dec11b.indd


December 2011  699 C&RL News

initiatives aimed at providing increased access 
to the invaluable small- and medium-sized 
digitization projects created by libraries, ar-
chives, and museums. Panelists will discuss 
how to ensure access to and discoverability 
of digitization projects after their creation and 
best practices for collaborating with other 
institutions.

In the afternoon, the ALA WO will host 
a discussion of the Government Printing 
Office’s (GPO) Federal Depository Library 
Program (FDLP). Representatives from GPO, 
Association of Southeastern Research Librar-
ies (ASERL), and the Minnesota-Michigan 
proposal have been invited to speak and time 
will be allotted for questions and discussion 
among meeting participants. 

For additional information about proposed 
FDLP proposals and recent related commu-
nications, please visit http://www.ala.org 
/ala/issuesadvocacy/advleg/federallegislation 
/govinfo/fdlp/index.cfm.

Anti-net neutrality bill defeated in the 
U.S. Senate
A final note on recent legislative activity on 
Capitol Hill: on November 10, 2011, the U.S. 
Senate took up the long-awaited issue of in-
ternet (net) neutrality. Senate Joint Resolution 
(S.J. Res.) 6, the anti-net neutrality bill that 
Senator Hutchinson (R-TX) introduced back 
in February was finally brought to the floor 
for a much anticipated vote. The bill was 
defeated by a partisan vote of 46 yeas to 52 
nays. The outcome sent a clear message that 
libraries and those they serve (the public) 
not only care strongly about this issue but 
also depend upon a free and open internet 
to provide unfettered access to all types of 
information. 

The bill’s demise ensured that the Fed-
eral Communications Commission (FCC) 
order will go into effect on November 20, 
2011. 

Corey Williams is assistant director, ALA Office of 
Government Relations, e-mail: cwilliams@alawash.org

W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n eCorey Williams

ALA Washington Office programs at 
ALA Midwinter; Anti-net neutrality bill 
defeated
ALA’s Washington Office (WO) will host 
several programs January 21 at the ALA Mid-
winter Meeting in Dallas, Texas, related to 
current legislative and policy work. 

The first program of the day will be ALA 
WO’s update, which will consist of two 
consecutive panel discussions on orphaned 
works and digital libraries. The first panel 
will examine the current state of orphaned 
works. Panelists will discuss how institu-
tions are “unlocking” orphans, best practices 
developed in doing so, and possible paths 
forward. The second panel will review the 
landscape of digital libraries, including the 
HaithiTrust Digital Library, Internet Archive, 
and the proposed Digital Public Library of 
America. Panelists will discuss how the 
models work, ways in which they differ, 
and how each digital library is approaching 
orphaned works. 

Following the ALA WO update, will be 
the break-out session, How to Save Your 
Library Using Grassroots Strategies: Success 
Stories. Listen to Advocacy Guru Stephanie 
Vance share valuable tips on how to influ-
ence policymakers during tough economic 
times. Also, hear success stories from library 
advocates around the country and what they 
have done to influence policymakers at their 
institutions and in their community. Attend-
ees will walk away with ten principles for 
grassroots success. 

Another break-out session will be held 
on Ensuring Access to and Use of Digital 
Collections. Building on the ALA WO Office 
for Information Technology Policy Perspec-
tives Paper, “Digitizing Hidden Collections 
in Public Libraries,” the panel will address