From
the Greenville News.

Responding to the Greenville County Library\’s refusal to
filter Internet access, state Sen. Mike Fair is seeking to
open libraries statewide to prosecution if minors see
pornography on their computer screens.

From
the Greenville News.

Responding to the Greenville County Library\’s refusal to
filter Internet access, state Sen. Mike Fair is seeking to
open libraries statewide to prosecution if minors see
pornography on their computer screens.




Fair, R-Greenville, filed a bill Wednesday to remove public
libraries\’ legal protection in a 1991 state law addressing
the dissemination of pornographic materials harmful to
minors. Fair said his bill addresses only public libraries
and doesn\’t apply to public school, university and college
l

From the Ann Arbor News.

The Ann Arbor District Library is blaming accounting errors
for a newfound budget deficit of nearly $1 million that has
forced the library to begin cutbacks and postpone major
building plans for two of its branches.

The library board of directors may also consider increasing
the levy it collects from taxpayers in the dist

From the Deseret News.

Only two people had applied by Monday for the directorship
of the Salt Lake County Library System.

But that number is expected to increase as word circulates
about the position\’s vacancy and as the time draws closer to
the application deadline.

This Is
London.

The controversial tide of library closures across London has
finally turned – following huge public pressure.

Many boroughs announced cost-cutting closures and reductions
to opening hours during the last few months. Today, after
an Evening Standard campaign and anger from library users, a
London-wide reprieve seems imm

From the L.A. Times.

The Cohasset Elementary School in Van Nuys is the latest to
receive a state-of-the-art library from the Wonder of
Reading, a nonprofit group that renovates Los Angeles
Unified School District libraries.

New green and gray carpeting, a reading amphitheater and
$10,000 worth of new biographies, science books and books in
Braille are just some of the changes from the four-week
make

From Judit Kiraly

\” I have \”inherited\” in December the presidency of the English-American Library of Nice. The problem is that what I know about libraries is rather limited to my own experience of various establishments where I did my doctoral research.

It is a small, 20 000 volume English library in the south of France. I intend to do my best, but we are all voluntary and I am the one who does most of the organising/running of it with the help of some very nice but totally unqualified voluntary librarians. The place is reasionably organised and indexed, but when it comes to improving it – I definitely need professional advice.

From Judit Kiraly

\” I have \”inherited\” in December the presidency of the English-American Library of Nice. The problem is that what I know about libraries is rather limited to my own experience of various establishments where I did my doctoral research.

It is a small, 20 000 volume English library in the south of France. I intend to do my best, but we are all voluntary and I am the one who does most of the organising/running of it with the help of some very nice but totally unqualified voluntary librarians. The place is reasionably organised and indexed, but when it comes to improving it – I definitely need professional advice.Maybe qualified librarians can give me some basic and sound info. I am experiencing problems in several fields.

– this is a general interest leisure library. How to select books that are not just well advertised \’lemons\’. I susbscribed to the Oprah Amazon club, read the Times and the Herald\’s book section and get some catalogs, but since our finances are strained, I have to be sure that when we buy, we buy good.

– how do you find out what your readers want? Is a reader\’s survey box a good idea?

– is there any magazine that is oriented towards librarians?

– where to advertise the library. A big part of our readers are holidaymakers who come to the Riviera for a week or for a month. We have short temporary memberships tailored to their needs. I do all I can locally ( newspapers, hotels, radio) but what could I do to entice more people to come to us.

– what other services do you recommend that we offer? quality videos?

– is there anything I should be careful about? any pitfalls?
I really appreciate all the help I can get.
Thank you again,\”

Judit Kiraly [email protected]

Greenvilleonline has a report on filtering moves in the libraries there.

\”The Greenville County Library Board on Monday rejected the use of filters in its efforts to deal with patrons viewing obscene materials and placed a greater responsibility on parents when their kids access the Internet on library computers. The board voted 8-0 to adopt a policy requiring parents to accompany children under age 12 when they access the Internet on computers in the countywide library system.
The new policy, which is expected to be reviewed by the county attorney\’s office in 10 days and put into effect two weeks afterwards, also requires parents to sign a statement that allows children between ages 12 and 17 to access the Internet without parental supervision. \”

Greenvilleonline has a report on filtering moves in the libraries there.

\”The Greenville County Library Board on Monday rejected the use of filters in its efforts to deal with patrons viewing obscene materials and placed a greater responsibility on parents when their kids access the Internet on library computers. The board voted 8-0 to adopt a policy requiring parents to accompany children under age 12 when they access the Internet on computers in the countywide library system.
The new policy, which is expected to be reviewed by the county attorney\’s office in 10 days and put into effect two weeks afterwards, also requires parents to sign a statement that allows children between ages 12 and 17 to access the Internet without parental supervision. \”
\”It\’s just common sense to let the parent be the filter,\” said board member David Sudduth, who proposed stricter guidelines in the board\’s struggle to adopt a new Internet policy. \”