I know you all will be interested in this. ACRL Interim Executive Director Allison Payne shared this new with the ACRL Board, and I'm passing it along.
Best,
Kara
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Dear ACRL Board,
Senator Durbin's office contacted ACRL regarding signing on to the introduction of the Affordable College Textbooks Act and ACRL has again endorsed this bill. The bill would authorize a competitive grant program to support the creation and expansion of open college textbooks.
ACRL has signed onto this legislation in the past-including most recently in 2022. ACRL joined 13 others in endorsing this legislation when it was first introduced (Oct. 8, 2015), and it is included as legislation we support on ACRL's most recent 2024-25 legislative agenda. ACRL's endorsement has been added to the ACRL Speaks Out webpage and staff will inform membership through our communication channels.
Because this is consistent with ACRL's past positions and established relationships and given the need for a quick response, the decision was made by the ACRL presidents and ACRL interim ED to endorse this bill. It is in keeping with ACRL policies 15.15 Guidelines for External Communication and 15.16 Use of ACRL's Name. If you have questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to be in touch with the presidents or me.
Allison Payne, MLIS (she/her/hers) | ACRL Interim Executive Director
Association of College and Research Libraries | 225 N Michigan Ave., Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60601 | 312-280-2519 | apayne@ala.org
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Kara Whatley
Vice Provost for Libraries & University Librarian
University of Missouri
Office of Library Systems
She/Her/Hers
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