In this issue...

1.  Senators Request that the U.S.  EPA Restore Public Access
2.  Section 108 Study Group Public Discussion
3.  Call for Nominations for IFLA Section Standing Committees
4.  Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Update
5.  SLA Signs on to Amicus Brief
6.  UK Chancellor Urged to Decriminalize iPod Users
7.  Australian Copyright Law may Cripple Searches
8.  Australian Institute of Criminology Says Statistics Don't Add Up 

Senators Request that the U.S.  EPA Restore Public Access
A group of senators has joined the fray over whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should slow or stop a campaign to digitize materials in its technical libraries and close the facilities to agency researchers and the public. On Friday, 17 November 2006, Democratic senators and one Independent wrote to appropriators asking that the EPA be directed, through the budget process, to maintain physical access to its libraries while the public is given an opportunity to comment on planned closures.  The letter refers to requests made by SLA, ALA, and AALL.  Read Letter.  Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock is promising that EPA library material will be accessible digitally in the near future. His announcement comes amid concerns that library documents will become inaccessible as the agency shuts down many physical library facilities. Read More.  

Section 108 Study Group Public Discussion
The Section 108 Study Group will hold a public discussion group on Wednesday, 31 January 2007, in Chicago, Illinois, USA (exact time and location to be announced). The Section 108 Study Group is a select committee of copyright experts, convened by the U.S. Library of Congress and charged with updating for the digital world the Copyright Act's balance between the rights of creators and copyright owners and the needs of libraries and archives.  Exceptions in the Copyright Act related to libraries and archives will be discussed at the meeting. Read More. 

Call for Nominations for IFLA Section Standing Committees
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and SLA have partnered on several programs and will continue to work closely on future endeavors.  IFLA's professional program is divided into Sections. Each Section is governed by a democratically elected Standing Committee consisting of professionals with expertise and an interest in the field of the Section. SLA is now compiling a list of interested individuals who would like to be considered to be put forth as a potential candidate to serve on the Standing Committees for the period from August 2007 to August 2011.   For a full description of the nomination process and timeline, please go to: http://www.ifla.org/III/misc/callscm-e.htm#HowNominate.  If you are interested in possibly having your name put forth, please contact Doug Newcomb, SLA's Chief Policy Officer, at dnewcomb@sla.org.  

Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Update
The IGF met recently in Greece, where SLA CEO Janice Lachance, who served on the original U.S. Delegation for WSIS 2005, again joined the group and presented a paper titled Transparency and Openness in a Global Economy to the invited delegates from across the globe. Read more about the IGF meeting.  

SLA Signs on to Amicus Brief
SLA and other organizations signed on to an U.S. Supreme Court Amicus Brief in John Gilmore v. Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General, et al.  This case squarely presents one of the most critical civil liberties questions of the post-9/11 era: whether a federal agency may set standards for the conduct of members of the public through rules and requirements the public is not permitted to see. Read Full Brief.  

UK Chancellor Urged to Decriminalize iPod Users
United Kingdom copyright law should be changed to include a "private right to copy" that protects users of iPod and other MP3 players, according to a report published by the Institute for Public Policy Research.  Under current UK copyright law, millions of residents break the law each year when they copy their CDs onto their computers. Read More. 

Australian Copyright Law may Cripple Searches
Plugging a word or phrase into a search engine may soon give you fewer results if proposed new Australian copyright laws are adopted, according to Internet giant Google.  The laws could open the way for Australian copyright owners to take action against search engines for caching and archiving material, Google says in a submission to a senate committee considering the legislation.  Read More. 

Australian Institute of Criminology Says Statistics Don't Add Up
A confidential meeting for the Attorney-General's Department, prepared by the Australian Institute of Criminology, thrashes the music and software sectors.  According to The Australian,  the Institute's intellectual property crime report shows that copyright owners "failed to explain" how they reached financial loss statistics used in lobbying activities and court cases. Read More.