Bill proposes ISPs, Wi-Fi keep logs for police

February 19, 2009 10:45 PM PST
by Declan McCullagh
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10168114-38.html?tag=nl.e703

Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations.

The legislation, which echoes a measure proposed by one of their Democratic colleagues three years ago, would impose unprecedented data retention requirements on a broad swath of Internet access providers and is certain to draw fire from businesses and privacy advocates.

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ALA Office of Itellectual Freedom looking for challenged books

"OIF Seeks Reports of Book Challenges in 2008"

http://blogs.ala.org/oif.php?p=2980&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

With the end of the year approaching, the Office for Intellectual
Freedom will be compiling our yearly list of most frequently challenged
books. We collect information for our challenge database from newspapers
and reports submitted by individuals and, while we know that many
challenges are never reported, we strive to be as comprehensive as
possible in our records. We would greatly appreciate if you could send
us any information on challenges in your library or school from 2008.

2009 ProQuest/SIRS State and Regional Intellectual Freedom Award – Call for Nominations

Nominate a defender of intellectual freedom for a prestigious award!

The ProQuest/SIRS State and Regional Intellectual Freedom Achievement Award is given to the most innovative and effective intellectual freedom project covering a state or region.

The award is sponsored by ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Roundtable and ProQuest and consists of a citation and $1,000.

Programs may be one-time, one-year or ongoing/multi-year efforts.

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VT Library Confidentiality Act Panel

Vermont Law Review Symposium
EXAMINING OUR PRIORITIES: BALANCING NATIONAL SECURITY WITH OTHER FUNDAMENTAL VALUES
AT THE JONATHAN B CHASE COMMUNITY CENTER, VT LAW SCHOOL

OCTOBER 17, 2008

This symposium,sponsored by the Vermont Law Review, features keynote speaker Louis Fisher, constitutional law scholar with the Library of Congress and an expert in national security issues who is often called upon to testify before Congress. His newest book, 9/11 and the Constitution,  was released in August. Expert panels will discuss a variety of topics including immigration, environmental law, protecting library records, and the right to dissent

8:30 OPENING REMARKS by Geoffrey Shields

8: 45 – Vermont Library Patron’s Confidentiality Act
Gail Weymouth, Chairwoman of the VT Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee
Jane Woldow, Vermont Law School Librarian
Retta Dunlop, Executive Director of Vermonters for Better EducationRead more

Celebrate Judith Flint

Arthur Milnes, guest commentator on Vermont Public Radio, celebrates Judith Flint of the Kimball Public Library in Randolph for her defense of patron confidentiality when the FBI appeared. Milnes:

Judith Flint’s example gives me hope – despite the challenges on both sides of the border and in the wider world as our necessary war on terror continues.  While I have never met her – and probably never will – I am confident that to the children and families in Randolph she is a true friend.

Read the commentary at VPR or hear the podcast.

Amy Howlett

VT Department of Libraries  

Banned Books Week: September 27th – October 4th

Check out Ideas from 2007 on ways to celebrate Banned Books Week

Posted May 12 on the ALA website:

And Tango Makes Three” tops ALA’s 2007  list of most challenged books

456 words posted by **nanette perez** at 03:12 PM

643 views Categories: **Banned Books Week**

For a second consecutive year, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell’s award-winning “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s book about two male penguins caring for an orphaned egg, tops the list of ALA’s 10 Most Challenged Books.

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When law enforcement comes a'knocking

Dear colleagues,
“It will never happen here!”
Isn’t it human nature to believe that tragedies happen “out there,” in the world, and not in our own communities? Sadly, many communities have cause to know that tragedies do indeed happen at home. My own community, Randolph and neighboring Braintree, has just suffered the agony of the disappearance and murder of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.
I am writing this because “It will never happen here!” also happened at my library.
Read more

When law enforcement comes a’knocking

Dear colleagues,

“It will never happen here!”

Isn’t it human nature to believe that tragedies happen “out there,” in the world, and not in our own communities? Sadly, many communities have cause to know that tragedies do indeed happen at home. My own community, Randolph and neighboring Braintree, has just suffered the agony of the disappearance and murder of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett.

I am writing this because “It will never happen here!” also happened at my library.

Read more

Attorney General's opinion and other new statute guidelines.(revised)

What follows is the gist of the Attorney General’s opinion on the new confidentiality statute.

  1. Public libraries must keep records of patrons 16 or older confidential unless the patron waives that right.
  2. Public libraries have “limited discretion” expanding the scope of confidentiality of library records. The opinion says they must disclose the records of patrons under 16 if requested by parents.
  3. Read more

Attorney General’s opinion and other new statute guidelines.(revised)

What follows is the gist of the Attorney General’s opinion on the new confidentiality statute.

  1. Public libraries must keep records of patrons 16 or older confidential unless the patron waives that right.
  2. Public libraries have “limited discretion” expanding the scope of confidentiality of library records. The opinion says they must disclose the records of patrons under 16 if requested by parents.
  3. Read more