June 2001

Internet Users Champion the Presence of Disfavored Books in Public Libraries

Lou Marano writes…
\”In a study released this month, sociologists at the College Park, Md., campus found that Internet users appear to be more open, tolerant, trusting, optimistic and literate than non-users. This cannot be dismissed simply as
the profile of a younger and better-educated group, the researchers say, because they controlled for these and other demographic factors and found that the mindset held up regardless. Internet users were found to be significantly more likely to support certain nontraditional roles for women and to champion the presence of disfavored books in public libraries.\” [more…] from Virtual New York.

Copyright Victory Could be a Catch 22 for Freelance Writers

Wired reports today that the recent victory for freelance writers may not be so great afterall. According to the article, \”A major problem for writers is that many publishers, anticipating a loss in the Tasini case, have begun demanding that freelancers sign away all rights to their articles, including electronic rights, for no additional payment,\” said freelance writer Miriam Raftery in an e-mail. This sign-or-else mentality forces freelancers to choose between short-term survival and long-term stability.\” [more…]

Limited Copyright Exemption for Distance Learning Doesn’t Include Libraries

Brian Krebs writes…
\”Legislation that would provide a limited copyright exemption for distance learning received a cozy reception from a House Judiciary subcommittee and its panelists today. The bill, S. 487, unanimously passed the Senate in a voice vote earlier this month, but only after a lengthy standoff between educational groups and the publishing industry…another bill would have extended the same exemptions to not-for-profit libraries, a possibility that was rejected during discussions on the bill in the Senate.\”
[more…] from NewsBytes.

Private Armey

According to House Majority Leader Dick Armey, the government is the biggest privacy offender and Congress should be more concerned with correcting its own privacy flaws before going after corporate abusers. [more…] from NewsBytes.

The problem of internet plagiarism

When a student had trouble aligning the margins on his research paper, he asked the school librarian for help. She had her suspicions and uncovered the real problem – his entire paper was lifted (margin formatting and all) directly from the internet. This story leads in to a detailed discussion of the increasingly common problem of internet plagiarism among school and college students and the measures that are being taken to deal with it.
[This story is from the New York Times so you need to register to have access to it – but it\’s free.]