Open Government and Privacy in the Obama Administration

Wednesday, April 1 , 3:00 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. 
Central Library, U.S. Bank Room
Multnomah County Library
801 S.W. 10th Avenue, Portland

Presentation description:

Key elements of our democracy -- the right of access to government information and the right to privacy from government access to our personal information -- were eroded during the Bush administration.  Can these rights be restored by the Obama administration?  What measures are necessary to restore open government and privacy?

Come to this presentation by Dr. Patrice McDermott and Candace Morgan for an update on key issues about our government and access to information.  This presentation will address:

• The state of open government and privacy coming out of the Bush years
• Access to federal government records and documents
• PATRIOT Act and other surveillance issues
• 1st Amendment issues
• Opportunities to improve openness and privacy in the Obama administration
• The role of libraries, the media, and the public in restoring privacy and open government

Presenters:

Dr. Patrice McDermott is director of OpenTheGovernment.org in Washington, D.C., and author of Who Needs to Know?  The State of Public Access to Federal Government Information.  Dr. McDermott will also be speaking on April 2nd at the Oregon Library Association conference is Salem, but if you can't attend her presentation be then, be sure to take advantage of this Portland talk.

Candace Morgan is a local and national leader on library intellectual freedom and civil liberties issues.  The retired Associate Director of Fort Vancouver Regional Library, Candace currently teaches intellectual freedom for the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management Oregon Cohort, edits the ALA Intellectual Freedom Manual, and serves on the boards for ACLU-Oregon and the ALA Committee on Professional Ethics.

The presentation is available at no cost, but registration is required.

Registration: