Program
Federal policy and regulations have always had an intersection with academia, but the nexus between public policy and academic concerns and interests that relate to libraries and our constituents is becoming more and more common as academic researchers and scientists contribute to bodies of research that help the government make these policies. With the rise of e-government, it is easier than ever to know what areas and issues the government is interested in addressing and creating policy around, and this provides libraries with more opportunities to contribute their expertise and knowledge to advocate and inform regulatory and policy decisions. The library is also well-situated to bring groups together on campus including the office for research, general counsel, faculty, researchers, and students to make a larger impact when submitting comments.
In order to be more aware about how to become a part of this democratic process, in this session attendees will learn about how the federal regulatory process works, the types of responses that are most valued, successes and challenges that are common when crafting comments, and some of the key consultative players. The presenters will utilize two case studies, a 2018 proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory rule and a 2018 Request for Information (RFI) from the National Institute of Health (NIH), to illustrate the iterative and changing process University of Minnesota librarians went through when commenting and to highlight the various reasons why it is so important for academic libraries to contribute, not only from the library’s perspective, but also to showcase concerns of other campus stakeholders.
ALA Unit/Subunit: ACRL
Meeting Type: Program
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open
Shannon Farrell
Natural Resources Librarian
University of Minnesota
Allison Langham-Putrow
Scholarly Communications and Engineering Liaison Librarian
University of Minnesota
Alicia Kubas
Government Publications & Data Librarian
University of Minnesota