Annual Report 1996 Public Policy Committee

 To advise the Executive Board and the membership on governmental activities affecting the professional interests of ARLIS/NA and the fulfillment of its mission. To support this function, the committee shall:

 Monitor governmental activities affecting art libraries and visual resources collections;

 Draft position statements on legislative issues consistent with ARLIS/NA's interests for review and action by the Executive Board;

 Report govenmental activities affecting the profession in the Society's publications and on ARLIS-L;

 Collect and review information about legislative action concerning the interests of the Society and recommend appropriate action;

 Maintain liaison with other library and information societies as appropriate, monitor their activities and reports;

 Educate the membership on these issues.
 
 

Committee Start-Up Activities

 Late in January '96 Hinda Sklar and Katherine Poole agreed to co-chair the committee.

Co-Chairs met to strategize and plan.

 Recruitment of committee members currently underway, acting on suggestions of ARLIS/NA Board members and others. Membership to date includes: Bill Keller, Stephen Patrick, and Pat Lynagh.

 A call from DFC for financial support resulted in communication with ARLIS/NA Board and Headquarters seeking to clarify the definition of lobbying activities for nonprofit organizations. DFC, Digital Future Coalition, is a conglomerate organization comprised of several library organizations (ALA, SLA, MLA, ) to which ARLIS/NA is a signatory.

 Communicated with DFC regarding the option of membership dues as a form of support already established within ARLIS/NA.

 Developing Annual Budget 1997
 
 

Legislative Activities

Monitoring of government activities

 Subscribed to following listserves:

ALAWON - ALA Washington Office Newsline

 VTW - Voters Telecommunications Watch

 DFC - Digital Future Coalition

 CNI-COPYRIGHT

Monitoring following publications: Chronicle of Higher Education

Collect and review information about legislative action & recommend appropriate action

 Organized collected materials for reference

 On-going self-education on relevant legislative issues

 As a signatory to DFC, ARLIS/NA has been called upon to respond to these time-sensitive requests related to NII Copyright Protection Act of 1995 (H.R. 2441 and S. 1284):

Feb. 26: Letter to Hons. Moorhead & Schroeder, House Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, in support of the Digital Future Coalition's plea that adequate representation be ensured in the discussions on the On-Line Service Provider Liability issue, H.R. 2441: NII Copyright Protection Act of 1995.

March 18: Reviewed and responded to DFC Request for Comments on their draft of legislative proposals offering constructive alternatives to the proposals incorporated in S. 1284, NII Copyright Protection Act of 1996. Draft contained proposals which implement the critiques of the pending legislation in which many DFC members have already agreed. Committee response in support, with some request for clarification, of draft.

 March 21: Reviewed and supported DFC's final draft of legislative proposals offering constructive alternatives to the proposals incorporated in S. 1284, NII Copyright Protection Act of 1996.

Maintain liaison with other library and information societies: monitor their activities...

 Established liaison with VRA (Visual Resources Association), Intellectual Property Rights Committee, chaired by Macie Hall, through new membership of K. Poole. Includes monitoring of CONFU Hearings and Fair Use issues.

 Established connection with the DFC, Digital Future Coalition.

Respectfully submitted by

Katherine Poole and Hinda Sklar, Co-Chairs

 3/26/96
 
 

Changes last made on: March 31, 1998