ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy home page
Last Update: July 31, 2008
Hot Topics
On September 1, 2008, ALA will
unveil a redesigned web site that is the culmination of two years of gathering
information from focus groups, interviews, usability tests, surveys and other
feedback loops.
We invite you to preview the site's new look at www.ala.org/preview, and to
see the Washington Office's work in progress at http://staging.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/washoff/index.cfm.
Beginning August 1, information on our web pages will NOT be updated
until the new launch in September. Please check the District Dispatch, the
Washington Office blog for regular updates and information during this time.
You may contact the ALA Library at library@ala.org (or
800-545-2433, x2153) if further assistance is needed locating specific content
or updates during our migration.
Library Connectivity For Public Access: Staying Ahead of the Curve
Public Libraries are struggling to obtain the bandwidth they need to provide full, effective public access to the Internet. With the assistance of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ALA's Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) has undertaken a number of activities aimed at helping libraries address this critical problem. This program at the 2008 annual conference highlighted library bandwidth issues and OITP activities in this area.
OITP is now featuring the Digital Copyright Slider.
Copyright laws are complex and can be very confusing! Is a work in
the public domain? Do you need permission to use it? When does
copyright expire? Find these answers and more online. This is a great tool for librarians, teachers, artists, students,
researchers, attorneys and anyone who needs clear, concise information
on copyright terms and conditions.
The Digital Copyright Slider was created by Michael Brewer, OITP
Copyright Advisory Committee member and designer of the original
Copyright Slider.
The Digital Copyright Slider is blogged under "Wired Campus" from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
OITP is pleased to announce the release of Regional Library Cooperatives and the Future of Broadband, a report detailing the best practices, successful
strategies, and challenges of Regional Library Cooperatives (RLCs) as they help libraries obtain high-speed connectivity.
RLCs are key institutions in promoting and supporting high-speed broadband in libraries, especially for rural and less-affluent areas. The report summarizes discussions of an OITP meeting of RLCs held in December 2007, with the bulk of the content detailing the experiences of RLCs to enhance broadband services for their member libraries. RLCs shared important information, in particular emphasizing the inclusion of and partnership with members, meeting the challenges of greater demands for bandwidth, and developing models for other RLCs to adopt and learn from.
This report provides knowledge important for both the ALA and the library community, mapping out directions for RLCs to utilize as they expand broadband service in the future. “Broadband deployment is an increasingly important issue as more and more library services depend on broadband access and will remain a continued priority for OITP,” concludes Carrie Lowe, Director, Program on Networks.
The Regional Library Cooperatives and the Future of Broadband report was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and OITP (ALA).
About Us
Mission
The Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) advocates for public policy that supports and encourages the efforts of libraries to ensure access to electronic information resources as a means of upholding the public’s right to a free and open information society. It works to ensure a library voice in information policy debates and to promote full and equitable intellectual participation by the public by:
- Conducting research and analysis aimed at understanding the implications of information technology and information policy for libraries and library users,
- Educating the ALA community about the implications of information policy, law, and regulation for libraries and library users,
- Advancing ALA’s information policy interests in non-legislative government policy forums, and
- Engaging in strategic outlook to anticipate technological change, particularly as it presents policy challenges to libraries and library users.
The fulfillment of this mission implies an array of activities, currently organized into four Programs: Public Access to Information, Networks, America’s Libraries in the 21st Century, and OITP Fellows.
