Library Issues at the Federal Level: An Introduction to ALA's Washington Office and the Committee on Legislation

Authors

Ann Dutton Ewbank, Montana State UniversityFollow
J. Turner Masland, Portland State UniversityFollow
Christian Zabriskie, Queens LibraryFollow

Abstract

In this white paper, we outline the federal legislative agenda of the American Library Association, crafted by members and operationalized by the Washington-based ALA Office of Government Relations, which lobbies on behalf of the Association. We discuss how policy is made in ALA, including the work of the Committee on Legislation. We then explain the federal legislative issues that are advanced by ALA through the Washington Office1. These include: appropriations, privacy/surveillance, access to government information, copyright, school libraries, and telecommunications. We conclude with information on how to become an advocate for federal legislative issues critical to libraries, their patrons and the broader public interest.

Recommended Citation

Ewbank, Ann Dutton; Masland, J. Turner; and Zabriskie, Christian (2016) "Library Issues at the Federal Level: An Introduction to ALA's Washington Office and the Committee on Legislation," The Political Librarian: Vol. 2, Article 7.
Available at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/pollib/vol2/iss1/7