================================================================= ALAWON Volume 6, Number 55 ISSN 1069-7799 July 17, 1997 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (104 lines) AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION PRESENTS NEW PARENT INTERNET EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO PRESIDENT CLINTON, VICE PRESIDENT GORE _________________________________________________________________ (Note: The following is a July 17 press release from ALA's Public Information Office. For more information please contact PIO Press Officer Joyce Kelly at 312/280-5043.) AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION PRESENTS NEW PARENT INTERNET EDUCATION CAMPAIGN TO PRESIDENT CLINTON, VICE PRESIDENT GORE WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to President Clinton's call for an Internet environment that is rewarding and safe for children, the American Library Association today presented the president with its new campaign designed specifically to educate parents and children on informed Internet use. The library association joined about two dozen Internet industry leaders, educators and politicians in a White House meeting with Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. The talks were scheduled by Clinton in late June after the Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act and upheld First Amendment Rights for Internet users. The American Library Association, a 58,000-member library advocacy group, has been at the forefront of the legal battle to protect citizens' rights to free speech on the Internet. American Library Association President Barbara Ford said, "The Internet is the most exciting tool for learning since the printing press. Rather than blindfold our children, let librarians teach us all where to look online. The vast majority of sites offer valuable opportunities for learning and enjoyment." The group designed The Librarian's Guide to Cyberspace for Parents and Kids, a comprehensive brochure and Web site combining Internet terminology, safety tips, site selection advice and more than 50 of the most educational and entertaining sites available for children on the Internet. ALA is building the site into a dynamic Internet collection for children and parents as well as providing links to libraries around the country that have online children's sites. "Librarians have a critical role to play reviewing and recommending good Web sites just as we select books and other materials," Ford added. She noted that many public, school and college libraries offer excellent training programs, special Web sites and other resources for parents and children. Judith F. Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, lauded efforts by members of today's session who sought to educate the public rather than censor Internet users. "If the Net is our vehicle into the next century, librarians are the navigators," Krug said. Some 44 percent of public libraries are now connected to the Internet, according to statistics from the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. The number is up from 21 percent in 1994. Only about 20 percent of American households are connected to the Internet, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The American Library Association will continue to update and expand its 50 Great Web Sites for Kids & Parents. The association also will join the Families Online Summit proposed for October 15 and 16 in Washington, D.C. The aim of the summit is to include the best minds and most concerned parties from across the nation to discuss child safety on-line. It will include organizations representing parents, education, law enforcement, government and the Internet industry. For more about the American Library Association's educational campaign, visit 50 Greatsites: http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites or see the association's home page at: http://www.ala.org. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Carol C. Henderson All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================