ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 13, Number 106 December 17, 2004 In This Issue: ALA seeking nominations for 16th Annual James Madison Award and Inaugural Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award (1)Nominations Sought for the 2005 Eileen Cooke State & Local Madison Award ALA announces a new award to be given yearly on the anniversary of James Madison's birth to recognize state or local individuals, groups, or other entities that have championed access to government information and the public's right to know. The award is named for Eileen Cooke, former director of the ALA Washington Office and an extraordinary leader in building grassroots awareness of core library issues including access to information. Cooke was a tireless advocate for the public's right to know and a mentor to many librarians and trustees. The American Library Association (ALA) seeks nominations to be considered for the award to be given on March 16, 2005 at the Freedom Forum National Freedom of Information Day program. FOIA Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, regarded as the Father of the Constitution, as well as the foremost advocate for openness in government. TO NOMINATE: Nominations can be made in letter, email or fax to the American Library Association, Washington Office no later than January 31st, 2005. Submissions should include a statement (a paragraph or two) about nominee's contribution to public access to government information and why it merits the award, and a seconding letter. Please include a brief biography and contact information for the nominee. Send nominations by January 31st to: JAMES MADISON AWARD American Library Association Washington Office 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 403 Washington, D.C. 20004-1701 Or by e-mail to pmcdermott@alawash.org For further information or questions, please contact Patrice McDermott at 800-941-8478; pmcdermott@alawash.org. (2) Nominations Sought for the 2005 Madison Award Each year, the James Madison Award is presented on Freedom of Information Day to recognize those individuals or groups that have championed access to government information and the public's right to know. This year marks the 39th anniversary of the Freedom of Information Act and the 16th year that ALA will make this award in honor of James Madison. The American Library Association (ALA) seeks nominations to be considered for the award to be given on March 16, 2005 at the Freedom Forum National Freedom of Information Day program. FOIA Day is an annual event on or near March 16, the birthday of James Madison, regarded as the Father of the Constitution, as well as the foremost advocate for openness in government. TO NOMINATE: Nominations can be made in letter, email or fax to the American Library Association, Washington Office no later than January 31, 2005. Submissions should include a statement (a paragraph or two) about nominee's contribution to public access to government information and why it merits the award, and a seconding letter. Please include a brief biography and contact information for the nominee. Send nominations by January 31st to: JAMES MADISON AWARD American Library Association Washington Office 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Suite 403 Washington, D.C. 20004-1701 Or by e-mail to pmcdermott@alawash.org For further information or questions, please contact Patrice McDermott at 800-941-8478; . Previous recipients of the Madison Award can be seen at ****** Remember: You Can Call Any MEMBER OF CONGRESS Toll-Free: 1-800-839-5276 ****** 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. 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. Executive Director: Emily Sheketoff. Office of Government Relations: Lynne Bradley, Director; Carol Ashworth, Don Essex, Joshua Farrelman, Erin Haggerty, Patrice McDermott and Miriam Nisbet. Office for Information Technology Policy: Rick Weingarten, Director; Carrie Lowe, Kathy Mitchell, Carrie Russell. ALAWON Editor: Bernadette Murphy.