From American Association of Law Libraries, April 21, 2015 — Today, Director of the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) Davita Vance-Cooks named American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) member Melissa Bernstein to the new class of the Depository Library Council (DLC).
The DLC advises the GPO director and the superintendent of documents on matters relating to the Federal Depository Library Program, a network of 1,200 libraries committed to making government information freely available to members of the public through their local libraries. Bernstein, director of the library and professor of law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, will provide the DLC with a deep understanding of the complex issues impacting libraries in the digital age. She is a current member of the AALL Government Relations Committee, where she serves as an expert on open government and transparency. She also sits on the board of directors of the Legal Information Preservation Alliance, where her knowledge of digitization and preservation issues that affect law libraries supports efforts to preserve print and electronic legal information.
As a member of the DLC, Bernstein will have the opportunity to advise the GPO as it pursues its National Plan for Access to U.S. Government Information, a new initiative to ensure access to, and preservation of, government information.
In accepting the appointment, Bernstein said, “I look forward to bringing my passion for ensuring permanent public access to government and legal information to the DLC.”
“Ms. Bernstein is a leader in AALL and the law library community,” AALL President Holly Riccio said. “It’s natural that she takes her commitment to accessible information to the Depository Library Council, where she’ll have the opportunity to support a strong Federal Depository Library Program and ensure continued access to official, authentic government information.”
Bernstein is one of five new members appointed to the new class. She will serve a term from June 1, 2015 – May 31, 2018.