Legislation Committee Annual Report 2022

submitted by Peter Shirts and Kathleen DeLaurenti

Current Roster

  • Kathleen DeLaurenti, co-chair (2024)
  • Peter Shirts, co-chair (2026)
  • Anthony L. Sharp (2023)
  • Kerry Masteller (2024)
  • Alyssa Nance (2024)
  • Peter Routhier, Internet Archive (2025)
  • Nicholle Clayton (2026)
  • Greg MacAyeal (2026)
  • Amy Hunsaker, Copyright Website Editor (ex officio, 2026)

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

(from 2019-2020)

  1. Continue to maintain awareness of relevant legislation and respond as appropriate.
    • The Committee worked with members of ALA’s Copyright Legislation, Education, and Advocacy Network (CLEAN) to submit public comments concerning the statutory definition of online publication.
    • Committee past co-chair Kyra Folk-Farber and new co-chair Kathleen DeLaurenti participated, via Zoom, in CLEAN (Copyright Legislation, Education, and Advocacy Network) meetings and discussions, including the ALA Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.
    • Members of the committee continue to provide updates from Library Futures with appropriate opportunities to engage in their work. Most recently, the committee submitted questions that will be taken to the NASCIG committee on CDL about how e-books are defined.
    • The Committee followed (and continues to follow) numerous legislative issues related to copyright, via a range of informational networks and channels, including:
      • The copyright infringement lawsuit filed by member companies of the Association of American Publishers (AAP) against the Internet Archive.
  2. Continue to re-examine the Committee’s charge and scope, in regard not only to copyright and intellectual property legislation but also public policy, more broadly; assess any necessary changes to charge and/or scope and provide updates in 2021.
    • The Committee decided not to expand scope; our recruiting for committee members interested in public policy failed and the demands of regular positions during the pandemic increased, leaving little time for an expanded role; the Committee updated its charge in 2021 to reflect this decision.
    • We have instituted a quarterly meeting schedule for ongoing activities of the committee.
  3. Expand membership.
    • Recruited 3 new members for 2022–2026.
  4. Increase outreach, advocacy, and engagement through instruction and education initiatives related to copyright.
    • Amy Hunsaker, working with MLA website editor Steve Henry, migrated the MLA Copyright Website to a new platform.
    • Committee members created two blog posts for MLA in 2022 regarding the SMART Copyright and the Copyright Claims Board.
    • The Committee proposed 2 sessions for the 2023 annual conference.
    • The Committee coordinated a proposed model license initiative for e-scores, including developing language and seeking advice from other e-book license experts.

List of Future Goals

  1. Continue to maintain awareness of relevant legislation and respond as appropriate.
    • Aligns with Objective 1.3 “Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations” and Objective 2.6 “Promote MLA and advocate for our profession.”
    • Continue to read articles and new stories, and attend webinars, conferences, and committees in sister organizations related to music-related legislation.
  2. Continue outreach, advocacy, and engagement through instruction and education initiatives related to copyright.
    • Aligns with Goal 4 “Strengthen Communication,” Objective 2.6 “Promote MLA and advocate for our profession,” and Objective 1.4 “Review MLA’s publications for support of strategy.”
    • Evaluate MLA Copyright website to determine if it continues to meet MLA’s needs.
    • Propose sessions and/or workshops that meet the legislation needs of MLA.
  3. Identifying opportunities to align programming submissions with DEI efforts in MLA and libraries and intellectual property more broadly.
    • Aligns with Objective 1.2 “Organizational understanding of DEIA.”
  4. Identify and publicize opportunities to provide more specific structural copyright support to MLA members and their constituents, including in regards to initiatives relating to Open Access.
    • Aligns with Objective 1.6 “Shift MLA’s publishing towards open access.”