|
 | No Apologies: CUP Authors To Seek U.S. Publishing Deal for Banned Book
The authors of the book Alms for Jihad, pulled from the market by publisher Cambridge University Press (CUP) in the face of a controversial libel suit in a British Court, said this week they are in the process of regaining their publishing rights and will seek to republish the book with a U.S. publisher. University of California Santa Barbara Professor Robert O. Collins, a co-author, told the LJ Academic Newswire he is currently negotiating with CUP for a rights reversion and has been assured that "there will be no problem, just several weeks to draft proper legal papers." Collins also said the authors have had several offers from U.S. publishers, but will make no firm plans until they officially secure their publishing rights.
In a move that has garnered significant media coverage worldwide, CUP quickly acquiesced to a libel suit threatened in England by Sheikh Khalid bin Mahfouz, whose charitable activities have reportedly been linked to terrorist activities. In response to Mahfouz' suit, CUP pulped copies of the book, put the book out of print, asked libraries to pull the book from its shelves, agreed to pay damages, and issued a stunning public apology on its web site. In its apology, CUP acknowledged "serious and defamatory allegations," against Mahfouz in Alms for Jihad and called all allegations against him reported in the book "manifestly false."
Don't expect any apologies from the authors, however. "We stand by what we wrote and refused to be a party to the settlement," Collins told the Newswire. "As soon as CUP received notice, they decided to settle as rapidly as possible despite our vigorous defense. CUP did not want to embark on a long and expensive suit which they could not win under English libel law." Indeed libel laws in England, Collins acknowledged, are far more favorable to plaintiffs than those in the United States and often described by British journalists as a "Club Med for Libel Tourists."
Collins said he is confident the book will be re-published in the United States, where Mahfouz' protests would have little chance of succeeding in court. Collins said Mahfouz is of course free to sue them in a U.S. court, but indicated that such a suit is highly unlikely. "In reality the few passages referring to Mahfouz are trivial when compared to the enormous amount of information in the book that is in demand," Collins noted, adding that he has received calls from booksellers offering as much as $500 for copies. Collins meanwhile expressed regret that his relationship with CUP, where he has published three books, has been severed. He said CUP was a "superb" press to work with. "I am sorry to have it come to an end."
|
|
ALA to Libraries: Keep that Banned CUP Book
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) in a statement last week recommended U.S. libraries resist a request by Cambridge University Press (CUP) to remove Alms for Jihad from their shelves. As part of a settlement to a threatened libel suit CUP agreed to ask the nearly 300 libraries around the world with the book in their collections to return it to CUP or destroy it themselves. Libraries, however, "are under no legal obligation to return or destroy the book," said OIF deputy director Deborah Caldwell-Stone. "Libraries are considered to hold title to the individual copy or copies, and it is the library's property to do with as it pleases. Given the intense interest in the book, and the desire of readers to learn about the controversy firsthand, we recommend that U.S. libraries keep the book available for their users."
Media coverage of CUP's settlement with Khalid bin Mahfouz has been extensive and mostly outraged, condemning what is largely perceived as CUP's self-censorship and yet another case of the stifling of free speech in the West by Saudis. As of mid-August, Alms for Jihad was not available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or Alibris. About 1500 copies of the book were sold worldwide.
All of which means libraries suddenly have an incredibly rare book in their stacks. A WorldCat search shows the book at many U.S. libraries is on hold, at the reserves desk, or "in search"—missing. "I imagine that many of the copies of Alms for Jihad are being borrowed, put on hold, etc. by readers interested in learning about the controversy," Caldwell-Stone observed.
As a result, rather than discard the book per the publisher's request, many libraries now want to safeguard it. "I have recalled the copy of this title…in order to place it in our Rare Books collection, where it may be read by anyone but not borrowed," said Dona Straley, Middle East studies librarian at Ohio State University's Ackerman Library. "I felt this action was warranted given the publicity over this book, given that there are now a finite number of copies of the book left in existence, and given that several of my colleagues at other institutions have reported their copies as missing." That may be the case at University of North Carolina's Davis Library, whose catalog reveals that Alms for Jihad is "in search," meaning "someone has gone to the shelf to look for the book and not found it," said reference librarian Carol Tobin. "The people at circulation are currently searching for the book."
At Columbia University's Butler Library, several measures are being considered. "We are in the midst of deciding whether or not the book should be held in a reserves collection as a means to safeguard it," said librarian Barbara List. "We may decide, instead, to send it to our offsite facility where it will be fully available for users to request it or for ILL [interlibrary loan] to lend it." Peter Magierski, Middle East studies librarian at New York University said he will likely move the book from the general stacks to special collections.
On the other hand, Los Angeles Public Library has no plans to alter its normal circulation policies or take special measures to protect its two copies, according to a library spokesperson. Both copies were most recently checked out last week. As of press time, there were 11 holds on the title.
|
| In Yet Another Case Involving Intellectual Freedom, Yale University Press Prevails
What a difference a continent can make. In a case that paralleled the recent libel case lodged against Cambridge University Press in the U.K. over its book Alms for Jihad, Yale University Press has prevailed in quashing a lawsuit filed in California by Dallas-based charity KinderUSA and its chair over a book that questioned the organization's ties to terrorism. The case centered around Matthew Levitt's Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad (Yale, 2006), which the plaintiffs say inaccurately alleged KinderUSA had funded Hamas.
Unlike in the U.K., where libel laws forced Cambridge University Press to quickly settle a case brought by Saudi Kahlid bin Mahfouz, Yale vigorously defended itself, filing what's known as an anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) motion. California's anti-SLAPP law is designed to protect authors, publishers, and others against "baseless lawsuits that might chill free speech."
Yale characterized the verdict as a clear victory. "The Press, Levitt, and the Institute will not provide the plaintiffs with any monetary compensation, and they have not agreed to make any changes in the passage," Yale officials said in a statement. In its legal brief, Yale called the suit a "classic, meritless challenge to free expression."
KinderUSA's attorney Todd Gallinger, however, told reporters that the organization decided to dismiss the case to focus its limited resources on charity rather than costly litigation. The organization maintains its stance that Levitt's book is inaccurate. "The Board of Directors of KinderUSA continues to believe that the statements made by Matthew Levitt…are grossly inaccurate," KinderUSA officials said in a statement. "This resolution is not satisfying to anyone with a sense of justice but it does safeguard the funds KinderUSA urgently needs to fulfill its mission." Gallinger, meanwhile suggested to Inside Higher Ed that Yale's strong defense influenced KinderUSA's decision to drop the suit. "Yale came at us hard," Gallinger told reporters.
|
| LJ Webcast: ROI on Scholarly Journals Acquisitions & Publishing
Join LJ Technology Editor Jay Datema and a panel of librarians and publishers September 13 at 2:00 PM EDT for an hour-long discussion of the rising demand for electronic information and the corresponding rise in pricing; methods to establish prices other than impact factor, citation analysis, usage, etc.; discount opportunities for archiving; open access and metrics for value; for-profit publishers maintaining acceptable margin in a value-based pricing world; quantifying the academic contribution to the scholarly publishing process; and more. Registration is free.
|
Library Journal Academic Newswire
Contributing Editor: Andrew R. Albanese
Phone: 646-746-6852 E-mail: aalbanese@reedbusiness.com
Editor: Francine Fialkoff
Phone: 646-746-6807 E-mail: fialkoff@reedbusiness.com
News Editor: Norman Oder
Phone: 646-746-6829 E-mail: noder@reedbusiness.com
TO UNSUBSCRIBE
To unsubscribe send an e-mail to Unsub_Academic_Newswire@email.libraryjournal.com
TO SUBSCRIBE
Subscribe to Academic Newswire or our other newsletters
Subscribe to Library Journal magazine
ARCHIVE
Read past issues
PRINT
You must change your print settings from portrait to landscape to print this page.
VIEW OUR PRIVACY POLICY
Click here
ADVERTISING
RB Interactive
1-888-7RBI WEB
Onlineads@reedbusiness.com
www.rbinteractive.com
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please contact our
Online Support Team
Reed Business Information
2000 Clearwater Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523
MediaSupport@reedbusiness.com?Subject=LJ-"AN"
© 2007 Library Journal. All rights reserved.
"Library Journal" is a registered trademark. "Library Journal Academic Newswire" is a trademark.
|
