June 25 Letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions regarding pandemic preparedness

Abstract

In less than a year since it was first identified, COVID-19 has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. When the next pandemic begins to emerge, our nation’s response must be swift, decisive, and coordinated. The federal government must ensure widespread access to information that allows individuals, employers, and scientists to combat the disease, and must make advance preparations to enable a timely response. We urge Congress to take action to protect America’s library workers and users from the next pandemic.