Authors Alliance at ALA 2025

We’re excited to announce that Authors Alliance will be at ALA this year in Philadelphia. Stop by our table to grab an Authors Alliance t-shirt and talk with David Hansen, Executive Director, and Eric Harbeson, Scholarly Publishing Legal Fellow. 

It’s no secret that we love libraries. Authors Alliance cares about libraries because they are one of the most effective ways for authors to reach readers and ensure that their works are preserved and accessible. We support policies that help libraries fulfill their essential role of making knowledge and culture accessible to all. 

Our advocacy work on behalf of libraries includes:

• Successfully petitioning for a new exemption to section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that enables text and data mining research on ebooks and films. 
• Helping authors to speak out against publisher John Wiley & Son’s removal of some 1,379 ebooks from library collections, limiting readership and harming students who rely on libraries for access. In response, Wiley restored access.  
• Contributing a brief in Hachette v. Internet Archive, the long-running fair use case about whether it is permissible for libraries to lend in digital formats books that they have acquired in print using a practice known as Controlled Digital Lending (CDL). Our brief explained why digital lending supports authors by broadening the reach of their work and by opening up research resources to them to aid their writing. 
• Holding an ex parte meeting with USCO advocating for access to electronic works. We explained why limited on-site access to electronic works is both reasonable under 17 U.S.C. § 704 and valuable to the Library of Congress.
• Writing and testifying in support of SB148 – An Act Making Certain Terms in Electronic Book and Digital Audiobook Licensing Agreements or Contracts Unenforceable, resulting in a Connecticut House bill placing limits on library e-book contracts. 

We’re particularly excited to chat with you at ALA about our Partner Program and Future Knowledge podcast. 

The Partner Program supports academic authors by collaborating with universities, primarily their libraries, to develop resources, advocacy, and tools for a more open information ecosystem. Many academic authors consult their library first for advice on publishing, copyright, and scholarly communications. Through the Partner Program, universities leverage Authors Alliance’s legal and publishing expertise to enhance support for their authors.

Future Knowledge is a new podcast from the Internet Archive and Authors Alliance, and a continuation and expansion of our Book Talk webinar series. Hosted by Chris Freeland, librarian at the Internet Archive, and Dave Hansen, executive director of Authors Alliance, the series brings together authors, librarians, policymakers, technologists, and artists to explore how knowledge, creativity, and policy intersect in today’s fast-changing world. In each episode, an author discusses their book or publications and the big ideas behind it—paired with a thought-provoking conversation partner who brings a fresh perspective from the realms of policy, technology, libraries, or the arts. Whether you’re an author thinking about how to share your work, a librarian navigating digital access, or a curious listener exploring how knowledge shapes our world, Future Knowledge is for you.

See you there!