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Prudence S. Adler is the 2006 recipient of the L. Ray Patterson Copyright
Award: In Support of Users’ Rights. Ms. Adler is Associate Executive Director, Federal Relations
and Information Policy for the Association of Research Libraries. For more than 17 years,
Ms. Adler has worked the gamut of information policy issues important to libraries and
higher education including intellectual property, telecommunications, and issues relating to
access to government information.
Ms. Adler's outstanding contributions on copyright issues have had a unique impact on
libraries and library users. Her communications on legislative developments concerning
copyright keep countless librarians informed, helping them decipher and manage the
copyright challenges at their home institutions, in addition to preparing them for library
advocacy. “Prue Adler’s efforts on behalf of academic and research libraries to monitor and
influence federal and state legislation related to copyright and intellectual property are
unrivaled. I cannot imagine a more appropriate or deserving recipient of the Patterson
Copyright Award,” noted Brian E. C. Schottlaender, University Librarian at the University of
California at San Diego and President of the Association of Research Libraries.
Ms. Adler is a founder of the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA), a coalition of five major
library associations () that collectively influence federal
copyright legislation. Since its inception last year, the LCA has taken a leading role in
successfully blocking more than a dozen legislative proposals that would have been
damaging to the public interest, such as database legislation and the broadcast flag.
“As a lobbyist for libraries and their users, Ms. Adler is recognized throughout the library
profession for her leadership in mobilizing alliances of like-minded constituencies, and for
her effective collaboration with groups such as the Digital Future Coalition,Home Recording
Rights Coalition, the Center for Democracy & Technology, Americans for Fair Electronic
Commerce Transactions (AFFECT) and others, to promote and protect access to
information resources.” said Janice T. Pilch, chair of the Patterson Award committee.
In the area of copyright and intellectual property litigation, Ms. Adler has also been
influential. She has contributed to amicus briefs in copyright-related court cases ranging
from Eldred v. Ashcroft (copyright term extension) to The New York Times v. Tasini (electronic
re-publication of works by freelance authors) to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios v. Grokster (P2P
file sharing).