[Air-l] Fwd: Information cleansing, ERIC threatend

Thu Sep 12 20:21:34 PDT 2002

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Peter Suber <peters at earlham.edu>
> Date: Thu Sep 12, 2002  9:43:01 PM US/Eastern
> To: fos-forum at topica.com
> Subject: Information cleansing
> Reply-To: fos-forum at topica.com
>
> [Forwarding from the GovDoc list, thanks to Terry Foreman.  --Peter.]
>
>
> Subject:      ALERT! Attn: users of ERIC and Dept of Education web site
> To: GOVDOC-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU
>
> Fellow govdoc'rs:
>
> I have verified the information contained in the e-mails below by  
> directly
> contacting the Education Week reporter, Michelle Davis. The specific
> information about the web site revision is:
>
> "the department is working on a major overhaul of the existing website.
> They want to remove outdated material among other things and improve
> graphics and make it easier to use. In a memo sent to all senior  
> staff, the
> department said that all information dated prior to Feb. 2001 will be
> removed unless it needs to be there for a legal reason or historical
> reason. However, they specifically said that one of the major criteria  
> for
> deleting information from the website will be based on whether it  
> meshes
> with the Bush administration's philosophies. "
>
> More information will be contained in an Education Week article by Ms.
> Davis that will appear in the next issue.
>
> Let me be clear. The Bush administration has a perfect right to remove
> opinion papers and official policy statements of any previous
> administration from their current web site, PROVIDED this information  
> is
> archived elsewhere for future researchers. However, removal of any
> peer-based research that doesn't "mesh with the current administration
> philosophies" is just one more sign of the government's growing  
> hostility
> to the free flow of information.  Please consider writing the education
> secretary at the address below. - Daniel Cornwall, Alaska State Library
>
>> Reply-To: pnla-l at mail1.krl.org
>> Sender: pnla-l-owner at mail1.krl.org
>>
>> Let's do something about this-- Bush wants to remove any information  
>> that
>> disagrees with his views from the Dept of Education web site, AND  
>> limit
>> funding for ERIC!
>>
>> Emily Sheketoff is ALA's chief lobbyist.
>>
>> Possible actions:
>> Write your congressional representatives (including senators), and  
>> the US
>> Dept of Education, pointing out that we as librarians need this  
>> research to
>> support our students' learning how to be effective teachers.
>> Write to:
>> Secretary Rod Paige
>> U.S. Department of Education
>> 400 Maryland Avenue, SW
>> Washington, DC 20202-0498
>>
>> Cheerio!  Jonathan
>> Jonathan Betz-Zall, Branch Librarian
>> City University
>> 1000 SE Everett Mall Way Suite 101
>> Everett, WA 98208
>> 425-353-0727    jbetzzall at cityu.edu
>> URL: http://www.cityu.edu/library/home.asp
>> The two purposes of life: to grow in wisdom and learn to love better.  
>> (R.N.
>> Remen)
>> "City University will change your life for good."
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Corby, Kate [mailto:corby at MAIL.LIB.MSU.EDU]
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 11, 2002 1:50 PM
>> To: EBSS-L at LISTSERV.UNCC.EDU
>> Subject: Education Department Questions
>>
>>
>> Dear Ms. Sheketoff,
>>
>> I am chair of the Education and Behavioral Sciences Section of ACRL.
>> Yesterday I was contacted by Michelle Davis who is a reporter for  
>> Education
>> Week.  I don't believe she knew of my ALA affiliation, she was  
>> contacting me
>> because I am the Education Librarian at a top rated school of  
>> education.
>> She was calling for my opinion of a Department of Education  
>> initiative to
>> remove from the Department's web pages any references to non-Bush era
>> education research.  The Department maintains an extensive Web  
>> presence to
>> assist students, parents, and teachers in their educational  
>> information
>> needs.  According to Ms. Davis,  the Department has decided that  
>> information
>> (and this is largely research results, not opinion papers) that does  
>> not
>> support the current administration's views should not be made readily
>> available to the public.  In addition to this change on the  
>> Department of
>> Education's site, I have heard from other sources that a move is  
>> under way
>> to limit funding for the ERIC system, which is the other way that this
>> information gets disseminated.
>>
>> If this information is correct, I'm sure the members of EBSS would be  
>> very
>> concerned. Any assistance that your office can provide in helping me  
>> keep
>> the membership of EBSS informed about the veracity of this  
>> information and
>> the possible courses of action we could take to try to counter this  
>> move
>> would be greatly appreciated.  I'm copying this note to our section  
>> listserv
>> so everyone will know what's up so far.  I know you folks have many  
>> issues
>> you keep tabs on, and this might not be the most urgent, but it's  
>> quite
>> important to us and I hope you will be able to provide some guidance.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Kate Corby
>>   Education and Psychology Reference Librarian
>>   Michigan State University Libraries
>>   100 Library
>>   East Lansing, MI  48824
>> Phone 517-432-1442
>> FAX  517-432-8050
>> http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby/
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> ----
>>        Listserve for the Pacific Northwest Library Association
>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 
>> ----
>
> =======================================================
> Daniel Cornwall
> Government Publications/Technical Services Librarian
> Alaska State Library
> PO Box 110571
> Juneau, AK 99811-0571
> (907) 465-2927 ph
> (907) 465-2665 fax
> E-Mail: dan_cornwall at eed.state.ak.us
>
> Learn about the Alaska State Publications Program, a system that works  
> to
> make state information available to Alaskans now and in the 22nd  
> Century.
> See our web page at
> < http://library.state.ak.us/asp/asp.html >.
>
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>
jeremy hunsinger
jhuns at vt.edu
on the ibook
www.cddc.vt.edu
www.cddc.vt.edu/jeremy
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