Washington Office Update
ALA-Washington Office
Breakout Session
[In progress]
NCLIS representative --
* NCLIS plans a Report Card on American Libraries -- meant to establish benchmarks for promoting libraries, funding, new initiatives, etc.; will be based around a public library model at the outset
* Emphasis on making libraries visible
* Mentions that Michele Ridge, wife of Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security, is a librarian ... interest in libraries as an access/dissemination point for civil defense/homeland security info
* All federal agencies have been charged by an Executive Directive to make the War on Terrorism a major/fundamental priority
Josh Farrelman(?) -- new WO staffer, specialist in budget matters; former Congressional staffer
Appropriations and the budget process:
* Congress has not yet passed the 2005 Budget -- hung up in the Senate over budget cuts
* ALA requests (PDF file):
-- $232 million for LSTA, fully authorized
-- $100 million for the school library program (currently funded at $19.8 million)
-- Support for Library of Congress, National Agricultural Library
Many questions about school library funding and federal/state obligations/expectations were asked/discussed
Miriam Nesbit -- ALA WO
* New copyright bill ("INDUCE Act") introduced by Orrin Hatch earlier in the week -- details will be added to the ALA website soon
Some major issues:
* Copyright is in the news:
-- Good news: makes people more aware about copyright
-- ALA is on the other side side of the table from the entertainment industry; why? We not pro-piracy, but we want to promote information access
* H.R. 107 (DMCRA) amends DMCA (Section 215); there was a hearing on May 12th; bill may be marked up this summer, but is unlikely to be voted on until next year
-- Since 1998, the legal/technological locks (anti-circumvention) seems to stop more fair use/legitimate uses than actually stopping piracy
-- The exemptions rulemaking by the Copyright Office/Librarian of Congress have not worked: the standard of proof (of harm?) is too high, the rulemaking is too infrequent; LoC has admitted that the rulemaking process has failed
-- DMCRA legalizes circumvention for fair use/non-infringing purposes
* Database copyright protection: library community is fighting against this; 2 very different bills have been introduced
-- HR 3261 (DMICA
-- HR 3872: The Consumer Access to Information Act of 2004
(more information about both bills and the ALA-WO's take on them can be found here)
-- Database protection in Europe: what has been its effects? Anecdotally, not good; there are plans afoot for some org./body to do a formal survey of how the European Database Directive has affected European institutions.
* UCITA: ALA is still worried about UCITA legislation at the state and federal level.
Lynne Bradley -- Telecom
Not much going on in telecom; no new legislation introduced this year
Questions asked about telecom issues, e-rate, etc.
[End of notes]