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CNI-ANNOUNCE subscribers:
This announcement of a grant to ALA to promote democracy
in cyberspace may be of interest to the broader CNI
audience. Apologies to those who subscribe directly
to the ALA list. I thought some of you might be particularly
interested in the proposed role for public libraries in
citizen involvement in the ICANN elections.
Joan Lippincott
--
Joan K. Lippincott, Associate Executive Director
Coalition for Networked Information
21 Dupont Circle, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 296-5098
FAX: (202) 872-0884
Internet: <joan@cni.org>
<http://www.cni.org/>
____________________________________________
ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline
Volume 8, Number 113
November 3, 1999
In this issue:
American Library Association to Play Key Role in Markle Foundation
Project to Promote Democracy in Cyberspace
Note: The following is a November 3 press release from the ALA
Public Information Office. For more information contact OITP
Director Rick Weingarten at 202-628-8421 or rww@alawash.org.
CHICAGO -- The American Library Association (ALA) will launch a
project to promote democracy in cyberspace with support from the
Markle Foundation as part of a $1 million initiative to educate
and involve the general public in Internet governance issues.
"The American Library Association welcomes this investment by the
Markle Foundation. Public libraries -- the most democratic of
institutions -- are the perfect venue for discussion, participation
and education about the issues of Internet democracy," said ALA
President Sarah Ann Long. "This grant places libraries and
librarians at the heart of the key information age issues -- right
where we belong."
The outreach project was announced November 2 at a meeting of the
board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN), established last year by the U.S. Department of Commerce
as a private, self-governing institution to manage the addressing
scheme that directs messages that flow through the Internet.
The first phase of the project will be in connection with the
upcoming elections for at-large board members of ICANN. The
election will be the first global public vote that directly
affects the emerging "government" of cyberspace. Other
participating organizations include the Carter Center, Common
Cause, the Center for Democracy and Technology, and the Berkman
Center for Internet and Society.
As part of the outreach project, "Cybercitizens" (Internet users)
will be encouraged to go to libraries to learn about ICANN,
register as members and vote in the board elections at the
library.
ALA will create a Web site and work to involve public libraries in
educating the public about democracy and governance in cyberspace.
The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP), based at
its Washington, D.C. office, will administer the project. For
more information, contact OITP Director Rick Weingarten, at 202-
628-8421 or rww@alawash.org.
******
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.
To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo
[your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to
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<http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon/>. ALAWON archives at
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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: alawash@alawash.org; Web
site: <http://www.ala.org/washoff/>. Editor: Lynne E. Bradley;
Managing Editor: Deirdre Herman; Contributors: Mary Costabile,
Peter Kaplan, Miriam Nisbet, Carrie Russell, Emily Sheketoff,
Saundra Shirley, Claudette Tennant and Rick Weingarten.
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