AKLA List

FW: Message from ALA President Jim Rettig

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:17:00 GMT

Greetings –

Here is a message from Jim Rettig, ALA President, that discusses political speech on library lists.

June

June Pinnell-Stephens

3140 Roden Lane

Fairbanks, AK 99709

907-479-5826

From: Keith Michael Fiels [mailto:kfiels@ala.org]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 2:50 PM
To: ALACOUN
Subject: [alacoun] Message from ALA President Jim Rettig

Dear Colleagues:

Over the last several weeks, there has been considerable discussion and many questions raised about the constraints imposed by federal law on ALA as a nonprofit charitable organization. On the other hand, there has also been considerable interest in having a forum available where ALA members could freely discuss political topics and the current election in relation to library issues.

ALA, because of its 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, is expressly and absolutely prohibited by the U.S. Internal Revenue Code from engaging in “political speech.” This means that ALA resources, including electronic discussion lists, blogs and wikis, cannot be used for “the support of, or opposition to, a candidate for public office”. Political speech is different from “lobbying,” which seeks to influence legislation or regulation (ALA continues to lobby aggressively for libraries within federal guidelines).

The consequence of violating this legal prohibition is the revocation of tax exempt status. No warnings are required, and the IRS has repeatedly revoked the 501(c)(3) status of organizations considered in violation of these regulations. The absolute prohibition on political speech by associations like ALA is serious — and the “zero tolerance” enforcement policy of the IRS has been upheld by the courts, including the Supreme Court. We - ALA officers, staff and members - are required to comply with these laws until such time as Congress changes them. In doing so, we protect the interests of the Association and its members - present and future - and preserve ALA’s ability to advocate aggressively on behalf of libraries and the public. Simply put, the loss of our 501(c)(3) status would have a catastrophic impact on the Association.

For more information about the IRS prohibition on political speech by 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations, as well as links to additional information, please see the Marginalia blog posting at http://discuss.ala.org/marginalia/2008/03/12/election-year/

Some members have inquired about challenging this prohibition. Given that the Supreme Court has upheld this IRS regulation, a legal challenge would not be a wise use of ALA resources. Other members have pointed out that there are exemptions for universities and that churches appear to be granted more latitude by the IRS. Both of these statements are true, but do not affect the rules for charitable organizations such as ALA.

Notwithstanding this prohibition, many ALA members have expressed an interest in discussing the election and the candidates in relation to library issues. While this discussion cannot legally occur within the ALA 501(c)(3) structure, the 501(c)(6) ALA-Allied Professional Association does open up new opportunities for such discussions. As a 501(c)(6), operating under different IRS rules, ALA-APA can legally provide a forum for such discussions.

To this end, the ALA-APA Board has authorized the creation of an ALA-APA Forum discussion list to discuss mutual issues of interest to librarians and other library workers, including political issues and candidates. This list is open to ALA members and others. To subscribe to the APA Forum, go to:. http://lists.ala-apa.org/sympa/info/apaforum

Questions have also been raised about the limitations placed upon American Libraries and AL Direct. While stories that may be construed as supporting or opposing any candidate for public office are prohibited by the IRS as political speech, AL and AL Direct will continue to provide factual information and breaking current news on library-related issues, including those involving candidates for public office, as it occurs.

In closing, I would encourage you to distribute this information to any and all ALA discussion lists and member forums. Also, if you have any questions, please contact Karen Muller, the ALA Librarian, at kmuller@ala.org.

Sincerely,

James Rettig

ALA President

ALA-APA President

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RE: Election year/legislative issues

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:15:00 GMT

Greetings –

Thank you, Mary, for sending this message. ALA’s attorney and AkLA’s CPA advisor agree, it is Absolutely serious!! Please do NOT use AkLA-L for messages that even Appear to support or criticize anyone running for office.

Sorry to scream, but it’s Really Important.

Cheers,

June

June Pinnell-Stephens

3140 Roden Lane

Fairbanks, AK 99709

907-479-5826

From: maryj@gci.net [mailto:maryj@gci.net]
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 4:54 PM
To: aklalist@akla.org
Subject: [AKLA List] Election year/legislative issues

(This is a AKLA List message, replies will go to the whole list.)

Greetings Friends,

Every year in January, at the start of the legislative session, I get questions about what material is appropriate for posting on AkLA-L. This year because of the election, the questions have started earlier that usual. So in light of that, I am sending you all my standard "do's and don'ts" response. Please keep these in mind when communicating on any list. Even messages posted to "closed" lists have a way of coming back to bite the sender.

Backgound:
AkLA’s lists and website are on a Non-government server so that we can discuss legislation and political issues. No government funds are used to pay for our internet service and/or equipment. Since AkLA-L is essentially a public forum, we all should be aware that anything that is posted is public. Never put anything in writing we wouldn’t want to get back to the Governor, Mayor, or Legislators. We are not just chatting to other librarians who may or may not agree with us. Almost all of us are public employees and if we are misusing government resources, it is likely somebody will pick-up on it. (Besides being unethical to start with!)

We also need to consider our 501 (c) (3) status. This is especially important in an election year. Here I am going to quote directly from our by-laws:
“Article II: Object
Said organization is organized and operated exclusively for education purposes including for such purposes promoting library service and development within the state, raising the standards of library service, and fostering professional and fraternal relations among librarians and others interested in library service. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the corporation will not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the corporation shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing, or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.”

That all being said, here is what we can do.

Talk to candidates and find out where they stand on the issues near and dear to us. As INDIVIDUALS getting out the word out to others and supporting a candidates campaign with volunteer time and $$$ is great, even terrific. Librarians do need to be politically active. BUT, since AkLA is precluded from supporting any political campaign or candidate you must be clear you are doing this on your own.

Using AkLA-L:
In general, it is OK to inform the membership of upcoming bills, hearings, etc. We can even direct them to an AKLA web page with more information on the bill, and the AkLA page can do the advocating.

And as long as we don’t use government time or resources to send the message, we can use an AkLA-L message to urge the membership to write or call in support of legislation (never candidates).

And yes, you can use AkLA-L to invite members to the Anchorage Legislative Reception on September 20th. Beside all of the candidates being invited, it is an informational message.

So...
An information message can be sent on a “work” computer from a government email address.
An advocacy message should only be sent from a home/personal computer using your personal email address. (In previous years this has usually happened for critical budget bills.)

It doesn’t matter that those who receive the email are using work addresses and equipment since they are only reading what they have been sent. However, if they wish to reply to the list, they become senders, and should do so from home equipment using a personal email account.

Sounds convoluted, but remember Randy Ruedrick? He had all those emails he sent as Chairman of the Alaska Republican Party on his State computer.

I hope this isn’t too confusing...If you have questions please feel free to ask. I may not know the answer but Clark or June or someone else may.

Mary

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Election year/legislative issues

Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:49:00 GMT

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Re: Titles Offered

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:24:00 GMT

Hello Deirdre,
The cards and pockets are in the mail. We're happy you will be able to
use them. Thanks for checking our titles offered list. Please continue
to check our list as more titles are added.

Tina Bradley
UAS Egan Library

library@esterrepublic.com wrote:
>
> (This is a AKLA List message, replies will go to the whole list.)
> __
> We'll take the cards and card pockets (address below)--we've got a
> very low-tech library here. And thanks for the offerings!
>
> Deirdre Helfferich
>
> On Sep 3, 2008, at 11:04 AM, ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu wrote:
>
>>
>
> John Trigg Ester Library
> PO Box 468 � Ester, AK 99725
> library@esterrepublic.com
> www.esterlibrary.org
>
>
>
>
>
>

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RE: Titles Offered

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 18:21:00 GMT

Hello Nicole,
The Lost Civilization videos are in the mail. We're happy the videos
have a new home. Thanks for checking our titles offered list. Please
continue to check our list as more titles are added.

Tina Bradley
UAS Egan Library

roohi_Nicole@asdk12.org wrote:
> (This is a AKLA List message, replies will go to the whole list.)
> __
>
> Hi! If you still have them we would be interested in any (or all) of the Lost Civilization videos. Thank you!
> Nicole Roohi
>
> Nicole Maurice Roohi
> School Library Media Specialist
> Goldenview Middle School
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu [mailto:ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 11:06 AM
> To: aklalist@akla.org
> Subject: [AKLA List] Titles Offered
>
> (This is a AKLA List message, replies will go to the whole list.)
> __
>
> UAS Egan Library is offering the following titles. These are titles
> that have been replaced with a newer edition; are duplicates of titles
> in our collection; or are donated gifts we will share with other
> libraries. If you are interested in having any title for your
> collection, please respond directly to: ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu
>
>
> --
> You may automatically unsubscribe from this list or view the list archives at any time by
> visiting the following URL:
>
> <http://akla.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/aklalist/>
>
>
> If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:
>
> <mailto:list-manager@akla.org>
>
>
>
>

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Friday Bulletin, September 5, 2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:36:00 GMT

9/5/2008

Contents:

· SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR IS ON THE JOB!

· LISTEN FIRST

· FREE VETERINARY RESOURCE

· SEARCH ENGINE WITH PRIVACY

· LEARN ABOUT INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

· STATEWIDE DATABASES – DIGITAL PIPELINE

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

SCHOOL LIBRARY COORDINATOR IS ON THE JOB!

Welcome back to school, everybody! And now that schools are in session, we’d like to again introduce Jacque Peterson, new School Library Coordinator for the State Library. Jacque is a former librarian for the North Slope School District. She returns to Alaska after a Chinese adventure: two years as K-12 librarian at an international school in Beijing!

Jacque began work on July 1^st and she has already participated in the School Librarians’ Leadership Academy in July-August and visited Yakutat. You have been receiving SAYL mail from her. Now that Labor Day has passed and the school year is well underway, you may be ready to get in touch with Jacque. Her office is located in Anchorage and she can be reached by email or by telephone at 269-6571.

LISTEN FIRST

Ketchikan Public Library has a CD listening station in the library. When patrons find an interesting CD, they can try it out (using headphones) before checking it out. Then at home, they are sure to have something they like!

FREE VETERINARY RESOURCE

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is the professional association for veterinarians. Incorporated in 1863, the AVMA serves its members and the public in a variety of ways, publishing on topics including animal welfare, food safety, veterinary school accreditation, and the interface between human and animal health. AMVA is offering libraries a new resource, available at no cost.

You may already be aware that all individuals with internet connections can read AVMA semi-monthly news items at http://www.avma.org/onlnews/default.asp; you might be interested in seeing a new feature that has been added to the online open access collection. These collections focus on veterinary topics of interest to the public, ranging from emergency/disaster preparedness to nutrition for companion animals.

AMVA publishes two journals, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Journal of Veterinary Research from which are gathered articles on specific content areas and made available at no cost to readers. The new feature is called, simply, "AVMA Collections".

Libraries may link to the main "Collections" page, or to individual topics within the collection.

SEARCH ENGINE WITH PRIVACY

A former Google executive and her search-engine researcher husband have launched a new search engine called Cuil: http://www.cuil.com/. According to the company’s privacy policy, "When you search with Cuil, we do not collect any personally identifiable information, period. We have no idea who sends queries: not by name, not by IP address, and not by cookies. Your search history is your business, not ours." Click here for the entire article, as reported in InformationWeek.

LEARN ABOUT INTERNATIONAL POLAR YEAR

Spaces remain for the International Polar Year Web casts - Explore Ice Worlds: On Earth and Beyond - put on by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/ice/activities/). Wednesdays, September 10, 17. and 24 at 12 pm CT

Sep 10 – NASA Polar Researcher

Sep 17 – Ice Worlds Activities 1 – Properties of Ice and Ice in the Solar System

Sep 24 - Ice Worlds Activities 2 – Ice in the Solar System and Ice on Earth

Participate in these three free Web casts to learn about current polar research from NASA scientists, to get answers to your questions, and to explore hands-on activities designed for the library and after-school setting. By participating in the Web casts you will receive a certificate for four professional development hours and be eligible for drawings for space science resources and vouchers for $200 of materials for your own IPY programs.

To register for the Web casts or if you have questions, please contact Katy Buckaloo at buckaloo@lpi.usra.edu or 281-486-2106; she will provide the access number and pass code. To join all you need is an Internet connection (easiest with the Explorer) and a telephone.

STATEWIDE DATABASES – DIGITAL PIPELINE

New passwords needed: due to a posting on various websites throughout China, the passwords for the statewide databases have had to be updated again.

Please remember that passwords should never be posted to any online source or even sent via email. To find out the new passwords please call 1-800-440-2919.

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RE: Opening for Library Automation Clerk in the Anchorage School District

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:05:00 GMT

Would you kindly send me the job qualifications and information for Library Automation Clerk?
Thank you.

Sincerely,
Lina Kianipour
Library Assistant III/ Alaska Collection
907-343-2833

________________________________
From: Shaw_Ruth_Jean@asdk12.org [Shaw_Ruth_Jean@asdk12.org]
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 10:39 AM
To: aklalist@akla.org
Subject: [AKLA List] Opening for Library Automation Clerk in the Anchorage School District

(This is a AKLA List message, replies will go to the whole list.)
An opening in the Anchorage School District Library Resources Department will be posted by ASD Human Resources Dept this afternoon. The number is PVA 110183 for Library Automation Clerk, Totem Range 12, a twelve month position and the opening will close on September 8th. If interested in this opportunity submit application to Human Resources at ASD Education Center, 5530 East Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage, Alaska 99504 or call Vicki Smith, Administrative Assistant in Human Resources at 907-742-4118.

I am looking for an experienced individual with the SIRSI library automation capability. Library Resources utilizes OCLC in the creation of the ASD library index. If you have any questions, I will be happy to respond.

Ruth Jean Shaw
Library Resources
Anchorage School District
5530 East Northern Lights Blvd.
Anchorage, Alaska 99504
907-742-6095

"If you want to whet the intellect of the future, the perfect place to be is in a library." RJS

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Re: Titles Offered

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:54:00 GMT

We'll take the cards and card pockets (address below)--we've got a
very low-tech library here. And thanks for the offerings!

Deirdre Helfferich

On Sep 3, 2008, at 11:04 AM, ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu wrote:

>

John Trigg Ester Library
PO Box 468 � Ester, AK 99725
library@esterrepublic.com
www.esterlibrary.org

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ALN update news for 9/1 - link corrections

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:06:00 GMT

The links in the prior message did not work so this message is being resent with link corrections. Apologies for duplication.

----------------------------------------------

ALN would like to welcome the following new members!

Haines Borough Public Library

Petersburg Public Library

Twenty nine libraries are now ALN members. If your library hasn't joined yet, I encourage you to become a member and show your support for ALN!

For a complete list of ALN member libraries, go to the ALN website:

http://alaskalibrarynetwork.org/left-menu/membership/membership-directory/

Join ALN in 2008 and lend your support by becoming a charter member. And a reminder; if your library joins as a charter member of ALN by October 31, 2008 you'll be entered into a drawing. First prize is $1000, second prize is $500. Prizes can be spent on any non-personnel expenditure at your library including electricity and heating costs. In addition, paid members can participate in all upcoming ALN programs, such as the PlayAway discount purchase program or the PlayAway lending collection program.

Go to: http://alaskalibrarynetwork.org/left-menu/membership/membership-information/ for more information about membership and membership applications. Got questions about ALN or membership? Send them my way!

Kerri Canepa

Coordinator

Alaska Library Network

PO Box 100585

Anchorage, AK 99510-0585

907-269-6567

kerri.canepa@alaska.gov

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More Titles Offered

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:34:00 GMT

UAS Egan Library is offering the following titles. These are titles that have been replaced with a newer edition; are duplicates of titles in our collection; or are donated gifts we will share with other libraries. If you are interested in having any title for your collection, please respond directly to: ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu

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RE: Titles Offered

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:16:00 GMT

Hi! If you still have them we would be interested in any (or all) of the Lost Civilization videos. Thank you!
Nicole Roohi

Nicole Maurice Roohi
School Library Media Specialist
Goldenview Middle School

-----Original Message-----
From: ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu [mailto:ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 11:06 AM
To: aklalist@akla.org
Subject: [AKLA List] Titles Offered

(This is a AKLA List message, replies will go to the whole list.)
__

UAS Egan Library is offering the following titles. These are titles
that have been replaced with a newer edition; are duplicates of titles
in our collection; or are donated gifts we will share with other
libraries. If you are interested in having any title for your
collection, please respond directly to: ccbradley@uas.alaska.edu

--
You may automatically unsubscribe from this list or view the list archives at any time by
visiting the following URL:

<http://akla.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/aklalist/>

If you're still having trouble, please contact the list owner at:

<mailto:list-manager@akla.org>

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