ALCTS Network News v11n05 (March 12, 1996) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v11n05 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 11, Number 5 March 12, 1996 In this issue BYLAWS CHANGES ON SPRING BALLOT MIDWINTER MEETING DISCUSSION GROUP SUMMARY ALA, COALITION CHALLENGE NEW GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP LAW CALL FOR NII AWARDS APPLICATIONS ************************************************************************** BYLAWS CHANGES ON SPRING BALLOT In addition to voting for division officers, all ALCTS members will be asked to vote on a change to the bylaws. This change combines section bylaws with division bylaws by replacing Article X. Due to its length, we have not reprinted the Article, but it will appear in full as the first item on your ballot. Please note two corrections to the ballot as reported in _AN2_ v11_no4 (March 10, 1996), both under CCS. There are *two* members-at-large to be elected, and candidate Margaret Rohdy's name was misspelled. Both are correct on the official ballot. We apologize for the errors. ************************************************************************* MIDWINTER MEETING DISCUSSION GROUP SUMMARY As space permits, we will publish summaries of your discussion group topics from the Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio. We will accept e-mail submissions only and reserve the right to edit for length or clarity. Send your summaries to alcts@ala.org. LC-Cooperative Cataloging The LC-Cooperative Cataloging Discussion Group heard from these speakers: Sarah Thomas, Chair of the Executive Council of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC), reported that one of the Program's biggest achievements is the BIBCO training class held in September 1995. She also announced that the following representatives were elected to the Executive Council by the membership of the PCC: Barry Baker, University of Georgia; Jennifer Bowen, Eastman School of Music; and Pat Thomas, Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library. Thomas reported that the Executive Council had been working to revise the PCC Strategic Plan and was devising a new Tactical Plan incorporating more specificity to cover the next 18-24 month period. Eric Childress, Chair of the Task Group on the Core Bibliographic Record for Audiovisual Materials, noted that the task group has issued the first draft core-level guidelines for moving images as well as the first draft core-level guidelines for graphics. These draft documents were issued the cataloging community with comments and questions to be returned by January 31, 1996. Joan Schuitema, Northwestern University, discussed the PCC Home Page and explained that it had been developed at the request of PCC members. She indicated that it was not designed to include cataloging tools. She provided the new World Wide Web address for the PCC Home Page (http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/pcc). David Williamson provided an on-line demonstration of the PCC Home Page and encouraged participants to let PCC know about interim and final reports that could be posted and linked. Ann Della Porta reported for LC's Cooperative Cataloging Team on the overwhelming growth for all phases of the program in FY95. NACO participants added 92,108 new name authority records, an increase of nearly 18%. Series authority record contributions expanded at an even greater rate, due in large part to the successful Series Institutes held at LC. Series authority records were up 43%. Subject Authority Cooperative Program (SACO) participants added 1,954 new subject headings to LCSH, an 113% increase over FY94 contributions. At the close of FY95 the NCCP libraries became the first participants in BIBCO, the PCC program for the contribution of bibliographic records. Sue Phillips, University of Texas, reported that CONSER has been conducting a thorough review of their membership and governance structure and that Brian Schottlaender, UCLA, is the chair-elect of the CONSER Policy Committee. She noted that the next update to the CONSER guide will include core record formats for non-print materials and electronic serials. Additionally, CONSER is experimenting with batch loading of records. Garrison, University of Colorado, reported on his experience as a new NACO trainer at the University of Kansas. He felt that preparing for the training was vital because questions from trainees cover all aspects of authority work. He complimented the work of the LC Cooperative Cataloging Team and the Cataloging Policy and Support Office for the development of the NACO Manual as an exemplary teaching tool. Joan Swanekamp, Columbia University, discussed the BIBCO training, held at LC in September 1995. She complimented Penny Mattern, OCLC, for the development of the manual used in the "Training the BIBCO Trainer" held in September 1995. She emphasized that the BIBCO training approaches cataloging and the core record from two basic "values" components; namely, 1) timely access and cost-effectiveness, and 2) judgment and cataloger's decision-making skills that incorporate a library's cultural and operational values. Willy Cromwell-Kessler, Stanford University, covered the development of the core record and how the values of the PCC BIBCO Training complement the core record, which defines the minimum set of data elements used in the description of an item for purposes of PCC program records. She referred to the core record as "custom cataloging." John D. Byrum outlined LC's plans for creation and use of core records, listing the following points: 1) LC is eager to show support for the core record 2) LC's Catalog Management Team has approved an experiment to evaluate the cost/benefits of the core record 3) A group of cataloging staff has been appointed to develop the experiment by developing documentation, using the established model to collect data for evaluating the effectiveness of the experiment; considering the full range of implementation problems and proposing solutions to those problems; focusing the initial experiment on items slated for Minimal Level Cataloging (MLC) 4) Participating teams will work with selection and reference staff to develop understanding of items eligible for core record treatment in order to identify additional categories where core records might serve in place of full-level records 5) The six-month experiment is expected to start in March 1996 ************************************************************************* ALA, COALITION CHALLENGE NEW GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP LAW ALA is the lead plaintiff in a suit filed February 26 by a broad coalition concerned about the future of the Internet. The suit challenges the Communications Decency Act contained in the new Telecommunications Reform Act on the grounds that it violates free speech and does not effectively protect children from inappropriate material. The law imposes criminal penalties on anyone who makes "indecent" material available to minors via the Internet. Coalition members say the law is so broad and vague that it not only bans sexually-explicit material, but also vital, educational information on public health, politics, art, culture, and literature. "The Internet represents the most revolutionary invention in education and communications since Gutenberg invented the printing press," said Betty J. Turock, president of ALA. "This law threatens to rob children and adults alike of new and enriching opportunities to learn and communicate with people around the world." Attorney Bruce Ennis, of Jenner and Block, noted that the case does not challenge government regulation of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment, or seek to change the government's ability to prosecute communication that already is prohibited by law. He also pointed out that the new law will be difficult to enforce and may promote a false sense of security among parents who may assume that their children are protected. Steve Case, chair and CEO of America Online, said the coalition shares the government's goal of protecting children. "We believe that parental involvement, education and technology provide far more effective solutions to children accessing inappropriate content than this or any other law ever could," Case said. "Unfortunately, Congress passed this law without understanding the many technological tools available and under development that empower parents, rather than the government, to determine what their children receive on the Internet." Barry S. Fagin, a computer science professor, father of two small children and founder of Families Against Internet Censorship, noted that parental controls are offered by every online service. "My wife and I believe that what our children learn, the values they hold and the people they grow up to be are our responsibility and not the responsibility of the government," he said. "We want our children protected from pornography, and we want them to inherit the same fundamental freedoms that Americans have passed down for generations." The plaintiffs -- all members of the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition -- filed a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief in Federal District Court in Philadelphia against the U.S. Government and U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno on February 26. The court is expected to rule on the complaint this spring. An appeal of the case could be heard by the Supreme Court as soon as this fall. The outcome of this landmark litigation will govern the nature and freedom of online communications for decades to come. The 23 plaintiffs include, in addition to ALA, America Online; American Booksellers Association; American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression; American Society of Newspaper Editors; Apple Computer; Association of American Publishers; Association of Publishers, Editors and Writers; Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition; Commercial Internet Exchange Association; CompuServe; Families Against Internet Censorship; Freedom to Read Foundation; Hotwired Ventures; Interactive Services Association; Microsoft Corporation; Microsoft Network; Netcom Online Communications; Newspaper Association of America; Opnet; Prodigy; Society of Professional Journalists, and Wired Ventures. For further information, contact the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, 800-545-2433 ext 4223. The text of the complaint filed February 26 and other information is on the Coalition's World Wide Web site at http://www.cdt.org/ciec. ************************************************************************* CALL FOR NII AWARDS APPLICATIONS Libraries are encouraged to apply for the 1996 National Information Infrastructure (NII) Awards recognizing innovation and excellence in use of the "information highway." The deadline for entering is May 1. "Our nation's public, school and academic libraries play a key role in connecting the public with new information technology," said Betty J. Turock, ALA president. "The NII Awards are an opportunity to win recognition for these efforts. ALA is among the sponsors of the awards, which include AT&T, IBM, Lotus, Netscape, CompuServe, TIME, Business Week, U.S. Information Infrastructure Task Force, the National Education Association, the American Film Institute, National League of Cities and U.S. Postal Service. From electronic commerce, Intranets and telemedicine to community networks, educational websites and broadband, the NII Awards recognize projects that showcase the power and potential of networked, interactive communications. The award categories include Arts & Entertainment, Business, Children, Community, Education, Generation, Government, Health, Public Access, and Telecommunication. Recognizing the global impact electronic communications have on business and society, a first-ever Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Award will be presented as part of the 1996 awards program for the best global application of next generation technologies. Winners will be honored at a special ceremony in Fall 1996 and will be featured in an international education and awareness campaign. All entrants will be featured in an international database and receive other benefits. Information about the program, entry criteria, and nomination procedures are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.gii-awards.com or by calling 800-250-2838. Questions can also be answered via e-mail at info@gii-awar ds.com. ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* ALCTS NETWORK NEWS (ISSN 1056-6694) is published irregularly by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Editorial offices: ALCTS, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; David Farrell, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Whittlesey (u34261@uicvm); Editorial Assistance: Karen Muller, Shonda Russell. ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the division. News items should be sent to the editor at the e-mail address above. To subscribe, issue the network command "tell listserv@uicvm sub alcts [your name]." Back issues of AN2 are available through the listserver. To find out what's available, send the following command to LISTSERV@UICVM: send alcts filelist Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, alcts.office@ ala.org All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to the ALA Office of Rights and Permissions, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. *************************************************************************