LibrarianActivist.org

There was a very thoughtful article in last week’s online Library Journal, about the disconnected adult population in the United States, and how (public) libraries can and should be helping them.

The article states that “roughly 3.8 million people nationwide between the ages of 18 and 24 are neither in school nor employed,” or one in six. Many groups call these young people - who identify as adults and are often facing very adult library information needs, such as materials on parenting, job finding resources, information about going back to school, etc. - the “disconnected youth.” They may bring their kids to our storytimes, or use our public Internet terminals, but we can do more by helping them build literacy skills and social networks, and by linking them up with community agencies for job or education assistance.

The article also astutely notes that we often “lose” these groups of adults when they are in middle school, so we should also focus on programs and services to this age group to, in part, help maintain and strengthen links to the community and to literacy at this age.

You may not have known that ALA has a policy (Policy 61) about library services to the poor. Similarly, you may not know that the Social Responsibilities Round Table (SRRT) has a task force called the Homelessness, Hunger, and Poverty Task Force (HHPTF).

That was a lot of background, all to say that the HHPTF recently addressed Policy 61 in its survey report, now online. The ALA charged the HHPTF to survey ALA members about their knowledge of the policy, identify key issues and trends, and make recommendations. The report concluded that member respondents identified poor people using various manners, didn’t collaborate to provide programs or services to the poor because there was no official policy within ALA to do so, and felt that there was a lack of professional guidance from ALA regarding library services to the poor. 85% of respondents advocated training staff to sensitize them to issues affecting the poor and barriers hindering library use.

The report recommended that ALA “clarify why library service to the poor is integral to our profession […] and not a fringe issue” (4). They suggested a number of specific ideas for ALA to this end, including a regular column in American Libraries, a dedicated ALA staff member, a toolkit for libraries interested in serving the poor, an ALA distinguished service award for libraries that successfully serve the poor, and an advocacy campaign similar to @ Your Library. They also suggested that, within libraries themselves, administrators include poor people and poverty-focused organisations in library decision-making (4).

Libraries who serve the poor are also asked to post resources to the Library Success Wiki.

In June, the OECD had a Ministerial Conference on the Future of the Internet Economy. They published a report which is intended to help countries shape policies concerning the Internet economy. The themes that are addressed are the following:

• Making Internet access available to everyone and everywhere.
• Promoting Internet-based innovation, competition and user choice.
• Securing critical information infrastructures and responding to new threats.
• Ensuring the protection of personal information, respect for intellectual property rights, and more generally a trusted Internet-based environment which offers protection to individuals, especially minors and other vulnerable groups.
• Promoting secure and responsible use of the Internet; and,
• Creating an environment that encourages infrastructure investment, higher levels of connectivity and innovative services and applications.

There were some positive policy suggestions that were made, such as:

• Promote a culture of openness and sharing of research data among public research communities.
• Raise awareness of the potential costs and benefits of restrictions and limitations on access to and sharing of research data from public funding.

The OECD Civil Society Forum, comprised of the OECD Civil Society Reference Group and the The Trade Union Advisory Committee, produced a paper (and their own conference) intended to bring to the attention of the OECD Ministers assembled and the OECD member countries the concerns of those not represented at the Ministerial conference.

Their paper highlights the following:

The policy goals for the Future Internet Economy should be considered within the broader framework of protection of human rights, the promotion of democratic institutions, access to information, and the provision of affordable and non-discriminatory access to advanced communication networks and services.

Their recommendations cover

• Freedom of expression
• Protection of Privacy and Transparency
• Consumer Protection
• Promotion of Access to Knowledge
• Internet Governance
• Promotion of Open Standards and Net Neutrality
• Balanced Intellectual Property Policies
• Support for Pluralistic Media

CBC’s radio show Search Engine is the most downloaded show on the CBC website in the News and Current Affairs section. It has won awards in the US and has a large following on Facebook and on their own website. It’s covered issues like Net Neutrality and Copyright, with the last show covering an interview with Minister of Industry Jim Prentice on Bill C-61.

What does the CBC do in the face of such success?

They cancel the show.

A blogger in Calgary has great ideas on how to make sure this show stays alive. Here’s a great quote from his blog:

(…)canceling CBC Search Engine is like extinguishing a bright torch in our digital democracy. If we want Canadians to stay informed and be engaged in well-reasoned debate, we can’t afford to see shows like Search Engine, an intensely focused source of information, be canceled.

He suggests calling CBC Audience Relations at 1-866-306-4636 to tell them what Search Engine means to you. Ask the operate to enter your comments into the system for the record. You could also write the CBC. I also think that someone absolutely needs to create a Facebook group. Please join the Facebook group or write a petition! Possible people to write to include Richard Stursberg, Executive Vice-President of English Services (Richard.Stursberg@cbc.ca) or Susan Mitton, Executive director of CBC English Radio, (Susan.Mitton@cbc.ca)

Please help save Search Engine!

In April 2008, Library Juice Press published a collection of essays entitled “Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian.” Jeff Lilburn has written a great review for the book for LibrarianActivist. Here’s a quote from the review:

The debate over neutrality in librarianship is one that has been ongoing for many decades and the essays collected here represent an important part of that debate. Lewis’ volume deserves to be required reading in all LIS programs.

Jeff Lilburn is a Public Services Librarian at Mount Allison University and has been interested in library neutrality for some time now. He has written on the topic in both the Feliciter and Progressive Librarian.