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Advocacy & Public Policy


ARL is the collective voice for research libraries and archives on public policy in the US and internationally. We lead on policy and legal issues that advance sustainable, equitable, and barrier-free access to information and culture while protecting core values of privacy and freedom of expression.

ARL partners with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) on Canadian public policy issues, and works in coalition with the International Alliance of Research Library Associations (IARLA) on global policy development.

Contact Katherine Klosek (kklosek@arl.org) to find out how you can get involved.


Advocacy Letters & Statements

ARL advances our priorities by working in coalition with representatives from civil society, higher education, libraries, scholars, open science, research, technology, and trade. On this page you will find letters,...

Anticompetitive Practices Reduce Diversity of Knowledge

In June, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced a package of antitrust reform bills targeted at curbing anticompetitive practices in online markets. The bills followed a series of House...

Maryland Is First State to Expand Equitable Access to E-books through Libraries (updated)

Final update: On February 16, a judge granted the Association of American Publishers (AAP) motion for preliminary injunction of Maryland’s law requiring publishers to offer electronic literary materials to libraries on “reasonable...

Biden’s Competition Order Advances Right-to-Repair Movement

Today, President Biden issued an “Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy.” Among other provisions, the order aims to address anticompetitive terms imposed by manufacturers that restrict third-party...

  • Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries

    The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries is a clear and easy-to-use statement of fair and reasonable approaches to fair use developed by and...

  • Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Software Preservation

    Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Software Preservation

    The Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Software Preservation provides clear guidance on the legality of archiving legacy software to ensure continued access to digital files of all...

  • Net Neutrality: Access to Information and Reliance on an Open Internet

    On August 29, 2017, the Association of Research Libraries filed reply comments in the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proceeding "In the Matter of Restoring Internet...

  • Copyright Timeline: A History of Copyright in the United States

    18th-19th Centuries | 20th-21st Centuries | Bibliography and Resources The history of American copyright law originated with the introduction of the printing press to England in the late fifteenth century....

  • Public Domain Day

    Public Domain Day

    A rich, robust public domain provides the building blocks of creation and culture. Works in the public domain are free to use without permission and can be reproduced, distributed, performed,...

  • Fair Use

    Legislation in support of fair use has been considered by the US Congress for many years. These bills sought to ensure the vitality of fair use in the digital environment....

  • Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)

    Recognizing the need to centralize government printing and to establish a mechanism to provide US citizens with no-fee access to federal government information, Congress passed the Printing Act of 1895...

  • Coalition Partners

    American Council on Education American Council on Learned Societies Coalition for National Science Funding Confederation of Open Access Repositories Consortium of Social Science Associations International Alliance of Research Library Associations...

  • Libraries Open World of Knowledge for People with Visual Disabilities

    Libraries Open World of Knowledge for People with Visual Disabilities

    On April 23, 2018, World Book and Copyright Day, Gulnaz Juzbaeva made history by borrowing a book. “One of the main obstacles I’ve encountered in school and university is the...

  • International Copyright & IP

    ARL, as a member of the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA), engages on a number of international copyright and intellectual property issues. In addition, ARL monitors Canadian copyright issues via the...


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