Income Gap Widens: A Librarian at Every Table: No. 317.

In most states, the gap between the highest-income families and poor and middle-income families grew significantly between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, according to a new study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute. The study is one of the few to examine income inequality at the state as well as national level.

Pulling apart:A state-by-state analysis of income trends.

In Support of Academic Freedom: A Librarian at Every Table: No. 316.

Resolution in Support of Academic Freedom

WHEREAS, academic institutions provide a forum for the robust exchange of a diversity of ideas; and

WHEREAS, libraries in academic institutions guarantee that a wide array of ideas that promote academic discourse are available; and

WHEREAS, academic institutions have in place longstanding representative democratic structures for review and redress of grievances; and

WHEREAS, most academic institutions follow the 1940 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) “Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure” and their libraries follow the “Freedom to Read Statement,” the “Library Bill of Rights,” the “Code of Professional Ethics for Librarians,” and the “Core Values of Librarianship” that are consonant with the 1940 AAUP statement; and

WHEREAS, these statements are effective safeguards of academic freedom and embrace the free expression rights and responsibilities laid out in the First Amendment; and

WHEREAS, an “Academic Bill of Rights” (ABOR) by the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, a self-described conservative nonprofit organization, is being introduced in legislatures and academic institutions; and

WHEREAS, this “Academic Bill of Rights” would impose extra-academic standards on academic institutions, directly interfering in course content, the classroom, the research process, and hiring and tenure decisions; and

WHEREAS, this “Academic Bill of Rights” applies principles other than relevant scholarly standards, as interpreted and applied by the academic profession; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the American Library Association reaffirms the principles of academic freedom embodied in the American Association of University Professors’ “Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure” (1940); and be it further

RESOLVED, that the American Library Association opposes any legislation or codification of documents like the “Academic Bill of Rights” (ABOR) that undermine academic and intellectual freedom, chill free speech, and/or otherwise interfere with the academic community’s well-established norms and values of scholarship and educational excellence.

Adopted by the ALA Council
January 25, 2006
San Antonio, TX

Government Oversight through TRAC: A Librarian at Every Table: No. 315.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) provides the American people -- and institutions of oversight such as Congress, news organizations, public interest groups, businesses, scholars and lawyers -- with comprehensive information about federal staffing, spending, and the enforcement activities of the federal government. On a day-to-day basis, what are the agencies and prosecutors actually doing? Who are their employees and what are they paid? What do agency actions indicate about the priorities and practices of government? How do the activities of an agency or prosecutor in one community compare with those in a neighboring one or the nation as a whole? How have these activities changed over time? How does the record of one administration compare with the next? When the head of an agency or a district administrator changed, were there observable differences in actual enforcement priorities? When a new law was enacted or amended, what impact did it have on agency activities?

Literacy News. A Librarian At Every Table. No. 314.

Literacy News.

The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally representative assessment of literacy among adults (age 16 and older) residing in households and prisons in the United States.

The LINCS Special Collections are one-stop electronic gateways to specialized information on high-quality literacy practices and materials for use in adult education and literacy programs. LINCS Special Collections are built around specific content areas, specific settings or contexts, and professional development topics.