Each year ALA sponsors Banned Books Week to highlight our 1^st Amendment right to read.

In the past two years the education committee of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Vermont chapter (on which I serve) has offered free ALA posters to 21 school, public and college libraries in order to help them use this week to draw attention to the dangers of censorship.

We have money to do this again this year.

The first ten libraries to email response to this post will receive the ALA Banned Book Week poster offered this year by ALA and shown in the ALA graphics catalog (p. 6) that was recently mailed.  The 2010 poster measures 24” by 32” and retails for $16.00.

See the 2010 poster at  http://www.alastore.ala.org/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=269

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Posted on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 7:55 pm in the ALA, Advocacy, Events, IFC, News category.

I am very excited to announce the first ever “Choose Privacy Week” to be held May 2-8, 2010.   Choose Privacy Week is a new initiative started American Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee (ALAIFC) and Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) to spark a national conversation about privacy.    Libraries are the natural centers for learning and talking about information issues so  they are the perfect place to invite users join the conversation about privacy rights a digital age.

ALA has developed a variety of resources to help libraries reach out to their communities.    The campaign gives libraries the tools they need to educate and engage users, and gives citizens the resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy.  I hope you take time to explore the website www.privacyrevolution.org to learn more about what your library can do to spark thought and discussion around privacy issues today.  Whether you are considering creating a display, sponsoring a contest, hosting a program or workshop, or moderating a community dialogue about privacy, there are tools that can help.  

Help us spread the word about the importance of choosing privacy.  

Gail Weymouth

VLAIFC, chair

Posted on Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 at 4:49 pm in the ALA, C&SL, Events, IFC, News, Public Libraries category.

Dear friends,

UVM Libraries has partnered with the ACLU of Vermont to hold a special event during National Library Week.

“Reckoning with Torture:  Memos and Testimonies from the ‘War on Terror’” will be held Monday, April 12, 7 p.m., at Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building.  Here is a link to a flyer promoting the event: http://www.acluvt.org/news/reckoning_torture_poster.pdf

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Posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 7:48 am in the Advocacy, Educational Ops, IFC, News category.

SPACE STILL AVAILABLE – REGISTER TODAY AT http://www.ala.org/oif/onlinetrainings

“Controversial Materials in the Library: Supporting Intellectual Freedom in Your Community”

OIF is partnering with the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations (ALTAFF) to present three one-hour webinars in February for library trustees on the topic of controversial materials in library collections.

The webinars, entitled “Controversial Materials in the Library: Supporting Intellectual Freedom in Your Community,” are intended to help trustees understand the basics of intellectual freedom in libraries. They will cover information on collection development policies, procedures for handling challenges to library materials, and tips on responding to controversies that may arise. Angela Maycock, OIF Assistant Director, will lead the webinar series.

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Posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 3:58 pm in the ALA, Educational Ops, IFC, Public Libraries, Trustees category.

With the end of the year, American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (ALAOIF) is  compiling the yearly list of most frequently challenged books.  ALAOIF collects information for the  challenge database from media reports and from reports submitted by individuals especially State IFC chairs.  I would greatly appreciate if you could send me any information on challenges in your institution during 2009.    Challenges reported to ALA by individuals are kept confidential and any report can be cross-checked with existing entries in the database.  You may report challenges by filling out and submitting OIF’s database form (available at http://tinyurl.com/ya4ehpp) or you may simply email me the details of the incident and I can fill out a form on your behalf.  If you have any questions at all, please let me know.

Thank you for your help.
Gail Weymouth
VLA IFC chair
gail@sherburnelibrary.org

Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 9:50 pm in the ALA, Advocacy, C&SL, IFC, Public Libraries category.

Dear Colleagues,

As you know, the USA PATRIOT ACT is due to sunset this year and we need Congress to make much needed reforms.

The Senate has introduced a bill that does not meet the protections we seek, so we need the House to pass much tougher reforms. The ALA Washington Office reports that there is much opposition to these reforms, including from the White House, the Department of Justice and the House Intelligence Committee, so Congress needs calls NOW from library supporters and others.

PLEASE call Congressman Welch’s office to EXPRESS YOUR SUPPORT for H.R. 3845 introduced by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and ASK CONGRESSMAN WELCH TO CO-SPONSOR this USA Patriot Amendment Act. Call NOW. Bill mark-up is scheduled for November 4.

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Posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 10:48 am in the Advocacy, IFC, News category.

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:

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Posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 2:34 pm in the GRC, IFC, News category.

Senator Patrick Leahy has sent an open letter on the reauthorization of the Patriot Act to the Vermont library community on the occasion of the Vermont Library Trustee Association annual meeting.

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Posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 6:05 pm in the GRC, IFC, Trustees category.

 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

Posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 6:32 pm in the Advocacy, IFC, News category.

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)

Posted on Monday, October 12th, 2009 at 12:05 pm in the Advocacy, IFC, News category.