PLA E-Newsletter
June 13, 2003
Volume 6, Number 9
This newsletter is also available online under the News section of PLA's web page, www.pla.org

*PLA Programming Update - ALA Annual Conference
*Deadline approaches for PLA 2004 Talk Table Applications
*IMPAC Award Winner Named
*Sanders/Bipartisan Coalition Asks Committee to Take Testimony from Librarians and Booksellers on Federal Use of Patriot Act Powers
*LITA/Open Source Software Presentation at Annual Conference

PLA PROGRAMMING UPDATE - ALA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
PLA President Jo Ann Pinder invites you to attend PLA's premier event at the ALA/CLA Annual Conference. This year, the President's Program and Awards Reception will feature keynote speaker Margaret Atwood. Atwood, who was born in Ottawa in 1939 and grew up in northern Quebec and Ontario, is the author of more than 30 books of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Her next book "Oryx and Crake" is due to be released in May of 2003. Atwood's presentation will be the culmination of the first-ever association-wide reading and discussion program hosted by the ALA Public Programs Office, in collaboration with PLA. "One Book, One Conference" aims to engage ALA, PLA and Canadian Library Association (CLA) members and attendees at the ALA/CLA Annual Conference in reading and discussing Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale." This gala event will be held on Monday, June 23, from 4-7 p.m., at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, 100 Front Street West, Canadian Room and Ballroom.

PLA has made some changes to other programming scheduled for the upcoming ALA Annual Conference.

Our "Leadership Development" program, which was scheduled for Friday, June 20, from 4:00 -6:30 p.m. has been cancelled. This program will be rescheduled for the ALA 2004 Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, California.

In addition, the following PLA programs will not be held:
Friday, June 20, the preconference, "Librarians and Trustees: Teamwork for the Community's Benefit" has been cancelled.
Saturday, June 21, 8:30 a.m. - Noon "Teaching for Lively Learning: Putting Active Learning into Classes"
Saturday, June 21, 10:30 a.m. - Noon "The Numbers That Count"
Saturday, June 21, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. "AV 101"
Saturday, June 21, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Spotlight on Canadian Authors and Books

Correction: The program "Détente: Peace Between Public Services and I.T. Staff is Possible!" is listed under an incorrect time, in the PLA@ALA brochure. The program will take place on Sunday, June 22, from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.

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DEADLINE APPROACHES FOR PLA 2004 TALK TABLE APPLICATIONS
The deadline for submitting Talk Table applications, to be held during the PLA 2004 National Conference, is July 15, 2003. The application form for submitting proposals for Talk Tables can be found here.  The PLA 2004 National Conference will be held February 24-28, 2004, in Seattle, Washington.

Talk Tables are small group discussions on library topics of current interest, led by a facilitator. Talk Tables will be scheduled on the Thursday and Friday (February 26 and 27) of the conference only, in correspondence with the regular programs schedule: 8:30-9:45a.m.; 10:30-11:45a.m.;2:00-3:15p.m.; 4:00-5:15p.m.

Please read the form carefully and supply all information requested. The form is in Word format and can be saved as a Word document, completed and emailed back to PLA as an attachment. Or, it can be printed, completed, and either faxed or mailed to the PLA office. Contact information is noted on the form.

PLA will notify all successful applicants by September 1, 2003 and provide date and time assignments soon after. All Talk Table facilitators are expected to attend and register for the PLA National Conference at their own expense.

Questions? Contact Linda Bostrom, lbostrom@ala.org ; 312/280-5027. Take advantage of this opportunity to participate in the best-and only-national conference for public librarians!

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IMPAC AWARD WINNER NAMED
The winner of The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2003, the world's most lucrative prize for a single work of fiction, was announced on Monday, May 19th. The winner is "My Name is Red" by Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, translated from the Turkish by Erdag Goknar and published by Faber & Faber and A.A. Knopf. The judges in their comments wrote, "A work of intense beauty, Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red" opens a window into the reign of Ottoman Sultan Murat III, inviting us to experience the tension between East and West from a breathlessly urgent perspective." Over 150 libraries made nominations for the 2003 Award from 40 countries. Other shortlisted titles include:

• "The Ash Garden" by Dennis Bock
• "Bitter Fruit" by Achmat Dangor
• "The Visit of the Royal Physician" by Per Olov Enquist
• "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen
• "The Migrant Painter of Birds" by Lidia Jorge
• "That they May Face the Rising Son" by John McGahern
• "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett

Full details of the award are available at www.impacdublinaward.ie

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SANDERS/BIPARTISAN COALITION ASKS COMMITTEE TO TAKE TESTIMONY FROM LIBRARIANS AND BOOKSELLERS ON FEDERAL USE OF PATRIOT ACT POWERS
From: Joel Barkin
Press Secretary
Rep. Bernie Sanders
202-225-4115

Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced that he has been joined by the House Judiciary Committee top Democrat John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) and two House Republicans in sending a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair James Sensenbrenner. In the letter the tripartisan group requests that he hold hearings on the H.R. 1157, the Freedom to Read Protection Act. H.R. 1157 was introduced by Sanders to restore legal standards governing federal surveillance of libraries and bookstores under powers granted by Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

Sanders said, "Librarians and booksellers across the country fear that the Patriot Act is causing a chilling effect on their patrons. It is imperative if we are really going to effectively oversee the federal government's use of its new Patriot Act powers to hear from the librarians and booksellers who are on the front lines. I believe that there is widespread public interest in such hearings, and that these alternative sources might provide the Committee a different picture than the official line from the Department of Justice."

Sanders' legislation, which is cosponsored by 107 bipartisan members of Congress, was the first piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives to amend the USA Patriot Act. The legislation has the support of over 30 organization in the book, library, and publishing industry including: the 64,000 member American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Borders Group Inc., the Association of American Publishers, the American Association of University Professors and the California Association of Library Trustees and Commissioners.

Sanders' letter states in part, "While we agree that it is extremely important and useful for the Department of Justice to testify before Congress on matters relating to the USA Patriot Act, we also believe that other interested parties should be able to express their views about the impact of Section 215. For instance, while Justice claims only 50 visits to libraries in the last year, a survey by the University of Illinois revealed that over 175 libraries had been approached by federal officials since the September 11th attacks. This suggests that perhaps the Department of Justice is presenting information in a manner designed to obfuscate the extent of their activities under the USA Patriot Act."

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/Hearing_Request_re_Freedom-to-Read.pdf

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LITA/OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE PRESENTATION AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
LITA-OSSIG (Open Source Software Interest Group) will conduct presentations on Open Source Software. Join us to discover why library directors from three different kinds of institutions all decided to support Open Source Software. Skeptical library administrators will see some compelling examples of how and why Open Source software can work for your library.

Frustrated techies who need to convince their managers to support Open Source software will pick up arguments in support of open source projects that your administrators will understand. Better yet, bring your managers with you. Let other library directors win them over!

Program's title: If it is free, how can it be any good?
Time: Sunday, June 22, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Location: Metro Toronto Convention Centre 206C/D

Program description: "From library administrators' point of view, what are the advantages and disadvantages of Open Source software? Join us for a panel discussion to discover why some library directors made the leap into supporting Open Source movement. We will showcase different types of libraries at different stages of adopting and/or creating Open Source software to provide you with plenty of reasons and examples why you can't afford to ignore this free software."

1st speaker: Dr. Joan Gotwals, Vice Provost & Director of University Libraries, Emory University
2nd speaker: Mark Leggott, University Librarian, University of Winnipeg, CA.
3rd speaker: John Brice, Executive Director, Meadville Public Library

If the program is not enough, come to the Open Source System Interest Group business meeting on Sunday, 4:30-5:30, Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, Spindrift Room. You will make contacts to get you started on the road to Open Source software in your library.

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