PUBLIC POLICY AND ADVOCACY UPDATES
--> ALA Hiring for a Deputy Director, Broadband & Digital Inclusion based in Washington, D.C. Join us! Spread the word.
https://recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1043ALA/JobBoard/dfe6e811-9bc3-4dec-9055-a545370be9fa/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=cdaefa68-d689-40bf-bafd-4b44f8401b4b
--> Registration is now open for the 2022 ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition! We're so excited to meet in person in Washington, D.C., June 23-28, 2022.
https://2022.alaannual.org/
ALA is a founding member of the new Airwaves for Equity coalition to advocate for using some spectrum auction revenue for digital literacy and digital inclusion.
ALA release: https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/02/ala-airwaves-equity-coalition-launch
Video of launch: https://www.newamerica.org/oti/events/airwaves-for-equity-can-spectrum-auctions-fund-digital-literacy-inclusion/
Initiative website: https://www.airwavesforequity.org/
"FCC Grants Request to Extend Emergency Connectivity Fund: The SHLB Coalition, American Library Association, Consortium for School Networking and State Educational Technology Directors Association successfully lobbied for a deadline extension to use emergency funds through June 2023." In Government Technology.
https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/fcc-grants-request-to-extend-emergency-connectivity-fund
ALA announces members of the 4th Cohort of the Policy Corps:
https://www.ala.org/press-releases/2022/02/ala-announces-2022-policy-corps-members
"Padilla Announces Legislation to Address Affordable Housing and Homelessness Crises" -- ALA President Patty Wong is quoted in Senator Padilla's release:
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/padilla-announces-legislation-to-address-affordable-housing-and-homelessness-crises/
Jim Neal, ALA Senior Policy Fellow, named an ALA Honorary Member
https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/02/ala-names-jim-neal-honorary-member
U.S. District Court grants preliminary injunction on Maryland's digital books law
ALA release: https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/02/ala-upholds-maryland-e-books-law-and-state-s-defense-federal-district-court
Publishers Weekly article: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/88550-court-blocks-maryland-s-library-e-book-law.html
Publishers Weekly article on the hearing: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/88484-after-hearing-maryland-s-e-book-law-hangs-in-the-balance.html
ALA release on the hearing: https://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2022/02/ala-backs-state-attorney-general-s-defense-maryland-law-ensuring-fair-e-book
"Connecticut Introduces Library E-book Bill" in Publishers Weekly. The Connecticut General Assembly held a public hearing on February 25 and received comments on this bill.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/88625-connecticut-introduces-library-e-book-bill.html
"Tennessee, Missouri Introduce Library E-book Bills; Illinois Bill Advances" in Publishers Weekly
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/88515-tennessee-missouri-introduce-library-e-book-bills-illinois-bill-advances.html
ALA joins amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Apple v. Corellium, defending proper fair use in software.
https://www.librarycopyrightalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SPN-et-al-amici-filed.pdf
ALA's comments to NTIA on the Digital Equity Act and other broadband grant programs under the IIJA
https://twitter.com/LibraryPolicy/status/1490730781794254849
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/telecom/broadband/ALA%20comments-IIJA_2.4.22-Final.pdf
ALA joins civil society, public interest groups in opposing the EARN IT Act, to prevent chipping away at Section 230 provisions in the Communications Decency Act.
https://twitter.com/AlanSInouye/status/1491485735194660864
https://twitter.com/CenDemTech/status/1491412073196269577
Congratulations on the release of the Libraries Build Business Playbook!
Yum: https://twitter.com/AlanSInouye/status/1491158020977721345
The Playbook: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/sites/ala.org.advocacy/files/content/Workforce/LBB_Playbook_web_020222.pdf
NEWS, ARTICLES, RESOURCES
Great tweet from Majority Whip James Clyburn: "Having been married to a librarian for 58 years, the profession has been near and dear to me for a very long time."
https://twitter.com/WhipClyburn/status/1491894848223391752
Delaware to use $40 million in ARPA funds for library construction/renovation
https://www.delawarepublic.org/delaware-headlines/2022-02-18/delaware-to-use-40-million-in-arpa-funds-for-libraries
PRH Continues Temporary E-book, Digital Audio Terms for Libraries
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/88519-prh-continues-temporary-e-book-digital-audio-terms-for-libraries.html
Following Backlash, Bezos Requests MLK Library Auditorium Be Named After Toni Morrison
https://thehoya.com/following-backlash-bezos-requests-mlk-library-auditorium-be-named-after-toni-morrison/
Alan S. Inouye, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Public Policy & Government Relations
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Office 202-403-8218 ▪ Mobile 202-276-6738 ▪ ainouye@alawash.org
Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlanSInouye