VLA Newsletter

August 2001

 

Good News on Scholarships

Three scholarships will be awarded by the Virginia Library Association this year. VLA has been informed that the George Masons Friends are donating a $2000 scholarship to replace the unfulfilled pledge of a vendor who was bought by the Gale Group, ensuring that VLA will be able to cover the three scholarships this year without diminishing our reserves. Cy Dillon, VLA President, hopes the group will consider making the donation an annual gift. According to Dillon, "VLA scholarships nurture qualified professionals to lead Virginia’s libraries in the future. It is hard to think of a better investment."

The VLA Council decided at the June meeting to name the third scholarship after the George Mason Friends this year in honor of their pledge. The other two VLA scholarships will be funded by money from last year and the raffle at the Paraprofessional Conference.
 

New Editors for Virginia Libraries

Congratulations to Barbie Selby and Earlene Viano who were recently appointed as co-editors of Virginia Libraries. VLA President Cy Dillon announced that, although there were several qualified applicants for the position, Barbie and Earlene were selected as an editorial team to "continue the tradition of excellence" for which Virginia Libraries is known.

Barbie Selby has been associated with VLA's publications program for a number of years, most recently as the Chair of our VLA Publications Committee. She served as Columnist for the VLA Shipping List during 1985-1993, Editor of the VLA Shipping List from 1993-1996, and Editor of the VLA Newsletter from 1989-1990. During her career as a Government Documents Librarian at the University of Virginia, both at Alderman Library and the UVA Law School Library, Barbie has published several articles on government documents for publications, such as the Journal of Government Information, EIA Review, VALL Newsletter, and Virginia Libraries.

Earlene Viano has also been a guest writer for Virginia Libraries. This last year she provided reviews of VLA Conference sessions and assisted the previous editor with an interview. A former English teacher, Earlene has used her writing skills for several library projects while working for almost twelve years as a Library Assistant in the Reference Department of the Hampton Public Library. In addition, she has published an article in Today's Librarian, an essay in an OCLC publication, and reviews in Audiofile Magazine.

We will be looking forward to this next year as Barbie and Earlene combine their skills and talents to produce Virginia Libraries.

--Helen Q. Sherman, Editor, VLA Newsletter
 

2001 JEFFERSON CUP AWARDS ANNOUNCED

The Virginia Library Association is pleased to announce that Jim Murphy’s Blizzard: The Storm That Changed America (Scholastic Press) is the winner of the 2001 Jefferson Cup Award.

Jim Murphy writes a fascinating account of the great snowstorm that paralyzed New York City and the Northeastern United States for four days in March 1888. Sepia-toned text and illustrations (photographs, maps and drawings) enhance the historical setting as Murphy shows the storm through the eyes of several individuals. Murphy concludes by explaining the major impact of this event on the United States Weather Bureau and on the infrastructure of our cities.

Two honor books were also named: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) and The Boxer by Kathleen Karr (Farrar Straus Giroux)

Five titles received "Worthy of Note" recognition. These are: America’s Champion Swimmer: Gertrude Ederle by David A. Adler (Harcourt), Radio Rescue by Lynne Barasch (Farrar Straus Giroux, Spellbinder: The Life of Harry Houdini by Tom Lalicki (Holiday House), The Art of Keeping Cool by Janet Lisle (Atheneum), and Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan (Scholastic Press).

The Jefferson Cup Award was initiated in 1982 to honor distinguished books written for young people in the areas of United States history, historical fiction and biography. The award seeks to encourage quality writing for young people and to promote the reading of books about America’s past.

The Jefferson Cup Committee of the Youth Services Forum, a division of the Virginia Library Association, confers the award each year. Its members are drawn from all regions of the state of Virginia. This year the committee received and read over 350 books submitted by publishers throughout the United States and published in the year 2000.

--Ann C. Fondren, Chair, 2001 Jefferson Cup Committee
 

WELCOME BACK, JIM MURPHY

VLA Conference attendees can "welcome back" author, Jim Murphy, now possessing the distinction of being a two-time Jefferson Cup Award winner.

Virginia’s own Jefferson Cup Award has been awarded annually by VLA’s Youth Services Forum since 1982 to honor outstanding children’s and ions are included on the application form, which is available at http://www.vla.org.

--Jeff Clark, Co-chair, VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
 

Library of Virginia Board News

The annual meeting of the Library of Virginia Board was held in Richmond on June 18, 2001. The Legislative and Finance Committee reported that the State-imposed budget cuts for FY 2001-2002 total $2.537 million. Left untouched were State Aid and rent, and the Library administration chose not to reduce staff. These three categories account for 81 percent of the budget; therefore, all the cuts will come from the other 19 percent. To achieve these savings, every division’s operating funds will be reduced between 16 and 25 percent. Some departmental budgets will suffer greater cuts.

Collection Management Services will experience a 30 percent reduction in its collection development budget, a 59 percent reduction in conservation preservation, but no cut in its collection maintenance budget.

Public Library Development reported that $20,485,543 in State Aid will be awarded to the 90 public library systems. Infopowering money will be greatly reduced, and construction money will be eliminated. Of the 22 library systems receiving waivers for non-compliance with various State Aid requirements, 12 were for failure to meet the 50 percent of the median local expenditure per capita. JLARC will report its State Aid study findings on July 9.

Publications and Educational Services Committee reported that the Ellen Glasgow essay book will be shipped on June 29, and that Virginia Cavalcade will celebrate its 50th anniversary on August 23. Budget cuts will force the indefinite postponement of several publications.

Archival and Information Services estimates that there will be approximately 112,000 visitors to the Library in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001. Staff is formulating a patron conduct policy for the Reading Room.

Records Management is working on a standards and guidelines policy and protocol.

The Library of Virginia Foundation has exceeded its annual fund goal of $125,000, with two weeks still to go in the fund year. The drop in the stock market has reduced the size of its endowment.

F. Claiborne Johnston, Jr. will be the next Board chair, and Gilbert E. Butler, Jr. will be the next vice-chair.

The Board will next meet on September 17, 2001, in Richmond.

--Alan M. Bernstein, VLA Observer to the Library of Virginia Board
 

Remember to Vote

Ballots for the election of three officers will be mailed to the VLA membership in August. Biographical and position statements were published in the May and June issues of the VLA Newsletter for the following candidates:

Vice President/President Elect:

Second Vice President: Treasurer:

Intellectual Freedom Update

Chesterfield County, VA Installs Filters on Library Computers

On June 21, 2001, the Chesterfield County (VA) Board of Supervisors voted to place Internet filters on all county library computers. The board voted 4-0 (with one abstention) following a three-hour public hearing with more than 200 observers. State politicians, county officials, church leaders, residents, and even anti-Internet-porn crusader Donna Rice Hughes (the same Donna Rice who drew national attention during Gary Hart’s run for the presidency) addressed the board. Some speakers asked the library to just shut down the Internet. "Just as we would not provide Hustler ... and other such magazines on our shelves in the library ... there is no mandate to provide Internet access." Other speakers encouraged the board to reject filters. ‘A first-rate community does not block access for its citizens," commented a resident librarian. "It will be an unfortunate and very restrictive guard against information access for the public." Hughes, who was invited to speak by the Family Foundation of Virginia, made the following comment: "If we begin to look at filtering as content management, we can get past some of these censorship issues. We can’t have federally funded peep shows in our public libraries. Predators have easy access to our children, and they’re using libraries to gain that access." Numerous articles appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch (6/21/01, p. A1; 6/20/01, p. B4; 6/23/01, p. B1; and 6/24/01, p. B1), and the debate continues about the Chesterfield decision in letters to the editor.

Fairfax County School Board Restricts Access to Follett Book

After a 7 to 4 vote, the Fairfax County School Board recently ordered librarians to restrict circulation of Ken Follett’s book, The Pillars of the Earth, to students in tenth through twelfth grades. This is the third time in just over one year that the board has responded favorably to a campaign by "a handful of parents who are proud of their anti-intellectualism and intent on deciding what your kids may read," wrote Marc Fisher in his editorial, "Who Decides Which Book is ‘Bad’?" (See Washington Post, 6/28/01, p. B1). One board member wished that she had not read the book and commented, "It promotes acts of sexual abuse. ... It promotes raging acts of violence." Another board member said, "I contemplated reading excerpts from the book, but frankly, I couldn’t."

Child Online Protection Act Case - Accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal by the Justice Department of an appeals court decision that blocked the enforcement of the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (commonly known as CDA II). The law requires that commercial Web site operators employ methods such as credit card age verification to prevent underage users from accessing "harmful to minors" material. In a response to a challenge to CDA II by the ACLU, a federal judge ruled that it would be impossible to verify the age of a user. Then, an appeals court said that the CDA II would force the sites to adhere to the most stringent community standards.

American Library Association to Challenge CIPA

The American Library Association voted recently to initiate a legal action challenging the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA), signed into law on December 21. ALA contends that CIPA is unconstitutional and infringes on First Amendment protections. CIPA, attached to the Labor HHS Education Appropriations bill, mandates that libraries and schools must install content filters on all computers that offer Internet access as a prerequisite to receiving federal funds. ALA argues that no filtering software can successfully differentiate constitutionally protected speech from illegal speech on the Internet. A trial date has been set for February 14, 2002. See http://www.ala.org/cipa/.

Book Burning Bonfire in South Carolina

The First Pentecostal Holiness Church in Aiken, SC held "an old-fashioned book-burning bonfire" on July 11, 2001. Members went through their homes locating literature that their denomination might deem inappropriate.

Minnesota Library Staff Complaints

Preliminary findings by federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission support claims by twelve staff members that exposure to heavy porn surfing by patrons constitutes a hostile work environment and sexual harassment. The EEOC recommended that the library pay each of the twelve employees $75,000 in damages, a total of $900,000. The library board has proposed a dialogue between the library and the claimants to "address the nonmonetary concerns of these employees in a manner that balances the public’s First Amendment right to access information." See "Feds Back Minnesota Staffers’ Complaints" (Library Journal, July, 2001, pp. 20-21).

Michigan Anti-Porn Statute Violates First Amendment

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan held in early June that a Michigan statute that imposes criminal prohibitions on those who disseminate sexually explicit material to children through the Internet or computers violates the First Amendment and the U.S. Constitution’s commerce clause. The court stated that "any content-based limitation on speech may be upheld only if the state demonstrates the restriction is both necessary to achieve a compelling state interest, and is narrowly tailored to achieve that feat." The protection of minor children is a compelling interest, but the court says that there was no evidence to show that the statute would further that interest. Additionally, the court ruled that the statute did not "apply the least restrictive means available" to achieve the statute’s goal.

-- Timothy L. Coggins, VLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
 

View from the Public Library

One of the last graduate courses I taught for Catholic University of America’s School of Library and Information Science focused on the public library, which was appropriate since I work in one. It was both interesting and educational to trace the roots of what has become an American institution, from its codification by Ticknor and Everett in the 1850s in the form of the Boston Public Library to the library we know today. First and foremost, it was to be a depository of knowledge, that body of information commonly accepted as worth knowing. But, at the end of the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, there was a grass roots movement saying, provide me access to ‘x’ and I can learn for myself, and why not have recreational materials as long as they are defined as wholesome? When trying to ride a three-headed steer, keeping it going in the same direction can prove to be a challenge!

The base and ideal for this concept of a public institution, that is primarily paid for and supported by the public (a group which has certainly never been a homogenous group of "I’s") can be found in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, "Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech …."

Those five little words carry a very big notion. Nowhere in that text is there any mention of age, gender, race, ethnicity, beliefs, social standing or the like as being exempted from or protected by the statement. Rather, the Amendment sets forth that Congress cannot make a law that would abridge the freedom of speech – not who says what, for or to whom, or in what format, but the very idea of speech itself. Speech, whether or not we agree with it, is protected. Absolute? No. One cannot shout, "Fire!" in a crowded theater, nor engage in libelous or slanderous activity without being challenged and possibly punished. But the restraints on this freedom are very few as our forbears knew they needed to be, having experienced first-hand what happens when ‘speech’ is denied.

Public libraries now find attacks being waged accusing both libraries and librarians of using the First Amendment as a shield to condone pornography and obscenity in general and especially of having it accessible to children.Some believe that it is not a First Amendment issue at all but one of common decency, of doing what is best for children – of putting those "I’s" first by securing what those "eyes" will be able to access.

But, what about all the others? What about their access to that which some might call indecent, if not pornographic and obscene? What is the general consensus of those terms? The best definition of pornography or lack thereof was given almost 40 years ago by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart in Jacobellis v. Ohio [378 U.S. 184, 197 (1964)], " I could never succeed intelligibly [defining pornography], but I know it when I see it." Yes, every person or "I" might "know it when I see it," but not every "eye" sees it the same. More importantly, even if all "I’s" but one saw it the same, that one would be entitled to see it another way.

It would seem that some people now use children as a cover, as a way of trying to make sure that public institutions in general and public libraries in particular carry only what certain "I’s" or individuals say is appropriate. Waving the flag of pornography and obscenity and wrapping children in the banner of decency is an easy approach to take and an effective way of placing one group for and anyone else against children.

But we, who work in libraries, also use children as a shield whenever we place filters on computers in children’s areas or point with pride that we do filter, thus avoiding the confrontations and/or lawsuits many of us fear. When we do this, we, too, are doing no less than abridging the freedom of speech, no matter what justification or good intention we try to claim.

Actually, the only true filter is you, the parent or guardian, for the children entrusted to your care. If you care that much, then you need to be with your children at the mall, in the movie theater, in the music store, and in the library where you can make sure that they are not exposed to those things you would prefer they not see, do, hear, or touch. However, it is not your role, nor right, nor responsibility to control the eyes of my children, and it is most certainly not the role or responsibility of a public library to do so. To have policies in place for conduct and behavior in the library, including the use of computers and the Internet, yes; to decide arbitrarily that people of a certain age, or color, or gender can have access to only what certain people want, no. Not half-heartedly, nor halfway, but no.

The "I’s", the library’s public, do have the right the access….each and every one of them, whether infant, child, teen, adult, or elder. It all comes back to those five little words stated more than two hundred years ago - five little words those who work in public libraries need to keep intact: "Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech…."

--Susan Brown, Chair, Public Library Section
 

ASERL’s Competencies for Research Librarians

The Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Summit on Research Librarian Competencies in May 2001 brought together directors from two dozen ASERL libraries with deans from the thirteen library and information science (LIS) schools in the Southeast. Together they refined the draft competency guidelines for research librarians and discussed options for innovative programming within LIS schools and libraries to recruit and retain students.

ASERL’s Education Committee is proposing a presentation for the January 2002 Association of Library and Information Science Educators (ALISE) annual conference in New Orleans. ASERL will invite ALISE members from the region to discuss incorporating ASERL’s competencies into LIS curriculum.

ASERL members are investigating options for an internship program for LIS students at ASERL library sites. Proposed to be in place as early as Fall 2002, the program seeks to provide practical experience at a variety of leading research libraries to ensure that participants receive real-world training in the skills for ASERL’s competencies.

"Research libraries everywhere are facing recruitment and retention challenges," commented ASERL Board President Stella Bentley, Dean of Libraries at Auburn University, AL. "We are gratified that our colleagues at the LIS schools support our efforts to develop the well-rounded library professionals we will need in the very near future to support higher education and research throughout the Southeast."

ASERL (http://www.aserl.org) is the largest regional academic library cooperative in the country, with 35 research libraries and eight state libraries.

(Source: SOLINET Press Release)
 

People & Happenings

The administration and staff of the Library of Virginia were saddened to learn of the death of Ruth Anne M. 'Booty' Brooks on June 23, 2001 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Brooks served on the Library Board from 1983 to 1993 and was a founding member of the Library of Virginia Foundation. She was appointed to the Library Board by Governor Charles S. Robb and reappointed by Governor Gerald L. Baliles. On the Board she was known for her careful attention to detail and her passion for the Library and its historic archives. She was an active member of the Friends of the Virginia State Archives, an organization devoted to the archives at the Library of Virginia.

Ann Cannon joins the Norfolk Public Library as Collection Development Librarian. Cannon, a Suffolk native, holds her BS degree from Norfolk State University and her MLS from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. Prior to joining NPL, Cannon worked at Regent University Law Library in the technical services department as a Catalogue Librarian and in acquisitions. While living in Georgia, Cannon worked in a community college library and a public library.

Shannon D. Jones, currently an MLS student at North Carolina Central University, was recently awarded a $5000.00 ALA Spectrum Initiative Scholarship. A Norfolk native, Shannon received her BA in English-Writing/Editing from NC State University in 1998 and worked as a technical writer in Raleigh, NC, before accepting a position as the Acquisitions Assistant for the Bricked Medical Sciences Library at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She also enjoyed working part-time as a Library Assistant I for Chesapeake Public Libraries at Central Library and decided to begin her MLS studies in 2000.

Linda Krantz, Library Director, Rockbridge Regional Library, is serving as one of the nine advisory committee members from the Southeastern states on the new Public Library Advisory Committee, created this spring as a means for public library leaders to provide input and feedback on SOLINET services. (Source: SOLINET Press Release)

The Library of Virginia completed a three-year initiative to catalog and digitize the Virginia Historical Inventory (VHI), which includes photographs, maps, and reports of the 1930s Works Progress Administration (WPA) Virginia Writers’ Project. Funded in part by a $270,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon foundation, the digital project permits researchers to access the records of VHI from their homes and offices by going to http://www.lva.lib.va.us and selecting Digital Library Programlink. (Source: Library of Virginia Press Release)

E. A. Mayo, a recent retiree of Hampden-Sydney College, and Susan McFaden, a  recent retiree of the Fairfax County Library System, were recognized at the VLA Paraprofessional Conference for all the years of service they have given to the Virginia Library Association and for their outstanding leadership within the Paraprofessional Forum.  VLA President, Cy Dillon, presented each of them with a special inscribed plate on behalf of VLA and the Paraprofessional Forum.

Connie McCarthy, Dean of University Libraries, College of William and Mary, was elected President-Elect of the 2001-2002 Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) Board of Directors. The ASERL Board will focus on continuing program developments for its members, including expansion of Kudzu, ASERL’s shared catalog system linking 14 ASERL libraries; promotion of its competency guidelines for research librarians; and development of a cooperative virtual reference service, with anticipated pilot testing by the end of the year. (Source: SOLINET Press Release)

Loretta O’Brien-Parham, Director of the University Library at Hampton University, was elected by the new SOLINET Board of Directors to serve as its Chair during the Annual Membership Meeting in May in Atlanta. (Source: SOLINET Press Release)

Paul Showalter accepted the position of Business Reference Librarian at the Old Dominion University Libraries in Norfolk, effective July. Paul received his MILS from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last May and his BA in Political Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1994. Prior to attending library school, he worked as the Business Unit Supervisor for Rubatex Corporation in Roanoke. While in library school, Paul worked as a graduate assistant at the Walter Royal Davis Academic Affairs Library.

John Ulmschneider, Executive Director of Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, was elected as one of the three At-Large Members of the 2001-2002 ASERL Board of Directors. He was also elected to serve on the SOLINET Board of Directors during the Annual Membership Meeting in May. (Source: SOLINET Press Release)

Lydia William s, Archives Manager at the Longwood College Library, was named Outstanding Paraprofessional of the Year. She was recognized during the Monday opening session of the VLA Paraprofessional Conference and awarded a framed certificate and an engraved pewter box in honor of her accomplishments as a library paraprofessional.
 

Editor’s Note

We are still "in the pink" – just a different shade. Right before the last issue of the VLA Newsletter went to press, our publishers realized that our peach shade of paper had been discontinued and there was not enough for one more issue. Therefore, rather than delay the publication to wait for new stock, Dan Dwyer at Farmville Printing found enough leftover rose paper for a "down memory lane" issue in June. Our new selection, light pink, is making its debut this month. Jon Marken of Lamp-Post Publicity pointed out that, since our trademark pink is a trendy color, we can expect different shades again in the future. However, in the world of libraries, change is something we expect and can accept!

Thank you for your submissions. Please continue sending articles and suggestions so that this publication can be representative of our libraries across the state. The deadline is the 15th of the month prior to the issue date. If possible, please submit your articles electronically via email with longer files as Word attachments. This will prevent conversion problems and help me to keep your articles error-free. Also, thank you for understanding when I have to shorten articles in order to include all the news and still abide by the word count and layout restrictionsof our printed publication.

--Helen Q. Sherman, Editor
 

Calendar

August 3, 2001
Government Information Sampler
Sponsor: Public Documents Forum
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Place: Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon
Contact: Barbie Selby (804) 942-3504, bselby@virginia.edu

August 15, 2001: Deadline
VLA/SIRS Intellectual Freedom Award Application
Online Form: http://www.vla.org
Contact: Jeff Clark (757) 583-0041, clarkjc@jmu.edu

September 7, 2001
VLA Council Meeting in Charlottesville

September 13, 2001
Virginia & Other State Government Resources on the Internet
Sponsor: Region II
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (insert)
Place: Pittsylvania County Public Library, Chatham
Contact: Diane Adkins (804) 432-3271, dsadkins@hotmail.com

September 14, 2001
Business Resources on the Internet
Sponsor: Region II
Time: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (insert)
Place: Pittsylvania County Public Library, Chatham
Contact: Diane Adkins (804) 432-3271, dsadkins@hotmail.com

September 17, 2001
Library of Virginia Board Meeting in Richmond

September 21, 2001
Bookless Storytelling Encore
Sponsor: Region II and Youth Services Forum
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Place: Lynchburg Public Library, Lynchburg
Contact: Lorry Risinger (804) 847-1565, ext 225, risindl@ci.lynchburg.va.us

September 21, 2001
Remote Concerns: Reaching Our Users through Remote Technologies
Sponsor: VLA Region V's Annual Meeting
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (updated insert)
Place: Freedom Forum, Roslyn, Virginia
Contact: Polly Khater (703) 993-2445, khater@gmu.edu

September 28, 2001
Paraprofessional Fall Mini Conference
Sponsor: VLAPF
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (insert)
Location: SW VA Higher Education Center, Abingdon
Contacts: Joan Taylor (540) 676-6233, jtaylor@wcpl.net
               R. Todd Eastridge (540) 676-6233, teastridge@wcpl.net

October 17-19, 2001
VLA Annual Conference
Place: Holiday Inn Select Koger South Conference Center, Richmond
 

VLA Officers:
 
Cy Dillon President
Iza Cieszynski President Elect
Ruth Arnold Second Vice President
Carolyn Barkley Past President
Janis Augustine Secretary
Jeanette Friedman Treasurer

Editor: Helen Q. Sherman, Librarian, DTIC Technical Library, Defense Technical Information Center, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 0944, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6218 (703) 767-8180, fax (703) 767-8179, email hsherman@dtic.mil

Executive Director: (for change of address) Linda Hahne, Virginia Library Association, P.O. Box 8277, Norfolk, VA 23503-0277; (757) 583-0041; fax (757) 583-5041; email lhahne@coastalnet.com

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8/1/2001