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>>> NINCH-ANNOUNCE <[log in to unmask]> 02/06/01 12:44PM >>>
NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
News on Networking Cultural Heritage Resources
from across the Community
February 6, 2001
LIBRARIANS ORGANIZE AROUND UCITA
(The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act)
http://www.ala.org/washoff/ucita
>Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2001 16:38:20 -0500
>From: "ALAWASH E-MAIL" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: ALA Washington Office Newsline <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: [ALA-WO:585] INFO/UCITA: AFFECT Coalition Launched; UCITA
>Heats Up! (ALAWON v.10 n. 5)
>Sender: [log in to unmask]
ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 10, Number 5
February 2, 2001
In this issue:
[1] UCITA is heating up around the country - and librarians are making a difference!
As the new legislative year unfolds, librarians in Arizona, Florida,
Georgia, Maine, Rhode Island, and Texas are sitting down with their
legislators and forming statewide coalitions to discuss the Uniform
Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA). UCITA has been
formally introduced in Arizona and is on the legislative agenda in
Georgia, Maine and Texas. "Bomb shelter" legislation in Iowa will
expire this year and some action is expected there. Signs of
legislative interest in UCITA abound in other states, but grassroots
action is making a difference! - recently, UCITA was facing
impending introduction in Rhode Island but was withdrawn as a result
of widespread opposition!
The ALA UCITA Web site (http://www.ala.org/washoff/ucita) reports on the status of UCITA in the states and provides useful information for anyone wanting to get more involved in the fight against UCITA. We are happy to report that in Delaware, Hawaii, and Rhode Island,
librarians have played a key role in discussions about UCITA and have
been instrumental in pushing the legislation back.
[2] ALA and the other major library associations launch AFFECT, a
nationwide coalition to oppose UCITA
On January 31, a nationwide coalition of libraries, industry
leaders, computer professionals, and consumer organizations
announced the formation of AFFECT (Americans for Fair Electronic
Commerce Transactions), a coalition dedicated to educating the
public and policymakers about the dangers of UCITA (the Uniform
Computer Information Transactions Act). The American Library
Association is a founding member of the coalition, formerly know as
4CITE.
AFFECT is working in states where UCITA is being proposed as a
statecontract law to regulate and standardize computer information
transactions. The coalition has been a leading voice in alerting the
business communities, library and educational institutions, and
consumers to the dangerous implications of UCITA to consumer
protections, First Amendment rights and copyright privileges. If
passed, licensing terms permissible under UCITA would seriously
impact a library's ability to conduct inter-library loan, distance
learning, archiving, and preservation.
For more information on AFFECT, visit the ALA UCITA Web pages
(http://www.ala.org/washoff/ucita) or contact Carol Ashworth, UCITA
Grassroots Coordinator at 800-941-8478.
[3] UCITA Training Sessions have Reached Thousands!
In response to the increasing need for education about UCITA, a
number of training opportunities have been offered to librarians
through the ALA Washington Office. The Washington Office UCITA team hosted two UCITA workshops at ALA's Midwinter Conference for those wanting basic information on the law and for those already involved in advocacy efforts in their states.
The ALA Washington Office is also sponsoring a UCITA on-line
tutorial. The tutorial, which began in November, has 3,000
subscribers. The UCITA Teleconference in December, 2000 was
downlinked to 226 sites in 42 states. Plans are underway for more
UCITA workshops at Annual. Stay tuned to ALAWON for news about UCITA workshops to be offered at Annual Conference, and contact Carol Ashworth, UCITA Grassroots Coordinator, for information.
******
ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the
American Library Association Washington Office. All materials
subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be
reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with
appropriate credits.
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ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403,
Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478
toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: [log in to unmask]; Web
site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Executive Director: Emily
Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley,
Director; Mary Costabile, Peter Kaplan, Miriam Nisbet and
Claudette Tennant. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick
Weingarten, Director; Jennifer Hendrix, Carrie Russell and Saundra
Shirley. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.h^
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