A program ensures boys have books in school libraries they can enjoy.
Heather Colpitts
Langley Advance
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/2m9alr
What does it take to get boys interested in reading?
One part of the solution may be the Books for Boys program created by the Langley School District Foundation.
Part of the money from this Friday's Heart to Heart wine and cheese is going to the program and other literacy initiatives.
"The Ministry [of Education] would never fund something like that," explained Susan Cairns.
Cairns, the foundation's executive director, explained that the charity purchased 1,000 books for the area's 35 elementaries geared toward the types of reading boys would prefer as a way to encourage them to read more because there is a gap between the reading skills of young girls and boys.
"And the gap is getting wider," she said.
It's an issues Jade Graber, as a teacher and librarian, sees every day in his work at West Langley and Parkside Centennial elementaries. He said having the material is vital, but adults also have to be aware of the social implications of what boys prefer to read.
Adults may not see value in the kids being into Pokemon or comics because they don't understand the material, but that's no reason to dismiss it.
"There are more rare words per thousand [words] in comics than there are in adult literature," Graber noted.
Then there' the "gross factor." Boys like gooey, icky subjects and gravitate to non-fiction while girls tend to go for fiction.
Graber added that boys tend to shy away from books perceived as girl items, but girls are freer to read a broad spectrum of material, including books seen as more boy-friendly.
So not stigmatizing children's reading materials is another factor in getting boys to read a diversity of material. And kids who don't have a strong grounding in literacy have trouble in most school subjects, limiting their futures.
The aim of literacy education is to not only get kids reading, but also make sure then can think, access, and analyze what they take in, he said.
"Let's face it, you want as many doors open to kids as possible," Graber said.
The disparity in literacy is showing up in society as more girls go into post-secondary institutions than boys, he said.
Cairns said having the boy-friendly materials available acts as a catalyst to get boys interested in reading. In 2008, 32 Langley area elementaries will receive materials through Books for Boys. This will be the second time the foundation is funding it, after it went so well the first time.
She said the funds raised have also supported the SummerLAND (Summer Literacy and Numeracy Days), Parents as Literacy Supporters (PALS) and an equipment loan service for special needs students.
Approximately 300 kids are expected to take the SummerLAND program in 2008.
"These are 16-day programs that combine intense learning with recreation," Cairns explained about SummerLAND.
It costs about $250 per student with some families able to afford the tuition, and the foundation covering the cost for less fortunate families. SummerLAND also includes aboriginal and French immersion components.
The foundation's other significant fundraiser each year is an August golf tournament.
The foundation was established in 2001 and is a registered charity. Cairns said it is a new type of approach for schools, but the move was necessary to raise funds for programs not covered by the provincial government.
"The ministry provides the bricks and mortar, and looks after the average student," she commented.
The foundation funds programs that allow specialized learning for students with various needs who might otherwise fall through the cracks.
Others are looking to Langley to see how to establish foundations in their districts.
"I receive lots of calls about how we do it," Cairns said.
The Feb. 8 event attracts wine enthusiasts who can taste products from several B.C. vintners, and draw others wanting a grown-up evening out in support of the cause.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
Lawmaker wants more teacher librarians in Utah schools
By Lisa Schencker
The Salt Lake Tribune: 2008 February 4
http://tinyurl.com/3383n3
Students know how to use MySpace, Google, Facebook and e-mail, but they don't always know how to use their computer savvy to do something more old fashioned: research.
That's where teacher librarians such as Theresa Mbaku at West High School come in. She spent a recent day teaching a class of students how to find accurate information about Fiji on computers in the school library.
"They need to be able to get to information quickly and efficiently and be able to decipher what's good and bad information," Mbaku said. "Knowing these resources is so important because whatever they do after high school, they will have to work with technology."
Teacher librarians such as Mbaku are no ordinary school librarians. They're licensed educators with endorsements in library media who teach students how to understand, research and organize information - and some state leaders would like to see more of them in Utah schools. Rep. Tim Cosgrove, D-Murray, plans to ask a legislative appropriations committee today for $1.7 million a year for the next three years to help hire 50 more teacher librarians for Utah schools.
Now, only six of Utah's 40 school districts have licensed and endorsed teacher librarians in all their schools, and only 14 percent of Utah's nearly 500 elementary schools have teacher librarians.
"When I say 'librarian,' someone might picture someone telling you to hush or checking out books, but there's so much more we've lost out on," Cosgrove said.
Specifically, students in schools without teacher librarians are missing out on a K-12 state curriculum designed to teach library media skills, said Sharyl Smith, former Utah State Office of Education Specialist for library media.
Teacher librarians are supposed to teach kindergartners, for example, the difference between an author and illustrator. They're supposed to teach sixth-graders how to recognize that advertisements and other media messages are edited to achieve a certain message. They teach students how to cite sources and attribute information.
"Unless you've got a media teacher teaching in the library, kids get virtually none of this," said Dennis Morgan, retired Murray School District director of library media services.
Supporters say in this era of Internet research, students stand to benefit from teacher librarians more than ever.
On Thursday, Mbaku helped a class find information on Fiji by showing them how to get to the Merriam-Webster, CIA World Factbook and CultureGrams Web sites. These are better ways to find accurate information than by typing 'Fiji' into Google which could produce hundreds of Web sites, she said. She also squeezed in a quick lesson about attributing information from the Internet.
"Now when you're working on this, will you just cut and paste this?" Mbaku asked the class. "No, because that's cheating. That's plagiarism."
Teacher librarian Sarah Herron, who simultaneously helped a class of students learning English prepare for the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test (UBSCT) in another corner of the West library, said such research skills are essential.
"Without having that instruction, they get to college, and don't know how to do research," Herron said.
Cosgrove, Smith and Morgan, who are working together to push for more teacher librarians, point to research that shows correlations between teacher librarians and student achievement.
Though several legislators have already shown interest in Cosgrove's proposal, the request faces some stiff competition for state money this year.
At least 10 other bills seeking money to ease the state's teacher shortage have already started to progress through the legislature.
And those bills address other areas of critical shortages such as math, science, special education and other teachers.
Still, Cosgrove and many others believes his request for more teacher librarians is one legislators should heed.
Cosgrove said schools have to prepare students to function in a world with an endless, immediately accessible supply of unfiltered information.
West High sophomore Akesa Kioa said Mbaku's lesson Thursday helped her learn how to sort through some of that mess.
"This way it's much easier to get a lot of good, reliable information," Kioa said.
Teacher librarians:
-- Rep. Tim Cosgrove, D-Murray, plans to ask legislators for $1.7 million a year for three years to help hire 50 teacher librarians for schools throughout the state.
-- That money, which would be awarded to schools on a competitive basis, would pay for half of the cost of hiring the new teacher librarians and school districts would pay the other half.
-- The idea is that after three years, districts would continue funding the teacher librarians themselves and the state could spend more money to hire another 50 teacher librarians. Student achievement would be evaluated before, during and after the three years to see if achievement improves.
The Salt Lake Tribune: 2008 February 4
http://tinyurl.com/3383n3
Students know how to use MySpace, Google, Facebook and e-mail, but they don't always know how to use their computer savvy to do something more old fashioned: research.
That's where teacher librarians such as Theresa Mbaku at West High School come in. She spent a recent day teaching a class of students how to find accurate information about Fiji on computers in the school library.
"They need to be able to get to information quickly and efficiently and be able to decipher what's good and bad information," Mbaku said. "Knowing these resources is so important because whatever they do after high school, they will have to work with technology."
Teacher librarians such as Mbaku are no ordinary school librarians. They're licensed educators with endorsements in library media who teach students how to understand, research and organize information - and some state leaders would like to see more of them in Utah schools. Rep. Tim Cosgrove, D-Murray, plans to ask a legislative appropriations committee today for $1.7 million a year for the next three years to help hire 50 more teacher librarians for Utah schools.
Now, only six of Utah's 40 school districts have licensed and endorsed teacher librarians in all their schools, and only 14 percent of Utah's nearly 500 elementary schools have teacher librarians.
"When I say 'librarian,' someone might picture someone telling you to hush or checking out books, but there's so much more we've lost out on," Cosgrove said.
Specifically, students in schools without teacher librarians are missing out on a K-12 state curriculum designed to teach library media skills, said Sharyl Smith, former Utah State Office of Education Specialist for library media.
Teacher librarians are supposed to teach kindergartners, for example, the difference between an author and illustrator. They're supposed to teach sixth-graders how to recognize that advertisements and other media messages are edited to achieve a certain message. They teach students how to cite sources and attribute information.
"Unless you've got a media teacher teaching in the library, kids get virtually none of this," said Dennis Morgan, retired Murray School District director of library media services.
Supporters say in this era of Internet research, students stand to benefit from teacher librarians more than ever.
On Thursday, Mbaku helped a class find information on Fiji by showing them how to get to the Merriam-Webster, CIA World Factbook and CultureGrams Web sites. These are better ways to find accurate information than by typing 'Fiji' into Google which could produce hundreds of Web sites, she said. She also squeezed in a quick lesson about attributing information from the Internet.
"Now when you're working on this, will you just cut and paste this?" Mbaku asked the class. "No, because that's cheating. That's plagiarism."
Teacher librarian Sarah Herron, who simultaneously helped a class of students learning English prepare for the Utah Basic Skills Competency Test (UBSCT) in another corner of the West library, said such research skills are essential.
"Without having that instruction, they get to college, and don't know how to do research," Herron said.
Cosgrove, Smith and Morgan, who are working together to push for more teacher librarians, point to research that shows correlations between teacher librarians and student achievement.
Though several legislators have already shown interest in Cosgrove's proposal, the request faces some stiff competition for state money this year.
At least 10 other bills seeking money to ease the state's teacher shortage have already started to progress through the legislature.
And those bills address other areas of critical shortages such as math, science, special education and other teachers.
Still, Cosgrove and many others believes his request for more teacher librarians is one legislators should heed.
Cosgrove said schools have to prepare students to function in a world with an endless, immediately accessible supply of unfiltered information.
West High sophomore Akesa Kioa said Mbaku's lesson Thursday helped her learn how to sort through some of that mess.
"This way it's much easier to get a lot of good, reliable information," Kioa said.
Teacher librarians:
-- Rep. Tim Cosgrove, D-Murray, plans to ask legislators for $1.7 million a year for three years to help hire 50 teacher librarians for schools throughout the state.
-- That money, which would be awarded to schools on a competitive basis, would pay for half of the cost of hiring the new teacher librarians and school districts would pay the other half.
-- The idea is that after three years, districts would continue funding the teacher librarians themselves and the state could spend more money to hire another 50 teacher librarians. Student achievement would be evaluated before, during and after the three years to see if achievement improves.
Libraries nationwide to benefit from President Bush's proposed budget
ALA: 2008 February 4
WASHINGTON — The American Library Association (ALA) applauds the funding increases for libraries proposed in President Bush's fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget, released this morning. The increases in library funding proposed by the President will mean that many of America's libraries can continue to provide key programs and services to their communities, like bookmobiles and public access to the Internet.
In a budget where domestic discretionary spending was severely restricted and funding for 151 programs was cut or eliminated, the Library Services and Technology Act saw several key increases. Included in LSTA, the most important federal legislation affecting libraries, are the following totals:
WASHINGTON — The American Library Association (ALA) applauds the funding increases for libraries proposed in President Bush's fiscal year (FY) 2009 budget, released this morning. The increases in library funding proposed by the President will mean that many of America's libraries can continue to provide key programs and services to their communities, like bookmobiles and public access to the Internet.
In a budget where domestic discretionary spending was severely restricted and funding for 151 programs was cut or eliminated, the Library Services and Technology Act saw several key increases. Included in LSTA, the most important federal legislation affecting libraries, are the following totals:
- $171.5 million for state grants, an increase of $10.6 million over FY 2008; this funding increase ensures that smaller states will have the resources to serve their populations, a priority the Congress recognized in 2003;
- $12.715 million for the National Leadership Grants for Libraries, an increase of $556,000 over FY 2008;
- $26.5 million for the Recruitment of Librarians for the 21st Century, an increase of $3.16 million over FY 2008;
- $3.717 million for Native Americans Library Services, an increase of $143,000 over FY 2008; and
- $3.5 million for library policy, research, and statistics (included in the administration total), an increase of $1.54 million over FY 2008; this will help libraries identify the programs that most effectively serve users.
“This budget is fantastic news for library users across the country,” said ALA President Loriene Roy. “LSTA is a vital funding source for American citizens, especially children. LSTA monies go toward helping people of all backgrounds achieve literacy, including those with disabilities.”
“Across the country, libraries use LSTA funding for a wide variety of access services,” Dr. Roy added, “including workshops on career information, family literacy classes, homework help and mentoring programs, information on religions and other cultures, access to government information, and so much more.”
“ALA thanks President Bush for recognizing that library services contribute so much to the American people and urges Congress to pass this budget with the proposed LSTA numbers.”
The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) is the only federal program exclusively created for libraries, and is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The law's definition of a library includes institutions of all types and sizes, such as public, academic, research, school, state, and even digital libraries. The law includes grants for Native American and Native Hawaiian library services, as well as National Leadership grants aimed at education and training, research and demonstration projects, the preservation of library materials, and model projects between libraries and museums.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Funding for nation's school libraries declines as their value increases
ALA: February 1, 2008
Funding for nation's school libraries declines as their value increases
Grassroots rally calls for equitable funding
CHICAGO - Leaders of a grassroots campaign to secure legislation that would provide equitable funding for school libraries will hold a summit conference and rally Friday, Feb. 1, in Olympia, Wash., their case bolstered by a report recently released by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The AASL data is supported by a recent comparative analysis of federal data showing funding for school libraries -- and the media specialists who staff them -- is declining as their value is more fully documented.
The 2007 AASL survey of more than 4,000 schools revealed that significant teaching takes place in school library media centers. In the same survey, half of the responding schools reported spending around $7,000 a year, or $10.76 per pupil, for information resources. Fifty percent of schools surveyed reported an average copyright date of 1994 for the health and medical titles in their collections.
Studies in 19 states provide abundant evidence that students tend to perform better on state achievement tests at schools with certified school library media specialists actively engaged in the teaching role. For example, one study conducted in North Carolina in 2002-2003 found that K-12 school library programs have a significant impact on student achievement as measured by scores on standardized reading and English tests. These findings are consistent with those of earlier studies in Alaska, Massachusetts, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Texas, Iowa and California and are echoed by subsequent studies in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
In the federal study, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the U. S. Department of Education, library expenditures per pupil are shown to have fallen to $13.67 in 2003-2004 from $19.14 in 1999-2000, a drop of almost 30 percent. The percentage of public schools with school library media centers has risen slightly in the past four years, but the vast majority of states decreased their spending on books and other materials, according to the AASL, which observed the trend in data it collected in 2007. If the national trend continues, says Keith Curry Lance, a leading researcher, the national per-pupil expenditure this school year will be down to $9.76 - a drop of more than 50 percent from 1999-2000. Lance, a consultant specializing in research, is the former director of the Library Research Service at Colorado State Library.
In Washington state, spending on school library media centers declined by almost a third from 1999-2000 to 2003-2004. Even in 2003, only 57 percent of Washington school library media centers had a full-time paid teacher librarian, according to the NCES, and in the past five years further cuts have affected school libraries statewide.
The Washington campaign is the creation of three determined Spokane mothers who have worked for almost a year to make school libraries a state funding priority. Their efforts have led to the introduction of state Senate Bill 6380, which would provide all school districts with funding for a certain number of certified-teacher librarians, based on the size of the district, and allocate $12 per child for acquisition of materials. School libraries currently are funded locally.
The women behind the Washington Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology (WSLit) - Susan McBurney, Lisa Layera Brunkan and Denette Hill - began their drive last year after unsuccessfully lobbying Spokane's school board to maintain full-time media specialists at 10 elementary schools. The positions had been cut because of a budget shortfall.
Since then, WSLit has established a Web site (www.fundourfuturewashington.org), distributed fliers in bookstores and libraries, collected more than 4,400 signatures on a petition to state legislators and mobilized concerned citizens in at least 15 other Washington communities. The WSLit goal is to obtain 6,380 signatures by Friday in support of SB 6380.
Parents, educators, child advocates and elected officials nationwide consider the Washington bill a model for education reform elsewhere.
"Washington state can be among the leaders in providing high-quality, professionally staffed school library programs for all its students," said ALA President Loriene Roy. "Our hopes are that parents across the country will take Washington state's lead and invest in their children's education by supporting their school libraries."
Sara Kelly Johns, AASL president, added: "School library media specialists are trained to collaborate with other teachers to teach 21st-Century and technology skills that prepare students to learn, work and live in our increasingly information-based society. It is critical that we make these learning opportunities available to all students."
The situation in Washington is not unique. School library budgets that are not protected on the state level are being cut increasingly to meet local budget constraints. Only about 60 percent of the school libraries in the United States have a full-time, state-certified school library media specialist on staff, according to the NCES data.
For additional information on AASL and NCES statistics, or to schedule interviews with ALA , AASL or NCES spokespeople, please contact Macey Morales, manager, ALA Media Relations, at (708) 769-0789 or (312) 280-4393.
Funding for nation's school libraries declines as their value increases
Grassroots rally calls for equitable funding
CHICAGO - Leaders of a grassroots campaign to secure legislation that would provide equitable funding for school libraries will hold a summit conference and rally Friday, Feb. 1, in Olympia, Wash., their case bolstered by a report recently released by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The AASL data is supported by a recent comparative analysis of federal data showing funding for school libraries -- and the media specialists who staff them -- is declining as their value is more fully documented.
The 2007 AASL survey of more than 4,000 schools revealed that significant teaching takes place in school library media centers. In the same survey, half of the responding schools reported spending around $7,000 a year, or $10.76 per pupil, for information resources. Fifty percent of schools surveyed reported an average copyright date of 1994 for the health and medical titles in their collections.
Studies in 19 states provide abundant evidence that students tend to perform better on state achievement tests at schools with certified school library media specialists actively engaged in the teaching role. For example, one study conducted in North Carolina in 2002-2003 found that K-12 school library programs have a significant impact on student achievement as measured by scores on standardized reading and English tests. These findings are consistent with those of earlier studies in Alaska, Massachusetts, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Texas, Iowa and California and are echoed by subsequent studies in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
In the federal study, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, a division of the U. S. Department of Education, library expenditures per pupil are shown to have fallen to $13.67 in 2003-2004 from $19.14 in 1999-2000, a drop of almost 30 percent. The percentage of public schools with school library media centers has risen slightly in the past four years, but the vast majority of states decreased their spending on books and other materials, according to the AASL, which observed the trend in data it collected in 2007. If the national trend continues, says Keith Curry Lance, a leading researcher, the national per-pupil expenditure this school year will be down to $9.76 - a drop of more than 50 percent from 1999-2000. Lance, a consultant specializing in research, is the former director of the Library Research Service at Colorado State Library.
In Washington state, spending on school library media centers declined by almost a third from 1999-2000 to 2003-2004. Even in 2003, only 57 percent of Washington school library media centers had a full-time paid teacher librarian, according to the NCES, and in the past five years further cuts have affected school libraries statewide.
The Washington campaign is the creation of three determined Spokane mothers who have worked for almost a year to make school libraries a state funding priority. Their efforts have led to the introduction of state Senate Bill 6380, which would provide all school districts with funding for a certain number of certified-teacher librarians, based on the size of the district, and allocate $12 per child for acquisition of materials. School libraries currently are funded locally.
The women behind the Washington Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology (WSLit) - Susan McBurney, Lisa Layera Brunkan and Denette Hill - began their drive last year after unsuccessfully lobbying Spokane's school board to maintain full-time media specialists at 10 elementary schools. The positions had been cut because of a budget shortfall.
Since then, WSLit has established a Web site (www.fundourfuturewashington.org), distributed fliers in bookstores and libraries, collected more than 4,400 signatures on a petition to state legislators and mobilized concerned citizens in at least 15 other Washington communities. The WSLit goal is to obtain 6,380 signatures by Friday in support of SB 6380.
Parents, educators, child advocates and elected officials nationwide consider the Washington bill a model for education reform elsewhere.
"Washington state can be among the leaders in providing high-quality, professionally staffed school library programs for all its students," said ALA President Loriene Roy. "Our hopes are that parents across the country will take Washington state's lead and invest in their children's education by supporting their school libraries."
Sara Kelly Johns, AASL president, added: "School library media specialists are trained to collaborate with other teachers to teach 21st-Century and technology skills that prepare students to learn, work and live in our increasingly information-based society. It is critical that we make these learning opportunities available to all students."
The situation in Washington is not unique. School library budgets that are not protected on the state level are being cut increasingly to meet local budget constraints. Only about 60 percent of the school libraries in the United States have a full-time, state-certified school library media specialist on staff, according to the NCES data.
For additional information on AASL and NCES statistics, or to schedule interviews with ALA , AASL or NCES spokespeople, please contact Macey Morales, manager, ALA Media Relations, at (708) 769-0789 or (312) 280-4393.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Book of Vancouver memories wins city book award
CBC: 2008 February 1
A book by artist Michael Kluckner that recalls Vancouver from the end of the Second World War to Expo 1986 has won the City of Vancouver Book Award.
Vancouver Remembered is a collection of paintings, photographs, anecdotes and hand-painted maps of Vancouver throughout the period.
Vancouver Remembered by Michael Kluckner is the 2007 winner of the City of Vancouver Book Award.(Whitecap Books)
The city presented the $2,000 prize to Kluckner's publisher, Robert McCullough of Whitecap Books, on Tuesday.
Kluckner's Vanishing Vancouver won the city book award in 1991.
The artist, who now lives in Australia, grew up in the city and has been an advocate for preserving Vancouver heritage and culture.
The jury hailed Vancouver Remembered for "its meticulous research and ability to paint a complex picture of Vancouver's social histories, architecture and design," according to a city news release.
Other finalists for the award were:
A book by artist Michael Kluckner that recalls Vancouver from the end of the Second World War to Expo 1986 has won the City of Vancouver Book Award.
Vancouver Remembered is a collection of paintings, photographs, anecdotes and hand-painted maps of Vancouver throughout the period.
Vancouver Remembered by Michael Kluckner is the 2007 winner of the City of Vancouver Book Award.(Whitecap Books)
The city presented the $2,000 prize to Kluckner's publisher, Robert McCullough of Whitecap Books, on Tuesday.
Kluckner's Vanishing Vancouver won the city book award in 1991.
The artist, who now lives in Australia, grew up in the city and has been an advocate for preserving Vancouver heritage and culture.
The jury hailed Vancouver Remembered for "its meticulous research and ability to paint a complex picture of Vancouver's social histories, architecture and design," according to a city news release.
Other finalists for the award were:
- Grant Arnold and Michael Turner for Fred Herzog: Vancouver Photographs.
- Anita Rau Badami for Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?
- Brett Josef Grubisic for The Age of Cities.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Yes, our copyright law can get your ass sued
Georgia Straight: 2008 January 31
By Blaine Kyllo
Recently, I was surprised to learn that I’m a lawbreaker. I haven’t been convicted—not yet. But I’ve been committing crimes for years without knowing it.
And you may have been too.
When I record Family Guy to watch later in the evening, after my young daughter has gone to bed, I’m breaking the law. I broke the law when I ripped Feist’s The Reminder to my computer so I could listen to “1234” on my iPod. In each case, I violated Canada’s Copyright Act.
These are examples of time and format shifting. I pay for the television signal that comes into my apartment, and I believe I should have the right to record a show now and watch it next week. I believe that when I purchase a CD, I should have the right to listen to those songs on any device I want. But I don’t have those rights. In other countries such actions are allowed under the concept of fair use. In Canada, we talk about fair dealing, but our copyright laws don’t give us much freedom to use the content we pay for.
Bringing Canada’s copyright legislation up-to-date is on the Conservative government’s agenda. Responsibility for the reform rests with Industry Minister Jim Prentice, along with Josée Verner, minister of Canadian heritage, with whom he would table the legislation.
While we don’t know exactly what is in Prentice’s legislation, noted copyright and Internet-law expert Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, says there is sufficient evidence to inform speculation about what the minister has planned. Critics such as Geist don’t expect Prentice’s bill to amend the concept of fair dealing, which means that using your digital video recorder will still be illegal. And if you want to listen to a CD on anything other than a CD player, unless it includes additional files, you’ll be expected to buy it in other formats.
It’s what Prentice is likely to add to our copyright law that is dangerous. It’s thought that he wants to bring in anticircumvention provisions, which would make it illegal to work around or break digital locks. So a blind student who wants to run an audio book through her voice reader could be prosecuted for using software to circumvent the audio book’s digital-rights management. Converting your iTunes-purchased music into a format you can play on a non-iPod MP3 player could also land you in court.
DRM technologies also pose a risk to privacy because they can collect information about users to be sent to the copyright holder without a user’s knowledge. It’s a serious enough issue that Canada’s privacy commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, recently sent a letter to Prentice and Verner warning that permitting such data collection would threaten the privacy of Canadians.
Digital locks are a blunt tool: they are used to protect copyrighted content, but are unable to make exceptions for the professor who is conducting legitimate, legal research, the journalist writing film criticism, or the comedian using television clips in a parody.
Prentice has met with the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, to talk about copyright reform. He’s met with lobbyists for the American entertainment industry. But he’s ignored requests to hear the concerns of Canadian educators, librarians, musicians, artists, consumer-rights groups, and technologists.
The U.S. media corporations want Canada to mirror that country’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In the 10 years since the act came into effect, more than 20,000 individuals have been sued by the recording industry for copyright infringement. How much of the “recovered” money was passed on to the artists who wrote and performed that music? No one knows for sure, but precious little, if any.
In a news release, Steven Page, member of the Barenaked Ladies and representative of the Canadian Music Creators Coalition (other members include Feist, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Broken Social Scene, and Sloan), quipped, “It’s shortsighted to say ‘See you in court’ one day and ‘See you at Massey Hall’ the next. If record labels want to try and sue fans, we hope that they’ll have the courtesy to stop trying to do it in our names.” The CMCC is one of several groups that have called upon the government to come up with a made-in-Canada response to copyright reform.
The industry minister has said that his intent is to get Canada in line with a World Intellectual Property Organization treaty we signed in 1997. But the draconian measures he is expected to propose far exceed what is required to ratify the treaty.
In Canada, using measures like CanCon requirements, we go to great lengths to ensure that our creators, be they musicians, writers, or artists, have an opportunity to make their voices heard over the din to the south. Bending over to American interests when it comes to copyright would invalidate those efforts.
Which makes me wonder why we haven’t heard a peep from Verner, the minister of Canadian heritage. Neither of the ministers’ offices responded to telephone requests from the Straight for an interview. And neither has addressed Canadians’ concerns about copyright reform.
Somehow, what would normally be a dry and boring subject has become a hot-button issue. The listeners of CBC Radio’s Search Engine program came up with a list of 250 questions to ask Prentice, and when he ignored an invitation to appear on the show, about 50 people showed up at his constituency Christmas party to ask questions in person. The Facebook group Geist started back in December, Fair Copyright for Canada, had 15,000 members within 10 days of launching, and now has nearly 40,000.
Prentice and Verner planned to introduce the legislation on December 11, but it was delayed, some suggest due to public outcry. In a recent e-mail exchange, Geist said that his sources expect the bill to be introduced early in the new parliamentary session, which began on January 28.
The Conservative government, it seems, just wants the bill tabled, and will deal with the consequences afterward. I wonder if they’re ready to lose a federal election. That’s one hell of a consequence.
By Blaine Kyllo
Recently, I was surprised to learn that I’m a lawbreaker. I haven’t been convicted—not yet. But I’ve been committing crimes for years without knowing it.
And you may have been too.
When I record Family Guy to watch later in the evening, after my young daughter has gone to bed, I’m breaking the law. I broke the law when I ripped Feist’s The Reminder to my computer so I could listen to “1234” on my iPod. In each case, I violated Canada’s Copyright Act.
These are examples of time and format shifting. I pay for the television signal that comes into my apartment, and I believe I should have the right to record a show now and watch it next week. I believe that when I purchase a CD, I should have the right to listen to those songs on any device I want. But I don’t have those rights. In other countries such actions are allowed under the concept of fair use. In Canada, we talk about fair dealing, but our copyright laws don’t give us much freedom to use the content we pay for.
Bringing Canada’s copyright legislation up-to-date is on the Conservative government’s agenda. Responsibility for the reform rests with Industry Minister Jim Prentice, along with Josée Verner, minister of Canadian heritage, with whom he would table the legislation.
While we don’t know exactly what is in Prentice’s legislation, noted copyright and Internet-law expert Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, says there is sufficient evidence to inform speculation about what the minister has planned. Critics such as Geist don’t expect Prentice’s bill to amend the concept of fair dealing, which means that using your digital video recorder will still be illegal. And if you want to listen to a CD on anything other than a CD player, unless it includes additional files, you’ll be expected to buy it in other formats.
It’s what Prentice is likely to add to our copyright law that is dangerous. It’s thought that he wants to bring in anticircumvention provisions, which would make it illegal to work around or break digital locks. So a blind student who wants to run an audio book through her voice reader could be prosecuted for using software to circumvent the audio book’s digital-rights management. Converting your iTunes-purchased music into a format you can play on a non-iPod MP3 player could also land you in court.
DRM technologies also pose a risk to privacy because they can collect information about users to be sent to the copyright holder without a user’s knowledge. It’s a serious enough issue that Canada’s privacy commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, recently sent a letter to Prentice and Verner warning that permitting such data collection would threaten the privacy of Canadians.
Digital locks are a blunt tool: they are used to protect copyrighted content, but are unable to make exceptions for the professor who is conducting legitimate, legal research, the journalist writing film criticism, or the comedian using television clips in a parody.
Prentice has met with the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Wilkins, to talk about copyright reform. He’s met with lobbyists for the American entertainment industry. But he’s ignored requests to hear the concerns of Canadian educators, librarians, musicians, artists, consumer-rights groups, and technologists.
The U.S. media corporations want Canada to mirror that country’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act. In the 10 years since the act came into effect, more than 20,000 individuals have been sued by the recording industry for copyright infringement. How much of the “recovered” money was passed on to the artists who wrote and performed that music? No one knows for sure, but precious little, if any.
In a news release, Steven Page, member of the Barenaked Ladies and representative of the Canadian Music Creators Coalition (other members include Feist, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Broken Social Scene, and Sloan), quipped, “It’s shortsighted to say ‘See you in court’ one day and ‘See you at Massey Hall’ the next. If record labels want to try and sue fans, we hope that they’ll have the courtesy to stop trying to do it in our names.” The CMCC is one of several groups that have called upon the government to come up with a made-in-Canada response to copyright reform.
The industry minister has said that his intent is to get Canada in line with a World Intellectual Property Organization treaty we signed in 1997. But the draconian measures he is expected to propose far exceed what is required to ratify the treaty.
In Canada, using measures like CanCon requirements, we go to great lengths to ensure that our creators, be they musicians, writers, or artists, have an opportunity to make their voices heard over the din to the south. Bending over to American interests when it comes to copyright would invalidate those efforts.
Which makes me wonder why we haven’t heard a peep from Verner, the minister of Canadian heritage. Neither of the ministers’ offices responded to telephone requests from the Straight for an interview. And neither has addressed Canadians’ concerns about copyright reform.
Somehow, what would normally be a dry and boring subject has become a hot-button issue. The listeners of CBC Radio’s Search Engine program came up with a list of 250 questions to ask Prentice, and when he ignored an invitation to appear on the show, about 50 people showed up at his constituency Christmas party to ask questions in person. The Facebook group Geist started back in December, Fair Copyright for Canada, had 15,000 members within 10 days of launching, and now has nearly 40,000.
Prentice and Verner planned to introduce the legislation on December 11, but it was delayed, some suggest due to public outcry. In a recent e-mail exchange, Geist said that his sources expect the bill to be introduced early in the new parliamentary session, which began on January 28.
The Conservative government, it seems, just wants the bill tabled, and will deal with the consequences afterward. I wonder if they’re ready to lose a federal election. That’s one hell of a consequence.
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