****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File**** *************************************************************************** ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 2, Number 9 March 22, 1993 In this issue: (202 lines) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION DAY GPO ACCESS BILLS APPROVED BY HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES GPO TO SELL SERIAL SET TO DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT REAUTHORIZATION INTRODUCED IN SENATE ALA FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN TEXACO FAIR USE CASE HEA III STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS GRANTS AVAILABLE UPCOMING HEARINGS *************************************************************************** FREEDOM OF INFORMATION DAY Vice President Albert Gore, Jr., Senators Wendell Ford (D-KY) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Representatives Charlie Rose (D-NC) and Bill Thomas (R- CA) were named recipients of the 1993 James Madison Awards sponsored by the Coalition on Government Information. The annual award was presented to them for their leadership in promoting public access to electronic government information. They were recognized for their support of legislation to provide the public with access to online government information through an "electronic gateway" at the Government Printing Office. The James Madison Awards were presented to Senators Ford and Stevens and Representatives Rose and Thomas by Nancy Kranich, chair of the Coalition on Government Information, at a reception on March 16, Freedom of Information Day. *************************************************************************** GPO ACCESS BILLS APPROVED BY HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES The Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Enhancement Act of 1993 was approved on March 17 by the Committee on House Administration and on March 18 by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. Introduced on March 11 with bipartisan support, the identical bills would greatly enhance free public access to federal electronic information. These bills build on the consensus developed when the House passed a similar bill last fall. That House-passed bill was a refinement of the original GPO WINDO/Gateway bills introduced in the last Congress, and was strongly supported by ALA and other organizations. The House version, HR 1328, is sponsored by Representatives Charlie Rose (D-NC), Sam Gejdenson (D-CT), Gerald Kleczka (D-WI), Bill Thomas (R-CA), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Newt Gingrich (R-GA). The Senate bill, S. 564 (S. Rept. 103-27), is sponsored by Senators Wendell Ford (D-KY), Ted Stevens (R-AK), and Larry Pressler (R-SD). *************************************************************************** GPO TO SELL SERIAL SET TO DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES Judith Russell, Director of Library Programs Service at the Government Printing Office, sent a March 5 letter to depository librarians confirming that the distribution of the paper edition of the bound U.S. Congressional Serial Set will be sent only to regional depository libraries in a "cost- saving" measure. Russell solicits letters of intent from depository libraries wishing to purchase the bound Serial Set for the 103rd Congress, 1st Session (1993). The anticipated sales price is $5,940 per session of Congress. Russell's letter states that the individual House and Senate Reports and Documents that make up the Serial Set will continue to be available to all selective depository libraries in either paper or microfiche format at the time of initial publication. *************************************************************************** PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT REAUTHORIZATION INTRODUCED IN SENATE Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) and a bipartisan group of 25 colleagues introduced S. 560, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1993 (see March 10 _Congressional Record_, pp. S2663-72), a five-year reauthorization of the 1980 statute which has been without a reauthorization since October 1989. The proposed title V of the bill has three sections: sec. 501, prescribing government-wide standards for sharing and disseminating public information; sec. 502, agency responsibilities for sharing and disseminating public information; and sec. 503, agency information inventory/locator system. In the proposed sec. 502, agency heads would be directed--to the extent appropriate and practicable, and conforming to OMB policy guidelines--to establish and maintain a management system for the dissemination and sharing of information. One of the seven requirements of the system is that it: takes advantage of all appropriate channels, Federal and non-Federal, including State and local governments, libraries and private sector entities, in discharging agency responsibilities for the dissemination and sharing of information. S. 560 has been referred to the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, chaired by Senator John Glenn (D-OH). Senator Glenn is expected to introduce his own version of the PRA reauthorization by the end of March, with hearings anticipated in May. *************************************************************************** ALA FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN TEXACO FAIR USE CASE ALA filed an amicus curiae brief on March 4 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in connection with its review of an opinion issued in _American Geophysical Union v. Texaco_ that making a photocopy of a copyrighted article from a scientific and technical journal by a Texaco researcher is not fair use and violates U.S. copyright laws. The Court of Appeals has accepted ALA's brief in the widely followed test case. ALA held that the original opinion by Judge Pierre N. Leval of the Southern District of New York did not consider the likely effect of his ruling on libraries and their users. The Association wanted to ensure that, regardless of how the Court of Appeals deals with the Texaco case, the Court considers and upholds the importance of fair use to libraries and their users. *************************************************************************** HEA III STRENGTHENING INSTITUTIONS GRANTS AVAILABLE The Department of Education is inviting applications for awards under the Strengthening Institutions Program under the Higher Education Act III-A. Applications have been mailed to the presidents of all eligible institutions. The Department estimates that 12 planning grants, averaging $30,000, and 60 development grants, averaging $325,000, will be awarded. Special consideration will be given to institutions which have expenditures for library materials, per FTE student, which are below the 1988-89 average expenditures for similar institutions. Average expenditures are as follows: Two-year public institutions $ 39 Two-year nonprofit private institutions 61 Four-year public institutions 137 Four-year nonprofit private institutions 200 For further information, see the March 11 _Federal Register_, p. 13465, or contact Louis Venuto, Department of Education, 202-708-8840 (for TDD, 1- 800-877-8339; in area code 202, 708-9300). *************************************************************************** UPCOMING HEARINGS The following hearings were announced in the _Congressional Record_ of March 19, 1993. Locations, dates, and times are subject to change. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS. Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education. Appropriations for the National Library of Medicine, John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in Health Sciences, and the National Center for Research Resources. Friday, March 26, 10:00 am, 2358 Rayburn. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE. Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance. Oversight hearing on national communications and information infrastructure, focusing on the role of communications companies. Wednesday, March 24, 10:30 am, 2322 Rayburn. COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION. Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service. Continuation of joint hearings on the Library of Congress personnel policies and procedures. Wednesday, March 24, 9:30 am, 311 Cannon. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY. Subcommittee on Technology, Environment and Aviation. To continue hearings on National Technology Policy. Tuesday, March 23, 9:00 am, 2318 Rayburn; and Thursday, March 25, 9:00 am, 2325 Rayburn. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY. Subcommittee on Technology, Environment and Aviation. Markup of HR 820, the National Competitiveness Act of 1993. Wednesday, March 24, 10:00 am, 2318 Rayburn. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ALAWON is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Editor and List Owner: Fred King. Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363; Bitnet: NU_ALAWASH@CUA; Internet: NU_ALAWASH@CUA.EDU All or part of ALAWON may be redistributed, with appropriate credits. ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (internet). Back issues of ALAWON are available from the list server. To find out what's available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv. The ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and filetype. 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