In the March 2003 issue of its newsletter, the American Studies Association includes an editorial, Intellectual Freedom in a Time of War, enumerating four specific threats to intellectual freedom since September 11, three from the federal government and one from university administrators and private organizations. Excerpt: "Access to documents also helps citizens make informed decisions about current policy and keeps government accountable....It is imperative today that scholars and journalists in all fields have the widest possible access to information generated by our own government....The ability of librarians to do their work is threatened by federal agencies that demand they turn over patron records. The rights of library users and book buyers are at risk when federal agencies can request these records, and our right to privacy-even to our own thoughts-is at risk when the government can monitor what we read. We urge the repeal of [the USA Patriot Act], which threatens to erode the foundation of intellectual freedom."
Posted by
Peter Suber at 2/08/2003 10:32:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
