News from the Field:
ARL
2005 Federal Relations
E-News
Copyright and
Intellectual Property
Copyright
Office Issues Notice of Inquiry on Orphan Works
Senate Passes Copyright Legislation
Lawsuit Challenges
FCC Authority in Broadcast Flag Policy
Supreme
Court to Hear Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios v. Grokster
These organizations also filed an
amicus brief
when the case was before the Court of Appeals.
Government Information and Related Issues
NIH Issues
Public Access Policy
SPARC has recently created an
author's addendum.
Access to Government Information via the FDLP
The shift to electronic delivery of government information has been
underway since the mid-1990s and has been increasing at a fast pace. By
October/November 2004, 95 percent of the titles in the Federal Depository
Library Program (FDLP) were available electronically (even if tangible
forms were also available) and only five percent had no electronic
counterpart. In response, Congress has repeatedly called for the
Government Printing Office (GPO) to provide participating FDLs with
electronic resources in lieu of paper and microform.
The ready availability of government information electronically and the
increasingly tight budgetary constraints have led to a GPO proposal to
limit distribution of paper titles. GPO is exploring ways to continue the
provision of selected titles in print based on consultation with the
library community. It is important to note that in order to make more
resources available in tangible format, a reduction or elimination of
other programs will be required.
ARL has, and will continue to, meet with others in the library and federal
community on these issues. ARL will submit a letter of support for GPO's
FY2006 appropriations with a request for increased appropriations to
support higher level of printing in lieu of reductions in current
programs.
New FOIA Legislation Introduced
On February 16, 2005, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Patrick Leahy
(D-VT) introduced, " Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National
Government Act, " S. 394. The bill, known as the Open Government Act,
seeks to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) thus improving
government transparency and accountability. Provisions in the bill address
long-standing concerns about federal agency practice, the rights of those
making FOIA requests, and oversight of agencies responding to FOIA
requests. For example, under S. 394, agencies would be required to
establish a tracking system for FOIA requests and would be required to
respond to a request within 20 days. With regards to the rights of FOIA
requesters, the legislation would improve the ability of requesters to
recover legal fees. Finally, S. 394 calls upon agencies to provide
additional information on how they respond to FOIA requests.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. It is
anticipated that the Committee will conduct a hearing in March. A
companion bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives, H.R.
867 by Rep. Smith (R-TX and chair, House Subcommittee on the Courts, the
Internet, and Intellectual Property). ARL supports this legislation and
will work to promote its passage.
Other Issues
Appropriations:
The Library of Congress (LC):
President Bush's FY2006 budget requests $602.3 million for LC. These
funds would support in part, the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center
(NAVCC), the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation
Program (NDIIPP), and reclassifying volumes in the Law Library. LC
received $550 million in funding in FY2005. As in past years, ARL and
others will submit testimony in support of the FY2006 request.
National Agricultural Library (NAL):
President Bush's FY2006 budget requests $22,455,000 for NAL, an
increase of $151,985 from FY2005. As in past years, ARL and others will
submit testimony in support of the FY2006 request.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH):
President Bush's FY2006 budget requests $138,054,000 for NEH, which
includes $18.6 million for the Preservation and Access Division and $11.2
for the agency's We the People Initiative. Specifically, the funds
would support the National Digital Newspaper Program, the Brittle Books
Program and other initiatives of the preservation and access division, and
educational and cultural institutions. As in past years, ARL and others
will submit testimony in support of the FY2006 request.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS):
President Bush's FY2006 budget requests $262 million for IMLS, which
is an increase of $21.5 million from FY2005. Of the total requested
budget, $221 million is specified for library services, an increase of
$15,374,000 from FY2005. As in past years, ARL and others will submit
testimony in support of the FY2006 request.
Weinstein Confirmed as U.S. Archivist
On Feb. 16, Dr. Allen Weinstein was sworn in as the ninth archivist of
the United States. Dr. Weinstein, formerly at the International Foundation
for Elections Systems as the Senior Advisor for Democratic Institutions
and Director of its Center for Democratic Initiatives, replaces John
Carlin who has been with the NARA since 1995 and was nominated by
President Clinton.
Sixth Annual National
Humanities Day Announced
ARL Board Actions, February 9-10, 2005
ARL President Ann Wolpert (MIT) convened a meeting of the ARL Board of
Directors in Washington, DC, February 9-10, 2005. A primary focus of
discussion was the implementation of the ARL Strategic Plan and the
recommendations from the Task Force on Governance. Actions taken by the
Board include:
a. Accepted the Report of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team and acted
on its recommendations (see items b, d, g, and h below) with one exception
(see item c, below). For a summary of the Implementation Team
recommendations.
b. Approved establishment of three steering committees to advance the
Strategic Directions in the new ARL plan. Initial reports from each
Steering Committee will be discussed by the membership in May.
c. Deferred a decision on whether the Steering Committee Chairs should
serve as ex-officio, voting members of the Board (as recommended by the
Implementation Team) until there is an opportunity for membership
discussion. Such a discussion was thought necessary since the Governance
Task Force had considered and rejected expanding the size of the Board.
d. Approved a new committee structure for ARL, to be discussed with
membership in May, revised as appropriate, and implemented by October
2005.
e. Approved a revised charge for the recently established ARL Finance
Committee.
f. Approved revisions to the ARL bylaws to implement the recommendations
of the Governance Task Force regarding Nominating Committee size and
composition and regarding membership ratification of the Board election of
the Vice President; the revisions will be put to the membership for a vote
in May 2005.
g. Planned Wednesday, May 25, at the Membership Meeting as a full day of
membership discussion on implementation of ARL's Strategic Plan, including
a new committee structure. Member representatives are asked to arrive in
Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, May 24, so that discussions may begin
early on Wednesday morning.
h. Adopted a transition budget for ARL in 2005 that begins the process of
a significant reallocation of dues to support the three strategic
directions in the new Strategic Plan.
i. Decided that ARL will sponsor, along with AAU, AAP, and AAUP, a booklet
on campus copyright rights and responsibilities.
j. Selected ARL Membership Meeting sites for May 2008 (Coral Gables,
Florida) and May 2009 (Houston).
k. Supported a proposal to repurpose the IFLA National Organizing
Committee for Library Disaster Relief.
Alert Regarding May 2005 ARL Membership Meeting Schedule
The next ARL Membership Meeting is May 25-27, 2005, in Philadelphia.
On Wednesday, May 25, there will be a full day of membership discussion
about implementing the ARL strategic plan. Member representatives should
arrive on Tuesday evening, May 24, so that this important discussion may
begin early on Wednesday morning. There will also be a membership vote on
ARL Bylaws revisions at the Business Meeting on Friday morning, May 27.
The meeting adjourns Friday at noon. A preliminary schedule for the
meeting will be available later this month.
The meeting will be held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in downtown
Philadelphia. To reserve a hotel room, contact the hotel at 1-800-241-333
and ask for the Association of Research Libraries conference rate of $199.
The deadline for reservations is May 2; however, as this meeting precedes
Memorial Day weekend, we recommend booking hotel and travel reservations
early.
Report and
Recommendations of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team
ARL Board Begins Implementing Governance Task Force Recommendations
2004 ARL Financial Status
The 2004 unaudited year-end financial report indicates that all
unrestricted funds essentially balanced. Total revenues were $3,819424 and
expenditures were $3,818,817. The ARL fund balance was $129,500 (including
$30,200 of unrealized investment gains). The ARL Board Designated Fund
Reserve was valued at $940,490. An audited report will be presented in
May.
2005 Transition Budget Adopted by ARL Board of Directors
In approving the ARL budget for 2005, the ARL Board acted on the
recommendations of the Strategic Plan Implementation Team and organized
the 2005 budget around the three strategic directions and four enabling
capabilities.
The transition budget reallocates 50% of the dues from the Diversity,
Preservation, leadership, and organizational development programs to the
strategic directions and enabling capabilities, and in order to establish
an agility fund ($150,000) for advancing the strategic plan.
Next Steps with the ARL Finance Committee
In July 2004, the Board established a new standing committee on
finance in order to make the status of ARL finances more transparent to
the membership as well as to secure more member involvement in the
governance of the Association. In August, the ARL Executive Committee
formed the committee and Fred Heath (Texas at Austin) agreed to chair
initially, with Sarah Thomas (Cornell) assuming the chair in 2005. The
Board reviewed, clarified, and adopted the committee's charge in February
2005. The first assignment for the group is to review the ARL investment
policies for the Association's reserve funds and the fee charged to manage
the investment accounts. Members of the committee are Sarah Thomas
(Cornell), chair; Cliff Haka (Michigan State); Carla Stoffle (Arizona);
and Betsy Wilson (Washington).
Future ARL Membership
Meetings
SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION
Symposium
Explores Antitrust Issues in Scholarly and Legal Publishing
ARL and SPARC
Outline Actions for Managing Campus Response to NIH Public Access Policy
ARL Publishes
Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with E-Prints
and Open Access Journals
University of Wisconsin-Madison Publishes Brochure on High Cost of
Textbooks
INFORMATION POLICIES
Input for
Copyright Office Inquiry on Orphan Works Requested by March 16, 2005
Humanities Advocacy Day, April
6-7, 2005
TEACHING, LEARNING, AND RESEARCH
ARL Webcast Focuses on
Teaching, Learning, & Research
To follow on this event, ARL/OLMS aims to develop a learning community
around this issue, where librarians can share resources and ideas, ask
questions, and learn from each other's efforts. We encourage you to send
us your suggestions and feedback as we develop this learning space.
CNI Update
CNI Executive Director Cliff Lynch
delivered a keynote at ECURE 2005, held February 28-March 2, at Arizona
State University.
Joan
Lippincott, CNI Associate Executive Director, contributed a chapter on
"Net Generation Students and Libraries" to a new e-book published by
EDUCAUSE, Educating the Net Generation.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST TO ARL DIRECTORS
Applications for
Initiative to Recruit a Diverse Workforce Due July 5, 2005
Research Library
Leadership Fellows Program Commences
Government Document Digitization Project Progresses
The Working Group on Digitizing Government Document Collections
continues to address questions raised about its project. For example, to
gain additional information concerning digitization costs and related
issues, the group is identifying pilot projects for digitizing both
standard and nonstandard format materials. In addition, members of the
working group continue to identify and meet with potential partners for
this initiative. Finally, GPO is in the initial stages of exploring new
funding opportunities to support such an initiative. The working group
consists of Ken Frazier (Wisconsin-Madison), Chair; Bill Gosling
(Michigan); Charles Lowry (Maryland); Sarah Michalak (North Carolina at
Chapel Hill); Lance Query (Tulane); Carla Stoffle (Arizona); and Prue
Adler (ARL).
Special Collections Task
Force Update
ARL Task Force on Measuring Collections Update
Recent discussions on revising the annual ARL Statistics survey have
unearthed differing opinions regarding the way collections can and should
be described in an environment in which multiple formats abound,
collaborations flourish, and electronic content offers new ways of doing
business. Representatives of three different ARL standing committees
(Statistics and Measurement, Collections and Access, and Membership)
formed a Task Force on Measuring Collections to define the issues and
propose solutions for measuring research library collections. In the
coming year, the task force plans to engage all member libraries in a
constructive dialogue on how collections can or should be described and
measured to demonstrate library contributions to teaching, learning,
research, and public engagement. Brinley Franklin (Connecticut), Chair of
the ARL Statistics and Measurement Committee, chairs the new task force;
other members are Shirley Baker (Washington University in St. Louis), Dale
Canelas (Florida), Colleen Cook (Texas A&M), Carol Pitts Diedrichs
(Kentucky), Eileen Hitchingham (Virginia Tech), Mod Mekkawi (Howard),
Louis A. Pitschmann (Alabama), Alice Prochaska (Yale), Jennifer Younger
(Notre Dame), Julia Blixrud (ARL), Mary Jackson (ARL), Martha Kyrillidou (ARL).
The task force met on January 16, 2005, to define a process for engaging
the membership. A paper is being drafted and questions developed to
collect feedback from all ARL directors between now and May. For more
information, contact Martha Kyrillidou.
LibQUAL+? Update
Status of Annual Statistics Survey
Annual Statistics survey underway:
ARL Statistics 2003-04: 120 returned
ARL Supplementary Statistics 2003-04: 108 returned
ARL Academic Law Library Statistics 2003-04: 70 returned
ARL Academic Health Sciences Library Statistics 2003-04: 59 returned
ARL Preservation Statistics 2003-04: 108 returned
The Library Materials Budget Survey 2003-04 conducted for the ALCTS/CMDS/Chief
Collection Development Officers of Large Research Libraries Discussion
Group is underway.
An updated series including 2002 data on
Library Expenditures as a Percent of
University Expenditures is posted.
For additional information regarding the annual data-collection
activities, please contact Martha
Kyrillidou.
ARL Survey
Coordinators and SPEC Liaisons Update
ARL will offer a workshop on "Webmetrics" Friday, June 24, 2005, in
conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago from 9:30 a.m. to
3:30 p.m. The regular survey coordinators and SPEC liaisons meeting will
be held immediately following the workshop from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. as
usual. For more information, contact
Martha Kyrillidou.
ARL Publications Recently Released
Open Access Bibliography: Liberating Scholarly Literature with
E-Prints and Open Access Journals, by Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
ARL Transitions
Michigan: Bill Gosling will step down as University Librarian
effective April 1 to take on a new set of duties, including serving as
Curator of the Children's Literature Collection in the Special Collections
Library. James Hilton, Associate Provost for Academic Information and
Instructional Technology Affairs, will serve as Interim University
Librarian on a part-time basis.
Other Transitions
National Archives and Records Administration: On February 16, Allen
Weinstein was sworn in as the ninth Archivist of the United States. From
1985 to 2003, he served as President of The Center for Democracy, a
nonprofit foundation that he created in 1985 to promote and strengthen the
democratic process. Prior to that he held appointments in the history
departments of a number of academic institutions, including Boston
University, Georgetown, and Smith College.
Honors
Paul M. Gherman, University Librarian, Vanderbilt University, was
chosen to receive the 2005 ACRL Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. This
award recognizes the outstanding accomplishments of an academic librarian
who has worked in the areas of library automation or library management
and has made contributions (including risk taking) toward the improvement
of library services or to library development or research.
Clifford Lynch, Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked
Information, was presented the second George V. Voinovich Award for
Information Innovation by the Ohio Board of Regents for his "contributions
in the use of information technology and networked information for the
advancement of scholarship, librarianship, and intellectual productivity."
Susan K. Nutter, Vice Provost and Director of Libraries, North
Carolina State University, was named Library Journal's 2005 Librarian of
the Year. In the 17-year history of the award, she is only the second
academic librarian to receive this honor.
Virginia: University of Virginia Library won the ACRL 2005
Excellence in Academic Libraries Award in the university category for "its
broad, deep, and early innovation that has proven its effectiveness over
time and is being emulated by other academic libraries as they reposition
their services for the future." |
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