March 2003

American Libraries Online reports that about 60 people in Longmont, CO recently participated in an event to call attention to the dangers of the USA PATRIOT act.

“Longmont Citizens for Justice and Democracy invited patrons to join a march to the library, where they lined up to check out books from a list drawn up by the residents’ group, including titles on counterintelligence, civil liberties, and U.S. history. “If your library record isn’t quite spicy enough,” the list recommended, “or you long for top billing on John Ashcroft’s blacklist,” participants could try such juxtapositions as A Guidebook to Nuclear Reactors with Explosives and Rock Blasting.”

In a recent message to the CNI-COPYRIGHT listserv, author and law professor Paul Heald tells us that he has convinced the publisher of his forthcoming novel to provide web space to authors wishing to relinquish the extended copyright protections recently upheld in the Eldred v. Ashcroft decision. See the full text of his statement below.

In a recent message to the CNI-COPYRIGHT listserv, author and law professor Paul Heald tells us that he has convinced the publisher of his forthcoming novel to provide web space to authors wishing to relinquish the extended copyright protections recently upheld in the Eldred v. Ashcroft decision. See the full text of his statement below.\”The undersigned authors agree that the current term of copyright provided under American law poses a grave threat to the continued growth of a healthy and usable public domain. We believe that the former 56-year combined term of protection under the 1909 Copyright Act provided more than adequate incentives and renumeration for creative activities. We did not seek, and hereby reject, the extension of protection established by Congress in the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. In return for the space provided on this web site, we hereby presently relinquish any copyright interest we possess in the works listed below beyond the day following the 56th year of the work\’s publication. This agreement is intended for the direct benefit of any potential users of the work after the expiration of the 56-year period.\”

In today’s Chicago Tribune, columnist Dawn Turner Trice, who says she has always loved libraries, plugs the library referenda that will be on the ballot tomorrow.

"Many library systems are doing well and aren’t asking for tax increases. Some are doing such bang-up business that they need money for expansion. My focus is on the ones just vying to stay alive."

NBC30.com Says Antonio Rivera, a representative of several churches, has asked the New Haven, CT, Board of Education to remove the books from city classrooms. He called the series satanic, and said that it glorifies the occult. He said the book encourages children to use spells, against Christian teaching.

\”Why in the world (would) we want to teach our children witchcraft and sorcery?\” he told the school board at a recent meeting.

A bit more Here as well.

A more postive story, Hungry for Harry says three months is practically a lifetime for a fifth-grader with a love of reading and an already tattered Potter library.

We pointed to The Researching Librarian before, but they now have a spiffy new domain name, researchinglibrarian.com. This site was created for librarians–new or experienced–who find themselves needing to perform research for purposes of publication, promotion, tenure, or other reasons.

“A 50 percent cut in state aid to public libraries could mean shorter hours to browse for books, fewer new books on the shelves, an end to children’s story times and staff cutbacks at area libraries.”

“Bethlehem Area Public Library stands to lose $370,000, 14 percent of its $2.6 million budget, under Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposed budget.”

”This is devastating to every library in Pennsylvania,” said Jack Berk, executive director of the Bethlehem library. ”We’re all crying about the proposed budget cuts.” (from The Morning Call)

von totanes writes “Tricycles in the Philippines–motorcycles attached to a carriage and a third wheel–are notorious for obscene messages inside and outside the vehicle. “Trikes told: Go spread the Word, on wheels” illustrates how the obscene messages on tricycles in Bohol, an island in the Philippines, were replaced with more inspiring ones with the help of a librarian. Don’t miss the third page which has such gems as (NOT from the librarian, of course): “Make loves not war” and “Lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself.” “

BJ Hampton writes “This library’s decision to include Planned Parenthood’s library materials in the public library catalogue while permitting PP to bar anti-abortion members of the public from entering the library seems like PC censorship: WorldnetDaily.com Has The Story.


Keeping out patrons who will vandalize the library would be fine, if there were objective evidence of this. “

“Driven by her personal and professional passion, a Scottsdale special education teacher is the force behind a bill that would allow children with disabilities to get textbooks on electronic computer files.”

“Mary Platner persevered until she finally got legislators to back a textbook accessibility bill. It’s an amendment to Arizona’s 1997 Braille Bill, which says that publishers who sell textbooks in Arizona must supply a computer disc from which Braille books can be produced.”

“An estimated 40,000 students with learning disabilities, including autism, mental retardation, and orthopedic and visual impairments, would benefit from the amended legislation.” (from The Arizona Republic via Electronic Book Web)

Canada.com Says The Greater Victoria Library board received a stern rebuke Thursday from the provincial ombudsman, who said the board’s refusal to clarify its policy on what is expected of people who rent space for meetings is unfair to the public.

They say the library board has refused his suggestion that it clearly write what it expects of those who rent space for public meetings.