SWALL Bulletin Fall 2001

AALL’s Government Relations Committee (GRC) monitors federal and state legislative, regulatory, and judicial developments (except for copyright) that are expected to affect the Association, law librarianship, law libraries, or the dissemination of information. A standing committee of AALL, the GRC advises the Executive Board and the Washington Affairs Office about these issues and coordinates efforts to communicate Association views on information policy issues to government entities at all levels.

GRC develops the legislative update session at the AALL annual meeting in conjunction with the Washington Affairs Office. In recent years the committee also has initiated a liaison program, wherein committee members make contact with AALL chapter officers or committee chairs who monitor information issues in their regions. To further this initiative, SWALL members vested with this responsibility for their local law library associations are urged to contact their GRC liaison, Charlene Cain (LSU Law Library, llcain@lsu.edu), with information policy questions or problems in their states.

In relation to another of its charges, the Government Relations Committee is currently soliciting nominations for the 2002 Public Access to Government Information (PAGI) Award. Established in1999, this award honors significant contributions by persons or organizations involved in the protection and promotion of greater public access to government information. Recipients need not be law librarians or members of AALL. Previous PAGI award winners have been the United States Government Printing Office in 1999 for its website, GPO Access, and the Library of Congress in 2000 in honor of its website, THOMAS. Criteria for selection include:

1) a contribution that significantly improves public access to government information, thereby increasing the public's knowledge about the workings of government;
2) the extent to which the individual or organization has had a positive impact on protecting and promoting public access to governmental information;

3) the extent to which the effort advances the AALL mission and Government Relations Policy. Though nominations are solicited annually, there is no requirement that the award be given every year.

The award is jointly administered by the Government Relations and Awards Committees. All nominations are considered on an individual basis, with complete confidentiality, and according to the criteria listed above. Nominations must be sent to the Chair of the Government Relations Committee, Anne Burnett (University of Georgia Law Library, Law School, Herty Drive, Athens, GA 30602 aburnett@arches.uga.edu), no later than February 2, 2002.

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