Advocacy

Advocacy Partners

• AALL Access to Electronic Legal Information Committee’s – Principles & Core Values Concerning Public Information on Government Websites
• AALL Government Relations Office
• OpenTheGovernment.org

Advocacy Tips

How to be an effective legislative advocate. Remember, legislative advocates are made, not born!

Use the following tips to start advocating:

• • Know the Issue. Read and familiarize yourself with the facts.
  • Connect. Contact with any officials, legislators or individuals who have taken the lead in your state.
  • Get what you need. Request informational from the proper government agencies.
  • Reach out. Your allies can help! Contact your state’s uniform law commissioner, chairs of chapter government relations committees, or other state library associations for help.
  • Meet. Arrange a meeting with the contacts you have. Formulate questions to ask and get answers face to face.
  • Help out. If a bill has not yet been written, offer to assist your state contact in recruiting sponsors or co-sponsors.
  • Track it. Follow the bill’s progress throughout the legislative process.
  • Speak up. Draft testimony or letters in support of the bill. Again, the GRO will have information to guide you.

For information about planning a successful Sunshine Week program, please click here.

Issues We’ve Tackled

• Uniform Electronic Legal Material Act (UELMA) – more info here
• Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA)
• Intellectual Freedom and Privacy
• Digital Rights Management and Fair Use