Part-Time Policy Wonk

Association of American University Press Release:

Discussions of the concept of open access to scholarly information are increasingly marked by highly charged rhetoric and an unfortunate polarization of opinion. The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) released a statement today outlining the association’s perspective on what has become known as open access, and hopes to help steer the debate towards productive solutions that will best serve the entire scholarly community.

Read the complete statement online.

Posted by Anne at 08:43 PM | Permalink

From the Nevada Appeal:

Government agencies in Nevada would have to follow strict timelines when responding to public records requests, under a proposal debated Monday in a state Senate committee.

The proposal by Sen. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, would give government agencies just two business days to respond to a public records request by either complying with the request, denying it, or asking for an extension of up to eight more days in "extraordinary circumstances."

The law is necessary because agencies will sometimes ignore public record requests, forcing the requesting person to go to the time and expense of a lawsuit, Care, a lawyer and former journalist, told the Senate Government Affairs Committee.

Posted by Anne at 08:41 PM | Permalink

From the Austin American-Statesman:

That’s the fear of open government advocates.

They are launching a behind-the-scenes battle to prevent Arizona Republican Sen. Jon Kyl from winning passage next Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee of an amendment that would essentially create an Official Secrets Act.

Kyl is planning to introduce an amendment to the Federal Data Mining Reporting Act (S236) that has nothing to do with data mining and everything to do with expanding the espionage statutes, according to Kevin M. Goldberg, legal counsel to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. . .

. . . But Cox Newspapers obtained a draft copy of Kyl’s amendment. The amendment would broaden the current Espionage Act to make it illegal to disclose any classified information concerning efforts by the United States to identify, investigate or prevent terrorist activity.

The proposal would expand a narrow law and would allow for significant jail time to be imposed on virtually anyone who discloses classified information, whether that person intends to actually harm the United States or not, Goldberg said.

Posted by Anne at 08:39 PM | Permalink

Press Release:

U.S. Representatives Rick Boucher (D-VA) and John Doolittle (R-CA), today introduced the Freedom And Innovation Revitalizing U.S. Entrepreneurship Act of 2007 (FAIR USE Act) to protect the fair use rights of users of copyrighted material and thereby enable consumers of digital media to use it in ways that enhance their personal convenience. The legislation contains several improvements to the Digital Media Consumer's Rights Act, similar legislation which the lawmakers introduced in the 108th and 109th Congresses. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) is an original cosponsor of the legislation.

Posted by Anne at 08:38 PM | Permalink

From SLA's CEO Janice Lachance's blog:

After months of wrangling with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over plans to slash services at its network of regional specialty libraries, the matter was front and center February 6 when the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee took up the matter with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson at a public hearing.

In a letter to the committee chair, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, D-CA, the day before the committee hearing, I shared with her YOUR concern that the closure of EPA libraries and a dramatic reduction in services could have devastating long-term impacts on public health and safety.

Posted by Anne at 07:50 PM | Permalink

OpenCongress brings together official government information with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind what's happening in Congress. Small groups of political insiders and lobbyists know what's really going on in Congress. Now, everyone can be an insider. OpenCongress is a free, open-source, non-profit, and non-partisan web resource with a mission to help make Congress more transparent and to encourage civic engagement. OpenCongress is a joint project of the Sunlight Foundation and the Participatory Politics Foundation.

OpenCongress brings together, for the first time in one place, all the best data on what's really happening in Congress:
• Official information from Thomas, the website of the Library of Congress, made available by GovTrack.us: all the bills, Members of Congress, votes, committee reports, issue areas, and more.
• News articles about Congress from Google News.
• Blog posts about Congress from Technorati and Google Blog Search.
• Campaign contribution information from OpenSecrets.org, the website of the non-profit, non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Posted by Anne at 07:48 PM | Permalink

From the Electronic Frontier Foundation:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit against the Department of Justice today, demanding records about secret new court orders that supposedly authorize the government's highly controversial electronic surveillance program that intercepts and analyzes millions of Americans' communications.

Posted by Anne at 07:46 PM | Permalink

NARA Press Release:

The facility includes a 1000 square-foot, state-of-the-art electronic records storage vault that will allow the National Archives, for the first time in its 73-year history, to store and service temporary electronic records for Federal agencies. This electronic records storage vault features a non-aqueous fire suppression system, strict environmental controls, and multiple levels of security. The new facility also includes a high-tech digital imaging lab for record scanning and a specialized media disintegrator to securely destroy Federal e-records.

Posted by Anne at 07:45 PM | Permalink

OMB Watch Press Release:

OMB Watch today (Feb. 22, 2007) launched the first in a series of upgrades to its popular FedSpending.org website, which is a searchable database of nearly all government spending since FY 2000. The site updates make FedSpending.org more comprehensive, more searchable, and more customizable. Journalists, researchers, and the public, among others, will benefit from the upgrades

Posted by Anne at 07:43 PM | Permalink

2006 Gold Mouse Report

No, it has nothing to do with Mickey.

Since 1998, the Congressional Management Foundation has been tracking the use of the Internet by Congress in an effort to identify best practices to cope with new technologies and utilize them to meet the needs and goals of congressional offices. . .

. . . The purpose of this report is to recognize the congressional Web sites that successfully utilized the Internet to better serve their constituencies and the goals of their offices. We encourage all offices to view a dynamic Web site as critical to their job and an integral part of the services they provide for Americans. To that end, we investigated and identified the best practices, guidelines, and necessary approaches to making a successful Web site. We present them as resources for all congressional offices seeking to improve their presence on the Internet.

Posted by Anne at 07:41 PM | Permalink

2006 Government in the Sunshine Act Report (PDF; 145 KB), Source: National Science Foundation, Office of Inspector General

The NSF Authorization Act of 2002, which became effective in December 20o02, contained administrative amendments to the National Science Foundation Act Pertaining to Board meetings. . .

. . . This is the fourth annual audit of the Board’s Sunshine Act activities. Prior years’ audits found a clear intent on the part of the Board to provide for greater access to and increased openness in its meetings. With respect to the Board’s decision to close meetings, we found that the Board generally closed its meetings consistent with the Sunshine Act’s exemptions.

Posted by Anne at 08:36 PM | Permalink

CRS Report - The Digital Millennium Copyright Act: Exemptions to the Prohibition on Circumvention

Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in 1998, in part, to help copyright owners protect their exclusive rights against infringement facilitated by digital technologies, including the Internet. Section 1201 of the DMCA outlaws circumvention of any access control devices, such as password codes, encryption, and scrambling, that copyright owners may use to protect copyrighted works. The DMCA’s prohibition on circumvention is not absolute, however. . .

. . . This report reviews the statutory basis for the triennial exemptions, explains the Copyright Office’s rulemaking process pursuant to the DMCA, summarizes the exemptions granted and rejected in 2006, and describes public reactions to the 2006 exemptions.

Posted by Anne at 07:33 PM | Permalink

From News.com:

As the new Congress experiments with the wide world of blogging and video clips, members are learning the complexities of copyright law, much the way the casual YouTube user has learned that there are corporations out there that own Lost and can stop you from posting a favorite episode.

The introduction began awkwardly this month when the House Republican Study Committee issued a news release accusing Speaker Nancy Pelosi of "pirating" 16 copyrighted clips of House floor debate from the public affairs network C-Span by including them on her new blog, The Gavel.

Shortly after the news release was distributed by e-mail, C-Span corrected the record to say that House and Senate floor debates are "government works," shot by government-owned cameras, and thus in the public domain. The Republican committee promptly sent out a news release to withdraw the accusation against Pelosi's office.

Posted by Anne at 07:32 PM | Permalink

From the Toronto Star:

Last month, five leading European research institutions launched a petition that called on the European Commission to establish a new policy to require that all government-funded research be made available to the public shortly after publication.

That requirement – called an open access principle – would leverage widespread Internet connectivity with low-cost electronic publication to create a freely available virtual scientific library available to the entire globe.

Posted by Anne at 07:31 PM | Permalink

From the Dallas Morning News:

Archivists and historians are urging Southern Methodist University to reject the Bush presidential library unless the administration reverses an executive order that gives former presidents and their heirs the right to keep White House papers secret in perpetuity.

The article concludes with a concise description of the Presidential Records Act and how it has changed.

Posted by Anne at 09:13 PM | Permalink

From the First Amendment Center:

If a line is to be drawn, where and why should it be drawn? That basic question was put to a group of scholars, lawyers and journalists in a workshop held at the First Amendment Center on July 20, 2006. The participants in that five-hour workshop, which focused primarily on the Espionage Act and the press, were Floyd Abrams, Scott Armstrong, Sandra S. Baron, Susan Buckley, Shelby Coffey, Ronald K.L. Collins, Robert Corn-Revere, Lucy Dalglish, Harold S.H. Edgar, Lee Levine, Mark H. Lynch, Paul K. McMasters, Jeffrey H. Smith, Geoffrey R. Stone and Stephen I. Vladeck.

Stone agreed to prepare a working paper for the group and invited comments and criticisms. The goal was not to reach any consensus and incorporate such into the final report, but rather to critically discuss the subject and to present a variety of thoughts and options for him to consider. Hence, this report reflects the informed conclusions of Stone alone.

Posted by Anne at 09:12 PM | Permalink

From the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers:

On 13 February 2007, a group of 35 major publishers and 8 publishing trade associations has issued a joint declaration laying out ten principles through which scientific, technical and medical (STM) publishing can continue working for the benefit of science and society.

Posted by Anne at 09:09 PM | Permalink

From the First Amendment Center:

The 2007 National FOI Day Conference will be held as usual this year on March 16. . .

. . . The conference brings together access advocates, government officials, lawyers, librarians, journalists, educators and others to discuss the latest issues and developments in access to government information and the public’s right to know.

The ninth annual FOI Day Conference is sponsored by the First Amendment Center. Sunshine Week will co-sponsor the event, which will be held in cooperation with the American Library Association, OpenTheGovernment.org and the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government.

Posted by Anne at 09:08 PM | Permalink

From the Washington Post:

Deep inside the Library of Congress, 500 researchers pound out the secret intelligence Congress uses to make law.

Legislators request 6,000 Congressional Research Service reports a year, on weapons systems and farm subsidies, prescription prices and energy use. Together, they offer what lobbyists and industry want most: clues to what's next on the Hill.

For years, open-government groups have fought to make the reports public, and for years, many lawmakers have kept them under wraps. Or so they thought.

By insisting on secrecy, Congress instead created a bootleg market for the research. Every day, a small Texas company compiles the reports and sells them to lobbyists, lawyers and others who pay thousands of dollars for a peek at the reports and what they say about the congressional agenda. And it's all legal.

Posted by Anne at 09:06 PM | Permalink

From the Mercury News:

An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president, sending a chill through fellow Internet writers who fear a government crackdown.

Posted by Anne at 08:52 PM | Permalink

From the BBC:

Internet law professor Michael Geist takes a look at intellectual property protection in the US and finds it somewhat out of step with the rest of the world.

Posted by Anne at 08:50 PM | Permalink

From News.com:

The U.K. government has rejected a call for digital rights management to be banned in the U.K., but has acknowledged that the technology could undermine consumer rights.

Posted by Anne at 08:47 PM | Permalink

From News.com:

European governments are preparing legislation to require companies to keep detailed data about people's Internet and phone use that goes beyond what the countries will be required to do under a European Union directive.

In Germany, a proposal from the Ministry of Justice would essentially prohibit using false information to create an e-mail account, making the standard Internet practice of creating accounts with pseudonyms illegal.

Posted by Anne at 08:45 PM | Permalink

New CRS Report - Government Access to Phone Calling Activity and Related Records: Legal Authorities

This report summarizes statutory authorities regarding access by the government, for either foreign intelligence or law enforcement purposes, to information related to telephone calling patterns or practices. Where pertinent, it also discusses statutory prohibitions against accessing or disclosing such information, along with relevant exceptions to those prohibitions.

Posted by Anne at 08:04 PM | Permalink

From the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government:

Federal agencies appear to have made only modest progress, if any, in meeting President Bush’s directive to improve service to FOIA requesters.

Requests remain heavily backlogged. Requesters still have long wait times for a response from many agencies. And people seeking records and information remain less likely to get the information they seek than in the past.

New research by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government shows that the government’s overall FOIA performance remains at the lowest point since agency reporting began in 1998, despite President Bush’s executive order last December directing agencies to become more service oriented and reform legislation introduced in the Congress.

Posted by Anne at 08:03 PM | Permalink

From the Washington Post:

Hardly a household term, ["net neutrality"] has no overtly partisan or ideological dimensions. Yet it is shaping up as a Democratic issue this year, largely because its most fervid advocates are liberal bloggers and other Internet activists who play a big role in the early stages of choosing a Democratic presidential nominee.

Unlike their Republican counterparts, every major Democratic presidential candidate has endorsed net neutrality. The move keeps them in good standing with powerful grass-roots groups, such as MoveOn.org, and costs them little in return -- perhaps a bit of space on campaign Web sites to promote a matter that comparatively few voters might explore.

Posted by Anne at 08:29 PM | Permalink

From Library Journal:

While the Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly may not be too receptive to new social networking legislation proposed by freshman Republican Senator Matt Murphy, the bill may be the first in several state attempts to achieve the goals of the federal Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA), which passed the House of Representatives but failed in the Senate.

Posted by Anne at 08:29 PM | Permalink

From Library Journal:

An embryonic initiative may produce federal funds to help public libraries provide access to e-government. The library role in e-government was highlighted in a breakthrough report last year by researchers at Florida State University’s Information Institute. A follow-up discussion draft report, E-Government and Public Libraries: Current Status, Meeting Report, Findings, and Next Steps, based in part on a December 2006 meeting involving a variety of library stakeholders, offers ideas and recommendations, notably a preliminary version of a new federal bill that would provide formal and fiscal support for public libraries’ roles in disaster assistance and helping with online forms like taxes and Medicare. . .

. . . The question, however, is how to get federal support. Information Institute Director Charles McClure told LJ that, in conjunction with the ALA Washington Office and other library groups, interested parties are talking about what services would be specified, which is preliminary to a proposed budget. He said that legislation might be proposed later this year.

Posted by Anne at 08:27 PM | Permalink

From Federal Computer Weekly:

The first release of the National Archives and Records Administration's electronic archiving system will come in September, said NARA’s chief information officer, Martha Morphy.

Development of the Electronic Records Archive, a project that aims to collect and preserve government records in electronic format, could be supported by the Bush administration's proposed increase in funds for the project in fiscal 2008. The administration wants $58 million invested in ERA, which is $12 million more than the estimated fiscal 2007 funding.

Posted by Anne at 07:16 PM | Permalink

From the Guardian:

Congressional Democrats are looking at ways to strengthen open government laws and force the Bush administration to release more documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

Posted by Anne at 07:12 PM | Permalink

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee on Scientific Information in the Digital Age: Access, Dissemination and Preservation

This Communication's objective is to signal the importance of and launch a policy process on (a) access to and dissemination of scientific information2, and (b) strategies for the preservation of scientific information across the Union. To this end, it announces a series of measures at European level and points to the need for a continuing policy debate.

Posted by Anne at 07:10 PM | Permalink

From the National Security Archive:

National Security Archive General Counsel Meredith Fuchs today told the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that, "problems [with the Freedom of Information Act system] will not be solved unless Congress mandates solutions."

Posted by Anne at 08:12 PM | Permalink

From InfoWorld:

In a bid to speed up the dissemination of scientific discoveries, the European Commission said Thursday it plans to shake up the old-fashioned world of scientific publishing by throwing its weight behind a move to make scientific research results freely available on the Internet.

Until now, results have been published in journals along with peer reviews of the research. Publishers of scientific, technical, and medical journals argue that the peer review system wouldn't work as reliably if results were published willy-nilly online.

Posted by Anne at 08:11 PM | Permalink

From the Center for Democracy and Technology:

The new Congress has an array of proposals aimed at protecting children in the online environment. Unfortunately, many of the proposals would not be effective in protecting kids, and raise very serious constitutional and policy problems. As done in at least one new bill, Congress should instead focus its efforts on promoting the education of both children and parents about online child safety, and promoting the voluntary use by parents of filtering and other tools to protect kids. CDT has released an analysis of the legislative proposals now pending before Congress.

CDT Analysis of Child Protection Bills Pending in Congress [PDF]

Posted by Anne at 08:09 PM | Permalink

From the SLA Government Information Division Blog:

The White House Office of Management and Budget launched the initial version of the FedSpending.gov database today, February 15. The website is intended to provide a searchable database of federal grants, contracts, loans, and other spending. This initial version fulfills a requirement in the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (PL 109-282), known as FFATA. The deadline for launch of the fully developed site is January 1, 2008. FedSpending.gov helpfully includes links to text of FFATA, the implementation schedule, and similar websites from the government and elsewhere. The primary goal of this first phase is to give the public an opportunity to provide input on what information they would like to be able to access.

Posted by Anne at 08:08 PM | Permalink

"Freedom of Information Act: Processing Trends Show Importance of Improvement Plans." - GAO-07-491T

GAO was asked to testify on the results of its study on FOIA processing and agencies’ improvement plans. The draft report on the study is currently out for comment at the agencies involved (and is thus subject to change). For the study, GAO reviewed status and trends of FOIA processing at 25 major agencies as reflected in annual reports, as well as the extent to which improvement plans contain the elements emphasized by the Executive Order. To do so, GAO analyzed the 25 agencies’ annual reports and improvement plans.

What GAO Recommends

In its draft report, GAO suggests that the Congress consider additions to the annual reporting requirements and makes recommendations to enhance selected agency improvement plans, among other things.

Posted by Anne at 08:06 PM | Permalink

From the Mercury News:

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the social networking Web site MySpace filed by the family of a 13-year-old girl who says she was sexually assaulted by a 19-year-old man she met online.

The $30 million lawsuit accused the site of having no measures to protect children who use it. The lawsuit also named MySpace's parent company, News Corp., and the 19-year-old, whose criminal case has not yet gone to trial.

Posted by Anne at 08:18 PM | Permalink

From Asia Times:

As China once again moves to tighten regulation of the Internet, a new force is forming in the West to address challenges to free expression and privacy faced by technology and communications companies doing business internationally.

Faced with increasing criticism from global human-rights groups for bowing to Internet censorship in many countries - particularly in China - US-based Internet giants such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo have finally joined forces with a diverse range of companies and organizations to define online privacy rights and freedom of expression.

On January 18, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and UK-based Vodafone formed an alliance with the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), and other companies, academics, investors, technology leaders and rights organizations to produce a set of principles guiding company behavior when faced with laws, regulations and policies that threaten human rights.

Posted by Anne at 08:16 PM | Permalink

From Reuters:

A Belgian court ruled on Tuesday that Google may not reproduce extracts from a variety of Belgian newspapers, imperilling one of the web search leader's most popular services if other courts follow suit.

Posted by Anne at 08:15 PM | Permalink

From the FTC:

The Federal Trade Commission will host a two-day public workshop on “Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy.” The workshop will bring together experts from business, government, and the technology sector, consumer advocates, and academics to explore competition and consumer protection issues relating to broadband Internet access, including so-called “network neutrality.” The workshop is free and open to the public.

Watch the archivedWebcast

Posted by Anne at 08:13 PM | Permalink

Information Today's online NewsBreak site has posted EPA Libraries: Where Do They Stand Now?, February 12, 2007, by SLA member Barbie Keiser. The article summarizes EPA actions over the past year, including the recent congressional hearings.

Posted by Anne at 06:22 PM | Permalink

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Amendments: 110th Congress

Several bills were offered in this regard in the 109th Congress, such as the OPEN Government Act, introduced by Senator John Cornyn with Senator Patrick Leahy and offered in the House by Representative Lamar Smith. Of related interest was legislation sponsored by Senator Cornyn with Senator Leahy, which would have created a temporary commission to examine, and make recommendations concerning, FOIA request processing delays. A companion bill was offered by Representative Brad Sherman. Another related bill, offered by Senator Leahy, would have amend the Homeland Security Act to modify the limitations on the release of voluntarily furnished critical infrastructure information pursuant to the FOIA. Representative Henry Waxman introduced a comprehensive bill addressing several aspects of information access and disclosure. While some of these proposals made progress in the legislative process, none were enacted by the 109th Congress. Because interest in improving the FOIA process remains strong, such legislation is likely to be pursued in some form during the 110th Congress. This report examines efforts to amend the FOI Act, and will be updated as events warrant.

Posted by Anne at 06:18 PM | Permalink

From Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility:

Despite public pledges of cooperation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is refusing to consult with its own employees about the effects of past or schedule of future library closures, according to an unfair labor practices complaint released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). In the face of growing congressional opposition, EPA continues to shutter libraries and make collections unavailable both to its own staff and the public.

Posted by Anne at 08:32 PM | Permalink

Press Release:

Today, the Sunlight Foundation is announcing the creation of the Open House Project, a collaborative and bipartisan effort on open government. The purpose of the project is to study how the House of Representatives currently integrates the internet into its operations, and to make public recommendations to its leadership on how to make the House of Representatives’ work more available to citizens on the Web.

The Open House Project has launched a blog at www.theopenhouseproject.com, and is also using a wiki to collect information and recommendations.

Just reading the first few posts of the new blog tells me that a lot of people have a lot of great ideas on how to help open the House. It will be inspiring and enlightening to read the coming discussions.

Posted by Anne at 08:26 PM | Permalink

From the National Security Archive:

The CIA's proposed new rule on Freedom of Information Act processing fees is likely to discourage FOIA requesters while imposing new administrative burdens both on the Agency and the public, according to formal comments filed with the CIA today by the National Security Archive of George Washington University.

Posted by Anne at 08:25 PM | Permalink

From WKRN:

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday the state needs an open government ombudsman who can help people who are refused access to public records and he will include money for the position in next year's budget.

Posted by Anne at 08:23 PM | Permalink

As the year charges on, Sunshine Week fast approaches. Sunshine Week is a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information.

The SLA San Francisco Bay Region Chapter will once again be co-sponsoring the Sunshine Week National Webcast with the Northern California Association of Law Libraries (NOCALL).

Date: Monday, March 12, 2007
Location: County of Alameda Training Center, 125 - 12th Street, Suite 400, Oakland, CA
The Training Center is easily reached from the Lake Merritt BART station. Additional directions and a map are available at: http://www.acgov.org/conference/location.htm.

Agenda:
9:00-10:00 a.m. Continental breakfast
10:00-11:30 a.m. National Webcast
11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Break
12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunchtime program
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Questions and discussion

The Second National Dialogue on Open Government and Secrecy is titled Closed Doors; Open Democracies?. The program will focus on access to government information, including the impact of government suppression and manipulation of scientific information on public health and safety and accountability. The dialogue will start with a lively discussion of the issues and end with ideas for action. The program will be webcast from the National Press Club in Washington, DC to host sites around the country, and will consist of two panel discussions. Panel 1 will focus on national issues. Speakers include:

• Susan Wood, former assistant FDA commissioner for women's health and director of the Office of Women's Health who resigned in August 2005 over the delay on making Plan B accessible
• Rick Piltz, former Senior Associate with the U.S. Climate Change Science Program who blew the whistle on the Bush administration's manipulation of scientific reporting related to global warming
• Francesca Grifo, Senior Scientist and Director of Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists to give an overview of how "Secrecy Can Make You Sick" - how secrecy of and manipulation of science can hurt you and your community
• Jay Dyckman, director of The Knowledge Project at the National Coalition Against Censorship to discuss first amendment free speech issues and describe what you can do

Panel 2 will focus on state and local issues. Speakers include:
• Bill Wolfe, Director of the New Jersey chapter of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER)
• Mark Tapscott, Editorial Page editor of the Washington Examiner
• Dottie Biggs, former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) librarian from Region 8

The discussion will be moderated by Ira Flatow, host and executive producer of NPR's Science Friday. The SLA/NOCALL sponsored event will conclude with a lunchtime program on open meeting laws and freedom of information requests. Speaker to be announced.

Lunch Menu: Sandwiches, salad, drinks including water, tea & coffee, and cookies.

Registration must be received by Thursday, March 8, 2007.

Posted by Anne at 08:31 PM | Permalink

SLA Press Release: