The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) consists of two major library associations — the American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries. These two associations collectively represent over 300,000 information professionals and thousands of libraries of all kinds throughout the United States and Canada. These two associations cooperate in the LCA to address copyright issues that affect libraries and their users.

The purpose of the LCA is to work toward a unified voice and common strategy for the library community in responding to and developing proposals to amend national and international copyright law and policy for the digital environment. The LCA’s mission is to foster global access to and fair use of information for creativity, research, and education.

Copyright and related intellectual property laws have important and substantial effects on the nature and extent of the information services libraries provide to their users. Intellectual property laws are currently undergoing major changes in response to the growth in the use of digital formats for works.

The LCA is principally concerned that these changes do not harm, but rather enhance, the ability of libraries and information professionals to serve the needs of people to access, use, and preserve digital information. Our concern is heightened because of emerging technology applied to copyrighted works intended to prohibit access, use, and preservation of digital information.

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