<html>
<body>
<font size=3><br>
Subject: [saaleaderlist] TAKE ACTION: Orphan Works Legislation<br>
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 10:56:29 -0500<br>
From: "Nancy Beaumont" <nbeaumont@archivists.org><br>
To: <saaleaderlist@lists.archivists.org><br>
Sender: saaleaderlist-owner@lists.archivists.org<br><br>
</font><font face="Courier New, Courier" size=2>POSTED ON BEHALF OF SAA
PRESIDENT ELIZABETH ADKINS:<br>
<br>
On May 24, the House Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and
Intellectual Property, Committee on the Judiciary approved H.R. 5439, the
"Orphan Works Act of 2006." Overall, the legislation as
introduced constitutes a very positive step forward in solving many
orphan works concerns raised by archives, libraries, and others in the
cultural community. The legislative solution includes U.S.,
foreign, published, and unpublished works, and presents a relatively
flexible system for users and institutions regarding what constitutes a
reasonable search for orphan works. Since approval by the Subcommittee,
some additional changes (e.g., state sovereign immunity provisions) have
been proposed to the legislation.<br>
<br>
It is critically important for members of the House Committee on the
Judiciary to receive letters of support for H.R. 5439 as soon as
possible. As members of the Committee are hearing mostly from
opponents of the legislation, <b>it is important that the Committee hear
NOW from supporters of the orphan works legislation.<br>
</b> <br>
A sample letter and a list of members of the Judiciary Committee are
included below. If a member of the Judiciary Committee is in your
state delegation, please fax letters or place calls to them as soon as
possible. For specific contact information, go to
<a href="http://www.house.gov/judiciary">
http://www.house.gov/judiciary</a>.<br>
<br>
Please let me know if I can provide additional information. My
thanks in advance.<br>
<br>
--------<br>
<br>
Dear Representative:<br>
<br>
On behalf of _______, I am writing in strong support of H.R. 5439, the
"Orphan Works Act of 2006." This legislation, once
enacted, will greatly help to make cultural heritage more broadly
available to the public. I ask that you support this legislation
when H.R. 5439 is considered by the Committee on the Judiciary.<br>
<br>
The special collections in our libraries, museums, state and local
historical societies, and archives are deep and rich in our Nation's
cultural and scientific heritage. These collections include
significant amounts of orphan works, works whose owners are difficult or
impossible to locate. These repositories with orphan works are not
being made publicly available for fear of copyright owners coming forward
and demanding unknown amounts of compensation. Despite extensive
and costly searches to locate orphan work owners, without a legislative
solution, the risk remains too high for _____ institution to make these
works publicly available.<br>
<br>
Resolving the orphan works problem will present significant new
educational opportunities because these works will be publicly accessible
and available to students, faculty, and the public. Access to these
resources supports and inspires new scholarship by making the works of
previous generations more accessible and useful to current users.<br>
<br>
Thank you in advance for considering this request.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
<br>
-----------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
For specific contact information, go to
<a href="http://www.house.gov/judiciary">
http://www.house.gov/judiciary</a><br>
Hon. Sensenbrenner Jr., Chairman, Wisconsin Hon. Hyde, Illinois Hon.
Coble, North Carolina Hon. Smith, Texas Hon. Gallegly, California Hon.
Goodlatte, Virginia Hon. Chabot, Ohio Hon. Lungren, California Hon.
Jenkins, Tennessee Hon. Cannon, Utah Hon. Bachus, Alabama Hon. Inglis,
South Carolina Hon. Hostettler, Indiana Hon. Green, WI Hon. Keller,
Florida Hon. Issa, California Hon. Flake, Arizona Hon. Pence, Indiana
Hon. Forbes, Virginia Hon. King, Iowa Hon. Feeney, Florida Hon. Franks,
Arizona Hon. Gohmert, Texas Hon. Conyers Jr., Ranking Member, Michigan
Hon. Berman, California Hon. Boucher, Virginia Hon. Nadler, New York Hon.
Scott, Virginia Hon. Watt, North Carolina Hon. Lofgren, California Hon.
Jackson Lee, Texas Hon. Waters, California Hon. Meehan, Massachusetts
Hon. Delahunt, Massachusetts Hon. Wexler, Florida Hon. Weiner, New York
Hon. Schiff, California Hon. Sánchez, California Hon. Van Hollen, Jr.,
Maryland Hon. Wasserman Schultz, Florida<br>
<br>
--------<br>
<br>
Elizabeth W. Adkins, CA<br>
President, Society of American Archivists<br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2> <br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
______________<br>
Janet M. Carleton - <carleton@ohio.edu> - 740/597-2527
<br>
Digital Initiatives Coordinator / Women's Studies Bibliographer<br>
Alden 235A, Ohio University Libraries, Athens,
Ohio<br>
<<a href="http://www.library.ohiou.edu/" eudora="autourl">
http://www.library.ohiou.edu/</a>></font></body>
</html>