TLA and ALA offer Lawyers for Libraries training institute in Houston
Contact: Jonathan Kelley
Office for Intellectual Freedom, ALA
312-280-4226
jokelley@ala.org
For Immediate Release
February 28, 2006
TLA and ALA offer Lawyers for Libraries training institute in Houston
CHICAGO – The Texas Library Association (TLA) and American Library Association (ALA) will be presenting a Lawyers for Libraries Training Institute in Houston, April 25, 2006. This session will be a preconference to TLA's annual conference, April 25–28, at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center.
The Lawyers for Libraries institute is primarily intended to equip attorneys with tools they need to effectively defend the First Amendment in libraries. Participants will be instructed by practicing attorneys specializing in First Amendment law and will be eligible for continuing legal education (CLE) credits for their participation. In Texas, the State Bar has designated 6 hours of CLE credits for this training institute.
Among the topics to be covered during the institute are:
- Privacy, law enforcement requests for records, and the USA PATRIOT Act
- Public forum analysis and libraries, including developing meeting room and display case policies
- Internet filtering and the ongoing repercussions of the Supreme Court's CIPA decision
- How to respond to attempts to censor books and other library materials
In addition, a panel of librarians will discuss their real-world experiences in public, school, and academic libraries.
“Libraries today need committed, informed attorneys to provide clear guidance and expertise,” said ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) Director Judith F. Krug.
The Lawyers for Libraries training institutes ensure that attendees know about the most up-to-date, relevant legislation and case law related to the First Amendment and libraries. Participants will join ALA's network of attorneys who continue to work with OIF and share information with each other about censorship and privacy issues, policy development, and crisis management.
While Lawyers for Libraries is designed primarily for attorneys and library trustees, librarians are welcome to attend the training if an attorney accompanies them.
To register for the Lawyers for Libraries institute, visit
www.txla.org/conference/conf.html. The cost to attend an institute is as follows:
- Texas Attorney: $250
- TLA Member: $250 (must be accompanied by an attorney)
- Out-of-state attorney: $395
- Non-TLA Member accompanied by attorney: $345
Please contact Jonathan Kelley (
jokelley@ala.org) with any content-related questions and Elise Wright (
elisew@txla.org) with questions about registration and the TLA Conference generally.
