[SLA-SF] Intersect Alert, June 1, 2006

Thu Jun 1 21:18:39 PDT 2006

Freedom of Information

Folk Label Inks Deal With Internet Services

"Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, the non-profit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, has reached a deal to market all of its vast and eclectic library on Internet services like the iTunes Music Store. The development promises to bring to a wider audience seminal works by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly as well as recordings from around the world."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114826637402559273.html (registration required)

New Informational Web Site: Library of Congress Web Capture
"The Library of Congress has just launched a Web site devoted to information about its program to capture and preserve historically important Web sites so that they can be accessed by future generations of users. The Library of Congress and libraries and archives around the world are interested in collecting and preserving content on the Web because an ever-increasing amount of the world's cultural and intellectual output is created in digital formats and does not exist in any physical form."

http://www.loc.gov/webcapture/

Internet Access to Court Records - Balancing Public Access and Privacy

"Federal and state courts across the country are becoming publicly accessible as never before. Growing reliance on computer technology generally and on the Internet specifically, has made the prospect of placing court case records and information online via the Internet a reality. Yet as courts around the country are discovering, difficult policy questions arise as courts move from paper to electronic records, move beyond providing online access to court calendars and docket information, and begin making case files themselves available over the Internet. This article addresses the current debate between public access and privacy in courts around the country as many courts begin providing Internet access to court docket information and case records."

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=904209

Homefront Confidential: How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to Know

This white paper (published in its sixth edition in 2005) "assesses how government actions have affected the media's ability to provide information to the public" since September 11, 2001. Discusses the USA Patriot Act, the reporter's privilege, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, access to government documents, and state-specific legislation. >From the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

http://www.rcfp.org/homefrontconfidential/

Coalition of Journalists for Open Government

"Welcome to our window on open government and freedom of information, both in our nation's capital and around the U.S. The view is clouded by increasing government secrecy, but our goal is to provide timely reports on efforts to achieve greater access to public records and meetings and a free flow of information. We also provide background reports and lists of resources that may be of help to you in seeking information. We hope you'll make this your front page when you need information on transparency in government issues and FOI efforts. We welcome your ideas on content and your suggestions on how to present FOI information in a way most useful to journalists."

http://www.cjog.net/

Massive Collection of Formerly Secret and Top Secret Transcripts of Henry Kissinger's Meetings with World Leaders Published On-Line

"Today the National Security Archive announces the publication of the most comprehensive collection ever assembled of the memoranda of conversations (memcons) involving Henry Kissinger, one of the most acclaimed and controversial U.S. diplomats of the second half of the 20th century. Published on-line in the Digital National Security Archive (ProQuest) as well in print-microfiche form, the 28,000-page collection is the result of a seven-year effort by the National Security Archive to collect every memcon that could be found through archival research and declassification requests."

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB193/press.htm

Vice President Refuses to Report Classification Activity

For the third year in a row the Office of Vice President Dick Cheney has refused to disclose data on its classification and declassification activity, in an apparent violation of an executive order issued by President Bush. . . The Office of the Vice President has declined to report such data since 2002. Yet it is clear that disclosure is not optional.

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/05/vice_president_refuses_to_repo.html

House Passes Toxic Right-to-Know Amendment 

"Amid contentious debate over its version of the Interior Appropriations Bill, the House of Representatives took an important stand for the environment and the public's right to know about toxic pollution. Last Thursday, the House voted to accept the Pallone-Solis Toxic Right-To-Know amendment that shuts down plans by the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce reporting of toxic pollution under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program."

http://www.ombwatch.org/article/articleview/3439/1/192?TopicID=5

Intellectual Freedom

Travel Limitations on Floridian Scholars 

"The Florida Legislature passed a bill earlier this month that would prohibit faculty and students from public universities and community colleges from traveling to countries that the U.S. State Department has designated as sponsors of terrorism. At the present moment, those countries are Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. As the above linked article states: "[a]lthough the law pertains to research in a small number of nations, it would affect academics who study a variety of issues -- from architecture in Cuba to public health in Syria." The bill in question is S. 2434. The text, along with some legislative history and reports, is available on the Florida Legislature's website at http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?Mode=Bills&Submenu=1&BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&Billnum=2434&Year=2006. Governor Jeb Bush is expected to sign the bill into law."

http://voxbibliothecae.blogspot.com/2006/05/travel-limitations-on-floridian.html

Justices Punt on Academic Freedom

"A divided U.S. Supreme Court severely narrowed the free speech rights of government employees in a ruling Tuesday in a whistle blower case. In doing so, the court touched on but largely sidestepped the question of whether the restrictive standard applies to employees of public colleges, in a way that concerned some proponents of academic freedom but heartened others."

http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/05/31/supreme

Orwellian

Appeals Court: Patriot Act's Gag Provision Probably Unlawful

"A federal appeals judge has criticized the FBI's permanent ban on speech in terrorism investigations-the gag provision allowed by National Security Letters (NSLs) authorized by the USA Patriot Act-as probably unconstitutional in the light of recent congressional amendments to the law. Judge Richard Cardamone of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York City made the comments as the court ruled May 23 on two challenges filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, one of them involving librarians in a Connecticut library consortium who received a demand for patron records through an NSL."

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/may2006ab/nslcase.htm

Library Connection Executive Director and Board of Directors reveal they are "John Doe"

"Today four Connecticut librarians spoke publicly for the first time about their experience as recipients of a National Security Letter (NSL) demanding library records. . . The Plaintiffs were finally allowed to speak publicly after lawyers representing the government withdrew an appeal to keep their identities hidden after Federal District Court Judge Janet C. Hall declared the perpetual gag order that accompanies National Security Letters unconstitutional."

http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2006/may2006/johndoeungagged.htm

State Secrets Privilege Shuts Courthouse Doors

"The state secrets privilege has been invoked by the Bush Administration with greater frequency than ever before in American history in a wide range of lawsuits that the government says would threaten national security if allowed to proceed. In virtually every case, the use of the privilege leads to dismissal of the lawsuit and forecloses the opportunity for an injured party to seek judicial relief."

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/05/state_secrets_privilege_shuts.html

Public Policy

Gov. Jeb Bush Vetoes Florida Library Appropriations

"As part of an unprecedented $448.7-million line-item veto of state funding, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush slashed a total of $5.8 million in grants to public libraries, pilot projects for library homework help and web-based high-school texts, and funding for a joint-use library in Tampa. Bush, whose term runs out in January 2007, said as he signed the $73.9-billion state budget May 25 that he was pleased to leave the state with a $6.4-billion reserve cushion against hard times, the Tallahassee Democrat reported May 26."

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2006abc/may2006ab/bushveto.htm

Jumping into the Political Fray: Academics and Policy-Making 

"In this study, Daniel Cohn argues that academics have substantial and ample opportunities to influence public policy but that this influence is usually indirect, achieved by convincing those with power to advocate for and/or act on their ideas. Cohn examines how such opportunities arise and can be generated by academics. He also looks at the ways in which state actors can best make use of scholarly advice."

http://www.irpp.org/pm/archive/pmvol7no3.pdf

House Intel Committee to Hold Hearing on Leaks

"The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence announced that it will hold a hearing on Friday May 26 on "the Media's Role and Responsibilities in Leaks of Classified Information." There is no legislation on leaks currently before the Committee, and there are no governmental witnesses testifying at the hearing."

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2006/05/house_intel_committee_to_hold.html

Internet Access

Berners-Lee calls for Net neutrality

"Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web, has called for clear separation between Internet access and Internet content. Speaking at the World Wide Web conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday morning, Berners-Lee gave his views on the growing battle over Net neutrality. . . Berners-Lee characterized the issue as a U.S.-only problem at present. "In Europe, Net neutrality is the rule," he said."

http://news.com.com/2100-1036_3-6075472.html

House Panel Votes for Net Neutrality

"A bill that seeks to prevent broadband providers from offering an exclusive high-speed lane for video and other services has taken a step closer to becoming law. By a 20-13 vote Thursday that partially followed party lines, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would require broadband providers to abide by strict Net neutrality principles, meaning that their networks must be operated in a "nondiscriminatory" manner."

http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6077007.html

International Outlook

Internet Users in Myanmar Face Third Day without Connection

"Internet users in Myanmar were experiencing a third day without web access after the military-ruled country's already tenuous links to the online world were cut, service providers said. Internet service providers were at a loss to explain the problem, and officials could not say if the connection was broken or if it had been deliberately taken down."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/25052006/323/internet-users-myanmar-face-third-day-connection.html

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