dec09b.indd


C&RL News December 2009  708

2010 L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award
The ALA Offi ce for Information Technology 
Policy (OITP) is calling for nominations for 
the 2010 L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award. 
This annual award honors individuals or 
groups who embody the spirit of the U.S. 
copyright law as voiced by the framers of 
our Constitution: “to promote the Progress of 
Science and useful Arts” (U.S. Constitution, 
Article 1, Section 8). 

Please send letters of nomination outlining a 
candidate’s qualifi cations for this award to Carrie 
Russell, director, Program on Public Access to 
Information, ALA OITP, 1615 New Hampshire 
Avenue NW, First Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009, 
or to crussell@alawash.org. Include examples of 
how the nominee has contributed to the pursuit 
of the fundamental tenets of copyright law. 
Nominees who have worked or collaborated 
with libraries will be given special consideration. 
Nominations will be accepted through January 
15, 2009.

Patterson was a foremost legal thinker, 
writer, and champion of users’ rights. He was a 
pioneer who exposed the restrictive nature of 
new interpretations and unnecessary expansions 
of contemporary copyright law. For librarians, 
Patterson was a key legal fi gure who articulated 
how corporate interests have sidetracked the 
true purpose of copyright—to advance learn-
ing and to ensure that knowledge is broadly 
disseminated to the public. Through numerous 
books, articles, and briefs, Patterson highlighted 
and justifi ed the importance of the public do-
main and fair use.

James Madison Award
The ALA Washington Office is seeking 
nominations for the James Madison Award 
to honor individuals or groups who have 
championed, protected, and promoted public 
access to government information and the 
public’s right to know on the national level.

The annual award, named in honor of 
President James Madison, was established 
by the ALA in 1986. It is presented during 
Freedom of Information (FOI) Day, an event 
on or near March 16 (Madison’s birthday), 
who is widely regarded as the Father of the 
Constitution and as the foremost advocate for 
openness in government. 

Nominations should be submitted to the 
ALA’s Washington Offi ce no later than Feb-
ruary 6, 2010. Submissions should include 
a statement (maximum one page) about 
nominee’s contribution to public access to 
government information and why it merits 
the award and one seconding letter. Please 
include a brief biography and contact infor-
mation for the nominee. 

Send e-mail nominations to Jessica Mc-
Gilvray, assistant director for the ALA Offi ce 
of Government Relations, at jmcgilvray@
alawash.org.

Library Advocacy Day 
In 2010, the ALA Washington Offi ce will 
replace its annual National Library Legisla-
tive Day (NLLD) in Washington, D.C., with 
an exciting, one-time opportunity—Library 
Advocacy Day—combining a rally on Capi-
tol Hill with participants’ traditional visits to 
Congressional offi ces.

Library Advocacy Day will give the thou-
sands of ALA members who will be attending 
the 2010 ALA Annual Conference scheduled 
for June 24–30, 2010, in Washington, D.C., a 
chance to get involved in federal advocacy.

The rally will begin at 11 a.m. on June 29, 
2010, at the Upper Senate Park on the U.S. 
Capitol grounds. As with NLLD, Advocacy 
Day participants will work with their state 
coordinators to schedule meetings with their 
members of Congress after the rally. 

For more information on the event—in-
cluding how to contact state coordinators—
contact Kristin Murphy, government relations 
specialist for the ALA Washington Offi ce, at 
kmurphy@alawash.org or (800) 941-8478.  

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