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LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY * GOVERNMENT
RELATIONS COMMITTEE
WEBLIOGRAPHY OF ADVOCACY RESOURCES
(Prepared by Joan Allen-Hart and Laurel Moran, San Diego County
Public Law Library, for the NOCALL GRC Program, “Law Library
Advocacy Map on Highway 101,” presented at the Joint 2003
Institute.)
I. Professional Library
Associations Advocacy Web Sites
- AALL Washington Affairs
Office: www.ll.georgetown.edu/aallwash
This is the premier web site for law librarians seeking
information on national and federal issues affecting libraries.
Law librarians looking for authoritative information to cite in
their own advocacy efforts should start here. Action alerts on
the home page provide timely information about late-breaking
issues. Available on the site: letters and statements in support
of official AALL policy; congressional testimony and legal
briefs developed by the Washington Affairs Office in
consultation with the AALL Government Relations Committee, or
where appropriate, the President and Executive Board;
legislative and regulatory updates; reports, position papers, or
guidelines that have been adopted by AALL in response to GRC
policy; and archives of earlier advocacy efforts. Especially helpful are the
links to a number of other organizations and coalitions who have
partnered in with the law library community, such as Americans
for Fair Electronic Commerce Transactions (AFFECT), Center for
Democracy and Technology (CDT), Electronic Privacy Information
Center (EPIC), Freedom Forum, Public Interest Research Group
(PRIG), and the Sunshine Project. AALL members can subscribe to
the advocacy listserv for automatic updates. In 2008, the Washington Office created a blog at http://aallwash.wordpress.com/.
- AALL Government Relations
Committee: www.aallnet.org/committee/govr/
Although still a work in progress, the advocacy link in the
AALL's web site will eventually provide materials for chapters
engaged in grassroots level advocacy. Plans are to include model
letters, updates, alerts, and testimony as provided by law
librarians to assist their colleagues as they advocate on
similar and related issues. AALL GRC members serve as liaisons
to chapter GRCs, facilitating advocacy efforts that originate at
the chapter or grassroots level. Law librarians are encouraged
to submit documents created as part of their advocacy work to
the GRC to be mounted on the web site.
- NOCALL's Legislative
Advocacy link: Northern California Association of Law Libraries California law librarians should start here for the latest
information on regional library issues. The coordinated efforts
of the three California chapters (NOCALL, SCALL, SANDALL) in
successfully defeating AB 2648 in 2002 is documented here,
including letters submitted to the Governor and state
legislators which were instrumental in this advocacy action.
Updates and summaries about library issues, including policy
statements by the NOCALL Government Relations Committee, as
approved by the Executive Board, are available. Links to
current legislative information, including how to contact your
federal and state legislators, as well as other related advocacy
sites including the AALL Washington Affairs Office are
available.
- ALA's Advocacy link: www.ala.org/
The advocacy link from the home page of the
American Library Association contains a huge amount of material
for the librarian advocate, including links to the ALA
Washington Office (discussed below, the ALA Office of
Information Technology, Friends of Libraries USA, and
Association of Library Trustees and Advocates. ALA advocacy
materials can downloaded in PDF format from the site such as the
Library Advocate's
Handbook, Quotable Facts About Libraries, and a number of fact
sheets.
- ALA Washington Office: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/washingtonoffice.cfm
The Washington
Office is home to ALA's
Office of Government Relations and Office for Information
Technology. The web site has a huge amount of information
available for both the experienced and new librarian-advocate:
links to such handy guides as Library Advocacy Pocket
Checklist, Effective Ways to Communicate with Legislators, and
How to Write a Letter to Your Legislator, all of which offer
concise tips for successful advocacy efforts. Fact sheets and
other materials on all major library issues are available for
downloading. Librarians can subscribe to ALAWON, the Washington
Office Newsline, a free, irregular online newsletter.
- Council of California
County Law Librarians: www.cccll.org
Although not yet extensive, this site lists all the county law
libraries (addresses, phone numbers, directors) in the state.
There are links to the county law libraries which have web
sites, as well as to some of the larger bar associations, and
other related legal sites (Findlaw, Thomas, the courts), and the
NOCALL, SCALL, and SANDALL sites.
- California Library
Association: www.cla-net.org
Although the membership of the CLA is composed primarily of
public and academic librarians, California law librarians should
be aware of this site, as it provides up-to-date information on
state library issues. The legislation information at www.cla-net/html/leg.html includes links to official
CLA position papers, current legislative updates, and
information about the Library of California Act. One of the most
recent actions of the CLA was to join other library association
around the nation in passing a resolution, dated February 12,
2003, in support of user privacy and freedom of information in
libraries, calling for amendment of the USA Patriot Act.
II. California Advocacy
Groups and Organizations (a selective list)
Although not specifically focused on libraries, these
organizations actively participate in legislative advocacy,
often coordinating with librarians in advocating for issues that
affect the law library community and our users.
- AOC Office of
Governmental Affairs: www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courtadmin/aoc/oga.htm The Office of Governmental Affairs is the department within the
Administrative Office of the Courts that coordinates outreach
and advocacy efforts for the state judiciary in order to promote
positive relations with the legislative and executive branches.
Projects include the Executive Legislative Action Network (ELAN),
a state-wide network comprised of 84 appellate and trial-court
judges and court administrators. ELAN members review and comment
on proposed legislation, disseminate information among the state
judiciary regarding policy issues, and coordinate advocacy on
issues that affect the courts. The OGA also coordinates a
liaison program to maintain contact and work cooperatively with
groups involved with the judicial system, such as the California
Judges Association, the State Bar of California and local bar
associations, the California District Attorneys Association, and
the California State Association of Counties. A key feature of
this site is a link to the Legislative Status Chart, which
summarizes the status of legislation affecting the courts. This
chart is updated regularly and shared with ELAN members,
Judicial Council members, all presiding judges and court
administrators. Also available in PDF format are monthly issues
of the Capitol Connection, published by the OGA. This
publication is designed to inform users and court personnel of
current legislative events. Requests to be notified by e-mail
when the new issues are available can be submitted.
- California First
Amendment Coalition: www.cfac.org
The California First Amendment Coalition is a nonprofit
organization, initially formed by media representatives, that
has been advocating for open state government since 1988. The
web site has a wealth of information, including cases and
attorney general opinions, on the Brown Act, the Bagley-Keene
Open Meeting Act, the California Public Records Act, the state
Freedom of Information Act, shield laws for journalists, and
other related issues. Other resources include a telephone action
line which provides assistance to journalists, citizens and
public officials seeking information about open government laws
in the state.
- Privacy Rights
Clearinghouse: www.privacyrights.org
Originally established by the Center for Public Interest Law at
the University of San Diego in 1992, the Privacy Rights
Clearinghouse is now a program in the Utility Consumers' Action
Network (UCAN). The PRC has achieved national prominence in
advocating for privacy protection in a variety of areas.
Speeches, testimony, and position papers presented at
legislative hearings at both the state and federal levels are
available on this site. Also available are more than 25 fact
sheets in English and Spanish.
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