ACRL Taking Action

See Library Copyright Alliance for joint work with ALA and ARL on copyright issues such as fair use, trade agreements, and Google Book Search settlement. 

In support of its commitment to work towards reshaping the system of scholarly communications, ACRL takes action to advocate for open access and other important issues. Below are examples of ACRL's participation in activities geared towards creating change.

Letters on the Third Anniversary of the NIH Public Access Policy
On April 5, 2011, ACRL sent letters to the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to celebrate the third anniversary of the NIH Public Access Policy. The letters asked the NIH that the embargo be shortened and asked HHS and OSTP to expand the policy to other federal agencies.

Letters to Reps. Clay and McHenry thanking them for hearing on Federal Research Public Access Act (PDF) (July 2010)
As part of its ongoing support of FRPAA, ACRL thanks the Chairman and Ranking member of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, the Census and National Archives of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for scheduling an open hearing on H.R. 5037 

Letter to Rep. Towns encouraging hearing on Federal Research Public Access Act (PDF) (June 2010)
As part of its ongoing support of FRPAA, ACRL encourages Chairman Towns to hold an open hearing before the House Committee On Oversight and Government Reform on H.R. 5037. The bill was introduced on April 15 by representatives Doyle (D-PA), Waxman (D-CA), Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), Harper (R-MS), Boucher (D-VA) and Rohrabacher (R-CA) and has been referred to that committee for consideration. We believe a hearing is an important step toward giving this bill full consideration. The bill balances the needs of all stakeholders in the research community and helps to create a level playing field where all interested citizens can access the results of publicly funded research equally. We are enthusiastic about an open hearing as it would allow an opportunity for all stakeholders to express their views.

Comments to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) supporting increased public access to research funded by federal science and technology agencies (January 12, 2010)
ALA and ACRL have long believed that ensuring public access to the fruits of federally funded research is a logical, feasible, and widely beneficial goal. They provided information and evidence as the Executive Branch considers expanding public access policies, like that implemented by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to other federal agencies. Specifically, the ALA and ACRL recommend: which agencies should be covered, that policies should be mandatory, that earlier access is better, version and format recommendations, how to keep implementation costs reasonable, and the importance of supporting emerging scholarly practice.

Letter to Sens. Liebernan and Cornyn on Federal Research Public Access Act (July 2009)
In late June, Senators Lieberman and Cornyn reintroduced S. 1373 the Federal Research Public Access Act. This much-anticipated bill (which was previously introduced in 2006) would ensure free, timely, online access to the published results of research funded by 11 U.S. federal agencies. Essentially, the bill would advance and expand the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy -- which requires public access to taxpayer-funded research -- to additional agencies. ACRL strongly supports this legislation, a priority on our legislative agenda.

Letter to House Judiciary opposing Fair Copyright in Research Act (February 13, 2009)
ACRL joined nine other library, publishing and public-interest groups in writing an open letter to the House Judiciary Committee, supporting the NIH policy and opposing the bill Mr. Conyers reintroduced in the 111th Congress.

Overview of Public Access to Obama Transition Team (January 2009)
As part of the Open Access Working Group, ACRL joined 9 other library and public interest groups in sending a one-page overview "Public Access to the Published Results of Publicly Funded Research Will Benefit the Economy, Science, and Health" to the Obama transition team.

Letter to House Judiciary opposing Fair Copyright in Research Act (September 5, 2008)
ACRL joined nine other library, publishing and public-interest groups in writing an open letter to the House Judiciary Committee, supporting the NIH policy and opposing the bill Mr. Conyers introduced.

Letter to Organizers of SCOAP3

ACRL expresses interest and support in the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics' effort to facilitate open access publishing in High Energy Physics. ACRL “welcomes this experiment in new funding models and recognizes its potential to inform scholarly publishing more globally” and “believes that SCOAP3 is a valuable addition to the heterogeneous mix of strategies being undertaken by scholars, publishers, libraries and others to ensure the future of high-quality journals.” Additionally, the association encourages its members to consider joining the SCOAP3 effort. To learn more about why libraries of all sizes should support SCOAP3, listen to a podcast interview with John Ober, Director of Policy, Planning & Outreach at California Digital Library, and Kim Douglas, University Librarian at California Institute of Technology. Ober is a current co-chair, and Douglas an incoming co-chair, of ACRL’s Scholarly Communications Committee.

 

Letters to US Senator Harkin, Representative Obey and HHS Secretary Leavitt on NIH public access policy implementation (February 2008)

ACRL joined with 7 other national organizations to thank these key members of Congress and the Secretary of Health and Human Services for their support of the NIH Public Access Policy. The letter also reiterates our commitment to the policy and its timely implementation.

 

Letter to US Senators opposing Inhofe amendments (October 2007)

ACRL Joined with 7 other national organizations to urge Senators oppose both of Senator Inhofe's amendments (to the FY 2008 Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (S.1710). These amendments would severely curtail the ability of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to effectively make the results of the research it funds

 

Letter to US Senators supporting NIH policy (September 2007)

ACRL joined with 6 other national organizations to affirm our support language in the FY08 Labor/HHS/Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill (S.1710) that directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to strengthen its Public Access Policy and require NIH-funded researchers to deposit copies of NIH-funded research articles into the online archive of the National Library of Medicine.

Letters to the  US Senate and  US House supporting NIH public access policy (July 2007)
ACRL joined with 6 other national organizations to support language on the NIH Public Access Policy included in the FY08 Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills.

Comments on single firm conduct (November 2006)
The Information Access Alliance (IAA) — representing ACRL and 6 other national library associations — submitted comments for the ongoing Joint Hearings on Single-Firm Conduct and Antitrust Law being held by the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. The IAA has focused on activities it believes are reducing effective competition in scholarly publishing and creating barriers to new entrants into these markets. The IAA believes that single-firm anticompetitive conduct accounts at least in some part for the serious problems confronting libraries today.

Letter Encouraging Department of Justice to Oppose Wiley/Blackwell Merger (November 2006)
Letter submitted by the Information Access Alliance to the US Department of Justice to oppose sale of Blackwell Publishing by John Wiley and Sons. "We are deeply concerned that this transaction will exacerbate market dysfunctions and result in further reduction in access to critical research information that fuels the entire higher education and research enterprise."

Letter encouraging hearings on the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (July 2006)
PDF of a letter submitted by the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, the American Association of Law Libraries, ACRL, ALA, the Association of Research Libraries, the Medical Library Association, the Special Libraries Association, and SPARC to Senator Collins encouraging the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to hold hearings on the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006.

Comments on the European Commission's "Study on the Economic and Technical Evolution of the Scientific Publication Markets in Europe” (May 2006)
Letter submitted by the Information Access Alliance to the European Commission commending the commission on its "Study on the Economic and Technical Evolution of the Scientific Publication Markets in Europe.” The EC issued a  summary of the responses received on October 6, 2006.

Response to the Research Councils’ UK draft position statement on improved access to research outputs (August 2005)
Letter and memorandum submitted by the American Association of Law Libraries, ALA, Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, ACRL, Association of Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, Public Knowledge, and SPARC in response to the Research Councils’ UK June 28, 2005 draft position statement on their emerging views on the issue of improved access to research outputs. ( also available in PDF)

Letter to NIH regarding implementation of new open access policy   (February 2005)
Letter from ACRL to the National Institutes of Health supporting the new open access policy with suggestions for improvements.

Letter to HHS regarding implementation of new NIH open access policy  (February 2005)
Letter from ACRL to the Secretary of Health and Human Services supporting the National Institutes of Health's new open access policy with suggestions for improvements.

Letter to NIH supporting "Enhanced Public Access to NIH Research Information" (November 2004)
Letter from ACRL to the National Institutes of Health supporting "Enhanced Public Access to NIH Research Information" NOT-OD-04-064, which proposes to provide free public access through PubMed Central to articles that result from NIH-funded research.

Letter to NIH Encouraging Support of Open Access (August 2004)
Letter by ACRL to the National Institutes of Health encouraging them to support open access to journal articles documenting agency-funded research.

Letter to NIH Encouraging Support of Open Access (January 2004; PDF)
Letter, sent on behalf of ALA, ACRL, ARL, SPARC, the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, and the Medical Library Association, to the National Institutes of Health encouraging them to support open access to journal articles documenting agency-funded research.

US Response to the UK Inquiry into STM Publishing (February 2004; PDF)
Letter, sent on behalf of ALA, ACRL, ARL, SPARC, the American Association of Law Libraries, the Association of Academic Health Science Libraries, Public Knowledge, and the Medical Library Association, to the Science and Technology Committee of the UK parliament in response to its inquiry into scientific, technical, and medical publishing.