In this issue...
1. EPA Library Closings Continue Despite Protests
2. Organizations provide United Statement on WIPO Broadcast Treaty
3. LCA Supports Orphan Works Act
4. Associations Support NARA Funding Request
5. SLA Comments on Draft plan to Consolidate NCLIS into the IMLS
6. Support Urged for DHS Appropriations Conferees
7. Library Organizations support H.R. 5521
8. Australian Copyright Amendments Proposed
9. Advocates Outraged by Proposed Access Laws in the United Kingdom
EPA Library Closings Continue Despite Protests
Touting it as part of a plan to put more information online, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been closing its regional libraries in spite of protests by federal employees. The Chicago library shut its doors in April, and the Dallas and Kansas City, Missouri, libraries are set to close by the end of September. On 13 September, employees of the EPA Headquarters Library in Washington received notice that their physical space would close to walk-ins beginning 1 October. The closures are part of President Bush's dramatic cost-cutting plan that includes a proposed reduction of $100 million for FY 2007 and further cuts for FY 2008. Read EPA 2007 Plan.
Organizations provide United Statement on WIPO Broadcast Treaty
SLA and other groups offered a united statement in a common belief that the WIPO Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasts and Broadcasting Organizations, as currently drafted, would harm important economic and public policy interests. This statement offers comments on several key aspects of the treaty. Read Letter.
LCA Supports Orphan Works ActSLA, in collaboration with the Library Copyright Alliance, wrote a letter in support of the Orphan Works Act. The Act will help resolve issues surrounding orphan works--works whose owners are difficult or impossible to locate. Resolving the orphan works issue will present significant new educational opportunities because these works will be publicly accessible and available to students, faculty, and the public. Read Letter.
Associations Support NARA Funding Request
On 19 September 2006, SLA, along with four other library associations, sent a letter requesting that members of the Committee on Appropriations support the needs of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) when the conference committee on H.R. 5576, the Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, meets later this year. Read letter.
SLA Comments on Draft plan to Consolidate NCLIS into the IMLS
On 31 August, SLA provided comments on the proposed plan to consolidate the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) into the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This was done to ensure that the original function of NCLIS would be upheld by the IMLS. This is not addressed in the IMLS Draft Consolidation Plan, and is a crucial component. Read Comments.
Support Urged for DHS Appropriations Conferees
In September, several organizations, including SLA, wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urging them to use Section 525 of the House version of H.R. 5441. House Section 525 would limit the overuse of the Sensitive Security Information (SSI) designation. Read Letter.
Library Organizations support H.R. 5521
SLA, along with four other organizations, wrote to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations in support of H.R. 5521. In passing the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY 2007 (H.R. 5521), the House of Representatives approved a total of $130.5 million for GPO, including $35.3 million for the Salaries and Expenses (S&E) that funds the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). Read Allard Letter. Read Lewis Letter.
Australian Copyright Amendments Proposed
Recently Australia's Attorney General released a draft of copyright amendments that concentrates on anti-circumvention legislation. The draft includes a requirement connecting Technological Protection Measures (TPMs) and establishes a range of exceptions. The government is replacing the current TPM scheme to implement the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). The new scheme also has a mechanism for creating additional exceptions that provides the flexibility necessary to respond to technological developments. Read more.
Advocates Outraged by Proposed Access Laws in the United Kingdom
In August, the United Kingdom rolled out the second stage of the project to make the consolidated law of parliament accessible to the people. No free public access sites have been granted permission to view the current system and testers of the database - predominantly from commercial legal publishing firms - have been told not to share their login and password. Read more.
To Subscribe to SLA's Public Policy Connections
Send an email to: Lyris@lists.sla.org with the SUBSCRIBE command in the body of the message: Subscribe SLA-GR your-e-mail_address FirstName LastName
If you have any questions or comments about Public Policy Connections, we would like your feedback. Please share your comments with Dnewcomb@sla.org.
RSS
Feedback form
