Editors of this issue:

Gail Hendler, Ehrman Medical Library, New York University Medical School, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, S-10, E-mail: hendlerg@yahoo.com,

and

William Self, The Medical Library Center of New York, 5 East 102nd St., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10029 S-1, Phone: 212-427-1630, Fax: 212-860-3496, E-mail: wself@mlcny.org.

As always, the members of the Advocacy Committee kept watch on issues affecting libraries both here in our NY/NJ "backyard" and nationally. We stay up-to-date by checking on web sites and monitoring listservs. When items require action (impending votes, etc.) we let you know as soon as possible, and we hope to hear from you if there is any action we need to promote. September 11, 2001 changed many things, among them beliefs about accessing information. We will continue to keep a close watch on how these beliefs may impact policy.

Here's a summary of the latest "calls to action":

September 2002

The New Jersey Library Association urged us to call our representatives so that a vote on H.R. 3784, the Museum and Library Services Reauthorization, could be scheduled as soon as possible.

August 2002

An ALAWON issue update alerted us to S2395, an anti-counterfeiting bill, that would create liability for trafficking in illicit authentication features such as watermarks or symbols. This bill could adversely impact our rights to conduct interlibrary loan activities and make preservation copies of works. We were also urged to contact our representatives about the Database Protection Act. While this act has been languishing for some time, rumors indicated that passage of a bill that would be highly restrictive to libraries was moving forward.

A final point of information: New York Library Association President Carolyn Giambra wrote to the candidates for governor asking them about their positions on increasing state aid to libraries. Governor Pataki and H. Carl H. McCall responded, and their answers are in the September 2002 NYLA Bulletin.

Thanks to Committee members Tom Angelo and Luda Dolinsky for their timely updates to the Chapter listserv.