ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Advocating equity: ALA’s new campaign

By Linda K. Wallace

This year’s National Library Week is April 14–20

I nformation is the currency of democracy. Just as libraries have traditionally provided books and other information resources for all people regardless of their ability to pay, today’s libraries must also offer public access to elec- tronic sources.

Led by President Betty J. Turock, the Ameri- can Library Association (ALA) is focusing this year’s advocacy campaign on “Equity on the Information Superhighway.”

“Nothing is more important to the future of our country than equal access to information for all people,” said Turock. “Our goal is to make sure that every American has access to information online at their school, public, col- lege, and university libraries.”

Summit to explore technology

In addition to a 10-city media tour featuring Turock and other library leaders, several key activities are planned to help deliver the equity message. These include a summit with experts from various fields discussing the impact of new information technology; an Equity Petition to be sent to members of Congress; and “Log on @ the Library Day,” designed to spotlight the role of libraries in putting the pub- lic online.

The summit titled “A Nation Connected: Defining the Public Interest in the Information Superhigh- way” will take place February 20 at the Annenberg Center in Rancho Mirage, Califor- nia. Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree will be the moderator with Turock serving as chair.

Panelists will include Arno Penzias, Nobel Prize-winner and vice-president of AT&T Labs; Andrew Blau, director, Communications Policy Program for the Benton Foundation; Esther Dyson, president of ED venture Holdings and newly appointed chair of the Electronic Fron- tier Foundation; Craig Howe, director of the D’Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian; Reed Tuckson, president, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science; Herbert Schiller, professor of commu- nications, University of California at San Diego; and Anne Branscomb, communications consult- ant at the Harvard University Program on In- formation Resources Policy.

The summit is designed to serve as a model for a series of “mini-summits” to be held throughout the country. The proceedings will be videotaped and highlights made available. A “white paper” with reaction statements by library leaders will be published and distributed widely to policy-makers, the media, and others. The proceedings will also serve as the focus of discussion at the Presi- dent’s Program during the ALA Annual Conference in New York, July 4–10, 1996.

Equity on the Information Superhighway

Support the Equity Petition drive

The Equity Petition aims to collect signatures from all those who agree there must be equity on the information superhighway and that it must begin with our nation’s libraries. The goal is to deliver the petitions to key members of Capitol Hill on National Library Legislative Day, May 7.

Linda K. Wallace is director of the ALA Public Information Office; e-mail: linda.wallace@ala.org

The Equity Petition is available online from the ALA homepage at http://www.ala.org. Camera-ready art is available from the ALA Public Information Office.

“Log on @ the Library”

All types of libraries—academic, public, and school—are invited to join in taking members of the public on a cruise down the information superhighway as part of “Log on @ the Library Day” to be held Tuesday, April 16, during National Library Week.

“Log on Day” will be promoted to national media as a way to highlight the wealth of information available online and the role of libraries in providing public access.

Turock noted that many academic librarians have been leaders in providing online connections and encouraged them to lend their expertise to other librarians who may need assistance. Those without connections can ask their colleagues, computer stores, or other volunteers to help them stage demonstrations and invite administrators to see for themselves why their library should be connected.

A “tour guide,” including the White House, Congress, a jobs bulletin board, and other key sites, will be available at http://www.ala.org/ logon day and other servers across the country.

A free “Advocating Equity” tip sheet with camera-ready art for the Equity Petition, sample media materials, and other information is available from the ALA Public Information Office at (800) 545-2433, ext. 5044/5041; fax: (312) 944- 8520; e-mail: pio@ala.org.