Saturday, March 5, 2022

Statements of Solidarity with Colleagues in Ukraine by Archive, Library, and Other Organizations; Info Docket, Library Journal, February 27, 2022

Gary Price, Info Docket, Library Journal; Statements of Solidarity with Colleagues in Ukraine by Archive, Library, and Other Organizations

"Statements of Solidarity and Support (Latest Entries in Bold)

KC-area library leader quits after trustees rejected diversity, condemned LGBT program; kansascity.com via NewsBreak, February 27, 2022

kansascity.com via NewsBreak; KC-area library leader quits after trustees rejected diversity, condemned LGBT program

"Steven Potter, director of the Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, Missouri, is resigning after more than a decade at the helm, and a wrong-way shift to the hard right in library board ideology has something to do with it."

BBC, CNN and other global news outlets suspend reporting in Russia; The Guardian, March 4, 2022

Harriet Sherwood, Dan Milmo and agencies, The Guardian; BBC, CNN and other global news outlets suspend reporting in Russia

"The new law, passed on Friday, makes intentionally spreading “fake” or “false” news about the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine a criminal offence. President Valdimir Putin approved the new law on Friday evening, according to the Tass state news agency.

It came after the Kremlin accused the BBC of playing a “determined role in undermining the Russian stability and security”.

Davie said: “This legislation appears to criminalise the process of independent journalism. It leaves us no other option than to temporarily suspend the work of all BBC News journalists and their support staff within the Russian Federation while we assess the full implications of this unwelcome development.

“Our BBC News service in Russian will continue to operate from outside Russia.

“The safety of our staff is paramount and we are not prepared to expose them to the risk of criminal prosecution simply for doing their jobs. I’d like to pay tribute to all of them, for their bravery, determination and professionalism.

“We remain committed to making accurate, independent information available to audiences around the world, including the millions of Russians who use our news services. Our journalists in Ukraine and around the world will continue to report on the invasion of Ukraine.”"

Ronn Torossian Admits To "Ethical Lapses" Amid News Site Controversy; PRovokeMedia, February 23, 2022

Diana Marszalek, PRovokeMedia ; Ronn Torossian Admits To "Ethical Lapses" Amid News Site Controversy

"After finally admitting to owning Everything-PR, 5WPR founder and CEO Ronn Torossian apologized for his lack of transparency on the issue, acknowledging making “missteps including ethical lapses and errors in judgment” during the 20-year history of his firm...

Torossian’s apology comes following Crain’s New York Business’s report last week that he does indeed own Everything-PR, despite years of denial, and used the site to boost his own firm while slamming other agencies...

“In addition to being a cowardly and blatant violation of PRSA's Code of Ethics, Ronn’s actions are a stain on our profession and undermine our role as guardians of facts and integrity for those we serve. We strongly condemn his and his firm’s direct role in perpetrating disinformation while pretending to be a legitimate industry news site," said PRSA-NY's board said in a statement."

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

David Boggs, Co-Inventor of Ethernet, Dies at 71; The New York Times, February 28, 2022

Cade Metz, The New York Times; David Boggs, Co-Inventor of Ethernet, Dies at 71

Thanks to the invention he helped create in the 1970s, people can send email over an office network or visit a website through a coffee shop hot spot.

"David Boggs, an electrical engineer and computer scientist who helped create Ethernet, the computer networking technology that connects PCs to printers, other devices and the internet in offices and homes, died on Feb. 19 in Palo Alto, Calif...

Before becoming the dominant networking protocol, Ethernet was challenged by several other technologies. In the early 1980s, Mr. Metcalfe said, when Mr. Boggs took the stage at a California computing conference, at the San Jose Convention Center, to discuss the future of networking, a rival technologist questioned the mathematical theory behind Ethernet, telling Mr. Boggs that it would never work with large numbers of machines.

His response was unequivocal. “Seems Ethernet does not work in theory,” he said, “only in practice.”"

ALA Stands with Ukrainian Library Community; American Libraries, March 1, 2022

American Libraries; ALA Stands with Ukrainian Library Community

"On March 1, the American Library Association (ALA) released a statement in support of the Ukrainian library community. The full statement reads as follows:

ALA and its divisions support our Ukrainian colleagues and will work with the global library community to answer the appeal from the Ukrainian Library Association to provide accurate information as a means to support democracy and freedom of expression.

ALA has adopted into its policies Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.”

ALA continues to encourage our members to help raise public consciousness regarding the many ways in which disinformation and media manipulation are used to mislead public opinion in all spheres of life, and further encourages librarians to facilitate this awareness with collection development, library programming, and public outreach that draws the public’s attention to those alternative sources of information dedicated to countering and revealing the disinformation.

American Library Association Executive Board

American Association of School Librarians Board of Directors

Association for Library Service to Children Board of Directors

Association of College and Research Libraries Board of Directors

Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures Board of Directors

Public Library Association Board of Directors

Reference and User Services Association Board of Directors

Young Adult Library Services Association Board of Directors

United for Libraries Board of Directors"

A New Code for Ethical Collecting Calls on the Art Market to Do Better by Transparently Working with Dealers; ART News, March 1, 2022

Tessa Solomon , ART News; A New Code for Ethical Collecting Calls on the Art Market to Do Better by Transparently Working with Dealers

"In 2020, Pepe gathered a group of like-minded collectors from around the world—Pedro Barbosa, Iordanis Kerenidis, Andre Zivanari, Sandra Terdjman, Haro Cumbusyan, and Jessica and Evrim Oralkan—to form a think tank dedicated to tackling the problem. The collective, working with an advisory team of 15 curators and artists, spent over a year drafting a set of principles and standards using “the language of professionals,” or what other industries use as a means of heading off power imbalances, according to Pepe. The draft is a living document, continually open to edits and additions as deeper dimensions of the issue reveal themselves.

Last week, the collective released the text of their efforts at the ARCO Madrid art fair. Titled Code of Conduct for Contemporary Art Collectors, the 11-page manual provides a template for collectors of all levels for ethically acquiring, exhibiting, and donating art, which was also reviewed by the group’s advisory team.

The code includes how to interact with dealers responsibly and transparently, how to support institutions and serve on their governing boards, and how to build and maintain collections. Each bullet point is broken down into several subcategories—the section on dealing with dealers, for example, covers “holding dealers accountable to pay artist[s] promptly,” and “not requesting artworks below fair market price,” such as asking for a discount...

This isn’t the first of ethical guideline introduced for the art world, though it is the most comprehensive. Previous attempts include the Basel Art Trade Guidelines, published by the Basel Institute on Governance, and the American Alliance of Museums’s Code of Ethics for Museums, but enforcement of either is uneven and the scope of their concerns is significantly narrower...

The group plans to update the code yearly, adding new concerns as they arise and other recommendations crowdsourced from a survey on the website. Oralkan added, “It’s a good thing—living documents shouldn’t have an end.”"

Kandinsky Painting Returned to Jewish Heirs by Amsterdam Museum; The New York Times, February 28, 2022

Colin Moynihan, The New York Times; Kandinsky Painting Returned to Jewish Heirs by Amsterdam Museum

Dutch officials, citing their “moral duty,” gave over the work which had been held by the Stedelijk Museum since 1940.

"“As a city, we bear a great responsibility for dealing with the indescribable suffering and injustice inflicted on the Jewish population in the Second World War,” Touria Meliani, a deputy mayor, said in the statement. “To the extent that anything can be restored, we as a society have a moral duty to act accordingly.”

The issue of whether to return the work had become part of a broader debate over how Dutch authorities should evaluate restitution requests."

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

The Battle for the Soul of the Library; The New York Times, February 24, 2022

Stanley Kurtz, The New York Times; The Battle for the Soul of the Library

"Ultimately, librarians who work to balance a library’s holdings will be far more persuasive advocates for intellectual freedom than those with a political ax to grind.

There is a lesson here for the professions upon whose trustworthy refereeing our society depends for its stability: judges, government bureaucrats, journalists and more. These occupations should work to recapture lost neutrality. As our political conflicts deepen, we need our traditionally fair and impartial referees far more, not less, than before."

How to protect the first ‘CRISPR babies’ prompts ethical debate; Nature, February 25, 2022

Smriti Mallapaty, Nature; How to protect the first ‘CRISPR babies’ prompts ethical debate

"Two prominent bioethicists in China are calling on the government to set up a research centre dedicated to ensuring the well-being of the first children born with edited genomes. Scientists have welcomed the discussion, but many are concerned that the pair’s approach would lead to unnecessary surveillance of the children.

The proposal comes ahead of the possibly imminent release from prison of He Jiankui, the researcher who in 2018 shocked the world by announcing that he had created babies with altered genomes. He’s actions were widely condemned by scientists around the world, who called for a global moratorium on editing embryos destined for implantation. Several ethics committees have since concluded that the technology should not be used to make changes that can be passed on."

Monday, February 28, 2022

Why Vladimir Putin has already lost this war; The Guardian, February 28, 2022

Yuval Noah Harari, The Guardian; Why Vladimir Putin has already lost this war

"Nations are ultimately built on stories. Each passing day adds more stories that Ukrainians will tell not only in the dark days ahead, but in the decades and generations to come. The president who refused to flee the capital, telling the US that he needs ammunition, not a ride; the soldiers from Snake Island who told a Russian warship to “go fuck yourself”; the civilians who tried to stop Russian tanks by sitting in their path. This is the stuff nations are built from. In the long run, these stories count for more than tanks."

How to avoid falling for and spreading misinformation about Ukraine; The Washington Post, February 24, 2022

Heather Kelly, The Washington Post ; How to avoid falling for and spreading misinformation about Ukraine

"Anyone with a phone and an Internet connection is able to watch the war in Ukraine unfold live online, or at least some version of it. Across social media, posts are flying up faster than most fact-checkers and moderators can handle, and they’re an unpredictable mix of true, fake, out of context and outright propaganda messages.

How do you know what to trust, what not to share and what to report? Tech companies have said they’re trying to do more to help users spot misinformation about Ukraine, with labels and fact checking. On Saturday, Facebook parent company Meta announced it was adding more fact-checkers in the region dedicated to posts about the war. It’s also warning users who attempt to share war-related photo when they’re more than a year old — a common type of misinformation.

Here are some basic tools everyone should use when consuming breaking news online."

Sunday, February 27, 2022

The Backstory: Paywalls and the ethics of charging for news content; The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 26, 2022

FOR SUBSCRIBERS, The San Diego Union-Tribune; The Backstory: Paywalls and the ethics of charging for news content

[Kip Currier: Not a joke...This story --

The Backstory: Paywalls and the ethics of charging for news content --

is only available to subscribers.

Hey, San Diego Union-Tribune, you might want to think about making a piece about the ethics of paywalls accessible to non-subscribers too. You might actually persuade some people to your viewpoint and generate some worthwhile conversation about the pros and cons of paywalls.

Bad editorial and marketing decisions, as subscriptions to many newspapers continue to decrease and local news coverage is increasingly endangered.]

Military Brass, Judges Among Professions at New Image Lows; Gallup, January 12, 2022

LYDIA SAAD, Gallup ; Military Brass, Judges Among Professions at New Image Lows

"Gallup's annual rating of the honesty and ethics of various professions finds five of the 22 occupations rated this year at new lows in public esteem. While the majority of Americans continue to believe military officers have high ethics (61%), the score is down 10 percentage points since it was last measured, in 2017. TV reporters' ethics rating has fallen nine points to 14% over the same period, and judges' has declined five points to 38%...

The latest results are based on Gallup's annual Honesty and Ethics survey, conducted Dec. 1-16, in which Americans were asked to rate the honesty and ethics of different occupational groups as very high, high, average, low or very low.

Gallup first conducted its Honesty and Ethics poll in 1976 and has updated it annually since 1990. A handful of professions have been on the list every year, while Gallup asks about others periodically.

Nurses Still Lead Honesty and Ethics List

For the 20th straight year, nurses lead Gallup's annual ranking of professions for having high honesty and ethics, eclipsing medical doctors in second place by 14 points -- 81% vs. 67%."

WHY IS PUBLISHING PLAGIARISM STILL POSSIBLE?; Book Riot, February 15, 2022

Alice Nuttall, Book Riot; WHY IS PUBLISHING PLAGIARISM STILL POSSIBLE?

"Spotting plagiarism in books, though, still seems to be a matter for eagle-eyed readers or wronged authors. Why, in a world where there’s an app or a programme for everything, is publishing plagiarism still possible?"

Saturday, February 26, 2022

The Public Interest; American Libraries Magazine, January 23, 2022

Sallyann Price , American Libraries Magazine ; The Public Interest

What does “public” mean in 2022?

"Merriam-Webster defines “public” as an adjective describing something “of, relating to, or affecting all or most of the people of a country, state, etcetera.” But as both academic and municipal libraries work to make their buildings, programming, and collections accessible to all patrons, they’re considering exactly what it means to be a public-serving institution.

What are the obligations of a public or private university to its local and global community? How have public libraries extended a sense of welcome to their patrons while safeguarding their rarest and most special collections? A panel of two public librarians and one academic librarian (moderated by architect Sindu Meier) discussed these questions during the “Curating for Inclusion” session at ALA’s LibLearnX virtual conference on January 23."

Putin's war was launched on a runway of lies; CNN, February 25, 2022

Opinion by Frida Ghitis, CNN ; Putin's war was launched on a runway of lies

"In the end, Putin did exactly what President Biden told the world he would do: He invaded Ukraine on a runway of lies.

In Russia, where most people get their news from government-controlled media, many believed Putin's claims of a nefarious threat from Ukraine. But the rest of the world saw the propaganda fall flat in real time.

"Orwellian" doesn't begin to describe the falsehoods. Putin announced he was sending "peacekeepers," as he ordered his military machine to move into Ukrainian territory. His soldiers went into Ukraine to supposedly "de-Nazify" -- smearing the Nazi label on a country that is a democracy, though a flawed one, whose president happens to be Jewish. Putin claimed Moscow needed to move in to defend Ukraine's Russian speakers from a nonexistent "genocide" by Ukrainians (a tactic made infamous of World War II).

Washington succeeded in thoroughly delegitimizing not only the phony Russian justification for war, but Putin's own credibility before the entire world. It may take some time for the Russian people, too, to grasp the depth of the deception, but eventually they will."

At Pitt, war or not, Russian and Ukrainian cultures share a bond; PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, February 26, 2022

BILL SCHACKNER, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE; At Pitt, war or not, Russian and Ukrainian cultures share a bond

Immigrants who helped build the 'Steel city' are part of famed Nationality Rooms

[Kip Currier: An uplifting, poignant article, amidst the wrenching scenes emanating from an under-siege Ukraine.

The Nationality Rooms (more aptly, Classrooms) are one of the United States' truly singular treasures -- at the nexus of cultures and education -- and are my favorite place to take visitors, having had the privilege of serving as a Quo Vadis student organization volunteer tour guide for these architectural marvels during my undergraduate years at Pitt.]

"The Russian room, dedicated in 1938, and the Ukrainian room, dating to 1990, are historical treasures. But just as important, they are functioning classrooms at the University of Pittsburgh — part of the Cathedral of Learning's 31 famed Nationality Rooms.

Built on ethnic pride and donations, the rooms honor immigrants whose labor in the steel mills helped make Pittsburgh what it is today. In that, the two Eastern European communities share a deep bond.

Only now, Russia has invaded Ukraine and the countries are at war. Pitt undergraduates who routinely sit in these rooms taking classes that have nothing to do with geopolitics find themselves surrounded by trappings of cultures now locked in bloody conflict.

Time will tell if Pitt can turn all that into a teachable moment.

The rooms, like the people whose contributions built them, have always been about advancing understanding globally across cultures, said Kati Csoman, director of Pitt’s Nationality Rooms.

"They are intended to be spaces of, really, timelessness and cultural values," she said. "These are volunteers who have worked hard to raise funds for scholarships."

The Nationality Rooms are located on the first and third floors of the Cathedral, one of the world’s tallest classroom buildings, 42 stories high, its summit visible for miles beyond the sprawling Oakland campus. The massive Indiana limestone structure was opened in 1936 after a decade of construction.

Then-Chancellor John Bowman wanted to harness the enthusiasm of immigrant mill workers by establishing classrooms that would honor their traditions and inspire their children to seek a college education. That idea became the Nationality Rooms."

World's first octopus farm stirs ethical debate; Reuters, February 23, 2022

Nathan Allen and Guillermo Martinez , Reuters; World's first octopus farm stirs ethical debate

"Since the 2020 documentary "My Octopus Teacher" captured the public imagination with its tale of a filmmaker's friendship with an octopus, concern for their wellbeing has grown.

Last year, researchers at the London School of Economics concluded from a review of 300 scientific studies that octopus were sentient beings capable of experiencing distress and happiness, and that high-welfare farming would be impossible.

Raul Garcia, who heads the WWF conservation organisation's fisheries operations in Spain, agrees.

"Octopuses are extremely intelligent and extremely curious. And it's well known they are not happy in conditions of captivity," he told Reuters."

Friday, February 25, 2022

PRH, Internet Archive Clash Over ‘Maus’; Publishers Weekly, February 15, 2022

Calvin Reid, Publishers Weekly; PRH, Internet Archive Clash Over ‘Maus’

"However, Lisa Lucas, senior v-p and publisher of Pantheon Schocken, the PRH division which publishes Maus, denies the allegation. In response, Lucas emphatically denied the claim. “That is not true,” she said, framing the issue around copyright concerns rather than consumer demand. “Art Spiegelman has never consented to an e-book of Maus," Lucas said. "Therefore, PRH asked the Internet Archive to remove the PDF and stop pirating Maus because it violates Art Spiegelman’s copyright.”

Although best known for its collection of public domain titles, the Internet Archive also offers a lending library of more than 2 million modern titles “not in the public domain,” Freeland said. IA offers digital lending of these titles under a controversial policy called Controlled Digital Lending, or CDL, in which IA scans the book and lends out a PDF of the title, one copy per lender at a time, much like a physical book.

In June 2020, four publishers, including PRH, filed a lawsuit against the IA charging it with copyright infringement. The case is still working its way through the courts."

Vote now in the 2022 Morgridge Ethics Cartooning Competition; Morgridge Institute for Research, February 11, 2022

Morgridge Institute for Research ; Vote now in the 2022 Morgridge Ethics Cartooning Competition

"Sixteen cartoons have been selected as finalists in the 2022 Ethics Cartooning Competition, an annual contest sponsored by the Morgridge Institute.

The competition encourages ethics conversations and deliberation among scientists conducting biomedical research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and affiliated biomedical research centers or institutes.

A panel of judges has chosen the following cartoons for display to the public. You can vote below and help determine the 2022 winners!

This year’s cartoons depict a variety of research ethics topics, such as the ethics of scientific funding and publishing, the moral status of brain organoids, the ethics of experimenting on animals, environmental and social impacts of science, and problems of communication between scientists and non-scientists."

Suicide Hotline Left Ethics Board Out Of The Loop About Data-Sharing With For-Profit Spinoff; Forbes, February 24, 2022

Alexandra S. Levine , Forbes; Suicide Hotline Left Ethics Board Out Of The Loop About Data-Sharing With For-Profit Spinoff

"“Data-sharing with a for-profit company? That's bad... and you can't get consent from people for that in the moment when they're signing up with [a] crisis,” Ranney says. “This would never have passed a sniff test.”"

NCAC Launches Book Challenge Crisis Hotline and Censorship Database | News Bites; School Library Journal, February 10, 2022

SLJ Staff , School Library Journal ; NCAC Launches Book Challenge Crisis Hotline and Censorship Database | News Bites

"In response to the rising number of book challenges and attempted book bans in K-12 libraries and classrooms, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has launched a Book Challenge Crisis Hotline and a Youth Censorship Database and Map.

The hotline allows educators to report an incident to an NCAC staff member, ask questions, and get the answers needed to help defend the right to read. The virtual meetings are confidential, and no information is shared without permission.

In addition to the hotline, the NCAC has launched a searchable database and map intended to create a better understanding of the attempts to censor intellectual freedom and access in K-12 schools and libraries. The information can be filtered by the type of censorship—be it a book challenge, attempt to remove artwork or a display, or hinder the freedom of expression in appearance, at an event, in a yearbook, or on social meeting—as well as the year, age level of those impacted, and who filed the complaint.

To report attempted censorship without using the hotline, educators can fill out a form online."

Thursday, February 24, 2022

ALA, IMLS Sponsored Privacy Field Guides Launched; Library Journal, February 17, 2022

Matt Enis , Library Journal ; ALA, IMLS Sponsored Privacy Field Guides Launched

"The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in partnership with the American Library Association (ALA), recently sponsored the development and publication of a series of seven Privacy Field Guides. Designed to offer practical information and hands-on exercises for public, academic, and K–12 librarians, the seven guides cover digital security basics, how to talk about privacy with patrons, non-tech privacy, data lifecycles, privacy audits, privacy policies, and vendors and privacy.

Patron privacy—as well as consumer privacy more broadly—has been a longstanding concern within the library field, and many library-specific books, articles, workshops, and other resources are available on the topic. However, as project co-leads Bonnie Tijerina, founder of the Electronic Resources & Libraries conference and fellow at the Data & Society Institute, NY; and Erin Berman, division director, Learning Group, Alameda County Library, CA, and current chair of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) Privacy Subcommittee, wrote in their grant proposal: “While a plethora of information exists about how to institute privacy policies and procedures in libraries, it is difficult to navigate and hard to use.” Much of the content “is too dense and academic to be useful to frontline staff. The Privacy Advocacy Guides seek to eliminate the barriers libraries face when trying to create a privacy conscious organization.”

“We have information overload,” said Becky Yoose, founder and library data privacy consultant at LDH Consulting Services, WA, and one of the authors of the guides. “You have people who want to do something with privacy at their library, they just don’t know where to start. They don’t know which topics to start with, how to start, and more importantly, how to communicate things about privacy to coworkers, administrators, the public, partners, [or] vendors. These field guides are primarily…practical introductions into key privacy topics for all library types.”

Another author, Emily Ray, electronic resources librarian for the University of North Florida, added that many articles on privacy point out problems and troubling developments without offering practical solutions, while others that offer solutions are often targeted at an audience with technical expertise."

Lafayette library board cuts input from librarians in book banning review; The Acadiana Advocate, February 22, 2022

Claire Taylor, The Acadiana Advocate; Lafayette library board cuts input from librarians in book banning review

Board president resurrects plan to eliminate recreation, cultural activities from mission statement

"After attempts to ban two books from the Lafayette Parish Library system failed, library board President Robert Judge attempted Monday to take librarians out of the decision-making process and leave it entirely up to board members.

He failed, but the number of librarians included in the book banning process was reduced from two to one, with board members dominating a committee that reviews requests to ban books...

Judge also advised he is appointing a committee to review the library system's mission statement.

The Parish Council appointed Judge to the library board in February 2021. He attended his first meeting in March and a month later was unsuccessful in changing the mission statement of the library system to remove "recreation and cultural enrichment."

The current mission of the library system "is to enhance the quality of life of our community by providing free and equal access to high-quality, cost-effective library services that meet the needs and expectations of our diverse community for information, life-long learning, recreation and cultural enrichment."

In April, Judge said eliminating recreation and cultural enrichment services could save the library system money. Residents can get recreation and cultural enrichment elsewhere, he said, citing the Lafayette Science Museum and Heymann Performing Arts Center. Both of those entities charge entrance fees while most library system offerings are free."

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Opinion: A surprising poll about GOP book bans should light a fire under Democrats; The Washington Post, February 23, 2022

Greg Sargent, The Washington Post; Opinion: A surprising poll about GOP book bans should light a fire under Democrats

"A new CBS News poll offers data that should prod Democrats into rethinking these culture-war battles. It finds that surprisingly large majorities oppose banning books on history or race — and importantly, this is partly because teaching about our racial past makes students more understanding of others’ historical experiences.

The poll finds that 83 percent of Americans say books should never be banned for criticizing U.S. history; 85 percent oppose banning them for airing ideas you disagree with; and 87 percent oppose banning them for discussing race or depicting slavery.

What’s more, 76 percent of Americans say schools should be allowed to teach ideas and historical events that “might make some students uncomfortable.” And 68 percent say such teachings make people more understanding of what others went through, while 58 percent believe racism is still a serious problem today."

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

PLA responds to growing intellectual freedom challenges with virtual townhall; ALA News, February 22, 2022

ALA News ; PLA responds to growing intellectual freedom challenges with virtual townhall

"For Immediate Release

Tue, 02/22/2022

Contact:

Samantha Lopez

Manager

Marketing and Membership

American Library Association

slopez@ala.org

CHICAGO — As libraries continue confronting unprecedented attacks on the freedom to read, the Public Library Association (PLA) will offer a virtual townhall event, Facing the Challenge: Intellectual Freedom in Libraries, on Friday, March 4, from 1–2 p.m. Central time.

During this free session, panelists will participate in facilitated conversations that explore effective responses to the coordinated attempts at censorship currently sweeping the nation. A moderated chat will follow, inviting attendees to pose questions and share insights based on personal experiences. Due to high demand, PLA will accept up to 1,500 registrations, but only the first 1,000 viewers will be able to attend live. The webinar room will open about 15 minutes before the start of the event, and we recommend you arrive early. The on-demand recording will be available in the ALA eLearning site within 1–2 business days. Learn more and register for this event.

As those who have faced book banning attempts and related legislative efforts know, the experience is often isolating and stressful. The virtual townhall will provide an opportunity for public library professionals to connect in the face of these difficult experiences. At the conclusion of the event, participants will be able to:

Support colleagues in local school libraries who are facing challenges;
Advocate for the role of public library staff in making selection decisions and managing requests for removal, in accordance with established library policy; and
Amplify and support community voices not heard during challenges, especially from historically marginalized groups and students.

Townhall panelists include Deb Sica, deputy county librarian at Alameda County Library (Freemont, CA); Cindy Hohl, director of branch operations at the Kansas City (MO) Public Library and immediate past-president of the American Indian Library Association (AILA); Kathy Carroll, school librarian at Westwood High School (Blythewood, SC) and immediate past-president of the American Association of School Librarians (AASL); and Melanie Huggins, executive director of the Richland Library in Columbia, SC and president of the Public Library Association (PLA).

Facing the Challenge: Intellectual Freedom in Libraries is presented by the Public Library Association (PLA) with support from the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.

PLA will also be hosting an Intellectual Freedom Forum on March 24 as part of the upcoming PLA 2022 Conference in Portland, Ore. This forum will give attendees an opportunity to share resources and build connections in support of intellectual freedom. Forum sessions include: Ask a Lawyer, Peer-sharing roundtables, and 1-on-1 appointments with ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.

About the Public Library Association
The Public Library Association (PLA) is the largest association dedicated to supporting the unique and evolving needs of public library professionals. Founded in 1944, PLA serves nearly 10,000 members in public libraries large and small in communities across the United States and Canada, with a growing presence around the world. PLA strives to help its members shape the essential institution of public libraries by serving as an indispensable ally for public library leaders. For more information about PLA, contact the PLA office at 1 (800) 545-2433, ext. 5PLA, or pla@ala.org."

You can’t copyright AI-created art, according to US officials; Engadget; February 21, 2022

K. Holt, Engadget; You can’t copyright AI-created art, according to US officials

"The US Copyright Office has once again denied an effort to copyright a work of art that was created by an artificial intelligence system. Dr. Stephen Thaler attempted to copyright a piece of art titled A Recent Entrance to Paradise, claiming in a second request for reconsideration of a 2019 ruling that the USCO's “human authorship” requirement was unconstitutional.

In its latest ruling, which was spotted by The Verge, the agency accepted that the work was created by an AI, which Thaler calls the Creativity Machine. Thaler applied to register the work as "as a work-for-hire to the owner of the Creativity Machine.”"

Monday, February 21, 2022

Their DNA Hides a Warning, but They Don’t Want to Know What It Says; The New York Times, January 21, 2022

Gina Kolata, The New York Times ; Their DNA Hides a Warning, but They Don’t Want to Know What It Says

"Benjamin Berkman, a bioethicist at the National Institutes of Health, said that, in his view, the benefits of telling participants about genetic findings that can be treated or prevented greatly outweighed the risk that the participants might be frightened or fail to follow up.

“These are important pieces of information that can be lifesaving,” he said.

But not all biobanks give subjects the chance to receive health warnings.

At Vanderbilt, Dr. Clayton said, she volunteered genetic information to a biobank whose participants have been de-identified — all names and other personal information are stripped from the data. It also has other protections to prevent individuals in the bank from being found. While she happily contributed to the research, Dr. Clayton said, she is glad her data can’t be traced and that no one will call her if they find something that may be worrying.

“I don’t want to know,” she said."

Court Blocks Maryland’s Library E-book Law; Publishers Weekly, February 16, 2022

Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly; Court Blocks Maryland’s Library E-book Law

"In a rebuke to Maryland state legislators, a federal judge has granted the Association of American Publishers’ motion for a preliminary injunction, blocking Maryland officials from enforcing the state's new library e-book law."