Free Range Librarian

This is to alert FRL’s readership that the members of the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the California Library Association have established their own informal, unofficial blog, Cal Freedom. Find it at:
http://calfreedom.bluehighways.com/
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By popular demand, this is a short introduction to RSS, a tool for tracking headlines and new content on Web sites. This tutorial uses Bloglines, a free, Web-based RSS aggregator (reader).
RSS is a bit baffling at first. Once you step in, though, you’ll have an immediate “ah hah.” These directions were written [...]

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Here’s Roberto Esteves, reunited with his Action Figure! Be sure to read on…

As I passed through airport security tonight, the guard stopped me on the other side of the gate and asked, “do you have a little man in your bag?” In my exhausted befuddlement, I failed to conduct an appropriate reference interview, [...]

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CIPA compliance needs much better TCO (Total Cost Of Ownership) analysis than we’ve seen to date. Some libraries have determined that compliance with CIPA–including convoluted responses to adult permissions issues–isn’t worth it, financially. It would be great for libraries to speak up (anonymously, if it suits their needs) and talk to others about what [...]

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Members of the IFC chatted up some key issues this morning that are just too good to leave behind at the conference…

First, committees need more than an hour to meet. We barely got through introductions before the meeting time was over. We may have to self-start this issue ourselves next year, by intentionally [...]

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A display case featuring the Librarian Action Figure, which Califa is selling at a discount, was stolen overnight from the Califa booth (502) at the CLA convention. How pathetic can you get?
If you have any information about this theft, post a comment or write me privately at kgs [at] bluehighways.com. If [...]

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Barbie.com’s career choices are now down to three choices:
A Librarian
An architect
A policewoman
Get on that site and tell Mattel–Barbie is born for librarianship!
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In a late-morning rescue action, Roberto Esteves and I tracked down and released the Librarian Action Figure and her display case from where she had been held in captivity in a nearby booth.
Thanks to all of you who shared your concern and support with us during this difficult period.
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I’ve been working on a top-ten list about CIPA and filtering, trying to boil down the ten points I’d like to get across to librarians and stakeholders regardless of their status with respect to this issue. This is a bloggish draft; I welcome input and thoughts.

1. Filters block Constitutionally-protected speech. This is a fact not [...]

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I am pleased to announce that following unanimous vote by the California Library Association Executive Committee, CLA has a new award. The Zoia Horn Intellectual Freedom Award honors Zoia Horn, “who in 1973 chose to serve time in jail rather than betray confidential patron information.”

The award statement continues, “Ms. Horn’s experience sets an example [...]

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