BC Legislative Library to close?

Someone posted this on the library_grrls Livejournal community: British Columbia Legislative Library threatened with closure

The Christian perspective?

An interesting article, "Conservative wants to set Wikipedia right", discusses Conservapedia, the latest wiki in town.

Conservapedia is for those who find Wikipedia to be biased towards a more liberal, anti-Christian and anti-American stance. It keeps a list of alledged Wikipedia biases, including the use of B.C.E./C.E versus the more Christian use of B.C./A.D. and the fact that the editors of Wikipedia are proportionally six times more liberal then the American population. Some of their more popular pages include ones on the theory of evolution and dinosaurs. Interestingly, George W. Bush made it into the top ten (number 9), but Jesus doesn't (number 11).

Long live freedom of speech!

Source: thanks for the links Sarah

Sometimes, online rebellions work

Online rebellion forces censors to back down on banned books

"A wave of online outrage has forced Chinese censors into an unprecedented
decision to allow eight banned books to remain on the shelves."

Freedom to read the Swimsuit Edition

Sports Illustrated censors itself: Sports Illustrated Withholds Swimsuit Issue from Libraries, Schools

Source: Tanya

Whistleblowers wiki

Wikileaks

This is an interesting offshoot of Wikipedia: a website where whistleblowers can go to denounce unfair practices, especially in oppressive regimes,while keeping their anonymity.

Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Our primary interests are oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, but we also expect to be of assistance to those in the west who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own governments and corporations. We aim for maximum political impact; this means our interface is identical to Wikipedia and usable by non-technical people. We have received over 1.2 million documents so far from dissident communities and anonymous sources.

We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. Many governments would benefit from increased scrutiny by the world community, as well as their own people. We believe this scrutiny requires information. Historically that information has been costly - in terms of human life and human rights. Wikileaks will facilitate safety in the ethical leaking movement.

Wikileaks opens leaked documents up to a much more exacting scrutiny than any media organization or intelligence agency could provide. Wikileaks will provide a forum for the entire global community to examine any document for credibility, plausibility, veracity and falsifiability. They will be able to interpret documents and explain their relevance to the public. If a document comes from the Chinese government, the entire Chinese dissident community can freely scrutinize and discuss it; if a document arrives from Iran, the entire Farsi community can analyze it and put it in context. Our first sample analysis is available from the news page, providing a look into the future of what Wikileaks can provide.

Source: IFLA listserv, FAIFE-L
... Thanks Melanie!

France bans citizen journalists from reporting violence

Law could lead to imprisonment of amateur videographers and Web site operators who publish their images

By Peter Sayer, IDG News Service (March 06, 2007)

The French Constitutional Council has approved a law that criminalizes the filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than professional journalists. The law could lead to the imprisonment of eyewitnesses who film acts of police violence, or operators of Web sites publishing the images, one French civil liberties group warned on Tuesday.

The council chose an unfortunate anniversary to publish its decision approving the law, which came exactly 16 years after Los Angeles police officers beating Rodney King were filmed by amateur videographer George Holliday in the night of March 3, 1991. The officers' acquittal at the end on April 29, 1992 sparked riots in Los Angeles.

If Holliday were to film a similar scene of violence in France today, he could end up in prison as a result of the new law, said Pascal Cohet, a spokesman for French online civil liberties group Odebi. And anyone publishing such images could face up to five years in prison and a fine of (E);75,000 ($98,537), potentially a harsher sentence than that for committing the violent act.

Senators and members of the National Assembly had asked the council to rule on the constitutionality of six articles of the Law relating to the prevention of delinquency. The articles dealt with information sharing by social workers, and reduced sentences for minors. The council recommended one minor change, to reconcile conflicting amendments voted in parliament.

The law, proposed by Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy, is intended to clamp down on a wide range of public order offenses. During parliamentary debate of the law, government representatives said the offense of filming or distributing films of acts of violence targets the practice of "happy slapping," in which a violent attack is filmed by an accomplice, typically with a camera phone, for the amusement of the attacker's friends.

The broad drafting of the law so as to criminalize the activities of citizen journalists unrelated to the perpetrators of violent acts is no accident, but rather a deliberate decision by the authorities, said Cohet. He is concerned that the law, and others still being debated, will lead to the creation of a parallel judicial system controlling the publication of information on the Internet.

The government has also proposed a certification system for Web sites, blog hosters, mobile-phone operators and Internet service providers, identifying them as government-approved sources of information if they adhere to certain rules. The journalists' organization Reporters Without Borders, which campaigns for a free press, has warned that such a system could lead to excessive self censorship as organizations worried about losing their certification suppress certain stories.

Source: IFLA's FAIFE-L listserv

Search engine censorship

Google, Yahoo, MSN (and likely many more) censor search results in some countries. Find out more in the Google Censorship FAQ, then thank your lucky stars if you are in a country where they don't censor the search results.

Working Together Project

This looks like it could be very interesting (especially for those of you looking to work in a public library setting): Working Together Project

In their own words, the the sites creators "hope to use this space to share what we’ve been learning from the community about social exclusion and public libraries and librarianship."

The Great Firewall of China

Great Firewall of China- this site lets you test a URL in real-time to see if it is visible to Internet users in China.

-jocelyn

Censorship in Belarusian Internet cafes

The Belarusian Council of Ministers adopted on 10 February 2007 a new act on the Regulations on Functioning of the Computer Clubs and Internet Cafes that will impose new censorship rules on all the persons that use the public Internet access points.

According to the new regulations, Internet cafe owners or their authorized agents must keep an electronic registry of the domain names of the sites accessed by users. The electronic log should contain at least a 12-month history of all connections. State Security agents, police or state control inspectors are authorized to review the log in the cases listed by the legislation.

In cases of suspicion of infringement of this law, the Internet cafe management should inform the law enforcement bodies about such events.

The computer clubs and Internet cafes are not allowed to use programs propagating the cult of violence, cruelty and pornography, or disseminate banned information.

The Belarusian Government has very easy ways to regulate the Internet activity within the country, since the only Internet provider is the governmental Beltelecom organization, according to Reporters Without Borders.

See also:
Belarusian government adopts regulations on computer clubs and internet cafes (15.02.2007)

Belorussia tightens control over internet (15.02.2007)

Source: IFLA listserv

Censorship: Still a burning issue

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/books/features/article2294384.ece
Published: 22 February 2007

"If you want to know what defines an era, look no further than the authors, artists and activists who fell foul if it. Censorship is as old as civilisation itself - and the drive to suppress as strong today as ever. As 'The Independent' launches a major series of the greatest banned books in
history, Boyd Tonkin asks whether the thought police will ever learn"

"So read these formidable literary pariahs with an eye on our age, as well as theirs. In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking - but, otherwise, Cole Porter got it wrong. Heaven knows, anything definitely doesn't go these days. The prudes and persecutors have simply changed tack and chosen different ground, as they always have."

Source: IFLA listserv

More challenged books

Bookslut, a must have site for all book lovers (no, it is not a naughty site), has a great page that lists some challenged books and the reasons why they were challenged in some places. It also notes that for every reported challenge, there are 4 or 5 unreported challenges.

Another great resource is the Alibris site (it's like Chapters, but for independent new and used book sellers). They have a list (with reasons why) of banned children's books and a list of books that were banned for political reasons. They even have a list of frequently challenged authors (with links to their books).

Happy reading!





Keep reading those banned books!

Freedom to read the news

Freedom to read doesn't just encompass books, we also have the freedom to read the news, blogs, web-sites, and so on. News is one of those things that often contentious - on one hand we want to know what's happening, but on the other hand we don't always want on the gory details being broadcasted.

For example, the recent Pickton trial coverage resulted in a lot of talk about what's enough and what's too much.

But, sometimes we don't even get a chance to be offended or worried, because the news is censored from us. ProjectCensored.org made a list of the Top 25 Censored Stories of 2007. Take a look and see if there's anything of interest to you on the list.

More challenged books

Bookslut, a must-have site for all book lovers (tsk, no, it is not a naughty site), has a great page that lists some challenged books and some of the reasons why they were challenged. It also notes that for every reported challenge, there are 4 or 5 unreported challenges.

Another great resource is the Alibris site (it's like Chapters, but for independent new and used book sellers). They have a list (with reasons why) of banned children's books and a list of books that were banned for political reasons. They even have a list of frequently challenged authors (with links to their books).

Keep reading those banned books!

More Freedom to Read Week

"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all." -Oscar Wilde

"Free societies... are societies in motion, and with motion comes tension, dissent, friction. Free people strike sparks, and those sparks are the best evidence of freedom's existence." -Salman Rushdie

"Every burned book enlightens the world." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If your library is not 'unsafe', it probably isn't doing its job." -John Berry, Library Journal, October 1999

Project Censored is a website that collects, as they put it, "the news that didn't make the news." Their main page features a list of the 25 most-censored news stories of 2007.

An interesting project that uses technology to ensure intellectual freedom: psiphon, which lets internet users in uncensored countries provide uncensored internet access to others who are not so lucky.

More book bans and challenges from The Forbidden Library.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our on-going effort to staff a table in HUB. I have uploaded some photos of the table to flickr. If anyone else has photos from this week, please tag them "slisfreedomtoread" so we can keep them all together.

-jocelyn

100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000

Today I want to introduce you to the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000. After compiling challenged from across the country, they create this list for our enjoyment.

Some of the books on the list won't surprise you at all. For example:

• Sex, by Madonna, and
• Sleeping Beauty Trilogy (an "adult" version of the classic fairy tale), by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)

But, there are some that at first glance seem really out of place, like:

• James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl, or
• Where's Waldo?, by Martin Hanford

James and the Giant Peach was challenged because of it's portrayal of child abuse (among other things - click on the link above to see some of challenges it has faced). At the beginning of the book, James is abused by his two evil aunts who take custody of him after his parents die in a bizarre accident. Though I agree that reading about an abused child is sad, the majority of the book is about his adventures in a giant peach. And, it has a happy ending.

Where's Waldo? has been challenged because of one of its intricately drawn characters - apparently there is a wee tiny little topless sunbather in one of the books.

At the top of the list, there's a great quote by Judy Blume, who is on the list *5* times:

“[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.”

She has a point. People won't write books if they think that they will be banned (it would be a waste of time) and youth have the misfortune of having well meaning parents, teachers and community leaders decide what is appropriate for them. I thank my lucky stars that I was one of the fortunate kids - my parents challenged me to think outside the box, and they weren't afraid of a wee little topless sunbather.

ALA also has a list of the most challenged books between 2000 and 2005, which includes the Harry Potter series and yet another Judy Blume (hmm, I'm starting the get the feeling that I should read some of her books).

Happy Freedom to Read week!!

Freedom to Read week

Happy Freedom to Read week. Please take a moment to check out the Freedom to Read web-site. They have a whole section dedicated to this week as well as a challenged books page which provides a list of 100 books that have been banned or challenged over the past few decades.

Some highlights from the list include the following:

The Bible was challenged in Saskatchewan because it could promote hatred towards homosexuals.

Daddy's Roommate was challenged for being a bad role model for children.

Harry Potter books have been challenged because it was felt that the witchcraft, wizardry and magic making are inappropriate for young readers.

Of Mice and Men have been challenged for taking God's name in vain numerous times and for having no educational benefit.

Banned Books Challenge

The Pelham Public Library (Fonthill, Ontario) is challenging you to read as many banned books as you can (or want to) between February 26th and June 30th. Not sure what to read? There are almost as many banned books lists as there are banned books. When you visit their blog you can check out the lists that they have compiled of books that have been banned or challenged from 2006 and 2007, as well as many other lists (on the sidebar at the left).

They also have an extensive list of interesting links on the sidebar.

Freedom to read and beyond

This week is Freedom to Read week, the week where we celebrate the ability to read books without censorship.

You might be thinking, "But, Anne, we're in Canada. That doesn't happen here." But, it does. Books are routinely challenged by parents, community leaders, and the customs officers at the border. We may live in a free and democratic society, but that doesn't mean that we don't have to worry about censorship. Many forget that we are a very diverse country - we are home to multiple groups of people with differing religions, values, cultures, and so on. Inevitably, there will be a book that I think is great, but that you think is offensive.

Though I may have the right to access what ever book or intellectual property that I want (assuming that it is not illegal, like child pornography), you have the right to be offended by it and complain about it. The problem lies with giving the people who support the content access to it. While any library would love to be able to make all of its patrons happy, sometimes you have to say no to removing or banning a book just because one person or group finds it offensive. The idea is that if they don't like it, then they don't have to read it.

And, what about outside of Canada. Many countries are very intolerant of content that they find questionable. And, when I say "questionable" I mean anything from comments that are against the beliefs of the prevailing religion (or the religion in power) to comments that offend the leader (heaven forbid someone question a leader's actions). The Guardian recently reported that an Egyptian blogger was jailed for insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak. And, it's not just officials who are infringing on peoples freedoms. In a recent IFLA listserv posting, it was reported that Sina.com (a Chinese portal and blog-hosting service) has been censoring blog posts by bloggers on its system.

These examples may not seem to be directly related to our freedom to read, but if you can't access a blog post or if the creator of the blog is jailed, you lose your right to read what they have to say. Freedom to read is tied directly to freedom of expression.

So, celebrate your right to read whatever you want. Find a book that has been banned or challenged and devour it. Try to guess how many of your favourite books have been banned or challenged somewhere. And, above all, count yourself as being one of the lucky ones - you won't get jailed for calling Stephen Harper a nitwit.

- anne

Banned Book Cafe

This week the Edmonton Public Library will be celebrating Freedom to Read week by hosting a Banned Books Cafe on Thursday night form 7-9PM at the Stanley A Milner branch.

There will be open mic readings of banned/challenged books, and everyone is welcome to take a moment to read a short passage form your favourite banned/challenged book.

I have class on Thursday nights (booo), but I encourage the rest of you to at least show up and support the right to read whatever the heck you want to read.

For more information, see EPL's Banned Books Cafe web-page.