VPR Story on Patriot Act

This morning Vermont Public Radio ran a story on the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, including the VLA Board’s resolution in support of Senator Leahy’s original markup of the bill and subsequent changes in the Judiciary Committee. While the story provided good coverage of the issues, it incorrectly stated that the Board had withdrawn its support for Senator Leahy’s version of the bill. Earlier today I sent the following message to VPR, and they assure me this will be corrected in later broadcasts and online:

UVM Libraries in the news!

Bailey-Howe Library Special Collections has an outstanding display of handwritten books:

UVM Library Exhibits Handwritten Books (Burlington Free Press)

Calling Volunteers for ALA and Selected Divisions’ Committees

Submitting an online form communicates your wish to serve and your interest to be in a particular committee of ALA, AASL, ACRL, ALCTS, ASCLA, LITA, LLAMA and PLA. The deadline for completing this form for ALA Committees is December 4, 2009.

Calling Volunteers for ALA and Selected Divisions' Committees

California Library Association thanks VLA

The following email was received by Gail Weymouth, IFC chair on October 8th. It is reprinted with permission and the personal name of sender redacted as a privacy courtesy.

Gail Weymouth,

I am writing on behalf of the California Library Association (CLA) Intellectual Freedom Committee to thank the Vermont Library Association for its recent resolution on the USA PATRIOT Act.

CLA was inspired by your efforts to include both the sunsetting provisions and Section 505. We share your concerns and messages to Congress. We were alarmed to find that this week both Sen. Leahy and Sen. Feinstein softened their support for privacy and surveillance reforms.

We want to thank you for the example you have set, and congratulate VLA on its impact on the meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee September 23, 2009.

Based on your example, we have adapted the resolution to reflect the concerns of the California’s library community. Please pass this email on to all those responsible for the resolution. We can let you know when our resolution goes “live.”

Sincerely,
XXXXX
Intellectual Freedom Committee, member
California Library Association

Librarians says Leahy let them down on Patriot Act

Vermont librarians on the most current version of parts of the USA Patriot Act to be passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee:

Librarians Say Leahy Let Them Down on Patriot Act (The Times Argus)

Banned Books Week in Norwich, VT

Banned Books Week event a hit in Norwich!

Norwich Event Sheds Light on Banned Books Week (Burlington Free Press)

Brownell Library in Essex Junction in the News!

Here’s to finding clever ways to fill the gaps in the budget!

Essex Junction Library Seeks Help With Collection (Burlington Free Press)

2009 Public Libraries and the Internet Study

The 2009 Public Libraries and the Internet Study (as part of the Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study) funded by the American Library Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was opened to libraries for participation September 8, 2009. The project is managed and directed by Denise Davis and Larra Clark of the ALA Office of Research and Statistics, and the survey is directed by John Bertot at the University of Maryland College Park’s Center for Library & Information Innovation.

Results from the 2008 survey have already been coming out these last months to inform the Broadband Stimulus debates, library assistance with jobs, and library assistance with e-government. You can find recently released issue briefs and other useful data at the study website (http://www.ala.org/plinternetfunding). The current context makes the data from these surveys even more important, and we hope you will participate in this year’s survey so that this information is complete and widely available.

VLA Resolution Included in Official Record Of Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator Patrick Leahy entered the VLA’s Resolution on the 2009 Reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act into the official record during the September 23, 2009 hearings of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the reauthorizations of the sections scheduled to sunset December 31, 2009. Following questioning by Senator Franken of Inspector General Fine about the temptation to use national secuirty letters insead of going to the FISA Court for Section 215 orders, Senator Leahy submitted the VLA resolution and two other supporting documents that raised the same concerns referring to Inspector Fine’ s documented example in his March 2008 report on National Security Letters.

All 177 + minutes are available for continued viewing via Webcast available http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4062.