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href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.cybertoolsforlibraries.com/"> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/images/template/ad/cybertools.jpg" alt="Thanks to CyberTools for Libraries for their sponsorship of MLANET!" title="Thanks to CyberTools for Libraries for their sponsorship of MLANET!"/></a> </div><br/><br/> <div class="feature"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.medicalletter.org/tml/sl"> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/sponsors/medletter_200710.jpg" alt="Thanks to the Medical Letter for their sponsorship of the MLANET members-only Website!" title="Thanks to the Medical Letter for their sponsorship of the MLANET members-only Website!"/></a> </div> </td> <td id="tpl-content"> <div class="padded">   <h2>Advocacy & Policy</h2> <h3>Information Issues and Policy</h3> <p>The Medical Library Association supports access to the worlds health sciences information to facilitate informed health care decisions. The Governmental Relations Committee and the Joint MLA/AAHSL Legislative Task Force both have responsibility for addressing national information issues and policies of importance to the health sciences library community.</p> <blockquote> <table class="pagenavtable"> <tr valign="top"><td> <h5 style="margin-top: 0">Legislative News</h5> <ul> <li> Latest Public Policy Updates <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/members/mla-focus/2008/mla-focus-20080403.html#content612">MLA-FOCUS</a> (brief, timely, and relevant issue-specific updates, available to members only) </li> <li>Public Policy Reports (comprehensive updates on multiple issues) </li> </ul> </li> <li>MLA Action Alerts </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/newsroom/2008/april08.html#1">MLA 2008 Award for Distinguished Public Service</a><br> On April 9, 2008, President Mark E. Funk presented Rep. David Obey (D-WI) with MLA's Award for Distinguished Public Service </li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/gov_pdf/2008_congbriefing.ppt"> Congressional Briefing: "Health Information for All: From Research to Health Professional to Patient"</a> (PowerPoint, MB)<br> On April 9, 2008, MLA President Mark E. Funk and AAHSL President Linda A. Watson gave a powerpoint demonstration of NLM's databases to explain how biomedical information moves from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside. The program explained how publicly available databases and websites developed by the National Library of Medicine support the information needs of researchers, health professionals, and the public. </li> </ul> <h5><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/positions/index.html">MLA Position Statements</a></h5> <p>The <a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/members/directory/committee/comm_grc.html">Governmental Relations Committee</a> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/key_blue_a.gif" alt="Members-only access" width="30" height="15" title="Available in the MLANET members-only area."> develops position statements to assist librarians in understanding and applying information issues and policy within the library and to educate policy makers about the role of information services in support of health care delivery, education, and research. MLA's position statements address issues such as access to government information, the copyright law and fair use, and distance education.</p> </td> </tr> </table> </blockquote> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  Civil Liberties</h4> <p>Addresses legislation that seeks to strengthen national security post 9/11, and its impact on libraries and library services.</p> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/civil/index.html">USA PATRIOT Legislation</a><a name="funding"></a></li> </ul> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  Funding</h4> <p>Addresses annual appropriations legislation that funds education and recruitment initiatives, and also library programs and services to ensure that information access is available to health professionals, educators, students, and the public.</p> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/imls/index.html">Institute of Museum and Library Services</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/appropriations/legappropindex.html">Legislative Branch</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/nih_reauthor.html">NIH Reauthorization</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/appropriations/index.html">NLM Appropriations</a></li> </ul> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  Information Access</h4> <p>Addresses issues and legislation related to public access to health information, including the NIH policy on enhancing public access to archived publications resulting from NIH-funded research and NLM's PubChem database.</p> <ul> <li> <a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/info_access/index.html">Access to Government Information</a> <a name="copyright"></a></li> </ul> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  Intellectual Property and Copyright</h4> <p>Addresses a wide range of national and international intellectual property and copyright issues impacting libraries and library services in the print and digital arenas.</p> <h5>Copyright Issues and Legislation</h5> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/term_ext/index.html">Copyright Term Extension</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/court/index.html">Court Cases</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/database/index.html">Database Issues</a></li> <li><a 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href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/positions/copyright_statements.html">MLA Copyright Position Statements and FAQs</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/ucita/index.html">Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA)</a></li> </ul> <h5>Copyright Web Resources</h5> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/copytoc.html">Association of Research Libraries Website</a> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.arl.org/info/frn/copy/CampusCopyright05.pdf">"Campus Copyright Rights and Responsibilities: A Basic Guide to Policy Considerations"</a> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/common/img/software/adobe-pdf.gif" alt="[PDF]"/></li> </ul> </li> <li>MLA Web publication, <em><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/members/copyright/index.html">The Copyright Law and the Health Sciences Librarian</a> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/key_blue_a.gif" alt="A members-only benefit" title="A members-only benefit" width="30" height="15"></em></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/title17/">1976 Copyright Law</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/">U.S. Copyright Office Website</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/wipo/index.html">World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)</a></li> </ul> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  <a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/resources/publish/pub_resources.html"> Scholarly Publishing</a></h4> <p>Addresses issues on publisher mergers, open access, and links to scholarly publishing initiatives <a name="tech"></a></p> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  Technology</h4> <p>MLA position statements that identify roles for information professionals in national telemedicine and NII / HPCC initiatives, and address digital technology issues.</p> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/positions/nii.html">National Information Infrastructure (NII) / High-Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC)</a> Position Paper</li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/positions/telemedicine.html">Telemedicine</a> Position Paper</li> <li>Open Document Format (ODF)—MLA Letters on ODF to <ul> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/gov_pdf/odf_massachusettsgalvin.pdf">Secretary of Commonwealth of Massachusetts</a> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/common/img/software/adobe-pdf.gif" alt="[PDF]"/> and </li> <li><a href="/web/20080701203529/http://www.mlanet.org/government/gov_pdf/odf_massachusettstrimarco.pdf">Secretary of the Executive Branch of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts</a> <img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/common/img/software/adobe-pdf.gif" alt="[PDF]"/> <a name="telecom"></a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> <h4> <a href="#top"><img src="/web/20080701203529im_/http://www.mlanet.org/pix/2000/2000bttn_toppg.gif" width="22" height="16" border="0" alt="To top of page"></a>  Telecommunications</h4> <p>Addresses telecommunications and technology issues such as the E-rate and universal service as well as Internet policies such as filtering and content controls. </p> <ul> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080701203529/http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/techinttele/technologyinternet.htm">ALA Washington Office Website on Technology, the Internet and Communications</a></li> </ul>   </div> </td> <td id="tpl-right"> <div class="padded">  <div class="feature"> <a 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