The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has named Krista L. Cox director of public policy initiatives, effective January 6, 2014. Cox is currently the staff attorney/legal counsel at Knowledge Ecology International, a nonprofit organization that searches for better outcomes, including new solutions, to the management of knowledge resources.
The director of public policy initiatives advocates for the policy priorities of ARL and executes strategies to implement these priorities. The position monitors legislative trends and participates in ARL’s outreach to the Executive Branch and the US Congress.
Cox, who holds a JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School, brings to ARL a strong technical and policy background in copyright law and other information policy issues. She has published and, by invitation, has organized and led workshops on intellectual property laws, their relationship to technology, and their impacts on consumers. She has worked closely with civil society organizations and the private sector, participating in ad hoc coalitions to promote common goals, submitting joint comments, collaborating on legal strategies, and preparing amici briefs.
Cox also follows these issues at the international, multilateral level. She has attended the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) meetings of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) as well as the recent WIPO diplomatic conference on the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.
In her current work for Knowledge Ecology International, Cox has gained experience monitoring legislative trends and outreach to the Executive and Legislative Branches. She has testified before numerous federal agencies and regularly submits comments in response to Federal Register notices. She works closely with a number of Congressional offices to promote the public interest and consumer rights concerning intellectual property issues.
“I have long admired ARL’s commitment to academic freedom and its role in promoting access to knowledge and supporting public access policies,” said Cox. “I am excited to join the staff of ARL and am very much looking forward to advocating for these important issues.”
“We are thrilled that Krista Cox is joining the ARL staff to lead our public policy initiatives,” said ARL executive director Elliott Shore. “Krista brings a wealth of experience, energy, and connections that will be a great asset to the Association and the ARL membership.”
Beginning in January, Cox may be reached at krista@arl.org.
The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 125 research libraries in the US and Canada. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, facilitating the emergence of new roles for research libraries, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the web at https://www.arl.org/.
