Contents of October 2002 American Libraries

News Fronts

8  ALA

• Association Supports Ad Council’s Freedom PSAs
• OIF Lists Authors Most Challenged
• COA Announces Accreditation Actions
• OIF Plans Lawyer Institutes
• Merritt Fund to the Rescue

16  Washington

• The ALA, the WTO, and the GATS
• ACLU, Congress Seek Patriot Act Information
• Webcasters, Industry Appeal
  Library of Congress Decision

18  USA and International

• Staffing Shifts Roil Orlando Public Library
• New Knoxville Interim Director Greeted with Boos
• Fargo Balks at Outsourced Library’s Budget Request
• Budget Cuts Force New York Libraries
  to Reduce Hours
• Antitax Group Strives to Close County Libraries
• Floods Devastate Prague’s Libraries
• Global Reach

Special Reports

32  African-American Librarians Bask in Florida Sun at BCALA’s Conference

      BY PAMELA A. GOODES

34  IFLA in Kilter: International Conference Attracts over 4,700 to Glasgow, Scotland

      BY LEONARD KNIFFEL

Features

44  Cycles of Support

      BY TROY SWANSON
      Iowa’s libraries get extra mileage out of the state’s annual bike-a-thon.

48  When Hate Comes Calling

      BY BEVERLY DUDLEY
      As a bastion of the First Amendment, your library may, too, attract an inflammatory speaker.

50  Far and Away

      BY LAURA B. RAPHAEL
      The pros and cons of a “long-distance” MLS.

54  The Top 10 Reasons to Be a Librarian

      BY MARTHA J. SPEAR
      (With apologies to David Letterman).

62  The (D)evolution of a Director

      BY JULIE C. BLAKE
      What happens when a director decides to climb down the library ladder?

64  Great American Public Libraries: The 2002 HAPLR Rankings

      BY THOMAS J. HENNEN JR.
      The eagerly awaited—if overdue—measure of the nation’s public libraries.

70  Great Minds of the Past, Dilemmas of the Present

      BY JUNE PINNELL-STEPHENS and ELLIOTT KANNER
      A tribute to two library giants, Lester Asheim and David Berninghausen.

74  Public Library Circulation, Expenditures Increase

Departments

7  ALA President’s Message

      “Why Librarians?”
      BY MAURICE J. FREEDMAN

15  Grassroots Report

      “Getting Good Mileage in Kentucky and Ohio”
      BY CHRISTINE WATKINS

37  Thus Said

38  Reader Forum

41  Editorial

      “A Fine Time to Be Asking for More Money”
      BY LEONARD KNIFFEL

42  On My Mind

      “For Ethical Reference, Pare the Pararofessionals”
      BY STEVE McKINZIE

78  Currents

83  The Crawford Files

      “The Real CIPA Issues—and a Friendly Challenge”
     BY WALT CRAWFORD

84  Internet Librarian

      “Librarianship after Google”
      BY JOSEPH JANES

86  Technically Speaking

      “Can You Say ‘Shibboleth’?”
      BY DAVID DORMAN

89  Librarian’s Library

      BY CATHLEEN BOURDON

90  Quick Vids

      “Poetry Off the Page”
      BY GARY HANDMAN

92  Datebook

94  This Month

      “110 Years Ago”
      BY WAYNE WIEGAND

95  ALA Midwinter 2003 Advance Registration

107  Career Leads

123  Index to Advertisers

124  Will’s World

      “Run Business Like a Library”
      BY WILL MANLEY