portal: : Libraries and the Academy 2011 Johns Hopkins University Press Award for Best Article

The portal: Libraries and the Academy Board of Editors Awards Committee is pleased to announce that “Copyright Renewal for Libraries: Seven Steps Toward a User-Friendly Law,” featured in the January 2010, Volume 10, Number 1 issue has been awarded the 2011 Johns Hopkins University Press Award for the best article featured in portal in the 2010 volume, http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v010/10.1smith. The winning article, authored by Kevin Smith, provides a new perspective on where copyright really needs reform, and gives the reader a clear treatment of a very complex topic. Smith’s seven proposals address such issues as the predictability of the application of copyright law, specific exceptions for libraries, and ways to ensure that more copyrights remain in the hands of authors. The article is an extensive and creative piece of analysis with recommendations that could have genuine and lasting impact across the worlds of publishing and education were they to be adopted.

The criteria used in the selection process for this award included the quality of research methodology, the extent to which the article places library issues in a broader academic or higher education context, the extent to which the article makes a significant contribution to the literature or the advancement of knowledge, its timeliness, originality, and the overall quality of writing. After an independent review of articles nominated by board members, “Copyright Renewal for Libraries: Seven Steps Toward a User-Friendly Law” was selected as the seventh annual recipient. The Editorial Board is pleased to emphasize the need for visionary approaches to these major professional concerns that require significant investment of resources, have a fundamental role in shaping scholarly communication, and that have an impact on access to information at every stage from creation to dissemination to archiving. In addition to the Johns Hopkins University Press Award, the author will receive a five hundred dollar cash prize.