proACTive

Number 228: October 2002

ACTive ALIA convenor's column

Canberra library in the news - but not for the right reasons
There was wide TV and newspaper coverage when the ACT Library Service was forced to remove a display from the Tuggeranong public library after library staff were threatened and harassed. Merrilee Pigram, who is the business manager, ACT library and information services, special library services, said that Friday 9 August, when she did 14 interviews on the issue, had been an awful day. However it had a good ending when she was awarded the Doreen Goodman Award at the ACTive ALIA midwinter dinner and prize giving that night (see story page 2).

Merrilee said that the decision to remove the display was not easy to make, as the library prides itself on encouraging discussion and supporting different viewpoints. She said that the decision was based on occupational health and safety issues, namely that all employees have a basic right to work in a safe environment, and that staff safety had to take precedence.

The display at Tuggeranong was actually a pared-down version of the display that had been shown at both the Belconnen and Dickson libraries, which had included 'refugee-scapes' featuring quotes from women and children in detention. The display, mounted by the Refugee Action Committee (RAC), depicted what life is like for children held in detention centres.

This was the third ACT library which had hosted the display, and at each of the libraries staff were subjected to verbal abuse and in one case a staff member had apart of the display thrown at her. ACT Library Service had to ask RAC to take down the display, in the interest of the safety of their staff.

The display was part of the ACT Library Service's public display program that gives space to community groups to provide information to the wider public. Controversial subjects are not uncommon in the last few years, displays have included topics such as abortion, euthanasia, the republic and sexually-transmitted diseases. None has provoked such an extreme response from patrons as this.

The publicity generated has meant that the display is now in great demand it will be featured at the canberra playhouse for four days during youth dance performances, at the legislative assembly for the launch of the ACT Churches Council's refugee kit, and at a local church for refugee Sunday. Queensland Amnesty International Schools Program has also approached RAC to see if the display can travel around Queensland schools and one of the Sydney grammar schools has asked to feature the display. Other groups interested include a number of rural Australians for refugees groups.

Copyright law, moral rights and cultural institutions
Dr Matthew Rimmer is a member of Copyright Law and Intellectual Property Committee of ALIA and a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the Australian National University. Matthew gave a fascinating talk to a large audience, mainly from cultural institutions, on 21 August at the McDonald Room Menzies Library at ANU for URLs members and other interested people. His talk included a large number of slides. They made clear in pictorial form a number of moral rights issues that I had not properly understood before, for example, in relation to the plan of the National Museum of Australia or the proposed new front entrance to the National Gallery of Australia.

Libraries, archives, galleries and museums have traditionally preserved and provided access to society's cultural artefacts. They have served as the custodians of the copyright works of authors and other creators. The introduction of the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000 (Cth) will serve to reinforce such responsibilities. The new legislation provides for two new moral rights for authors in respect of copyright works:

The first is a moral right of attribution that is, the right of an author to be identified as the author of a work.
The second is a moral right of integrity that is, the right of an author to object to the derogatory treatment of a work, which affects the reputation and honour of the author.

Matthew said that the new legislation promises to have a specific and contextual operation. There has been discussion about the impact of the legislation upon the visual arts and architecture witness, the controversy over the proposed new front entrance to the National Gallery of Australia. There have also been some codes of conduct developed in relation to the operation of moral rights in the film industry. However, there still needs to be a consideration of cultural institutions, and how they might deal with questions of moral rights.

His talk produced so much interest that he has promised to give us another talk on a relevant copyright subject next year.

Helen Roberts, convenor, ACTive ALIA

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