Library Organizations To File Amicus Brief in Google Book Search Settlement

Dear Friends,
The American Library Association (ALA), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) announced this week that they will file an amicus brief pertaining to the pending Google Book Search settlement. ARL associate executive director Prue Adler told the LJ Academic Newswire.
The decision to file an amicus brief from the library community comes after significant discussion among library leaders. Perhaps, above all, it reveals the uneasy position libraries find themselves in as the Google settlement hurtles forward. Despite the potential implications for libraries and the public, the blunt instrument of an amicus brief may be the only formal voice libraries now have in the wide-ranging final settlement, one that could very well shape the future market for access to books.
In a statement issued after last week’s meeting, library leaders said their concerns revolved around five broad themes: access, privacy, intellectual freedom, equitable treatment, and terms of use. Those wishing to object to the settlement face a May 5, 2009, deadline, though Adler told the Newswire the library community’s amicus will be filed before that date. Source: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6640461.html?nid=2673&rid=reg_visitor_id&source=link
Thanking You, Dinesh