Information Management Guide-Current IM Issues: Resource Links
Current
IM Issues: Resource Links
There are a number of topics or issues currently receiving a lot of attention
by individuals involved in information management, information technology, or
library management. Some of these are listed below, with annotated links provided
to quality websites (or to online periodical databases in the case of some articles)
that I believe are of assistance in gaining an understanding of the relevant
issue.
All of the listed topics are ones that I have personally researched during
the course of my post-graduate university studies, and at some future point
the reports, environmental scans, presentations, and policy proposals in question
will be placed online for viewing. In the meantime, individuals interested in
viewing any of my papers on the topics listed below are welcome to contact me
by e-mail at
A copy of the information in the "Child Online Protection Act" (U.S.A. legislation),
aka "COPA", passed in October 1998, and is currently being challenged
in the courts as unconstitutional.
The COPPA deals with privacy issues relating to children on the Internet, notably
what information about a child (such as name and address) a website may collect.
COPPA is different to COPA, and has been passed successfully.
An extensive guide by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) on the COPPA legislation,
including helpful information for kids, parents, media, webmasters, and researchers.
A listing of excellent papers by prominent organizations on the issues of child
protection on the Internet, notably discussing filtering, cyberporn, and the
Child Online Protection Act.
Hertzel, D.A. (2000) 'Don't talk to strangers: An analysis of government
and industry efforts to protect a child's privacy online', Federal Communications
Law Journal, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 429-451. [Full text available on Proquest
Databases to Proquest subscribers, such as QUT
students and staff.]
An excellent and in-depth article on the issue of children's privacy online.
The link above is to a full-text database available free to QUT students and
staff.
Two articles on the rise in online advertising of jobs can be found at the
Newswire news website;
Angus, F. (2000) Online job ads skyrocket, article dated 10/05/2000
Marriner, C. (2000) Online job ads hit all-time high, article dated
05/04/2000
A quick survey of the ratio of job types advertised at the below websites will quickly reveal that IT positions remain the predominant category of positions advertised online.
Seek
This website has quick and full search options. There's a very strong focus
on IT jobs at this website (as at many, but its particularly noticeable here).
The rather clashing colour scheme (blue and orange) grows on you eventually.
It claims jobs are updated daily.
Employment.com.au
Job searching is free, and the search can be limited by keywords, industry,
location (including to regions of a state capital), terms of employment (e.g.
full-time, part-time), and minimum salary.
HotJobs.com
This is the Australian HotJobs website. The quick search function is a little bare, and I personally found the more
advanced job search option less user-friendly than some other online job agencies'
search interfaces. The facility to browse job ads by location is interesting,
it certainly saves time to just browse the available jobs in Brisbane, for
example, rather than fuss with a complicated search criteria.
Jobnet
A very aesthetically pleasing interface in gentle colours. Search interface
requires keyword entries in various sections (e.g. position, skills, location),
and has a +/- Boolean option. The option to limit the search to jobs added
in the last 1, 3, 7 or 14 days is a big plus.
Monster.com
One of the major American online job agencies.
Hotjobs.com
One of the major American online job agencies.
Jobs.com
One of the major American online job agencies.
Techies.com
A smaller online job agencies that specializes in the advertisement of IT positions, and placing jobseekers with a high level of IT skills.
N.B. Notes below hotlinks in this section are extracts from my personally copyrighted
(2000) document, "Cybersquatting", and must be cited appropriately if used in
the production of another document of any kind. My report on Cybersquatting will
be added to this website at some future date.
ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is an international,
non-government, non-profit organization established in 1998, which took over
many of the functions of NSI (and IANA) in 1999.
DNSO
The Domain Name Supporting Organization is part of ICANN, and has a
major role in providing recommendations to ICANN on the formulation of new
potential domain name structures, such as the proposed .shop, .news, and .arts
gTLDs, for example.
WIPO (English Language Version)
The World Intellectual Property Organization is a United Nations agency
that monitors a number of intellectual property issues, of which domain name
ownership is one. It is one of the four ICANN approved providers for arbitrating
domain name disputes under ICANN's UDRP (Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy).
The other three are the National Arbitration Forum (NAF), Disputes.org/eResolution
Consortium (DeC), and the CPR Institute for Dispute Resolution (CPR).
Check which organizations in your country are legally registered to allocate
generic level domain names.
NSI
From 1993 to 1999 Network Solutions Inc. had a contract with the U.S.
Department of Commerce to be the sole registry for .com, .net, and .org domain
names, but now there are over a hundred registrars. However, it will continue
to act as the central registry for domain names (i.e. it will control the
WHOIS directory and root server) until 2003.
Melbourne IT a.k.a. INWW Melbourne IT, a.k.a. Internet Names Worldwide, is one of the
two Australian domain name registrars currently accredited by ICANN, and arguably
the most well-known.
Capital Networks P/L Capital Networks is the other Australian domain name registrar. Datasource
Network Australia Ltd. is listed at the ICANN website as accredited, but is
not yet operational (in September, 2000).
In addition to the pages linked to below, I strongly recommend reviewing the
FAQ webpages available at the ICANN and DNSO websites (see organizational links
above), as a source of up-to-date and authoritative information on recent development
in domain name registration and dispute resolution.
ICANN's 'Uniform
Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy'
This policy is directed towards cybersquatters who can be demonstratably be
shown to be acting in bad faith. It began to be used in late 1999, and has
been adopted by all ICANN accredited gTLD (generic top level domain) registrars,
including NSI. Examination of this policy will also aid individuals or companies
in selecting a domain name unlikely to be legally challenged.
Nathenson, I. S. (1997) 'Showdown at the domain name corral: property
rights and personal jurisdiction over squatters, poachers and other parasites',
URL: http://www.pitt.edu/~lawrev/58-4/articles/domain.htm#VI.B,
online publication by University of Pittsburgh Law Review, accessed 7/9/2000.
[Full text available at the University
of Pittsburgh Law Review website as listed above.]
This excellent article is well worth a look for its in-depth examination of
the different types of cybersquatting, and motivations behind it. Case studies
are often cited as examples, giving a good introduction to the kinds of cybersquatting
legal battles and their likely outcomes. Note that its publication date of
1997 means that the most current developments are omitted from review.
Cave, D. C. (2000) 'Cybersquatting', URL: http://www.davies.com.au/DCC-Cybersquatting/sld001.htm,
accessed 15/8/2000.
[Full text available at Davies
Collison Cave (legal professionals) website as listed above.]
A good succinct introduction to the legal issues surrounding domain name registration
in Australia. Most suited for people unfamiliar with the issue of cybersquatting,
who will enjoy the slideshow style overview. Note that some of the graphics
in the presentation have been taken from the WIPO website.
Port, R. C. (2000) 'Recent Developments in Internet Law: Cybersquatting',
URL: http://www.internetlegal.com/articles/cybersquatting.htm,
accessed 15/8/200, 7/9/2000.
[Full text available online at InternetLegal website as listed above.]
A good source of material firstly reviewing the background legislation surrounding
cybersquatting, and then focusing on the recent developments such as the Lanham
Act and the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (U.S. legislation).
Closing the Digital Divide
Produced by the Clinton administration (as of October, 2000), it aims to act
as "...a comprehensive clearinghouse for information about the Administration's
efforts to provide all Americans with access to the Internet and other information
technologies that are crucial to their economic growth and personal advancement."
The Digital Divide Network
A source of information about current digital divide related events and conferences,
news, and informative articles. They also maintain a listserv which you can
join.
Americans in the
Information Age Falling Through the Net
The most notable document on this government website is the well-known "Falling
Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide" report (third in the Falling Through
the Net series), which is one of the current primary sources of statistics on
the digital divide in America. I strongly advise browsing the graphs in particular
contained in this report, and not merely relying on others' interpretations
of the statistics, which in my opinion may reflect an unbalanced or biased viewpoint.
This website also hosts the other two reports in the series, as well as a variety
of related reports and commentary.
OCLC June 1999 Web Statistics
The Online Computer Library Center is a respectable source of statistics about
the size and nature of the Internet. This webpage includes, among others,
figures on the country of origin, and languages of web sites.
The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling are fantasy stories aimed at children,
relating the adventures of a young English wizard. The series has topped ALA's
Office for Intellectual Freedom's list of the "Ten
Most Challenged Books of 1999" because of its focus on wizardry and
magic. Objections to the series are primarily initiated by Christian fundamentalists
or biblical literalists.
ALA Library Bill of Rights
The American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights" may
assist libraries in clarifying their views on intellectual freedom.
Coping with Challenges
ALA's recommended strategies and tips for dealing with challenges to library
materials. These extensive guidelines are a collaborative effort, and include
contributions from the American Association of School Librarians, American
Library Trustees and Advocates, the Assocation for Library Service to Children,
Public Library Assocation, and the Young Adult Library Services Association.
The Censor: Motives
and Tactics
ALA suggests that there are four basic motivations which may lie behind the
actions of censors; a perceived threat to family values, defense against attacks
on religious faith, objections to the political viewpoint of the material,
or a wish to present a minority group in a positive light.
Waters, D. (2000) 'Not every Christian horrified by Harry Potter', URL:
http://shns.scripps.com/shns/,
accessed 19/8/2000.
[Full text available online at news
website as listed above.]
This article overviews a range of reactions from various notable Christian
writers and publications. It has clearly been used as source material in
the production of some of the "Worthy News" articles listed above.
Zeeland, Michigan
Information about the history and current status of the censorship of Harry
Potter books in public schools in Zeeland, Michigan, can be obtained from
the National Coalition Against
Censorship (NCAC) website. A reactionary group of parents, teachers and
students("Muggles For Harry
Potter") involved in this case have been quite successful in campaigning
against the censorship restrictions instituted by the local school superintendent.
St. Mary's Church of England primary school, Chatham, England
Associated Newspapers Ltd. reports in their article "Potter
fans turning to witchcraft" (article dated 4/8/2000) that in March, 2000,
the headmistress of the above school banned Harry Potter books from the library,
"...warning that the stories expose vulnerable young people to aspects of the
occult".
Harry Potter Books Spark Rise in Satanism Among Children
This is a parodic news article which pokes fun at the extreme reactions the
Harry Potter series has excited upon occasion. The quotes used in this humourous
article are, of course, completely fictional. Warning- coarse language
in this article may be considered unsuitable for children.
Current
IM Issues: Resource Links 
Censorship: "Harry Potter" Books
What's New at this website
Read my Guestbook
Back to Information Management Guide - Information Management & Library Internet Portals
You can e-mail me at:
Back
to Contents
