oct09b.indd


C&RL News October 2009  538

Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility 
Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221) 
ALA is constantly working to fi nd ways to 
get libraries’ needs recognized in important 
legislation and identifying potential new 
sources of funding. 

Working closely with community col-
lege library leaders from ACRL, ALA has 
been lobbying for language highlighting the 
important role community college libraries 
play in preparing students to successfully 
obtain and retain employment as part of the 
Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 
2009 (H.R. 3221).

Introduced by U.S. Rep. George Miller 
(D-CA), H.R. 3221 would establish two new 
competitive grant programs that would 
give states and junior and community col-
leges the opportunity to apply for funds to 
launch initiatives to improve graduation and 
employment-related outcomes. However, the 
existing bill language does not explicitly in-
clude community college libraries as potential 
recipients of the grants. 

Since the bill’s introduction, the ALA 
Washington Offi ce has lobbied House Educa-
tion and Labor Committee members to insert 
language highlighting the important role 
community college libraries play in prepar-
ing students to successfully obtain and retain 
employment. 

The Washington Offi ce has also been in 
communication and consultation with the 
American Association of Community Col-
leges, which does not oppose community 
college library language being inserted.

Similar efforts have started in the Senate, 
however a community college bill has not 
been introduced. Lynne Bradley, director 
for the ALA Offi ce of Government Relations, 
says explicit bill language is key to increasing 
the likelihood of community college libraries 
receiving grants under these new programs. 

“Securing bill language that inserts librar-
ies would help elevate the visibility of college 
libraries on their local campuses, bringing 
attention to the valuable role community 
college libraries play. Our hope is that com-
munity colleges pursuing the grants that 
would be made available by this bill would 
invest in their libraries and the services they 
offer,” Bradley said.

Bradley also said that upon the House’s 
return to work on H.R. 3221, the library 
community must be extremely active to 
demonstrate the broad grassroots support for 
recognizing the important role of community 
colleges on our campuses.

Since the bill did not make it to the House 
fl oor for a vote before the August recess, 
Bradley says there is more time to get com-
munity college library language inserted into 
the text of the bill. In addition, the Senate 
is drafting a comparable version of the bill, 
and the Washington Office is contacting 
key Senate offi ces to advocate community 
college library language be included in the 
legislation. 

Jenni Terry is press offi  cer at ALA’s Washington Offi  ce, 
e-mail: jterry@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eJenni Terry

6. T. M. Owen and Courtney Michael, 
“A Crash Course on Open Access,” “Faculty 
Voice,” March 22, 2009: 3–7, hdl.handle.
net/1903/9028. 

7. Peter Suber, “Lessons from Maryland,” 
“SPARC Open Access Newsletter,” 134, 
June2, 2009, www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos
/newsletter/06-02-09.htm#maryland.

8. Peter Suber, “Maryland Faculty Votes 
Against OA Policy,” “Open Access News. 24 
April 2009. http://www.earlham.edu/~peters
/fos/2009/04/faculty-votes-against-oa-policy
-at.html. 

9. Stevan Harnad, “Gold Fever: Read and 
Weep,” Online Posting, April 27, 2009. Libli-
cense: Licensing Digital Information, www.
library.yale.edu/~llicense/ListArchives/0904
/msg00090.html. 

(“What’s the opposite . . .” continued from 
page 521 )