Filtering: The Man in the Middle, an AL Live Interactive Webcast

CHICAGO — Thanks to the good work of the ALA's Washington Office and others, there may be far more money available to libraries through the federal E-rate program. To take advantage of that, however, libraries must first adopt an internet safety policy that includes "technology protection measures"—filtering. In the September episode of American Libraries Live, the expert panel will address the details of the E-rate expansion, summarize the history of ALA and filtering, raise some new issues about specific filtering approaches and offer practical suggestions for libraries who may wish to pursue this new funding opportunity.

Join us for this free 60-minute interactive webcast at 2 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016. Register now by clicking here.

Joining us for this episode are:

Doug Archer is a peace studies and global affairs librarian at Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Libraries. He is a member of ALA Council, trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation and past chair of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Committee. He and his wife are ordained ministers in the Church of the Brethren.

Bob Bocher retired in 2012 from the Wisconsin State Library, but still works part-time providing E-rate support to the state's libraries and schools—a task he has done since the E-rate's inception. Bob is also a fellow in ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy and is on the Universal Service Administrative Company’s board, which administers the federal universal service programs, including E-rate.

Deborah Caldwell-Stone is deputy director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, where she works on initiatives defending the First Amendment freedom to read. An attorney by training, she now works closely with librarians, teachers and library trustees on a wide range of intellectual freedom issues, including book challenges, internet filtering, meeting room policies and the impact of new technologies and the USA PATRIOT Act on library privacy and confidentiality. She has served on the faculty of the ALA-sponsored Lawyers for Libraries and Law for Librarians workshops and speaks frequently to library groups around the country. Before she joined ALA in 2000, Deborah practiced appellate law before the state and federal courts in Chicago.

Jamie LaRue, is the director of the ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Freedom to Read Foundation. Author of "The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges," LaRue was a public library director for many years, as well as a weekly newspaper columnist and cable TV host. He has written, spoken and consulted on leadership and organizational development, community engagement and the future of libraries.

Michael Robinson is chair of the ALA's Intellectual Freedom Privacy Subcommittee and head of systems at the Consortium Library at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He has worked with technology in academic, public and special libraries and is keenly interested how libraries use technology to provide access to information and services to users.

Registration for this AL Live interactive webcast is available here.

American Libraries Live is an immediate and effective way to get to the heart of the real issues in our industry. With the help of real-time technology, it’s like having your own expert on hand. We look forward to you joining us. To receive e-mail reminders, register for the AL Live webcast. If you’re unable to attend live, this event will be recorded and links to the archive will be available at americanlibrariesmagazine.org/al-live/ shortly after it concludes.

For information about advertising or sponsoring an AL Live event, contact: Carrie Smith, American Libraries magazine, casmith@ala.org, (312) 280-4216. For general information or press inquiries about AL Live, contact: Colton Ursiny, Administrative Assistant, cursiny@ala.org, (312) 280-5100.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide.

Related Links

Click here to register for this free event.