The Fair Copyright in Research Works Act, H.R. 801, (http://tinyurl.com/d2e9eo) would repeal the NIH Public Access Policy and prevent other federal agencies from enacting similar open access policies (see the Alliance for Taxpayer Access call to action, http://tinyurl.com/bjb2pg).
Ten associations and advocacy groups, including AALL, ACRL, ALA, ARL, and GWLA, have sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee members opposing the bill (http://tinyurl.com/bf5onu). Here's an excerpt: "The NIH Public Access Policy advances science, improves access by the public to federally funded research, provides for effective archiving strategies for these resources, and ensures accountability of our federal investment. Given the proven success of the revised NIH Public Access Policy and the promise of public access to federally funded research, we firmly oppose H.R.801 and ask that you do the same." If you want to oppose the bill and support the NIH Public Access policy and open access, you should contact members of the House Judiciary Committee and your Representative immediately by letter, e-mail, fax, or phone. If a Judiciary Committee member is in your district, your opposition will have considerably more impact. You can find a list of House Judiciary Committee members at the below DigitalKoans posting that includes each Judiciary Committee member's Web site, e-mail address/e-mail form URL, telephone number, and fax number. It also includes the text of the Alliance for Taxpayer Access' draft letter that can be modified to send to Committee members. http://tinyurl.com/bkq757 -- Best Regards, Charles Charles W. Bailey, Jr. Publisher, Digital Scholarship http://www.digital-scholarship.org/ http://digital-scholarship.org/cwb/cwbaileyprofile.htm