Photos from the Freedom to Read Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Gala are now on the FTRF website, and the video has been posted to OIF’s Blip TV page. The Gala was a marvelous event that raised tens of thousands of dollars to support the work of the Foundation. Many thanks to the sponsors and volunteers for all their help! See you at the 50th!!
OIF has four new videos up featuring programs from the 2009 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Check them out!
“My, those novels certainly are… graphic!”
One of the most popular intellectual freedom programs in years, this panel discussion was sponsored by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee, Association of American Publishers, and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Speakers: Neil Gaiman, Terry Moore, and Craig Thompson. Moderated by Charles Brownstein of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.
An engrossing conversation about the status of privacy under the new administration. Cosponsored by the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee and the ALA Washington Office. Speakers: Mary Ellen Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; David Sobel, Senior Counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and Craig Wacker, program officer for the MacArthur Foundation’s Digital Media & Learning initiative.
“Libraries, Librarians, and America’s War on Sex”
Sex ed advocate Marty Klein discusses the importance of having sexual information available to all library users. Sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Round Table.
“Intellectual Freedom on the Front Lines”
Librarians and library supporters from West Bend, Wisconsin share their perspective on the protracted censorship challenges going on in their community at this issues briefing session, sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Freedom to Read Foundation. (See a blog post on the session from American Libraries’ Inside Scoop here.)
The American Association of School Librarians is presenting an informative and helpful preconference this year at its national conference in Charlotte, North Carolina:
“Law for School Librarians: Knowing Minors’ Rights” (Preconference)
Thursday, November 5, 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Charlotte, North Carolina
Fee: $109 (AASL member) / $214 (Non-member)
Preconference Summary: Learn how the First Amendment, state and federal laws, and judicial decisions affect the intellectual freedom of students using school library media centers. Topics to be covered include minors’ rights in school libraries, challenges to resources, labeling of resources, filtering Web resources, and privacy. Presenters will differentiate between public and private school libraries in terms of how laws apply, and will discuss the rights of younger versus older minors. Experienced library media specialists will facilitate group discussions and role playing related to challenges and students’ privacy, and will provide strategies for teaching students about their rights and responsibilities.
Presenters:
For more information and to register, please visit the AASL National Conference Web site.
Here are some intellectual freedom-related activities happening on Sunday, July 12, 2009 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Check out the conference wiki for more:
8:00 – 10: 00 a.m.
IFC/COL
Hyatt Regency Chicago (on Wacker – not McCormick Place)
Columbus Hall K/L
Combined meeting of the Intellectual Freedom Committee and the Committee on Legislation. All conference attendees are welcome to observe.
10:30 a.m. – Noon
RUSA-MARS program
Sheraton Chicago BR II/III
“Who Cares About Privacy? Boundaries, Millennials and the MySpace Mindset” – Join the Privacy Revolution
Speakers: Siva Vaidhyanathan, Francis Jacobson Harris
10:30 a.m. – Noon
LITA program
McCormick Place West W184
“Net Neutrality and its Implications for Libraries” – speakers Alan Inouye, Gregory Jackson, Clifford Lynch
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Committee on Professional Ethics program
McCormick Place West W185
“Alice Down the YouTube: Ethical Training in the Online Wonderland” – Have you watched a good video lately? Join us as we view YouTube videos that deal with everyday ethical issues in the library.
1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
GLBTRT program
McCormick Place West W194a
“What Makes Tango So Scary? Serving Your Whole Library Population, Intellectual Freedom, and Censorship of LGBT Books” – speakers Victor Schill, Jamie LaRue, Nancy Silverrod, Carolyn Caywood
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
ALA President’s Program
McCormick Place West W184
Speaker: Tom Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University. “After the 9-11 attacks the federal government’s desire for secrecy grew dramatically. Blanton will discuss limits imposed on access to government information.”
Here are some intellectual freedom-related activities happening on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. Check out the conference wiki for more:
8:00 a.m. – Noon
IFC II
Hyatt Regency Chicago (on Wacker – not McCormick Place)
Columbus Hall H
Second business meeting of this Council committee. All conference attendees are welcome to observe.
9:00 a.m.
Exhibits Open!
McCormick Place Chicago
Check out the myriad of books, authors, gizmos, displays, and of course, Carolyn Forsman’s jewelry in booth 3431 (near the ALA Membership Pavilion). And from 3:00-5:00 p.m., go to the Diversity Fair in the exhibit area to see the Merritt Fund table and a poster session by Conable Scholarship recipient Amanda Sharpe.
10:30 a.m. – noon
ALTAFF IFC program
Hyatt Regency Chicago (on Wacker – not McCormick Place)
Columbus Hall E/F
“Change is in the Air: How Intellectual Freedom Affects You in Your LIbrary”
1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
IFRT program
McCormick Place West W-178a
“Libraries, Librarians, and America’s War on Sex” ft. Dr. Marty Klein
AASL IFC program
McCormick Place West W-470a
“Minors’ Rights in School Library Media Centers”
RUSA-STARS program
McCormick Place West W-474
“The Secret Life of Our Data: Privacy in the Digital Age” – Join the Privacy Revolution
5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Opening General Session
McCormick Place West W-375
See Bob Doyle receive the FTRF Roll of Honor Award, keynote speaker and IF advocate Christie Hefner, and Honorary Membership in the American Library Association (the association’s highest honor) posthumously given to Judith Krug.
Here are some intellectual freedom-related activities happening on Friday, July 10, 2009 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago:
1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
IFRT I
Hyatt Regency Chicago (on Wacker – not McCormick Place)
Columbus Hall H
**The first of 2 business meetings of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table, one of the best avenues for ALA members to become involved in the IF activities of the association.**
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
IF 101
McCormick Place West
W-194a
**Part of ALA’s “Conference 101″ series of programs introducing new members & conference attendees to the various units of ALA and the exciting events going on during Conference. At this one you’ll learn about IFC, FTRF, IFRT, the Merritt Fund, COPE, BBW, and more!**
6:00 – 7:00
Judith Krug Memorial
Hyatt Regency Chicago (on Wacker – not the McCormick one)
Grand Ballroom A
**The library world lost a great leader in April with the death of Judith F. Krug. Since her passing, on April 11th, 2009, the outpouring support – form both within the library community and without – has been immense. We look forward to coming together in person to honor Judith at this annual conference. Please join us.**
We’ve blogged about all of our programs coming up in the next week for ALA Annual here in Chicago. Below the break, find them listed chronologically, with time and room number, and a brief description.
In our era of social networks, online databases, and cloud computing, more and more individuals’ personal information is available online and elsewhere. Personal privacy has emerged as one of the most pressing concerns in libraries and beyond. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom invites you to take up these issues and join with us as we kick off our year long National Conversation on Privacy, an initiative that will culminate in Choose Privacy Week, May 2 – 8, 2010.
This civic engagement campaign calls upon libraries and librarians to stand up as leaders and educators in communities all across the country – calling attention to the value of privacy as the foundation for civil liberties and highlighting growing threats to our privacy rights.
At ALA’s Annual Conference, OIF and the Washington Office invite you to attend an exciting program on these issues. “Privacy in an Era of Change: Privacy and Surveillance Under the New Administration” will feature Mary Ellen Callahan, Chief Privacy Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; David Sobel, Senior Counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation; and Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do? (HarperCollins, 2009).** The panel will discuss various aspects of privacy, from civil liberties and consumer protection to social networking and security. Please join us on Monday, July 13 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in Room 474, McCormick Place!
**Update: 7/11/09 – Jeff Jarvis will be unable to join us. In his place will be Craig Wacker, program office for the Digital Media & Learning initiative of the MacArthur Foundation. Thanks to Craig for filling in on such short notice!
Learn more about privacy and the privacy revolution at these other ALA Annual programs:
Learn how you can join ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom in rallying Americans to choose privacy – protecting the freedom to read, search, and learn in a digital age. Please visit www.privacyrevolution.org to get involved and provide your input as we kick off the conversation! For more information, contact Angela Maycock, Assistant Director, Office for Intellectual Freedom, at amaycock@ala.org.
Have you watched a good video lately? Have you faced a difficult situation in the library that called for ethical decision-making? ALA’s Committee on Professional Ethics invites you to join us for an exciting and interactive program at Annual Conference:
Alice Down the YouTube: Ethical Training in the Online Wonderland
Sunday, July 12, 2009, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., McCormick Place West, Room W-185
We’ll view a variety of YouTube videos that deal with everyday ethical issues in the library and meet the creators of these entertaining and thought-provoking productions. The panel will consider questions such as: What ethical issues are critical for your library and why? What makes YouTube an effective medium for delivering ethical training? How can we best convey the values and ethical expectations of the profession to both new and experienced employees? We look forward to audience participation in a question and answer session after each video as well. Please join us!
Speakers: Michael Denton, King County Library System in Seattle, WA; Dan Conley, Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) at the University at Buffalo; Eric Faden, Associate Professor of English and Film/Media Studies at Bucknell University in Lewisburg Pennsylvania; and Kathy Shields, a recent graduate of the MLIS program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Moderated by Patricia Clark, Reference Archivist at Texas Tech University and member of the Committee on Professional Ethics.
The LeRoy C. Merritt Fund has a new Facebook fan page. Just go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Leroy-C-Merritt-Humanitarian-Fund/91810073729?ref=mf and become a fan – and encourage your friends to become fans, too! Help us spread the word about this vital resource for librarians in need.
The Leroy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund provides assistance to librarians facing discrimination or defending intellectual freedom. To donate, visit www.merrittfund.org or call (800) 545-2433 x4226.
