Information for Social Change Issue 4 Editorial

• Main Author: John Pateman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: ISC Collective 1996-09-01
• Series: Information for Social Change
• Subjects: organisation in liaison; library association; radical booksellers directory; searchlight; black library workers group; muckdonald two; mcdonalds libel trial; freedom to publish; libraries in china and vietnam; link; "better read than dead"; commonweal collection; public libraries in america; south africa; dave morris; helen steel; mclibel; mclibel support campaign
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4619845
• ISSN: 1364-694X; 1756-901X

This journal now has an ISSN and ISC has become an organisation in liaison with the Library Association. This will allow ISC to: book accommodation at LAHQ at a reduced rate; place news, calendar items and adverts in the LAR; buy LAP publications at a discount; receive copies of LA Council papers; apply for grants of up to £500. ISC has already submitted a funding application to: help pay for this journal; issue a new "Radical Booksellers Directory" and other publications; pay for publicity, travel and other expenses; and subsidise future ISC conferences and events. ISC has become involved in three campaigns recently. One of these is to defend two small bookshops who are threatened with a libel action for stocking ''Searchlight". The second campaign ISC is supporting is to get the LA to establish a Black Library Workers Group with its own funding, conference. newsletter, seats on Council etc. The third ISC campaign is in support of the Muckdonald Two. The continuing McDonalds libel trial is all about the freedom to publish and distribute information about the activities of an unpleasant multinational. There are articles on libraries in China and Vietnam by Kathleen Ladizesky and Len Aldis. These papers were presented at the ISC/ Link conference "Better Read Than Dead". There is a short history of the Commonweal Collection by Sylvia Barlow and a piece by Sara Lobman on the culture war against the use of public libraries in America. Our regular features include book reviews (a riot to read), other organisations (fellow travellers) and Christopher Merrett's letter from South Africa.