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Office of Government Relations (OGR)

1615 New Hampshire Ave NW 1st Floor
Washington DC 20009-2520

Phone : 202-628-8410
Fax : 202-628-8419

Save the Date

lad buttonLibrary Advocacy Day

For one year only, Library Advocacy Day will replace National Library Legislative Day (NLLD). On June 29, 2010, library advocates from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. will meet at Upper Senate Park on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The event, which will begin at 11 a.m., will feature guest speakers, photo ops, and a chance to cheer on libraries! After the rally, participants will meet with their elected officials and their staffs.

Your NLLD coordinator will be running point for your state, so please get in touch with them if you plan to attend. To find out whom your NLLD coordinator is, please click here.

More details

Key issues and resources

Access to Information - E-rate
  • E-rate & Universal Service Issue Brief - December '08 (pdf)
Advocacy Resources
  • Creating a One Pager (pdf)
  • Top Ten Things Elected Officials Hate to Hear (pdf)
  • ALA Washington Office Resources on Advocacy (pdf)
  • Communicating with Your Members of Congress (pdf)
Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)
  • CPSIA Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)

Copyright
  • Copyright Issue Brief  - June '09 (pdf)
  • Copyright Issue Brief  - January '09 (pdf)
Education and Literacy Legislation
  • School Libraries Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)
  • Appropriations Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)
  • Education and School Libraries Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)
  • Appropriations Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)
Government Information & E-Government
  • Government Information & E-Government Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)
  • Government Information & E-Government Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)
Civil Liberties and Privacy
  • Privacy & Surveillance Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)
  • Privacy & Surveillance Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)
Library Services Technology Act (LSTA)
  • LSTA Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)
  • LSTA Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)
  • LSTA Reauthorization Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)
  • LSTA Chart - December '08 (pdf)
Telecommunications
  • Telecommunications and Broadband Issue Brief - June '09 (pdf)
  • Telecommunications and Broadband Issue Brief - January '09 (pdf)

Mission

As part of the ALA Washington Office, the Office of Government Relations (OGR) is charged with following and influencing legislation, policy and regulatory issues of importance to the library field and its publics.

Responsibilities

In coordination with its sister office, the Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP), OGR works to insure that libraries are consistently involved in the legislative and policy decision-making processes by:

  1. informing government of the needs and concerns of the library community;
  2. providing library supporters with up-to-date information on government actions or proposals;
  3. building coalitions with Washington-based representatives of other groups with similar concerns; and
  4. developing grassroots networks to lobby legislators and further library interests.

At the direction of the ALA Committee on Legislation, the Office of Government Relations covers a broad range of issues including, but not limited to: copyright, appropriations, library programs, government information and telecommunications.

Staff

Lynne Bradley - Director
Email: lbradley@alawash.org

Don Essex - Legislative Information Specialist
Email: dessex@alawash.org

Corey Williams - Associate Director
Email: cwilliams@alawash.org

Jessica McGilvary - Assistant Director
Email: jmcgilvray@alawash.org

Jeffrey Kratz - Assistant Director
Email: jkratz@alawash.org

Kristin K. Murphy - Government Relations Specialist
Email: kmurphy@alawash.org