Call for nominations

[Janice Pilch <pilch@xxxxxxxx>]

**Please pardon cross-postings and redistribute this notice 
as widely as deemed appropriate.**

The American Library Association Seeks Nominations for the 
L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award: In Support of Usersb Rights

L. Ray Patterson was a foremost legal thinker, writer and 
practitioner who championed usersb rights.  He was a pioneer 
who to drew attention to the restrictive nature of aggressive 
enforcement, new interpretations and unnecessary expansions 
of copyright law.  By acknowledging those who follow in his 
footsteps we celebrate his life accomplishments and 
contributions for library users in particular.

ALA seeks nominations for the L. Ray Patterson Copyright 
Award: In Support of Usersb Rights of those who have made 
significant and consistent contributions to the pursuit of 
balanced copyright principles while working in the area of 
academia, law, politics, public policy, libraries or library 
education.  While the standing of this award was well 
established through its namesake and first awardee, the 
continued prestige of the award depends on the quality of 
nominations received from our members and the public.  

The L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award: In Support of Usersb 
Rights honors deserving individuals or groups who embody the 
spirit of the U.S. Copyright law as voiced by the framers of 
our Constitution: bto advance the knowledge of science and 
useful artsb (U.S. Constitution, art 1, sec 8).  Nominees for 
the Patterson Award are persons who follow and draw attention 
to  the fundamental tenets established by Congress when 
drafting the U.S. Copyright law:   

*        The creation of new knowledge and the arts are 
encouraged; 

*        The creation and dissemination of knowledge is the 
purpose of copyright; 

*        Congress is granted the power to encourage creation 
of new works, but only via a very specific method, by 
granting authors and inventors exclusive rights; 

*        The exclusive rights granted should be for a limited 
time;  

*        Authors and inventors can benefit financially from 
copyright but this is a side effect of encouraging the 
dissemination of knowledge, and not the direct intent of 
copyright; and  

*        The rights of authors and inventors are granted by 
Congress and are not intrinsic or natural. 

Please send letters of nomination outlining a candidatebs 
qualifications for this esteemed award to 
cwtennant@xxxxxxxxxxx or to L. Ray Patterson Award 
Nominations, P.O. Box 1863, Auburn, AL 36831-1863.  Letters 
of nomination will be accepted through December 1, 2004.  

The L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award is awarded annually. 
Nominations will be reviewed by an award jury consisting of 
ALA members. Recipients will be awarded during the ALA Annual 
Conference.  Nominees for this award need not be limited to 
librarians.  

For questions or concerns, please contact Claudette Tennant, 
consultant to the Office for Information Technology Policy: 
cwtennant@xxxxxxxxxxx or 334-707-9309.

Please pardon cross-postings and redistribute this notice as 
widely as deemed appropriate.

----------------------------------------
Janice T. Pilch, Assistant Professor of Library Administration
Acting Head, Acquisitions, Slavic and East European Library
Librarian for South Slavic Studies and Slavic Languages & Literatures
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
1408 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801
Tel. (217) 244-9399  E-mail: pilch@xxxxxxxx