The National School Library Standards require school librarians to make equity a value that permeates the entire school library community. Creating displays to celebrate diversity is not enough. We cannot allow ourselves to approach diversity as a "social good," in which isolated programs serve marginalized students without challenging…

This paper highlights the findings of a survey completed by ACRL/STS [Association of College and Research Libraries/Science and Technology Section] members on scholarly communication issues. In particular it identifies the percentage of their daily activities that are spent in support of scholarly communication activities; extent of change of job…

This article presents an interview with Dan Clancy, engineering director for Google Book Search. In this interview, Clancy talks about the pending Google Book Search settlement, involving millions of volumes digitized from libraries, which drew a lawsuit from the Association of American Publishers and the Authors Guild. He also discusses pricing,…

"Research Library Issues" ("RLI") is a bimonthly report from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). This special issue includes the following articles: (1) Themes within the ARL Strategic Plan 2010-2012 (Charles B. Lowry); (2) ARL…

"When you start your new job as a school librarian, one of the first steps you must take is to ask to see the district's book selection policy. If there isn't one, write one. Right away. It protects you, the teachers, and the district." That advice was part of the author's school library administration course at the School of Library and…

Presents preliminary results of a survey that explored public library roles in the use of Internet/NREN (National Research and Education Network) services. Key issues are identified, including risks and barriers to network use, access, suggested services, professional association role, and committing resources; and recommendations to facilitate…

This document consists of seven issues of the ARL (Association of Research Libraries) Newsletter, covering February 2002 through December 2002. Most issues include some or all of the following sections: "Current Issues"; "Leadership and Management"; "New Measures Initiative"; "Statistics and Measurement";…

This paper provides some of the historical context of the efforts of the American Library Association (ALA) to define, extend, protect and advocate for equity of access, focusing on central tendencies rather than internal debate. The first section, "Toward the Concept of Access," discusses: how ALA became a public service organization; extension…

This overview of current state legislative issues related to intellectual freedom covers attempts to impose filtering on library Internet access, new "harmful to minors" laws, community obscenity statutes, restrictions on video lending, and more. A sidebar highlights the work of a coalition to defeat a "harmful to minors" law…

This paper discusses the importance of intellectual freedom for libraries, librarians, and library associations. Examples of attempts at censorship in Australia are presented, including the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Act, 1999, legislation that requires filtering of Internet content. The IFLA (International Federation of…

Reports on a panel discussion held at the 1992 Catholic Library Association's convention on the relationship between large and small academic libraries. Issues raised include the shared mission of academic libraries, the problem of allowing access by patrons from other institutions, and interlibrary loan. (EAM)

Discusses the policy issues surrounding the provision of electronic information services by the Regional Bell Operating Companies and describes court cases, legislative activities, and key players. Concerns for librarians, including freedom of expression, privacy, and access to service are noted; and a sidebar summarizes American Library…

Ralph A. Ulveling's 1951 challenge to the American Library Association (ALA) policy on censorship is described. Ulveling's proposal to segregate materials containing propaganda and the efforts of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Committee to address lack of consensus in the profession and librarians' role in protecting intellectual freedom are…

This proceedings of the 1999 IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) annual conference contains: information on the current, future, and past conferences; a message from H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the patron of the Thai Library Association; a conference program; an alphabetical list of authors; and 112…

This report is the official record of an open forum on recommendations from the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services sponsored by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), a federal agency charged with advising the President and the Congress on library and information policies and plans.…