Dear ACRL Government Relations Committee,
Legislation that would codify agency policies on public access to federally-funded research is moving forward in Congress. As part of the Open Access Working Group (OAWG, convened by SPARC), ACRL joined 11 other members (representing national and regional library, publishing, funding, research and advocacy organizations) in a coalition letter asking Congressional leaders to retain language in the Senate version during conference negotiations with the U.S. House of Representatives.
After ACRL Executive Director Jay Malone reviewed the letter with ACRL President Julie Garrison, VP/Pres Elect Erin Ellis, and Immediate Past President Jon Cawthorne, ACRL decided to add its name, given our longstanding support of this issue and participation in OAWG. Staff will share notice through appropriate ACRL communication channels and add to the ACRL Speaks Out webpage. In addition, I have been working with a colleague in ALA PPA on a strategy to activate ACRL chapter leaders in a few key states and will be implementing that in the coming days, with a broader grassroots effort a bit later once members of Congress are named to the conference committee.
If you have concerns or questions, don't hesitate to be in touch,
Kara
Kara J. Malenfant, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) | ACRL Senior Strategist for Special Initiatives
Association of College & Research Libraries | 225 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1300 | Chicago, IL 60601-7616 | 312.280.2510 | 1.800.545.2433, ext. 2510 | kmalenfant@ala.org
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