YALSA Members & Concerned Library Workers,
There’s one week left to contact your Senator about the importance of social
networking technologies in libraries. If you haven’t already, please take a minute
to get in touch with your Senator. Some useful resources and information are
provided below. Also, YALSA has created and compiled three great resources for
librarians, which are all available at www.ala.org/yalsa. Click on the links for
the: Legislative Advocacy Guide, DOPA Information Packet and Teens & Social
Networking in School & Public Libraries Toolkit. Thank you for taking a few
minutes of your time to ensure that your library users have access to critical
online communication tools.
-Judy Nelson, YALSA President
1. Contact your Senator by Sept. 5th to:
A. Educate him/her about the positive uses of Social Networking Sites (use the
information in YALSA’s Toolkit on Teens & Social Networking in School & Public
Libraries).
B. Tell him/her your opinion of legislation like DOPA that would unfairly restrict
access to critical online communication tools. (see YALSA’s Legislative Advocacy
Guide for quick tips on contacting your Senator).
To find out who our Senator is and email him/her, go to www.ala.org and click on
"Take Action Now," then click on "Contact Your Legislator." When you get to the
next page, type in your zipcode to find out who your Senator is and/or to send
him/her an email.
2. Personalize and send the accompanying sample letter (see below) to the editor of
your local newspaper, and encourage your library patrons to do the same.
3. Sign the online petition opposing legislation limiting access to social
networking technologies at www.saveyourspace.org.
4. Host an information session at your library about social networking sites (see
YALSA’s Toolkit on Teens & Social Networking in School & Public Libraries for tips
and ideas).
5. Tell YALSA how you’re using social networking technologies at your library.
Go to http://teentechweek.wikispaces.com and click on "Online Social Networking."
From there you can add a link to your library’s MySpace space as well as join in on
the discussion about how you’re using social networking technologies in your
library.
6. Invite your Senator to your library. Have teens on hand to demonstrate
productive ways they use social networking technologies. Provide the Senator with
a photo-op (e.g. giving a summer reading award to a teen or reading a story to
kids). Give the Senator information about social networking sites and show him/her
what your library is already doing to keep children and teens safe online.
Sample letter to the editor
(please feel free to make additions or changes so that it better fits any
particular messages you want to get across)
Librarians care deeply about children and teens and are concerned about their
safety online and in our community. While Congress’ effort to make children and
teens more safe online is admirable, the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) will
actually do little to make our kids safer. What it will do is block access to
critical Internet resources and communication tools in schools and libraries that
our kids need to learn how to use in order to be successful in college and the
workplace. It also takes control away from communities like ours, and leaves the
decision making about what our children can access on the Internet to the
politicians in Washington DC.
DOPA will further limit kids’ access to online resources at school and in
libraries. That means it would prevent librarians and teachers from instructing
students and their parents about how to use all kinds of Web applications safely
and effectively. Because it is linked to federal funding, DOPA also hurts most
those kids served by schools and libraries in low-income communities.
DOPA restricts online support groups, email programs through which family members
can communicate with each other, and educational tools used to provide distance
education, squashing kids' first attempts at becoming acquainted with applications
that will soon be essential workplace tools. Just one example of what has been lost
in a rush to legislate is a recent online field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in N.M.,
in which more than 10 million students participated and First Lady Laura Bush took
part.
Perhaps the most troubling part of DOPA is the false sense of security it gives
parents who are seeking solutions to the problem of online predators. Like dangers
to kids in the real world, dangers on the Internet are not easily overcome.
Teaching young people to practice safe behaviors and guard their privacy online the
same way they would in public is critical if we want to protect them.
Please join me in urging Congress to make a real commitment to kids' safety by
abandoning bad legislation like DOPA and funding our libraries and schools
adequately so they have the resources they need to empower our community’s kids to
stay safe on the Internet.
Sincerely,
[add your name here]
Beth Yoke
Executive Director
Young Adult Library Services Association,
fastest growing division of the American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
1 (800) 545-2433 x4391
byoke@ala.org
www.ala.org/yalsa
Register for Teen Read Week!
www.ala.org/teenread
Celebrate Oct. 15-21, 2006
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