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June 2013

Progressive Librarians Guild Bulletin

Volume 2, Issue 6

PLG Co-Signed Letter to US Congress Expressing Concern

About Secret Spying by the National Security Agency (NSA)

Dear Members of Congress, We write to express our concern about recent reports published in the Guardian and the Washington Post, and acknowledged by the Obama Administration, which reveal secret spying by the National Security Agency (NSA) on phone records and Internet activity of people in the United States. The Washington Post and the Guardian recently published reports based on information provided by an intelligence contractor showing how the NSA and the FBI are gaining broad access to data collected by nine of the leading U.S. Internet companies and sharing this information with foreign governments. As reported, the U.S. government is extracting audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person's movements and contacts over time. As a result, the contents of communications of people both abroad and in the U.S. can be swept in without any suspicion of crime or association with a terrorist organization. Leaked reports also published by the Guardian and confirmed by the Administration reveal that the NSA is also abusing a controversial section of the PATRIOT Act to collect the call records of millions of Verizon customers. The data collected by the NSA includes every call made, the time of the call, the duration of the call, and other "identifying information" for millions of Verizon customers, including entirely domestic calls, regardless of whether those customers have ever been suspected of a crime. The Wall Street Journal has reported that other major carriers, including AT&T and Sprint, are subject to similar secret orders. This type of blanket data collection by the government strikes at bedrock American values of freedom and privacy. This dragnet surveillance violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, which protect citizens' right to speak and associate anonymously, guard against unreasonable searches and seizures, and protect their right to privacy. We are calling on Congress to take immediate action to halt this surveillance and provide a full public accounting of the NSA's and the FBI's data collection programs. We call on Congress to immediately and publicly: 1. Enact reform this Congress to Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the state secrets

privilege, and the FISA Amendments Act to make clear that blanket surveillance of the Internet activity and phone records of any person residing in the U.S. is prohibited by law and that violations can be reviewed in adversarial proceedings before a public court;

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Selected Signatories:

18MillionRising 350.org Access American Civil Liberties Union American Library Association Americans for Job Security Applied Research Center Association for Progressive Communications Association of Alternative Newsmedia Bill of Rights Defense Committee Blog Action Day Calyx Institute Campaign for Liberty Center for Democracy and Technology Center for Media Justice Centro de Cultura Luiz Freire ColorOfChange.org Competitive Enterprise Institute Consumer Watchdog CREDO Action Daily Kos Defending Dissent Demand Progress Detroit Digital Justice Coalition Digital Fourth Electronic Frontier Foundation Electronic Frontiers Australia EngageMedia Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) Fight for the Future Foundation for Innovation and Internet Freedom Free Press Free Software Foundation Freedom of the Press Foundation Freedom Works Gandi.net Generation Justice GNOME Green Party of Rhode Island Green Party of the United States Greenpeace USA Guardian Project HackThisSite.org

PLG Co-Signed Letter to US Congress (continued)

Internet Archive League of Technical Voters Learning About Multimedia Project Liberty Coalition LibrarianShipwreck Main Street Project Mansfield North Central Ohio Tea Party Association Media Alliance Media Literacy Project Media Mobilizing Project MoveOn.org Mozilla National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers National Coalition Against Censorship National Security Counselors Occupy Wall Street NYC Open Technology Institute at New America Foundation OpenMedia.org Participatory Politics Foundation PolitiHacks Praxis Project Privacy and Access Council of Canada Privacy Camp Progressive Change Campaign Committee Progressive Librarians Guild Public Knowledge R Street Institute Restore America's Voice RevolutionTruth Rights Working Group Rocky Mountain Civil Liberties Association RootsAction.org Tactical Tech TechFreedom Tenth Amendment Center The Other 98% Tor Upwell Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center Women in Media & News World Wide Web Foundation YourAnonNews

2. Create a special committee to investigate, report, and reveal to the public the extent of this domestic spying. This committee should create specific recommendations for legal and regulatory reform to end unconstitutional surveillance;

3. Hold accountable those public officials who are found to be responsible for this

unconstitutional surveillance. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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Progressive Librarians Guild Bulletin, Volume 2 Issue 6

Friday, June 28

Left: PLG members Elaine Harger,

Mike Marlin and Vivaldi at Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument

Below: PLG members Katharine

Phenix, Mike Marlin and Vivaldi at Haymarket Martyrs’ Monument

PLG Events at ALA Annual

These photos were taken following a tour of the Haymarket Memorial organized by the ALA/AFL-CIO Joint Committee on Library Services to Labor Groups. The tour was conducted by Larry Spivack, President of the Illinois Labor History Society.

For information on the Haymarket martyrs and the memorial see:

http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/haymarket-tour-intro.html

http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/articles/126-powerful-memorial-unveiled-in-virden.html

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Sunday, June 30 Progressive Librarians Guild Membership Meeting

PLG Events at ALA Annual

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Progressive Librarians Guild Bulletin, Volume 2 Issue 6

PLG Membership Meeting 30 June 2013 Chicago Wi-fi service in the bowels of the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago was unable to connect the meeting for a Skype presentation by Braverman Prize winner Emily Lawrence on her essay “Loud Hands in the Library: Neurodiversity in LIS Theory and Practice.” PLG members must await publication of Progressive Librarian #41 to read Ms. Lawrence’s insightful and provocative work on a topic greatly in need of attention within librarianship. So, following introductions, Megan Browndorf and Kelly McElroy, co-chairs of the Braverman Memorial Essay Prize contest, spoke briefly about Ms. Lawrence’s essay and then about problems that arose this year regarding contest guidelines. The ensuing conversation provided assistance to Kelly and Megan who will revise the guidelines accordingly. Among suggestions for change were: increasing stipend to $500, arranging for winning essayist to attend ALA conference under the aegis of Progressive Librarian with press credentials (allowing full conference registration at no cost), and clarifying guidelines in regard to student status in order to allow recent LIS graduates to submit essays for the contest. Next on the agenda was a consideration of a resolution regarding PLG support of the nationwide fossil-fuel divestment campaign launched by the organization 350.org. A similar resolution was discussed the previous day at the ALA membership meeting where it lost by only 2 votes. After discussion and slight amendment, PLG members voted to approve the resolution. Another resolution being considered by ALA regarded whistleblower Ed Snowden. Because we didn’t have copies of this document at the PLG meeting, it was decided that the resolution should be posted to the PLG listserv for members to read, consider, and vote on. Next, people in attendance described the basis of their interest in PLG, followed by a brief summary of how PLG came into existence and its affiliation with the Social Responsibilities Round Table of ALA. People were then invited to attend an exhibit reception at the Alternative Press Center followed by the PLG dinner in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. Report by Elaine Harger

PLG Events at ALA Annual

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PLG Events at ALA Annual

PLG Resolution on Divestment of Holdings in Fossil Fuel Companies

and Libraries’ Role in a Peaceful Transition to a Fossil-Fuel-Free Economy

Whereas the Progressive Librarians Guild recognizes climate change as a serious problem for humanity and the planet; Whereas in light of alarming evidence of the extent anthropogenic CO2 emissions are having on

climate change, the organization 350.org has launched a divestment campaign, supported by individuals such as Bishop Desmond Tutu, economist Naomi Klein, and activist Van Jones, prompting municipalities and institutions of higher learning across the country to divest holdings in fossil fuel industries;

Whereas precedence regarding divestment can be found in the 1980s campaign against South

African apartheid when divestment and boycotts were used as tools for non-violent political change;

Whereas global climate change and resource depletion is prompting military authorities to

prepare for inevitable social instability, which in the U.S. will likely be exacerbated by a culture of violence and racism unless steps are taken to address and mitigate these tendencies;

Whereas libraries and communities have witnessed the impacts of climate change in the form of

increasingly powerful floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, agricultural damage, and rising sea-levels;

Whereas organizations representing many institutional investors have called on governments to

“develop workable frameworks that will reduce climate risk and support low carbon investment”; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, that the Progressive Librarians Guild

1. encourages PLG members to work within their workplaces and communities to join the fossil fuel divestment movement and

2. to begin community conversations about what will be necessary to ensure a peaceful transition to fossil-fuel-free economy.

Approved by PLG members, 30 June 2013, Chicago

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Supporting documentation:

Ahmed, Nafeez (2013). “Pentagon bracing for public dissent over climate and energy shocks.” The Guardian (online). 14 June 2013. Accessed 15 June 2013. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/earth-insight/2013/jun/14/climate-change-energy-shocks-nsa-prism

American Library Association (1985). “ALA Acts: Membership, Council and Executive Board Summaries” American Libraries 16 (July-August 1985) p.510. Web. Accessed 31 December 2012. Book Industry Environmental Council (2009). “Environmental Council Sets Climate Goals for U.S. Book Industry – A Global First in Publishing.” 16 April 2009. Web. Accessed 21 January 2013.

Brodie, Maxine (2012). “Building the Sustainable Library at Macquarie University”, Australian Academic and Research Libraries 43.1 (March 2012) p.4. Web. Accessed 31 December 2012.

Cook, Brian (2012). “Library Heroes Shelter Evacuees from the Summer of 2012”, American Libraries 43: 9-10 (September-October 2012). Web. Accessed 31 December 2012.

Eggars, Dave (2009). Zeitoun. San Francisco: McSweeneys.

Green Press Initiative (2007). “Frequently Asked Questions.” n.d. Web. Accessed 21 January 2013.

Henn, Jamie (2012). “Seattle Mayor Orders City to Divest from Fossil Fuels,” 350.org. Web. 22 December 2012. Accessed 23 December 2012. http://gofossilfree.org/seattle-mayor-orders-city-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/

Hertzgaard, Mark (2012), “Latinos Are Ready to Fight Climate Change—Are Green Groups Ready for Them?” The Nation, 24-31 December 2012. Accessed 30 January 2013. http://www.thenation.com/article/171617/latinos-are-ready-fight-climate-change-are-green-groups-ready-them

Hopkins, Rob. (2008). The Transition Handbook: from Oil Dependency to Local Resilience. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green.

Investor Network on Climate Risk (2012) “Letter from Global Investor Networks to the Governments of the World’s Largest Economies” Web. 26 November 2012. Accessed 31 December 2012. http://www.ceres.org/incr/files/investor-files/2012-global-policy-letter

Johnson, Brad (2012). “The $20 Trillion Carbon Bubble: Interview with John Fullerton, Part One,” ThinkProgress.com. Web. 26 March 2012. Accessed 23 December 2012. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/03/26/432617/the-20-trillion-carbon-bubble-interview-with-john-fullerton-part-one/?mobile=nc

Lubber, Mindy (2012). “Fossil Fuel Divestment is a Timely Issue for Investors,” Forbes. Web. 17 December 2012. Accessed 23 December 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ mindylubber/2012/12/17/fossil-fuel-divestment-is-timely-issue-for-investors/

McKibben, Bill (2012). “Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math” Rolling Stone. Web 2 August 2012. Accessed 31 December 2012, http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719#ixzz2EJ5GliBH

“New Orleans Deals with Layoffs, Damage” American Libraries 36.10. Web. November 2005. Accessed 31 December 2012.

"Seattle: An Update on Fossil Fuel Divestment." States News Service 21 Dec. 2012. General OneFile. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/an-update-on-fossil-fuel-divestment/

“Top 200 Fossil Fuel Companies,” gofossilfree.org. Web. n.d. Accessed 23 December 2012. http://gofossilfree.org/companies/

Yarnold, David (2013). “Green Groups Must Embrace Latinos' Concern for Environment.” Huffington Post, 29 January

2013. Accessed 30 January 2013. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-yarnold/green-groups-must-embrace_b_2573717.html

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Progressive Librarians Guild Bulletin, Volume 2 Issue 6

PLG Events at ALA Annual

June 30, 2013 Crisis Image Archives opening reception at the Alternative Press Center

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Progressive Librarians Guild Bulletin, Volume 2 Issue 6

Sunday, June 30 Progressive Librarians Guild Dinner

Have an update you’d like to see included in next month’s bulletin?

Send it to sarahbarriage@gmail.com

PLG Events at ALA Annual