Please share the attached announcement about the ALA President's Program with members of groups you belong to and anyone you know who will be attending ALA Midwinter.  The line up of speakers and panelists is outstanding, and this opportunity can impact the activities of a wide range of committees, task forces and initiatives. Thanks!

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ALA President Nancy Kranich leads Midwinter program
on Digital Divide

American Library Association President Nancy C. Kranich invites all attendees at the 2001 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Washington D.C. to join her at the President's Program for an exploration of issues surrounding the digital divide.  "The Digital Divide and Information Equity: Challenges and Opportunities for Libraries in the 21st Century" will be held on Sunday, January 14, from 2-4 p.m. in Hall C of the Washington Convention Center (WCC) and will be followed by an open forum for small group discussion from 4-5 p.m. in WCC Room 32/33.  Larry Irving, Jr., president of the Irving Information Group and former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, will deliver the keynote speech.  

"Throughout history, libraries have provided equal opportunity to all Americans leveling the playing field and bridging the gap between the information haves and have nots,"Kranich said.  "In this environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources, I believe our communities need libraries and librarians more than ever."

Irving, who served under President Clinton from 1993 to 1999, is known for spearheading the measurement of the digital divide in America and leading the government's efforts to bridge the gap.  He is widely credited with coining the term "digital divide" and informing the American public about the growing problem it represents.  He initiated and was the principal author of the landmark Federal survey Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide, which tracks access to telecommunications and information technologies.  Irving was a point person in the Clinton-Gore administration's successful efforts to reform the United States' telecommunications law, which resulted in the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 -- the most sweeping change in America's telecommunications law in 60 years.  In recognition of his work to promote policies and develop programs to ensure equitable access to advanced telecommunication and information technologies, Mr. Irving was named one!
of the fifty most influential persons in the "Year of the Internet" by Newsweek Magazine, which described him as the "Conscience of the Internet."

Following the keynote presentation, a panel of experts from across the country will enlarge the discussion and lead into a short Q&A session.  The panelists will be Karen Buller, president and CEO of the National Indian Telecommunications Institute, Santa Fe, NM; Mark Lloyd, executive director of the Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, Washington, DC; and Laurie Lipper, co-director of The Children's Partnership, Washington, DC.  Jorge Schement, co-director of the Information Policy Institute and professor of Communications and Information Policy at Pennsylvania State University, will serve as panel moderator.

Immediately after the formal program, from 4-5 p.m., attendees will adjourn to WCC Room 32/33 for facilitated small group discussions to help ALA frame an information equity agenda for the 21st Century.

The musical group Paul Burch and the WPA Ballclub will open the program at 1:45 p.m. with a short performance of original music on the theme of democracy.  The Washington Post says "Burch is one of the most promising singer-songwriters on the cutting edge of country music."  Burch's appearance is presented by LIVE! @ your Library, an initiative of the ALA Public Programs Office.  

A special "Exhibits Plus" conference registration of $30 is available for those not registered for the conference who would like to attend the ALA President's Program.  Exhibits Plus registration will provide access to the President's Program and to the exhibits.