Join the Privacy Revolution!
We live in an age when knowledge is power. New technologies give us unprecedented access to information. They also facilitate surveillance, with the power to collect and mine personal information.
People enjoy the convenience of having information at their fingertips. But most people don’t realize the trade off. For example, citizens turn a blind eye to the fact that online searches create traceable records that make them vulnerable to questioning by the FBI, or that government agencies can track their phone calls, airline travel, online purchases, and more.
In this environment, convenience and fear trump the fundamental right of privacy. And privacy has become so amorphous an idea that many citizens have resigned themselves to an inevitable erosion of rights.
In an information age, it’s vital to protect the impulse to be curious, read, and learn. Yet people seem resigned to the loss of their privacy rights because they see no recourse.
We aim to spark a national conversation on privacy. Join us!
Add your voice to those who are calling for change.
Take charge of your privacy now.
The New Members Round Table (NMRT) and the American Library Association (ALA) Membership Committee wish to congratulate the American Library Association Student Chapter at San Jose State University as the winner of the 2009 ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award. The runner-up of this year’s award is the ALA Student Chapter at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.The Student Chapter of the Year Award is presented in recognition of a chapter’s outstanding contributions to ALA, its school, and the profession. The purpose of the award is to increase student involvement in ALA through student chapters and to recognize its leaders. Official ALA Student Chapters are organizations formed by students at schools offering accredited programs of library and information studies. The winning student chapter receives a $1,000 travel grant to help with the cost of ALA conference attendance.
This year’s Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee members commend San Jose State University’s chapter for their work in each of the seven categories related to the award. The chapter made excellent use of Web 2.0 technology to involve both on-campus and distance education students in programming, and the quantity and quality of chapter programs was also laudable, with their Luminary Lecture Series winning an award for Outstanding Educational Program, viewed by more than 500 people. The committee was also impressed with the level of involvement San Jose’s chapter officers have had with professional organizations at the national and state association level and with their vision for the chapter, which includes encouraging scholarly achievement and professional awareness.
Debbie Faires, Assistant Director for Distance Learning and Advisor to the San Jose State University ALA student chapter, stated: “They have been continuously active and have successfully carried out an ambitious plan of activities and events. The officers have met in venues varying from the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim to cyberspace via web conferencing…They have provided quality experiences for the students in our school. They work well together and have welcomed new officers and quickly included them in the decision making process. They are now working to ensure the continued success of the chapter through careful attention to identifying future officers who will be committed to the success of the chapter…Their conduct and activities have been at a professional level and have been innovative and inclusive.”
The runner-up of this year’s award, the ALA Student Chapter of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is honored for its use of Web 2.0 technology, outreach to distance education students, and excellent array of programs. In addition, chapter members have received an impressive number of awards over the last two years.
The SCOTYA Committee members, the ALA Membership Committee, and NMRT extend their appreciation to all the ALA student chapters for their time and effort in submitting nominations for 2009, and encourage all ALA student chapters to continue their great work!
Bob Wolverton
Associate Professor/Database Maintenance/Authority Control Librarian
Mississippi State University Libraries
Chair, 2008-2009 ALA NMRT Student Chapter of the Year Award Committee
(662) 325-4618
bwolverton@library.msstate.edu
Via District Dispatch:
OITP announces the release of two new online copyright education tools: the Fair Use Evaluator and the Exceptions for Instructors eTool. These great new resources–developed by Copyright Committee super member Michael Brewer–add to OITP’s repertoire of copyright tools, including the Public Domain Slider and the Section 108 Spinner.
The Fair Use Evaluator is an online tool that can help users understand how to determine if the use of a protected work is a “fair use.” It helps users collect, organize, and document the information they may need to support a fair use claim, and provides a time-stamped PDF document for the users’ records. The Fair Use Evaluator is located at http://librarycopyright.net/fairuse.
The Exceptions for Instructors eTool guides users through the educational exceptions in U.S. copyright law, helping to explain and clarify rights and responsibilities for the performance and display of copyrighted content in traditional, distance and blended educational models. The Exceptions for Instructors eTool is located at http://librarycopyright.net/etool.
These interactive copyright tools from OITP are all available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike license for institutions such as libraries, schools, institutes, and universities to modify (adding their own, local copyright information and contacts) and use to educate their users about the limitations and exceptions in U.S. Copyright law. The two latest tools also include functionality that can help users or institutions manage their use of copyrighted materials by allowing individuals to describe, share and keep a record of their intended use.
With many opportunities available to libraries through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the library community must continue its efforts to educate its elected officials on the benefits of investing in libraries–focusing now on the state level.
Implementing the law will no doubt be complex, so the ALA Washington Office has created its Know Your Stimulus page as a one-stop source with resources on how to make sure libraries benefit from the package and the most up-to-date information on the stimulus. As information becomes available, the ALA Washington Office will post updates on this Stimulus News page (e.g., how funding will be distributed and how to apply).
Links on the Know Your Stimulus page includes:
- Programs (State Stabilization Funds, Broadband Funding, Other Programs)
- Broadband (Stimulus Funding for Broadband, Resources)
- Legislation & Regulations (Public Law, Legislative Summaries, Notices, Rules, Memos)
- Oversight
- Grants and Awards (Procedures, Announcements, Grants.gov)
- Advocacy (How to advocate for ARRA funding)
- News (Press Releases, News Stories)
- Links (agencies)
- FAQ
For additional help on the state level, see also ALA Office for Library Advocacy and ALA Chapter Relations Office.
Enroll at Advocacy University and find the resources, courses, and tools to help you, as library advocates, make the case at the local level.
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Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit
The following resources and tools, including news clips, op-eds, and statistics to help library supporters make the case for libraries in these times.
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Coalition Building
This new website is your tool to help you create and build successful advocacy coalitions.
Coming Soon:
- Making Budget Presentations
- Advocacy at the Frontlines: An Initiative of 2009-2010 ALA President Camila Alire
Do you know about broadband stimulus program just released? If so, please join us on Wednesday, July 8 at 4pm EST for the Know Your Stimulus Webinar, where you will be able to hear directly from the experts.
Leading the Webinar are Chris McLean and Greg Rhode, partners in the e-Copernicus consulting company, and John Windhausen of Telepoly.McLean (former Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service), Rhode (former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) and Windhausen (former Senior Counsel of the Senate Commerce Committee) will guide you through an overview of the application process and answer any questions you may have.
This Webinar is open to all so Register Now and send your questions via email to librarystimulus@ala.org.