ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 7, Number 151 December 7, 1998 In this issue: [1] New Copyright Materials Available on ALA Web Site [2] Direct Grant Programs from the U.S. Department of Education [1] New Copyright Materials Available on ALA Web Site The new Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), recently signed into law, amends U.S. copyright law in ways that will have a significant effect on library and information services. Many of these provisions are effective immediately; others depend on development of regulations and procedures; still others involve fact finding or studies by the Copyright Office. In order to provide information and assistance to the library community, the ALA Washington Office web page includes a newly expanded section on intellectual property and copyright at http://www.ala.org/washoff/copyright.html. Contents include issue briefs on: * Why librarians care about intellectual property law and policy * A summary and brief guide to relevant DMCA provisions * A brief summary of the Copyright Term Extension Act recently signed into law * Materials to help explain what the new laws mean to the library community (Some of these materials were prepared by Arnold Lutzker of Lutzker & Lutzker LLP, an attorney and specialist in intellectual property and new technologies, who is a consultant to ALA and other library groups. Lutzker is preparing a full analysis of the DMCA, parts of which are being made available as completed. Many of the documents in this category will be updated, revised, or repackaged as analysis proceeds, and issues and questions arise.) * Distance education and digital technology study by U.S. Copyright Office * Library preservation changes * Online service providers; limitations on liability * DMCA analysis by Jonathan Band of Morrison & Foerster LLP, a member of the Digital Future Coalition * DMCA; notes from Arnold Lutzker's presentation at an ARL meeting * Recent ALAWON issues on copyright and intellectual property issues * Links to government sources such as the U.S. Copyright Office and texts of bills * Links to other sources, such the Digital Future Coalition and the Association of Research Libraries The ALA Washington Office and Office for Information Technology Policy encourage library staff and advocates to visit this site often. The effort to provide information useful to the field has just begun and will continue. Please contact us with questions and suggestions. [2] Direct Grant Programs from the U.S. Department of Education The Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement published a schedule of application notices and deadlines for programs in the Federal Register (November 3, 1998, v63, n212, pp. 59435-59455; http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/1998- 4/110398a.html). Of special interest to school library media specialists are the application deadlines for the 21st Century Learning Centers program and the Technology Innovation Challenge Grant program. Application information for the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund is also included below. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS Applications for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers were made available on December 3 with a deadline of May 1, 1999. Approximately $100 million of the $200 million allocated in FY99 will be competed for the program of after-school learning centers which provide students with a safe environment for tutoring, counseling and or technology education. The C.S. Mott Foundation has joined with the Department of Education to provide regional workshops for potential applicants. For further information on 21st Century Centers, contact (202) 219-2128. Applications forms and other information are available at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/21stCCLC/. TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION CHALLENGE FUND GRANTS The Technology Innovation Challenge Fund Grants applications were scheduled to be made available on December 7 with a deadline for receipt of February 12, 1999. The grants support the development, interconnection, implementation, improvement, and maintenance of an effective educational technology infrastructure, including activities to provide equipment, training for teachers, school library and media personnel and technical support. The primary goals of the program are to promote the use of technology to support school reform, support network and telecommunication connections to improve student learning and support professional development in the integration of high-quality technology into the school curriculum. Priority will be given to applications that serve areas with a high percentage of disadvantaged students or with the greatest need for educational technology. Consortia may apply and must include one local educational agency with a high percentage of children living below the poverty level and may include other schools, institutions of higher education, businesses, academic content experts, software designers, museums and libraries. The FY99 funding for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants was $115 million. For further information contact OERI, (202) 208-3882 or go to http://www.ed.gov/Technology/challenge/. TECHNOLOGY LITERACY CHALLENGE FUND GRANTS-STATE FORMULA GRANTS Applications are made by State Educational Agencies to support the development and implementation of systemic technology plans at the State, local and school levels to improve the teaching and learning of all children. States then may make subgrants to local education agencies to support school reform; projects to improve student learning; acquisition of hardware and software to improve student learning; acquisition of connections to telecommunications networks to obtain access to resources and services; provision of ongoing professional development in the integration of technology into improved school curricula; and provision of better educational services for adults and families. State educational agencies must submit educational technology plans by March 31, 1999, however states may apply as soon as their plans have been developed. Approximately $475 million is available for this program in FY99. For further information contact the Goals 2000 Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, (202) 401-0039 or go to http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/g2k.html. ****** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. To subscribe to ALAWON, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. To unsubscribe to ALAWON, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org or go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/washoff/alawon. ALA Washington Office, 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 403, Washington, D.C. 20004-1701; phone: 202.628.8410 or 800.941.8478 toll-free; fax: 202.628.8419; e-mail: alawash@alawash.org; Web site: http://www.ala.org/washoff. Editor: Lynne E. Bradley; Managing Editor: Deirdre Herman; Contributors: Mary Costabile, Adam Eisgrau, Anne Heanue, Carol Henderson, Peter Kaplan, Claudette Tennant and Rick Weingarten.