A quick follow up on last week's post about Edwin Mellen Press suing Librarian Dale Askey. The Chronicle of Higher Education has now gotten the word out, along with a link to a petition at Change.org asking EMP to drop the lawsuit. That petition is up to 1,186 signatures as I write this; please add yours. BoingBoing also reports, probably bringing the news to a more general audience.
And finally, the Canadian Library Association sent an email to members this AM as follows:
One of the Canadian Library Association's stated values is:
We believe that libraries and the principles of intellectual freedom and free universal access to information are key components of an open and democratic society.
It is imperative that library workers are able to openly discuss and publish their thoughts, research and opinions. The imparial evaluation of information quality is one of the key contributions of professional librarians. The CLA Executive Council wishes to publicly support Dale Askey of McMaster University and McMaster University in their defence against the unprecedented libel suit brought against them by Edwin Mellen Press.
The CLA Executive Council strongly urges Edwin Mellen Press to drop this suit.
Oh, and I was surprised to learn in my quick searches last week that neither CLA or ALA appear to have a legal defense fund for members :-/
