First GATS panel ruling breaks open public service monopoly

According to Erik Wesselius of the Corporate Europe Observatory:

On 12 March 2004, a WTO dispute settlement panel has issued a historic ruling in the dispute between the United States and Mexico regarding U.S. complaints that Mexico was violating its commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) Annex on Basic Telecommunications as well as under the so-called Reference Paper.

This is the first ruling of a WTO dispute settlement panel based primarily on services and it proves that the GATS can be used to break open a public service monopoly (TELMEX is a state-owned company).

See articles by the BBC and the International Trade Daily. Librarians and publicly funded libraries should be worried!

source: Student Activist Network listserv

March 21, 2004

Books for prisoners

Listening to Asian Dub Foundation ("19 Rebellions" from the Enemy of the Enemy CD) made me wonder how we can help the incarcerated. It seems like every major city has a books to prisoners organization. Looking for a place to send your weeded books?

March 17, 2004

Funding for libraries: activists needed!

"How can you support closing a library? You just can't." But yet this may happen to Ottawa's underfunded libraries. In the US, the ALA is callling on their members to contact and urge their elected officials in Congress to support federal funding for library programs as Congress develops its budget for 2005.

source: Google News, ALAWON

March 14, 2004

Art activists targeted libraries

Interesting article in Utne's Indie Culture 2004 edition describing DIY artists. One group, Temporary Services, develops non-commercial methods of inserting ideas into public spaces. One of their actions was described as follows:

A "gift" of 100 self-published and small press books surreptitiously to the collection of the main branch of the Chicago Public Library. Many books remain in the collection two years after they were added. In fact, some books were officially catalogued by the library.

Their motivation? "The library is a symbole of democracy, but still you come up against bureaucracies and gatekeepers. We wanted to push its limits." Food for thought!

source: Utne - Indie Culture 2004 edition

March 11, 2004

Library Associations speak out for right to access public information

The AALL, ALA, and ARL have filed an Amicus curiae, in support of the Sierra Club and Judicial Watch, Inc, in the U.S. Supreme Court case brought by Vice President Richard Cheney to prevent discovery into the makeup of his controversial energy policy task force. "Amici share the conviction that broad access to government records protects values essential to representative democracy."

source: PLGNet-L

March 9, 2004

Internet Commons Congress 2004

New Yorkers for Fair Use are sending a callout to all who support the right to the free dissemination and use of information rendered to the commons for the benefit of the public to join them at the Internet Commons Congress, March 24-25 2004 in Washington (DC).

source: A-Librarians listserv

March 5, 2004

American librarians help Iraqis

Article describing how librarians and library students are responding to the devastating effects of war on Iraqi libraries.

March 3, 2004

Sign the petition; Amend the act

Groups representing booksellers, librarians and writers launched a campaign for reader privacy to obtain one million signatures in support of legislation to amend Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. The groups hope to persuade Congress to restore safeguards for the privacy of bookstore and library records that were eliminated by the Act.

March 1, 2004

Books not Bombs!

On March 4th, activists from across North America will be fighting back against the militarization of our lives and our world. In the words of Librarians for Peace: "We together call for the war to end now! We join our colleagues to march together as librarians wherever possible, march 'For the Book, Not The Bomb!' CALLING ON OUR COLLEAGUES WE ASK THAT THEY USE THEIR IMAGINATIONS TO EXPRESS THEIR OPPOSITION, AS LIBRARIANS AND, YES, EVEN IN THEIR LIBRARIES."

Check out the archives for past headlines