Contents of August 2006 American Libraries

News Fronts

4  ALA

• Court Rules Against Inmate in Open-Access Case 
• ALA Reacts to CALEA Ruling 
• Reference Research Award Created 
• New ALA President Loriene Roy to Focus on Literacy, Education, Wellness

8  Washington

• “John Does” Allowed to Speak
• Net Neutrality Loses Two Rounds in Congress
• House Holds Hearings on Social-Networking Websites
• Washington Briefs

11  USA and International 

• Gwinnett County Board Fires Director 
• New Jersey Director Blasted for Requiring Subpoenas 
• California Libraries Regroup after Voters Reject Construction Measure 
• Jim Neal on the RLG/OCLC Merger 
• Northeastern Flooding Takes Toll on Archives, Libraries 

22  Newsmakers

     Straight Answers from GEORGE CHRISTIAN and PETER CHASE,
     two of the four “John Doe” plaintiffs 

Special News Reports

21  Book Lovers’ Show Offers Peek into Publishing

      BY BRAD HOOPER
      BookExpo America.

23  Sunny Celebration in Ottawa

      BY MADELEINE LEFEBVRE
      The Canadian Library Association annual conference.

24  Special Librarians Embrace Transformation in Baltimore

      BY SUSAN DiMATTIA
      The Special Libraries Association annual conference.

26  Health Explosion Heats Up in Phoenix

      BY PAMELA GOODES
      The Medical Library Association annual conference.

Features

38  Building Bridges through Concensus

      BY JENNIFER WILDING and THOMAS J. HENNEN
      Four Mississippi River towns embark on a shared-service mission,
      thanks to the skilled navigation of their library directors.

36  Websites You Can Trust

      BY DAX R. NORMAN
      How do you distinguish the real gold from the fool’s gold?

38  Libraries in the Eye of the Storm

      BY TOM CLARESON and JANE S. LONG
      Lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina:
      Are we better prepared for future emergencies?

Annual Conference Roundup

42  New Orleans Gathering Sends Message of Hope and Renewal

      Nearly 17,000 librarians turn out for programs, speakers, and work detail,
      making a difference in the beleaguered Big Easy.

43  An Energetic Yellow Swarm Blankets the City

      Ask not what New Orleans can do for you...

59  Thus Said, New Orleans

64  Preview: Dallas Welcomes All for Many Voices, One Event

      Joint Conference of Librarians of Color.

65  Technically Speaking

      BY ANDREW K. PACE
      A sharper focus in New Orleans.

68  ALA Council

71  ALA Executive Board

Departments

2    Editorial

      “New Orleans: Ready, but Never the Same”
      BY LEONARD KNIFFEL

3    ALA President’s Message

      “Libraries Transform Communities”
      BY LESLIE BURGER

29  Thus Said

30  Reader Forum

33  On My Mind

      “Hands Off MySpace”
      BY JULIAN AIKEN

73  Currents

75  Grassroots Report

      “My Library Getaway”
      BY JENNIFER BUREK PIERCE

76  Internet Librarian

      “At Arm’s Length”
      BY JOSEPH JANES

79  Working Knowledge

      “Still Happy after All These Years”
      BY MARY PERGANDER

80  Librarian’s Library

      BY CATHLEEN BOURDON

82  Quick Bibs

      “Comfy Not Cozy”
      BY BILL OTT

83  Datebook

85  Career Leads

96  Will’s World

      “Who’d Want Service without a Smile?”
      BY WILL MANLEY