The Institute of Museum and Library Services provided guidance to the Nebraska Library Commission regarding LSTA grants. The Federal Communications Commission released an order updating regulations pertaining to CIPA requirements for libraries receiving E-rate support.
The American Library Association (ALA), plaintiff in the case, called for “full disclosure of what sites filtering companies are blocking, who is deciding what is filtered, and what criteria are being used.” ALA also scheduled technology briefing sessions for vendors and developers of filtering technology to explain how CIPA will affect the library market.
ALA is also collecting questions from library service practitioners and will seek appropriate assistance in answering them. A Legal FAQ, including plain language analysis of the court decision, is posted on the ALA Web site, <www.ala.org/cipa>.
The full court decision is also posted, along with the link to an analysis of the decision from FindLaw’s Writ Legal Commentary.
For more information about the impact of this decision on Nebraska libraries, see the Nebraska Library Commission home page Announcements, <nlc.nebraska.gov>, or contact Rod Wagner, 402-471-4001, 800-307-2665, e-mail: Rod Wagner.
2003 National Library Legislative Day Held
More than five hundred library representatives from forty-eight
states participated in the 2003 National Library Legislative Day activities
in Washington, D.C. in May.
Library representatives participated in briefings on library-related legislation
and issues and met with members of their Congressional delegations and
staff. Nebraska representatives included (left to right) Library Commission
director Rod Wagner; Nebraska Educational Media Association representative
Gail Formanack; Nebraska Center for the Book Vice-President Chuck Peek;
Nebraska Library Commission member Bob King; Amy Tejral [not a Nebraska
Legislative Day participant], Legislative Director for Senator Ben Nelson;
Nebraska Library Association Legislative Committee representatives Kathy
Tooker and Brenda Ealey; Nebraska Library Commission member Velma Sims-Shipley;
and Library Advocate Parker Shipley.
Library legislative issues addressed during Legislative Day included the
reauthorization of the Museum and Library Services Act, Copyright legislation,
E-rate, Literacy through School Libraries Act (ESEA), civil liberties
and privacy issues and legislation, Freedom of Information Act legislation,
appropriations, and more. Nebraska library representatives thanked the
members of the Nebraska Congressional delegation for their support of
the Library Services and Construction Act and E-rate, and requested their
attention to other issues including sufficient funding for the Literacy
through School Libraries Act to permit allocations to each state. The
Nebraska participants also attended the Nebraska Breakfast, hosted by
the Nebraska Congressional delegation.
Due to recent budget cuts, the Library Commission has discontinued its statewide license of the companion program, Bibliostat™ Connect, which was used to analyze the data. Data analysis can be accomplished by downloading the raw data files from the Library Commission Web site <nlc.nebraska.gov/Stats/statlist.aspx> and manipulating them in standard spreadsheet software. For more information contact Kit Keller, Library Data Services Coordinator, 402-471-3216, 800-307-2665, e-mail: Kit Keller.
