ALA Core Values - Diversity

53.8 Libraries: An American Value

Libraries in America are cornerstones of the communities they serve. Free access to the books, ideas, resources and information in America's libraries is imperative for education, employment, enjoyment, and self-government.

Libraries are a legacy to each generation, offering the heritage of the past and the promise of the future. To ensure that libraries flourish and have the freedom to promote and protect the public good in the 21st century, we believe certain principles must be guaranteed.

To that end, we affirm this contract with the people we serve:

• We defend the constitutional rights of all individuals, including children and teenagers, to use the library's resources and services;

• We value our nations diversity and strive to reflect that diversity by providing a full spectrum of resources and services to the communities we serve;
• We affirm the responsibility and the right of all parents and guardians to guide their own children's use of the library and its resources and services;

• We connect people and ideas by helping each person select and effectively use the library's resources;
• We protect each individual's privacy and confidentiality in the use of library resources and services;
• We protect the rights of individuals to express their opinions about library resources and services;

• We celebrate and preserve our democratic society by making available the widest possible range of viewpoints, opinions and ideas, so that all individuals have the opportunity to become lifelong learners-informed, literate, educated, and culturally enriched.

Change is constant; but these principles transcend change and endure in a dynamic, technological, social and political environment.

By embracing these principles, libraries in the United States can contribute to a future that values and protects freedom of speech, in a world that celebrates both our similarities and our differences, respects individuals and their beliefs, and holds all persons truly equal and free.

ALA Core Values - Access

53.1.14

The American Library Association opposes the charging of user fees for the provision of information by all libraries and information services that receive their major support from public funds.
All information resources that are provided directly or indirectly by the library, regardless of technology, format, or methods of delivery, should be readily, equally, and equitably accessible to all library users.
The ALA opposes any legislative or regulatory attempt to impose content restrictions on library resources, or to limit user access to information, as a condition of funding for publicly supported libraries and information services. Adopted 1993.

(See also Policies 50.3, 50.8, 60.1, and 61.1.)

(See "Current Reference File": Economic Barriers to Information Access: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights: 1992-93 CD #26.6.2.)

Words from my friend

The skills you have recently acquired after overcoming an obstacle have given you new capabilities that you never thought you would ever have -- and if you don't want to lose them, you need to use them!

Dare to dance the tide

- Garth Brooks

boring blog

Sometimes, I wonder what people think when they get to this blog. I wonder what they were looking for. It's just a hodge-podge of stuff, and not very active. I feel badly for those who come to it expecting something they googled for and getting this blog.

See how intesting that was?
Guess it was time for true confessions.

something new

I'm learning how to dance. What a fine thing!

ditto.com adventures

Got an email update from Spongecell. Since this is a blog begun to learn Web 2.0 tools, I thought I'd see what new stuff is out there. I chose a link to an article titled " What Are the Limits to the Social Web?" Aside from the fact that it talks about grammar for no apparent reason (which, ironically, this article needs help with), I did learn something new. (Since anyone with an Internet connection can publish anything they want (after all, that's what Web 2.0 is all about, isn't it?), poor grammar is obviously something I need to get over.)

“Ditto is a platform for fans to create and browse definitive entertainment lists for the purposes of discovery and debate.” Or, they say: “Ditto aims to do for opinion what Wikipedia did for facts.”

So, I went to ditto.com and searched (the Web tab) for Spanish lessons. In the first ten hits Ditto listed, there were two that had anything to do with Spanish, unless there's a new way to learn Spanish by watching skateboard videos.

Okay, let's try one that looks relevant. From the list of hits ("Sponsored Results") Ditto returned, I chose "Search Spanish Lessons & More." The link listed was ewoss.info. It linked me to baptistbaptisms.com. (Looks like a list of links to places used to research geneaology.)

Hmmm, that's a weird one. Let's try another hit in the Ditto results list. It listed articlezone.net as the link. Linked to Megasearch.biz and yet another list of Sponsored Results. This list actually had the word "Spanish" in the titles.

The social networking article also talked about Scour "a new search engine that promises to let users search socially." For some reason, I've written a diatribe, so I'll save Scour for another day when I have more time.