April 28, 2009 Global Legal Information Network Garners Excellence in Government Award

The Global Legal Information Network (GLIN), a database administered by the Law Library of Congress, was among the “Top Five” projects to receive a 2009 excellence in government award from the Industry Advisory Council (IAC). GLIN was recognized for “excellence in transparency” (openness and accountability).

The annual awards program, coordinated by the IAC’s Shared Interest Group on Collaboration and Transformation, honored 21 finalists for “demonstrating excellence in improving organizational performance using information technology.” A panel of judges from the public and private sector chose the finalists and selected the top winners. The announcement was made at the 9th annual Excellence.Gov Awards ceremony held April 14 in Washington, D.C.

GLIN is a public database of official texts of laws, regulations, judicial decisions and other complementary legal sources contributed by 36 governmental agencies and international organizations, covering 51 jurisdictions. The database, searchable in 14 languages, is accessible online at www.glin.gov. Each document is certified as authentic, cataloged and tagged using a controlled vocabulary, which facilitates search and retrieval.

The American Council for Technology (ACT), a nonprofit educational organization that assists government agencies in using information technology resources effectively, established the IAC in 1989 to bring industry and government executives together. ACT and IAC work together to provide an objective, professional and ethical forum where public- and private- sector leaders can collaborate to address common issues. For more information about ACT/IAC and the Excellence.Gov awards, visit www.actgov.org.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its Web site at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a new, personalized website at myLOC.gov.

Founded in 1832, the mission of the Law Library is to make its resources available to members of Congress, the Supreme Court, other branches of the U.S. government and the global legal community, and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of law for future generations. With more than 2.6 million volumes, the Law Library contains the world’s largest collection of law books and other resources from all countries and provides online databases and guides to legal information worldwide through its website at www.loc.gov/law/.