[Libs-Or] Children's Books and the CPSIA

Diedre Conkling diedre08 at gmail.com
Sat Jan 10 01:07:26 PST 2009


Oops, I copied more than I meant to for this message.  Oh well, maybe you
will find the other pieces interesting as well.



2009/1/10 Diedre Conkling <diedre08 at gmail.com>

> Jim Sheppke sent this information out to some of you already.  I thought I
> would send the information to libs-or as well so that more of you will know
> about this situation.
>
> ---------------
>
>  Children's Books and the CPSIA ¨C STANDBY - Situation "Fluid"
> <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1349> January 09th, 2009 |
> Category: OGR <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=17>, Other<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=4>,
> School Libraries <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=11>
>
> In August 2008, the 110th Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety
> Improvement Act (CPSIA) to protect children under 12 from exposure to lead
> following widespread reports about the dangers of children's toys coming in
> the United States from China and other places.  This new law is administered
> by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and will likely start to
> take effect in February 2009 (although even this latter date appears to be
> changing.)
>
> Within the last few days, ALA and others in the "book" community (other
> librarians, publishers, teachers, booksellers, etc.) became extremely
> concerned after seeing that the CPSC intended to include books in the
> definition of "products to children" that would need to be certified as
> safe.  This concern was heightened by a letter from the General Counsel of
> the CPSC ¨C a letter that states that books are not exempt from the law.
>
> However, ALA has been in discussion with attorneys, other associations and
> the sponsors of the original bill.  Our analysis is that neither the law nor
> the legislative history indicates any Congressional intention to include
> books and even textbooks in the law.
>
> Please stand by ¨C there is no need to take action at this time.  The
> situation is extremely fluid and every day this week ALA has received new
> and sometimes contradictory information.  The ALA Washington Office is
> taking measures to ensure this ruling (CPSIA) will not affect libraries and
> has sent a letter to all Congressional offices alerting them to the fact
> that we believe CPSC General Counsel has erroneously interpreted the CPSIA
> to include books. ALA is also monitoring the potential impact on other types
> of library materials as well.
>
> Several key Hill offices have contacted the CPSC Commissioners and the
> General Counsel.  We believe that the misunderstanding may be cleared up, so
> the Commission can focus on children's items that are truly dangerous.
>
> If we can't get this resolved, we will need everyone who wants children to
> continue to have access to safe children's books to contact the Commission
> and Capitol Hill ¨C but, for now, we can stand by until we hear more from our
> Congressional supporters.
>
> <!--[endif]-->
>
> Emily Sheketoff, Executive Director
> ALA Washington Office
> esheketoff at alawash.org
>
> <http://esheketoff@alawash.org>
> No comments <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1349#respond>
>  ALA Urges Congress To Correct Law That Inadvertently Targets Libraries,
> Publishers <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322> January 09th,
> 2009 | Category: Other <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=4>, School
> Libraries <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=11>
>
> *CPSC ruling requires children's books to be removed for safety testing*
>
> *WASHINGTON, D.C. *¨C The American Library Association (ALA) released a
> letter to Congress yesterday, urging members to take action against a recent
> opinion ruling released from the General Counsel of the Consumer Product
> Safety Commission (CPSC) that would require public, school, academic and
> museum libraries to either remove all their books or ban all children under
> 12 from visiting the facilities, beginning on February 10.
>
> The opinion was issued to the Association of American Publishers (AAP),
> following the group's request to exclude children's books from regulation
> under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which passed the
> 110th Congress in August and is enforced by the CPSC.
>
> Under the CPSC's interpretation of the law, which seeks to protect children
> from exposure to lead and phthalate, books for children under the age of 12
> are required to undergo the same testing procedures as children's toys.
> Since the General Counsel's opinion is retroactive, all books currently on
> library or store shelves must be removed for testing, including textbooks
> and children's literature books in academic library research collections.
>
> The publishing community has supplied the Commission with evidentiary
> support (available at www.rrd.com/cpsia ) that books and other non-book,
> paper-based printed materials should not be subject to the lead, phthalate,
> and applicable ASTM standards that are referenced in CPSIA because they do
> not present any of the health or safety risks to children that the law
> intended to address.
>
> ALA President Jim Rettig said he agrees that books do not pose a threat to
> children and should not be subject to regulation.
>
> "The CPSC should enforce this important legislation where the dangers are ¨C
> not with books, which are not playthings and should remain unregulated,"
> Rettig said.
>
> "I sincerely doubt that Congress intended to require libraries to be
> subject to this law, but if Congress does not act soon, libraries across the
> country will be forced to remove books from the shelves, rather than keep
> them available to serve the educational needs of our nation's children."
>
> The ALA's letter to Congress can be viewed here<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/cpsia.pdf>
> .
>
> 1 comment <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322#comments>
>  U.S. Department of Education Announces LSL Program Competition
> <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1312> January 08th, 2009 |
> Category: School Libraries<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=11>
>
> The U.S. Department of Education's Improving Literacy Through School
> Libraries (LSL) Program focuses on providing funding to public school
> libraries in districts with 20.00 percent or more family poverty. Funds are
> used to improve reading achievement through updating the library collection,
> expanding internet connections, purchasing new technology, providing
> professional development for library media specialists, and extending school
> library hours. Please note that individual schools may not apply for this
> program. This is for public local school districts or charter schools or
> state-administered schools that are considered local school districts by
> their State Educational Agency. More information about this program can be
> found on the program's Web site www.ed.gov/programs/lsl.
>
>  The Department announced the 2009 LSL program competition in the Federal
> Register on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, and applications will be due on
> Friday, March 6, 2009, at 4:30 P.M. Eastern Time.  Approximately 18.5
> million dollars will be available for funding, and an estimated 80 grants
> will be awarded under this competition.
>
> It is important to note that LSL applicants must use the U.S. Federal
> Government's Grants.gov applications system to apply. It is vital that all
> applicants register early, since the registration process on Grants.gov can
> take from 7 to 10 days. Please note that if you are registered, you must
> make sure your information is up-to-date.
>
> The LSL application package can be found on www.grants.gov along with
> instructions for registering in the Grants.gov system and applying for
> grants. You may download the application package before you register.  Once
> you are on the www.grants.gov home page, click on "Apply for Grants" at
> the left of the screen.  Then click on "Step 1 Download a Grant Application
> Package."  At "CFDA Number" type in "84.364¡å and then click on "Download
> Package".  Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link to
> download the application package.  Make sure you have a recent version of
> Adobe Reader. It is also necessary to remember to send in your application
> at least three days before the closing date of the competition, since it can
> take that long to process the application.
>
> You may access the full application package on the program Web site
> www.ed.gov/programs/lsl under "Applicant Info," and this page also
> contains information on how to register for free technical assistance
> conference calls. The Federal Register Notice can be found at
> http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2009-1/010609d.html
> .
>
> If you have any questions please e-mail Dr. Irene Harwarth, Team Leader for
> the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program at
> irene.harwarth at ed.gov.
>
> No comments <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1312#respond>
>  House Passes Presidential Records Act Amendments and Presidential Library
> Donation Reform Act <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1301> January
> 08th, 2009 | Category: Government Information<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=3>
>
> The House is back in session and is already getting to work. Yesterday,
> they voted on and passed H.R. 35, Presidential Records Act Amendments of
> 2009 and H.R. 36, Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2009.
>
> H.R. 35 revokes President Bush's executive order (E.O. 13233). This ruling
> invalidates part of E.O. 13233 that allows former Presidents and Vice
> Presidents to review executive records before they are released under the
> Freedom of Information Act.
>
> Presidential records are an important resource for historians and the
> larger public, and it is vital that these papers are made available. H.R. 35
> passed (359-58) and hopefully will have similar success in the Senate.
>
> Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2009, sponsored by Oversight
> and Government Reform Chairman Towns, makes it mandatory to disclose all
> donations to charities set up to build presidential libraries. It passed the
> House (388-31).
>
> Now is the time to reach out to your Senators and ask them to support these
> bills. Visit the ALA Legislative Action Center<http://capwiz.com/ala/home/>to learn more about contacting your elected officials.
>
> Jessica McGilvray, Assistant Director
> ALA Office of Government Relations
> jmcgilvray at alawash.org
> 1-800-941-8478
> 202-628-8410
> No comments <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1301#respond>
>  OITP Contributes Article for January 2009 *Library Technology Reports*
> <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1284> January 07th, 2009 |
> Category: OITP <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?cat=5>
>
> [image: ltr-09-cover]
>
> Check out the January 2009 issue of *Library Technology Reports*<http://www.techsource.ala.org/ltr/>,
> where OITP IT Policy Analyst Timothy Vollmer has written a piece titled "On-the-Ground
> Lesons from OITP's Public Library Connectivity Study" (PDF)<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/ltr-jan09-tvol.pdf>.
> His article discusses findings from the 2007 OITP Connectivity Study,
> examining the exploding demand for broadband connectivity at public
> libraries, analyzing barriers to increasing connectivity, and suggesting
> ways libraries and policymakers may better plan for and implement fast
> connections in public libraries. From ALATechSource<http://www.techsource.ala.org/>
> :
>
> In the January 2009 issue of *Library Technology Reports*, "Funding ad
> Budgeting for Library Technology in Today's Economy," by Larra Clark and
> Denise Davis, ALA TechSource responds to the economic situation with a
> timely report that offers a detailed look at the library-funding landscape
> and features expertly authored practical guidelines for stretching a
> library's budget as far as it can go.
>
> "This issue examines the current state of library-technology funding,
> looking at common problems and concerns among librarians who make
> technological decisions for their facilities throughout the United States.
> It also analyzes in detail funding sources and patterns in public libraries
> by size and population served," explained Dan Freeman, ALA TechSource
> editor. "A look at qualitative data from a series of visits to public
> libraries around the country¡ªwhere the authors interviewed staff to get a
> more detailed look at how librarians deal with technology funding issues¡ªis
> also in the issue," he added.
>
> No comments <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1284#respond>
>
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>    - 01.9Children's Books and the CPSIA ¨C STANDBY - Situation "Fluid"<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1349>
>    - 01.9ALA Urges Congress To Correct Law That Inadvertently Targets
>    Libraries, Publishers <http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322>
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>    - 01.8House Passes Presidential Records Act Amendments and Presidential
>    Library Donation Reform Act<http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1301>
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> --
> Diedre Conkling
> diedre08 at gmail.com
>



-- 
Diedre Conkling
diedre08 at gmail.com
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