Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News v. 10 n. 2, February 2024

Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News support the committee's mission to monitor governmental activities and social justice issues affecting the professional interests of ARLIS/NA and to keep the ARLIS/NA membership informed. The monthly alerts are intended to be conversation starters, help members keep up on public policy issues and alert members to new developments. The articles compiled in the News Alerts bring to the forefront recent news from a range of perspectives designed to elicit discussion; they are not compiled to represent the views of ARLIS as an organization or the members of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee.

Previous issues can be found here: https://www.arlisna.org/news/appc-news-alert 

Art & Activism

• “Israeli Occupation Looted Manuscripts, Books about Palestine’s History: Palestinian National Library.” EgyptToday, February 17, 2024.

• Agrawal, Sakshi. "Online Activists Are Driving the Fight to Get Stolen Artifacts Repatriated to Nepal." ARTnews, February 20, 2024.

• Aton, Francesca. “Botticelli’s Birth of Venus Targeted by Climate Activists in Florence.” ARTnews, February 13, 2024. 

• Desai, Chandni. “The War in Gaza Is Wiping out Palestine’s Education and Knowledge Systems.” The Conversation, February 8, 2024. 

• Greenberger, Alex. “Hundreds of Artists Urge Venice Biennale to Drop ‘Genocidal’ Israeli Pavilion: ‘No Death in Venice.’” ARTnews.Com, February 26, 2024.

• Ho, Karen K. “Activists Protest at MoMA on Valentine’s Day Over Donor Henry Kravis.” ARTnews, February 15, 2024. 

• Ho, Karen K. “Pro-Palestine Protestors Stage Events at MoMA and Brooklyn Museum.” ARTnews, February 11, 2024.

• Ho, Karen K. "Climate Protestors Throw Soup at Monet Painting at French Museum." ARTnews, February 12, 2024. 

• Lauter, Devorah. “Restitution, Repatriation Efforts See Halting Progress Across Europe and the US, amid Shifts in Public Opinion.” ARTnews, February 19, 2024.

• Pontone, Maya. “Center for Book Arts Backs Out of Performance, Drawing Criticism.” Hyperallergic, February 14, 2024. 

Copyright & Licensing; Open Access 

• Brittain, Blake “OpenAI Says New York Times ‘hacked’ ChatGPT to Build Copyright Lawsuit." Reuters, February 27, 2024. 

• Cassady, Daniel. "Major Street Artists Sue Clothing Brand Guess, Accusing Them of Stealing Their Work." ARTnews, February 6, 2024. 

• Cho, Winston. “AI Companies Take Hit as Judge Says Artists Have ‘Public Interest’ In Pursuing Lawsuits.” ARTnews, February 13, 2024. 

• Lu, Yiwen. “Digital Media Outlets Sue OpenAI for Copyright Infringement.” The New York Times, February 28, 2024.

• Rufo, Yasmin. “Kanye West: Rapper Ye Sued by Donna Summer’s Estate over Copyright.” BBC, February 28, 2024. 

• Tumadóttir, Anna. “What Does the CC Community Think about Regulating Generative AI?” Creative Commons, February 8, 2024.

• Velie, Elaine. “Middle School Teacher Accused of Selling Students’ Art Online.” Hyperallergic, February 22, 2024.
  
  

Funding

• City University of New York, "CUNY Receives $2 Million From the Mellon Foundation to Make University Archives More Accessible to Public." February 13, 2024.

• Durón, Maximilíano. “Ruth Foundation for the Arts Announces New $100,000 Artist Awards.” ARTnews, February 1, 2024.

• Ho, Karen K. “A Vast Gift of Calder Sculptures Could Change the Seattle Art Museum—and the Surrounding City—Forever.” ARTnews, February 14, 2024. 

• Holmes, Jacob. "AG finds state funding for libraries can be contingent on policies." Alabama Political Reporter, February 6, 2024.

• Jacobs, Harrison. “Online Fundraiser Raises $160,000 in Donations to Replace Stolen, Destroyed Jackie Robinson Statue.” ARTnews, February 2, 2024. 

• Nayyar, Rhea. "UK Arts Funding Body Urges Grantees to Stay Out of Politics." Hyperallergic, February 14, 2024.

• Villa, Angelica. “New $16 M. Fund in New York Gives Artists Unrestricted Grants to Fuel Their Careers.” ARTnews, February 7, 2024.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access (IDEA)

• "Welcome to the New Era of Restitution and Repatriation." ARTnews, February 19, 2024.

• Chaudhry, Aisha and Isa S. You. "Reading between the lines: Queerness and print culture in Vancouver." The Ubyssey, February 7, 2024. 

• Dahir, Abdi Latif. “‘We’Re Going to Stand Up’: Queer Literature Is Booming in Africa.” The New York Times, sec. Books, February 17, 2024. 

• Friedman, Vitaly. "A Practical Guide To Designing For Colorblind People." Smashing Magazine, February 20, 2024.

• Guthrie, Marisa. “Brooklyn Museum’s American Art Reinstallation to Center Black Feminist Perspectives.” ARTnews, February 23, 2024. 

• Rodriguez, Olga R. “San Francisco Wants to Offer Free Drug Recovery Books at Its Public Libraries.” San Francisco Chronicle, February 21, 2024. 

• Sheehan, Dan. “Israel Has Damaged or Destroyed at Least 13 Libraries in Gaza.” Literary  Hub, February 6, 2024. 

• Strasser, Scott. "Pride-themed library books returned with 'significant damage,' prompting police response." Calgary Herald, February 16, 2024.

• Williams, Jim. “Chicago Library to Digitize Largest Set of African American History, Literature in Midwest.” CBS Chicago, February 15, 2024. 

Intellectual Freedom/Access to Information

• Bongiorno, Joe, and Melissa Francois. “Children’s Author Élise Gravel Rejects Accusations of Antisemitism as Books Removed from Library’s Shelves.” CBC News, February 8, 2024. 

• Greenberger, Alex. “Anti-Abortion Group Calls for Removal of ‘Satanic’ Shahzia Sikander Sculpture in Texas.” ARTnews, February 22, 2024. 

• Ho, Karen K. "Ai Weiwei Says Western Censorship Is ‘More Concealed’ and Poses a Greater Threat." ARTnews, February 8, 2024.

• Mipro, Rachel. “Kansas Lawmakers Want School Library Books Rated for ‘Appropriateness.’” Kansas Reflector, February 15, 2024.

• Nayyar, Rhea. “How African-American Museums Are Navigating Book Bans.” Hyperallergic, February 1, 2024.

• Oamek, Paige. “Ron DeSantis Finally Admits War on Books Has Been a Total Disaster.” The New Republic, February 15, 2024. 

• Otten, Tori. “West Virginia GOP Passes Deranged Bill That Could Put Librarians in Jail.” The New Republic, February 19, 2024.

• PEN America. “Prohibition of LGBTQ+ Books by Alabama Library Makes a ‘Mockery’ of Free Expression.” February 20, 2024. 

• Williamson, Elizabeth. “Cast as Criminals, America’s Librarians Rally to Their Own Defense.” The New York Times, February 3, 2024. 

• Winnick, Laura. “Book Ban Battles and Reading Wars: Public Libraries and the Science of Reading.” Library Journal, February 19, 2024. 

• Wong, Jessica. “Calls to Ban Books Are on the Rise in Canada. So Is the Opposition to Any Bans.” CBC News, February 21, 2024.

Technology and Digital Privacy

• Aton, Francesca. “AI Deciphers Text from 2,000-Year-Old Roman Scroll Burned During the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius.” ARTnews, February 7, 2024.

• Aton, Francesca. "Virtual Reality Brought Van Gogh’s Masterpieces to Life and Broke the Musée d’Orsay’s Attendance Records." ARTnews, February 12, 2024. 

• Bridge, Sarah, and Anya Zoledziowski. "1 million books and 4 months later, Toronto's library recovers from a cyberattack." CBC News, February 27, 2024.

• Bureau, Brigitte. "Federal departments violated privacy directive, committee hears." CBC News, February 2, 2024. 

• Laroche, Jean. "Nova Scotia's information commissioner 'very frustrated' by current system." CBC News, February 1, 2024.

• Harris, Elizabeth A. “A Celebrity Dies, and New Biographies Pop Up Overnight. The Author? A.I.” The New York Times, sec. Books, February 18, 2024.

• Little, Simon. "Court hits B.C. lawyer with costs over fake AI-generated cases, despite no intent to deceive." Global News, February 26, 2024.

• "Public library trends and innovations to watch for in 2024." Pressreader, February 6, 2024. 

Workplace

• AFSCME Maryland Council 3. “Workers at Howard County Library System Win Union Election.” AFSCME, February 21, 2024. 

• Aton, Francesca. “After Three Years, Unionized Faculty at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts Reach Tentative Contract Agreement.” ARTnews, February 8, 2024. 

• Boothby, Lauren. "EPL workers vote to strike, city and library prepare for lockout." Edmonton Journal, February 9, 2024.

• Jacobs, Harrison. “University of New Hampshire’s Museum of Art to Permanently Close.” ARTnews, February 1, 2024.

• Owen, Michael. "‘Still unresolved’: Union responds to Bradford library deal." BarrieToday.com, February 7, 2024.

• Roberts, Dana. "Contract for Bradford library staff finalized." CTV News, February 1, 2024. 

• Solomon, Tessa, “Portland Museum of Art to Cut 13 Positions, Citing Pandemic Fallout.” ARTnews, February 16, 2024.

Miscellaneous

• Peet, Lisa. “Alabama’s Break with ALA Signals Broader Attack on Library Independence.” Library Journal, February 12, 2024. 

• Pontone, Maya. “The Enigmatic Bolivian Artist Who Centered Indigenous Workers’ Rights.” Hyperallergic, February 6, 2024. 

• United States Department of State. “U.S. Department of State Announces Project to Protect Ukrainian State Archives.” February 22, 2024.

• Zalusky, Steve. “Georgia Weighs Loss of LIS Accreditation in Potential Break with ALA.” Library Journal, February 16, 2024.

This issue of News Alerts was compiled by Freyja Catton, Sal Hamerman, Michele Jennings, Stephanie Kays, Annie Sollinger, and Petra Warren.