(For a video with subtitles, go here: http://dotsub.com/view/0c504c81-cebc-4370-bf94-b20fce57c38f)

John is now the Executive Director at Puget Sound Access, a non-profit that facilitates communication through community events and media. We’re pleased to welcome John, Puget Sound Access, the ACLU of WA, and the King County Library System as participants in this year’s September Project! Here’s their program:

Puget Sound Access and the Washington State ACLU are partnering for a series of events celebrating free speech around Constitution Day at selected King County Libraries.

Our “Freedom to Speak!” presenters include:

* Porter Bayne, Founder, Ameritocracy.com
* Darcy Burner, Candidate, 8th Congressional District
* Dow Constantine, King Council Council Member
* Robert Cumbow, Attorney
* Judy Endejan, Attorney
* Bob Hasegawa, State Representative
* Charles Johnson, Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice
* James Neff, Seattle Times Investigative Editor
* Paul Nelson, Founder, Global Voices Radio
* Sue Parisien, Assistant Attorney General
* Larry Phillips, King Council Council Member
* Bill Ptacek, Director, King County Library System
* Jan Strout, Co-director, Reclaim the Media
* Dave Upthegrove, State Representative

These free public moderated panel discussions and question and answer sessions will be held from 7-9PM at King County Libraries in Auburn (9/17), Burien (9/17), Woodinville (9/17) and Bellevue (9/18).

The events will also be broadcast in full on Puget Sound Access television and be available as streamed media on the Web.

More information — including pre-event videos, links to Free Speech book resources, and an interactive Free Speech news article time line — are available at the Freedom to Speak Website at civildialogues.org.

If you’re in the Seattle area this September, don’t miss out on these events!

The Library Ludwig von Mises at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala City has organized the following events to commemorate the month of Freedom and Independence.

- During the first week of September were displayed in the lobby books on philosophical and ethical principles of germ independence.

- The second and third week of September will be displayed books on the history of the Independence of the United Provinces of Central americas the September 15, 1821. Also exhibited are books on the process of separation of the Province of Central americas and the consolidation of the Republic of Guatemala from the year 1839.

- The fourth week of September will have an exhibition of books commemorating the life and work of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises (1881 – 1973). Mises is one of the greatest exponents of the Philosophy of Liberty, the defense of private property as a cornerstone of the free market and human action. (more information: http://www.biblioteca.ufm.edu/vonmises/default.asp)

For Freedom!”

From Cheryl Metz at the Massanutten Regional Library:

The Massanutten Regional Library system of eight branches and a Bookmobile will participate in the September Project this year. Each branch will distribute brochures that list available resources for Voting, Patriotism, Democracy and Remembrance. The Main branch will also display varied materials from Sept 2nd – 16th in the lobby. On Sept. 5th, after a patriotic storytime, the children will make eagles during craft time. Voter Registration Forms are also available throughout the library.

Welcome, Massanutten!

For the past three years, the library has organized events each September, and this year will present a booklet with bibliographic information on international terrorism. (The booklet can be downloaded from the web site of the biblioteca di Empoli.)

We often receive photos of the libraries that participate, and I chose this one to post, as the open door to information, resources, and knowledge is such an apt image, representing both the physical space and the aims of the September Project.

Ben tornato, biblioteca comunale di Empoli!

On a map, Arapahoe Library District’s participation in the September Project looks like this:

Librarians at Arapahoe Library District have decided to dedicate the whole month of September to Democracy @ Your Library and will be having voter registration and will be distributing constitution booklets at four of their branches. Further, all eight libraries will sponsor September Projects. As Cindy Mares, Program Coordinator at Arapahoe Library District, posted to the September Project listserv, their children, teen, and adult September Project events include:

Children’s Programs:
Wheels Parade and Crafts for Kids – Bring your decorated bike, wagon, or stroller for a patriotic parade around the parking lot! Make a craft to take home and top off the fun with cookies and lemonade!
Red, White and Blue Wreath – Make a wreath of red, white and blue foam and listen to a patriotic story. Ages 4+
Beaded Patriotic Pin Craft – Make a patriotic pin to wear and listen to a story about America. Ages 6-11.
Presidential Plane Race – Build a red, white and blue airplane to race for prizes and listen to a story about our country.
National Treasure: Two groups race to steal the Declaration of Independence and outwit each other and the FBI in order to find hidden treasure. A great action movie!
Shooting Star Memory Box – Keep your American memories in a sparkly box you decorate yourself.

Teen Programs:
Movie Night:
First Daughter:  Samantha wants to be a normal college student, but with the Secret Service protecting her, it doesn’t look likely.
Book Club:
First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover: Sameera, adopted Pakistani daughter of a Presidential candidate, is getting a makeover to make her appear more “American”. But what makes someone an American?  (A copy of the book will be available to the first 10 teens who register.)
Program:
Win Your Argument!  Do you like to debate multiple topics with your friends, teachers or parents? Learn the great art of successful persuasion; then apply those techniques to the issues that affect your life!

Adult Programs:
Ballot Speak – Learn about the issues that will be on the Colorado Ballot in November. The League of Women Voters will present an objective view that will help you make informed decisions.
Highline Silver Cornet Band – Enjoy lively patriotic music from the late 19th Century with the Highline Silver Cornet Band.
UltraSoniX Quartet – Members of the Denver MountainAires Barbershop Chapter present a patriotic tableau of soul-stirring red, white and blue tunes with a special tribute to Bob Hope’s USO Shows that toured the armed forces at a time when worldwide freedom was in peril.
Health Care: Issues & Options – With over 40 million uninsured Americans and spiraling health care costs, the need for a better health care system is clear to most Americans. Join Active Minds to look at our options, including how other nations of the world address the issue of health care for their citizens.

We have printed placemats with puzzles, reference searches, etc., for distribution in local restaurants. Our Friends group paid for reduced rates from a local print shop. Could possibly run these on a copy machine. When I first came, the local printer let me use his hand press to do cocktail napkins with clever questions and answers for distribution at the local bars. The bad part was each napkin had to be printed individually which took me several hours. The printer set up the type stuff and the napkin was not expensive. Have not done this in awhile, but at the time did get reference questions from bar patrons. To this day we occasionally get a question from a bar patron. Most questions seem to come from bars where my spouse is present. When questions arise, his response is ‘make my wife work, call the library for the answer.’

Hope this helps. We serve a population of 4,987, town and township area. At the time of the placemats we had 2 restaurants and 4 bars.

Great ideas! Last year, Nan Carmack and her staff from the Bedford Public Library (VA) designed tray liners that publicized their September Project event at fast food joints. Smart. More tips? Please share!

We have on display books on 9/11 and also posters, books, DVDs to commemorate Constitution Week here at our library at Waycross College.

Ms. Janice Williams
Reference Librarian
Waycross College

The September Project at Oregon Middle School:

We are connecting with our local public library to celebrate  National Library Card Sign Up Month, introduce the various programs available at the public library and services available on line.  We have set aside Sept 24th for the public librarian to visit our middle school to meet with students and faculty.  I have created a bulletin board  to advocate for our libraries  and I have public library card applications in my possession ( in Spanish and English) giving students the convenience to “get carded” at school.

Happy September!!

Cheryl Carr
Library Media Specialist
Oregon Middle School

using kid-friendly language, the brochure is divided into six sections: 1) a brief introduction to the history and importance of intellectual freedom in the US; 2) challenges to the first amendment (especially in libraries); 3) defending intellectual freedoms (including an excellent set of suggestions for young people interested in fighting censorship); 4) issues of privacy and confidentiality; 5) respecting, listening to, and learning from the opinions of others; and 6) an annotated reading list of seventeen fiction and non-fiction titles for further exploration.

kids, know your rights! was written by members of the intellectual freedom committee of the association for library service to children (ALSC), a division of the american library association (ALA), and beautifully designed by amanda o’brien of skokie (IL) public library.