ALA hosts special screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11" at Annual Conference

American Library Association ^ | June 22, 2004 | Larra Clark

[Taft in '52]

Contact: Larra Clark
Press Officer
312-280-5043

For Immediate Release
June 22, 2004

ALA hosts special screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11" for members, attendees at Annual Conference in Orlando

Proceeds to benefit association's intellectual freedom, USA PATRIOT Act education efforts

(CHICAGO) The American Library Association (ALA) will host a special benefit screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11" for members and attendees at the 2004 Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, 10 p.m. in the Orlando Convention Center Auditorium. The screening is an encore of sorts for Moore, who previewed "Bowling for Columbine" to a standing-room-only crowd two years ago and met Ann Sparanese - the librarian who started the chain reaction that took "Stupid White Men" from threatened pulping to bestseller lists.

While Moore won't accompany his newest movie, he and distributor Lion's Gate are donating the use of the film to the ALA for a screening that will benefit the association's First Amendment, intellectual freedom and USA PATRIOT Act education efforts. Admission is by $10 donation, which may be made on-site through ALA registration. Seating is limited.

ALA Immediate Past President Maurice Freedman, who also chairs the ALA-APA Better Salaries Committee, will open the program and share a short film that advocates for better salaries for all library workers, "Working @ your library - for love or money." ALA Councilor Sparanese, who is thanked in "Dude, Where's My Country" for her efforts in rallying support for the distribution of "Stupid White Men," will follow and introduce the film.

Via his Web site, Moore also has helped publicize the ALA's efforts to raise awareness about how Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act undermines reader privacy in U.S. libraries and about the impact of library funding cuts nationwide. Both of these issues will be topics of discussion at the 2004 Annual Conference in Orlando, which takes place June 24 to 30 and will bring an estimated 25,000 library staff, authors, exhibitors and guests to the city. For more information on the ALA and the Annual Conference, please visit www.ala.org.

[Taft in '52]

Ath ALA's Annual Conference is the biggest event of the year in the library world.

[ladtx]

Wonder if they got a special screening of "The Passion"?

[aegiscg47]

I work at a university library and this doesn't surprise me. Working with far left, liberal librarians can drive you crazy on a day to day basis.

[anonsquared]

With the amount of taxpayer money that goes into the "free" public library system every year, you could probably hook up every American household to the Internet. But then the socialists wouldn't have that taxpayer supported forum and the single/working moms wouldn't have the free babysitting.

[Congressman Billybob]

I've said before, I say again, PLEASE find out if your tax dollars are supporting the leftist organization, the American Library Association. Most localities pay dues to the ALA if they have a library system.

If so, go to your local government and DEMAND that it end IMMEDIATELY further payments to the ALA.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "The Value of Death -- Civilian, 'Senseless," and Combat Deaths."

If you haven't already joined the anti-CFR effort, please click here.

[LauraJean]

I have worked in public libraries and I am not sorry to have left that type of environment. The ALA has done all they can to destroy the working environment of libraries. As far as the increase in salaries go. Their idea of fighting for better salaries is to offer cookies that are baked to look like there is a bite out of them to symbolize the poor salaries at libraries. It is ironic that the people most able to change the salary scale (library directors and management) play victim when it comes to putting their names on the line.

[Cicero]

Free libraries are great. When I was growing up I made good use of them. The problem is, obviously, that they have been completely taken over by leftists, like most other academic endeavors.

I don't know what to do about it. It's not just the public funding, because the same thing has happened to most large foundations. These people gravitate to the positions of power in the intellectual world and then use their power to exclude anyone who thinks differently.

I have to say I agree with Congressman Billybob about not funding the ALA.