American Libraries articles from March 2003

American Libraries archives from March 2003

President's Message: Educating about Internet Filtering. (ALA)
March 1, 2003... On March 5, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the government's appeal of the unanimous Court of Appeals decision of the ALA/American Civil Liberties Union challenge to the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). This is a critical...

Newlen Seeks ALA Presidency; Three Vie for Treasurer's Post. (ALA News)
March 1, 2003... Robert R. Newlen, head of the Legislative Relations Office, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, has filed as a petition candidate for ALA president. He announced his intention to run before the January 31 deadline. The other...

Four-Month Countdown to Toronto. (Annual Conference 2003)
March 1, 2003... The joint ALA/CLA Annual Conference, June 19--25 in Toronto, may offer some unexpected bonuses for American attendees, thanks to the U.S./Canada exchange rate. In mid-February, one U.S. dollar equaled $l.51 Canadian. CLA Executive Director...

ALCTS Serves All Libraries. (the Association's Associations)
March 1, 2003... Being an association for something implies a commitment--in this case, a commitment to an idea, a concept, or a thing. As our name states, ALCTS is the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. The word "for" is defined as to...

ALA requests input in RoweCom issue. (News Fronts ALA).
March 1, 2003... ALA filed February 5 to join a creditor's committee established by the Eastern Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, where subscription agency RoweCom has filed for Chapter 11 status (see p. 13). In its application, the Association seeks to...

Harry Potter Again Most Challenged. (News Fronts ALA)
March 1, 2003... For the fourth consecutive year, the best-selling Harry Potter series of children's novels hyJ. K. Rowling tops the annual report issued by ALA's QIF of most-challenged books. The series, whose fifth novel, Harry Potter and the Order of the...

"One Conference, One Book" scheduled. (News Fronts ALA).(Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The first Association-wide reading and discussion program, "One Conference, One Book,' will be held during the joint ALA/CIA Annual Conference, June 19-25, in Toronto, coordinated by ALA's PPO and PLA. Conference participants are being...

Three Mo' Tenors at Scholarship Bash. (News Fronts ALA).
March 1, 2003... Three Mo' Tenors will perform at the 5th Annual ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash June 22 during the joint ALA/CIA Annual Conference in Toronto. The group, comprised of Victor Trent Cook, Rodrick Dixon, and Thomas Young, was inspired by the...

Authors @ your library site under way. (News Fronts ALA).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... An "Authors @ your library" Web site is under development by the Association of American Publishers in conjunction with ALA, FOLUSA, and Library Journal. The site is designed to connect libraries, authors, and publicists who want to...

Digital Reference audiocasts available. (News Fronts ALA).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Audiocasts of the August 2002 Digital Reference Research Symposium opening and closing sessions are now available free of charge on the ACRL Web site at acrl.telusys.com/webcast/. The invitation-only event brought together over 30...

91 AASL members achieve certification. (News Fronts ALA).(American Association of School Librarians)
March 1, 2003... Ninety-one AASL members from 22 states join 344 other school library-media specialists as the first to receive library-media certificates from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The NBPTS began offering the Early...

ALA Files Supreme Court Brief in CIPA Case. (News Fronts Washington)
March 1, 2003... ALA filed its response February 10 to the Justice Department's brief defending the Children's Internet Protection Act. The Justice Department appealed the case after a three-judge panel in Philadelphia overturned the law because it forces public...

Bush budget boosts IMLS funding. (News Fronts Washington).(George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... First Lady Laura Bush announced January 23 that President Bush's FY 2004 budget would include $242 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, of which $210.7 million was requested for the Office of Library Services. The funding...

Music, tech groups agree on copyright. (News Fronts Washington).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The leading trade associations for the recording and software industries announced a landmark compromise January 14 that aims to protect copyright on movies and music without new government involvement. The agreement attempts to prevent...

ABA rejects UCITA support. (News Fronts Washington).(Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... At its Midyear Meeting in Seattle February 10, the American Bar Association House of Delegates withdrew a resolution that recommended approval of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) by state legislatures. The...

Supreme Court upholds Copyright Extension Act. (News Fronts Washington).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 January 15 that Congress did not exceed its authority when it passed legislation extending copyright protection by 20 years (AL, Dec. 1998, p. 13). In writing the majority opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg...

Clinton to release papers years ahead of schedule. (News Fronts Washington).(Bill Clinton)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Former President Bill Clinton will soon be releasing his presidential papers dealing with some of the confidential advice he received in the White House. His decision comes a full year before his presidential library is scheduled to open in...

Jeb Bush Proposes Scrapping Florida State Library. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... Fifty-five employees of Florida's state library have been told their jobs will end July 1, if Gov. Jeb Bush's 2003-2004 budget proposal goes through. Submitted January 21, the budget would eliminate the Division of Library and Information...

RoweCom Sues Divine; Ebsco Negotiates Purchase. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... Failed journal subscription agency RoweCom (AL, Feb., p. 13-14) filed for Chapter 11 status in the Eastern Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Massachusetts January 27 and concurrently sued its parent company Divine to recover more than...

Juneau opens new case in gay-pride exhibit flap. (Censorship Watch).(Public Library Policy in Juneau, Alaska separates community and library display cases)
March 1, 2003... An ongoing controversy that erupted over a May-July 2002 gay-pride exhibit at Juneau (Alaska) Public Libraries' ended in February when officials announced they were installing two new display cases away from the lobby area in which nonprofit...

New challenges filed at Beleaguered Texas Library. (Censorship Watch).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Only three months after declining to remove two sex-education books from the shelves of the Montgomery County (Tex.) Library System, the library's materials-review committee has two more titles to reconsider: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia...

Sectarian group wins one suit, files another. (Censorship Watch).(access to library facilities by sectarian groups)
March 1, 2003... Some six months after an Abilene-area man sued the Mitchell County (Tex.) Public Library for denying his meeting-room reservation (AL, Sept. 2002, p. 19), the suit has been settled out of court. Plaintiff Seneca Lee, president and founder of...

California Gov. Halves Statewide Library Funding. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... Few state budgets have been as harshly affected by the worsening national economy as California's. In order to close an estimated $34.6-billion budget shortfall, Gov. Gray Davis has proposed cutting statewide support of local libraries from the...

Librarians Divided over Patriot Act Compliance. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... A new survey by the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign shows that librarians are sharply divided over how to respond to law-enforcement requests for patron records. Released in mid-January, "Public...

Mass. Librarians Demand Comparable Worth. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... Citing the American Library Association's "Campaign for America's Librarians" (AL, Dec. 2002, P. 7), Duxbury (Mass.) Free Library workers picketed the library January 8, carrying signs with slogans such as "We just want to join the town team"...

Arizona Library School Fights for Survival. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... Supporters of the University of Arizona's School of Information Resources and Library Science worked to save the program after university President Peter Likins proposed eliminating it and 15 other university programs January 14. Likins said...

The Vatican pontificates: no trouble with Harry. (Quick Takes).
March 1, 2003... Although J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series continues to top the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom's list of most-challenged books, Vatican officials say they're not among those who believe the best-selling saga about a boy wizard will...

In love with learning. (Quick Takes).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Necco, the candy company that produces Sweethearts Conversation Hearts, unveiled a new batch of education-themed sayings for the 2003 Valentine's Day season at the Boston Public Library January 14. First-graders from Boston's Cathedral...

Hawaii curtails library services. (Updates).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Hawaii's public library system will face a reduction in hours and the elimination of four bookmobiles beginning in mid-March to offset an additional $500,000 reduction of the $23.4 million 2001-02 budget, trimmed last year by 2%, or $424,504...

Washington Senate OKs State Library cuts. (Updates).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Washington State Senate voted 29-20 January 29 to approve an acceleration of the two-year budget proposed by Gov. Gary Locke, which includes cuts that would eliminate 39 employees and $6.7 million from the Washington State Library in...

Atlanta-Fulton bias case under appeal. (Updates).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments January 30 on the merits of a $16.8-million verdict awarded in January 2002 to seven white female Atlanta--Fulton County Public Library workers who claimed they suffered from reverse...

Columbia's online educational site to fold. (Updates).(Fathom.com)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Columbia University, a founding partner of Fathom.com, an online educational company launched in 2000 (AL, May 2000, p. 30), announced it will close the money-losing site March 31. With the support of 13 other partners, including the...

New Seattle Library lags. (Updates).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A February 13 report by City Auditor Susan Cohen warns that Seattle's $162-million Central Library construction project on Fourth Avenue (AL, Feb. 2000, p. 16) is four months behind schedule and risks going over budget. The new library, which...

Oklahoma Library for the Blind may close. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped in Oklahoma City may have to close its doors July 1 if a proposed budget cut is approved by the state legislature. The state, which is experiencing revenue shortfalls, has asked...

Recordings selected for National Registry. (Collections).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced on January 27 the first 50 recordings to be entered in the National Recording Registry. Created by Congress through the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the registry is dedicated...

FBI spies on alleged spy's research. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... The FBI is treating the 2001 library Internet session of a retired U.S. master sergeant as key evidence against Brian Patrick Regan, whose case went to the jury in February for treason in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of...

Dentist arrested, armed to the teeth. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... A dentist who brought four guns and ammunition inside the law library at Arizona State University in Tempe January 28 was arrested on the premises. Although he was freed the next day, Bradley William Kennedy was shortly afterward committed...

Houston Libraries close on Sundays. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... An anticipated $38-million city budget deficit this year prompted Houston Public Library officials to close all its branches on Sundays, except the central library, begin-fling February 2, in an attempt to save the city about $440,000...

Utah tussles over county library control. (News in Brief).
March 1, 2003... A bill that would have taken policymaking authority away from county library boards in Utah and established it with county commissions was amended February 11 after librarians complained they had not been consulted. In the January 22...

Shaky shelves in Atlanta keep 500,000 books closed. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Most of the book collection housed at Atlanta--Fulton County Public Library's downtown branch was cordoned off January 15 because safety inspectors declared the shelving too wobbly for people to be near. The unsafe sections were marked with...

Artwork tampered with at Boulder Public Library. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Two audiocassette tape recordings were stolen from an art display at the Boulder (Cob.) Public Library. Both were included in "Kitchen Diplomacy" by Mary Golden, part of the "Peace Offerings, Winter Solstice 2002" show held at the library....

Cold weather damages three libraries. (News in Brief).(Richmond Hill Central Library, National Library of Canada, Dryden High School library)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Extremely low temperatures in Canada and the northern United States in mid-January played havoc with water pipes, causing a few to burst in schools and libraries. At the Richmond Hill Central Library, near Toronto in Ontario, Canada, a burst...

Seattle-area library funding measures fail. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Voters rejected a $158-million capital expansion plan for the King County (Wash.) Library System February 4. The levy was favored by only 52% of county residents, well short of the 60% supermajority required for passage, even with absentee...

Evansville eliminates school librarians. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... School librarians took one of the biggest hits in a severely reduced 2003-2004 budget approved January 27 by the Evansville, Indiana, school board. Twenty-two certified media specialist positions in all elementary and middle schools in the...

Ottawa's "Library in Space" program on hold. (News in Brief).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... In the wake of the tragic loss of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia February 1, the Ottawa, Canada, library board has postponed its launch of a program designed to generate interest in space exploration. The "Library in Space" program...

Global Reach. (News Fronts)
March 1, 2003... VATICAN CITY Millions of documents owned by the Vatican Archives opened to the public February 15, several years ahead of schedule, at the express wish of Pope John Paul II. The documents originated from Vatican offices in Munich, Berlin, and...

Educators Want to Connect Research with Practice. (Special News Report)
March 1, 2003... If you asked any of the 358 Association of Library and Information Science Education conference registrants what is at the top of the ALISE agenda, you would likely be told: connecting library and information science education with the practice...

Thus Said: How the World Sees Us. (Opinion)
March 1, 2003... "I felt in the past that sometimes they [the intelligence agencies] were a bit like librarians who had books that they didn't want to lend to the customer, but I think that is changing." United Nations chief weapons inspector HANS BLIX on the...

On My Mind: A Renaissance in Washington. (Opinion)
March 1, 2003... Reading the May 30, 2002, R Washington Post I came upon a long article by Judith Havemann on the deprived, decaying, and disrespected state of the Washington, D.C., library system. The main Martin Luther King Jr. Library and its 26 branches,...

Reader Forum: Letters and Comments
March 1, 2003... More on "Is More Better?" Steven J. Bell (Jan., p. 44-46) makes a very good point when he asks whether access to "everything" makes sense for most readers. Information scientists measuring the growth of new knowledge have found that the...

War with Iraq Threatens Libraries at Home. (Editorial)
March 1, 2003... "While Mrs. Bush respects the right of all Americans to express their opinions, she, too, has opinions and believes it would be inappropriate to turn what is intended to be a literary event into a political forum," said a spokesperson for Laura...

Performing Triage on Budgets in the Red: The Creator of the HAPLR Index Prescribes Some Fiscal First Aid to Get Libraries Back in the Black. (Cover Story)
March 1, 2003... As the boom of the '90s fades into the stagnation of today, we must recall economist John Kenneth Galbraith's insistence that we focus on the "public good." Public libraries, a part of the public good, did not keep pace with the recent boom and...

A Tale of Two Levies: The Divergent Outcomes of Two Montana Ballot Measures Offer Lessons for Libraries. (Funding)
March 1, 2003... When hard times hit, library advocates remind politicians and voters that "Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries." Last fall in Montana, which has one of the lowest...

Free Money, Free Stuff! Patrons Looking for "Free Money" Books Really Want Financial Help-Here's How You Can Help Them. (Reference)
March 1, 2003... The scene was sadly familiar to me: A patron stood with a copy of a "free money" book clenched in his hand, frustrated and angry. "Did this help?" I asked with false brightness. The look said everything. "No, not much." For an hour, he...

Campaign to Save Libraries Sets Stage for Philadelphia Meeting: Budget Cuts, Allied Professional Association Launch, Youth Book and Media Awards Highlight Heavy Agenda. (Midwinter Meeting)
March 1, 2003... More than 500 people from across the country heard about the new wave of library budget woes in a rally that kicked off ALA President Maurice Freedman's Campaign to Save America's Libraries. The event, complete with buttons and banners, set the...

Technically Speaking: The Questmaster Emerges at Midwinter. (Information Technology)
March 1, 2003... It was a quiet time in the 2003 ALA Midwinter Meeting exhibit hail, where all the vendors are knowledgeable, all the librarians are anxious to buy, and all the technology products are above average. About the only visible excitement could be...

ALA Council: Patriot Act, Budget Crisis Addressed; Palestinian Resolution Upheld. (Biannual Report)
March 1, 2003... Tackling some of the most potentially divisive political issues that have come before the ALA Council in years, members moved swiftly through three Midwinter Meeting sessions, January 27-29 in Philadelphia. By the end of the meeting, they had...

Bylaws, Budget Garner Enthusiastic Council Approval. (Allied Professional Association)
March 1, 2003... The ALA Council convened January 28 in its companion role as Council for the new ALA Allied Professional Association. Councilors approved the bylaws and budget of the new legal entity, which it established last year to enable certification of...

ALA Executive Board: Prudent Policies May Forestall Fiscal Fiasco. (Quarterly Report)
March 1, 2003... I don't think anybody was prepared for the litany of horrors that came out at that rally; I know I wasn't," ALA President Maurice Freedman told the Executive Board at the second of its three Midwinter Meeting sessions in Philadelphia, January...

Business plan, budget move forward. (Allied Professional Association).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Reconvening twice in Philadelphia as the Executive Board of the ALA Allied Professional Association, the ALA board successfully switched management hats for the swift approval of a $60,584 budgetary ceiling for the fledgling organization...

Statement by Donna Dziedzic, Candidate for ALA Treasurer. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... ALA is a tremendously robust organization whose power and vitality reflect the nature of its people. Its current primary incomes, from dues, publications, conferences, and other educational offerings, are well developed. While general economic...

Statement by Teri R. Switzer, Candidate for ALA Treasurer. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... This is an exciting time to be a librarian and it is an even more exciting time to be actively involved in ALA. Today's librarian is called on to assume a myriad of roles--educator, researcher, activist, and advocate. And these roles are made...

Statement by JoAnn Mondowney, Candidate for ALA Treasurer. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... I ask for your vote as ALA's treasurer. ALA is the only organization in the nation that has the commitment and financial resources to promote and support intellectual freedom, equal access to information, literacy, diversity, libraries, and...

Statement by Carol A. Brey, Candidate for ALA President. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... I began working at my local public library at the age of 16 and knew I had found my life's work almost from the beginning. When I decided to go to library school at the University of Illinois, Alice, a seasoned reference librarian, told me,...

Statement by Herman L. Totten, Candidate for ALA President. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... What an honor and a privilege it is to stand for election to the presidency of the American Library Association! I share ALA's dedication to the recognition of cultural diversity, the development of lifelong learning, the equity of access to...

Statement by Robert R. Newlen, Candidate for ALA President. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... These are not normal times. It's not a time for business as usual--either at your library or at the American Library Association. America's libraries are experiencing a devastating fiscal crisis and America's librarians and library users are...

2003 Election Schedule. (ALA Election).(Illustration)
March 1, 2003... 2003 ELECTION SCHEDULE Ballot stuffing and mailing March 4 begins Ballot mailing completed March 28 Requests for ballots, if not received by April 14 Last day ballots accepted for tabulation...

President, Treasurer Candidates Take on the Issues at Midwinter Forum: Questions about Declining Revenue Dominate Discussion. (ALA Election)
March 1, 2003... Candidates for the 2004-2005 ALA presidency and for the unexpired treasurer's term left open by the resignation of Liz Bishoff last fall (AL, Dec. p., 62) presented their views and took questions from the audience at a one-hour forum January 27...

Fantasy Becomes Reality for School-Library Media Programs: The 1963 Knapp School Libraries Project Director Discusses "The Opportunity of a Lifetime". (ALA History)
March 1, 2003... Forty years ago--March 1, 1963--marked the official beginning of the Knapp School Libraries Project. In a time when the concept of the library was evolving ino the center for media in schools, forward-looking leaders in ALA's Association of...

Williamsburg (Va.) Regional Library. (People).(Ann Baker)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... After 21 years at the Williamsburg (Va.) Regional Library, Ann Baker has retired.

Silas Bronson Library. (People).(Paul J. Bisnette)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Paul J. Bisnette recently began as head of children's services at the Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Fort Bend County (Tex.) Libraries. (People).(Carol R. Brown)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Carol R. Brown has been named director of the Fort Bend County (Tex.) Libraries.

Northern Arizona University. (People).(Jean Collins)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Jean Collins, dean and university librarian at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff for 18 years, retired January 16.

Buffalo and Erie County (N.Y.) Public Library. (People).(Ruth A. Collins)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Ruth A. Collins is the new deputy director/chief operating officer of the Buffalo and Erie County (N.Y.) Public Library.

Indiana University. (People).(Blaise Cronin)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Blaise Cronin, dean of the Indiana University at Bloomington School of Library and Information Science since 1991, has announced he will step down as dean effective June 30. He plans a year's sabbatical leave, after which he will return to...

Billington Library. (People).(Mark L. Daganaar)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Mark L. Daganaar has been named director of library services for the Billington Library at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.

Lehman Library. (People).(Dagher, Fadi)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... At Columbia University's Lehman Library in New York City, Fadi Dagher is now social science reference and collection development librarian.

University of North Carolina. (People).(Carl Danis)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Carl Danis has joined the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Sampson-Livermore Library as instructional services/reference librarian.

Wayne County Public Library. (People).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Alice Finley has retired after 32 years at the Wayne County Public Library in Wooster, Ohio, where she most recently served as assistant director.

Champaign (Ill.) Public Library. (People).(Marsha Grove)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Marsha Grove is the new director of the Champaign (Ill.) Public Library.

Zion-Benton (Ill.) Public Library District. (People).(Nann Blame Hilyard)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... January 6 Nann Blame Hilyard became director of the Zion-Benton (Ill.) Public Library District.

Richland County (S.C.) Public Library. (People).(Caroline Hipp)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... At the Richland County (S.C.) Public Library, Caroline Hipp has been appointed manager of the Sandhills branch.

Sciences libraries. (People).(Christopher V. Hollister)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... Christopher V. Hollister is now senior assistant librarian for the arts and sciences libraries at the University at Buffalo in New York.

Fresno County (Calif.) Public Library. (People).(John Kallenberg)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2003... March 14 John Kallenberg will retire after 27 years as head of the Fresno County (Calif.) Public Library.