Valparaiso University celebrates Banned Books Week

Valparaiso University’s Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources held its second annual Banned Books Readout in celebration and support of ALA’s Banned Books Week.

Four members of the Valparaiso University community – including Dean of Libraries Richard AmRhein – read from books that had been banned or challenged in the previous year.

In commenting on the importance of ALA’s recognition of books that have been banned or otherwise challenged, Dean AmRhein, who read an excerpt from And Tango Makes Three, said, “In this country, it is one of our most basic rights to freely access all points of view on any topic. The Banned Books Readout event is a reminder to all that while not everyone will agree the ideas presented, the author has the right to express them and the reader has the right to hear and consider them.”

Congratulations to the new Slate of IFRT officers!

Congratulations to the newly elected slate of IFRT officers!

VICE-CHAIR/CHAIR-ELECT:LOIDA GARCIA-FEBO

TREASURER:PAUL BEAVERS

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE: ROSEANNE M. CORDELL & SHARON MCCASLIN

COUNCILOR:JOHN A. MOORMAN

Fahrenheit 451 as a graphic Novel

Publishers Weekly is reporting "a graphic translation” of Ray Bradbury's classic. The new book will be "created by artist Tim Hamilton, overseen by Ray Bradbury himself and supported by an elaborate marketing campaign that will peg the book to the American Library Association's Banned Books Week in September as well as a host of educational, book trade and comics industry events and promotions."

Freedom to Read Foundation Gala

Freedom to Read Foundation celebrates 40 years with a gala dinner and celebration Sunday, July 12th, in Chicago. Buy tickets now by calling (800) 545-2433 x4226.

Social Networking Safety Act

Proposed New Jersey Social Networking Safety Act, designed to protect children from cyber bullying and sexually explicit content, raises IF and many other issues.

Essentially, the act would require sites such as Facebook and MySpace to provide prominent links for users to report offensive content, and to investigate and report to law enforcement where appropriate.

The site itself is entitled to $1000 in damages from anyone posting a 'sexually offensive communication' to or about a minor in New Jersey.

Traditional Cultural Expression

ALA Office for Information Technology Policy released a draft statement on Traditional Cultural Expressions that has raised some concerns among IFRT members:

Librarianship and Traditional Cultural Expressions: Nurturing Understanding and Respect

Google Book Settlement

Google Book settlement “may compromise fundamental library values, such as privacy and intellectual freedom,” according to Dr. Alan Inouye of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Technology Policy.

Read the American Libraries Article about some of the objections.

There is also an overview of the settlement from ALA and ARL: A Guide for the Perplexed: Libraries and the Google Library Project Settlement, by Jonathan Band, JD.


The text of the proposed settlement is available here.