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Hello, ARLIS/NA Members & Colleagues --
As you may be aware, landmark legislation to update the nation's
copyright laws for the digital age--including the Fair Use Doctrine--
is now pending in both chambers of Congress. The ARLIS/NA Executive
Board has endorsed these watershed bills: S. 1146, Sen. John
Ashcroft's (R-MO) Digital Copyright Clarification and Technology Act,
and H.R. 3048, the Digital Era Copyright Enhancement Act, introduced
by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Tom Campbell (R-CA).
ACTION ALERT
The second session of the 105th Congress recently opened and it is
crucial that all librarians, educators, trustees, parents,
and friends of libraries ask both of their Senators to cosponsor
S. 1146 and ask their member of the House of Representatives
to cosponsor H.R. 3048.
These bills represent a positive approach to updating the
Copyright Act to meet the challenges of the digital environment
while, at the same time, preserving the critical balance between
copyright owners and users in the electronic age.
All ARLIS/NA members and library supporters are urgently
requested to write or call your House and Senate delegations
specifically requesting "cosponsorship" (not merely "support")
of these bills.
Why is this urgent now? First, these bills may be taken up
in committee as soon as the end of February. Second, most
members will not sign on as the cosponsor of a bill unless a
constituent requests it.
To facilitate your review of the specifics of these bills and
your communication with your Congressional representatives, the
Public Policy Committee has mounted a Web page providing an
array of information and links to Web resources including:
- brief reviews & in-depth analysis of S. 1146 and H.R. 3048
- endorsements & legislative alerts from organizations such as
ALA and the Digital Future Coalition (DFC) of which
ARLIS/NA is a member
- Congressional directories with mail, e-mail, tele. & FAX numbers
- sample letters & guidelines
This page is available directly at <http://libraries.mit.edu/rvc/arlisna/digita
l.html>; at the
ARLIS/NA Web site, "News" or on the Public Policy Committee Web page,
"Committees."
We think you will agree that this is the pivotal moment to
contact those in Congress who have been elected to represent your
interests. Please take the time now to write, e-mail, call or FAX
your Senators and House Representatives to urge their support and,
specifically, co-sponsorship of these two bills. Your timely
communication, in concert with others, can have a truly powerful impact!
Thank You,
Katy Poole & Hinda Sklar
Co-Chairs, Public Policy Committee
