****Begin File*************Begin File**************Begin File**** ***************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 4, Number 76 August 9, 1995 In this issue: (187 lines) ALA ISSUES RESULTS OF FORUM ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION POLICY - FULL TEXT FOLLOWS IN NEXT ALAWON ISSUE ALA PRESIDENT TUROCK TESTIFIES ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION POLICY SENATOR FORD PROMOTES DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES ***************************************************************** ALA ISSUES RESULTS OF FORUM ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION POLICY - FULL TEXT FOLLOWS IN NEXT ALAWON ISSUE ALA has issued a press release highlighting ALA President Betty Turock's recent congressional testimony (see article below) and the results of an ALA sponsored Forum on Government Information Policy. The Forum, held on July 20-21 in Washington, DC, was initiated and chaired by Turock, and brought together leaders from ALA and other national library organizations. The Forum built on a "Framework" document, "Enhanced Library Access and Dissemination of Federal Government Information: A Framework for Future Discussion," developed by individuals from several library associations, and endorsed by several, including ALA. Forum participants then developed a "Model for 'New Universe' of Federal Information Access and Dissemination" as a working document for further discussion among the library groups, and as a work-in-progress proposal in Turock's August 1 congressional testimony. The model would (1) place responsibility for dissemination of government information with a Chief Federal Information Dissemination Officer (evolved from the current Superintendent of Documents) responsible to a Coordinating Council Steering Committee with representatives from the three branches of government; and (2) reinvent the Depository Library Program as a flexible federal/state/local partnership. The full text of the "New Universe" Model working document dated August 4 will follow immediately in the next issue of ALAWON. Copies of the "Framework" and "New Universe" documents are also available on the ALA gopher and from the ALA Washington Office, 110 Maryland Ave., NE, Washington, D.C. 20002, telephone: 202-547-4440. AFTER AUGUST 23: 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. New telephone: 202-628-8410. ***************************************************************** ALA PRESIDENT TUROCK TESTIFIES ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION POLICY ALA President Betty J. Turock, speaking on behalf of seven national library associations, testified August 1 before the Committee on House Oversight. The hearing focused on how to increase the use of electronic technology for government information access and on several pending measures to restructure the current government printing system. Her testimony was presented on behalf of ALA, the American Association of Law Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the Medical Library Association, the Special Libraries Association, and the Urban Libraries Council. During the hearing, Chair Representative Bill Thomas (R-CA), compared the 37 volumes of the US Code on a cart to a single CD held in his hand. He questioned why the printed version is still the "official" one. Thomas did not give an indication of the direction the Committee is likely to take in its quest to reform government printing. The first panel consisted of Representatives Jennifer Dunn (R-WA) and Scott Klug (R-WI). Dunn suggested that the Government Printing Office continue to be the government's print procurement agency, while eliminating most in-house printing capacity. She emphasized that her bill would bring many fugitive documents from the executive branch into the depository program. Klug, leader of House privatization efforts, asserted that all GPO printing should be privatized. Testifying on a second panel were Public Printer Michael DiMario and Sally Katzen, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and Budget. DiMario emphasized that with the requirements of the GPO Access Act, the Government Printing Office today provides a full range of multi-media information services to Congress, federal agencies and the public. Katzen said that reinventing efforts need to be comprehensive, and all interested parties need to be involved. Betty Turock and Superintendent of Documents Wayne Kelley were on the third panel. The library associations' testimony was developed as part of a forum convened by Turock had to discuss a framework and potential working models for public access to government information. Turock made three points: (1) Change is necessary in the face of scarce resources and evolving technology. She summarized innovative proposals suggested by the library groups. (2) Improvements must build on current strengths. Turock said that through the Depository Library Program, Congress is "leveraging an enormous contribution from libraries to better serve constituents." (3) Costs and implications of proposed changes must be known. Turock cautioned that an immediate switch to all-electronic distribution would shift major costs to libraries an the public. Wayne Kelley cautioned that changes to Title 44 must include certain safeguards and that there are some "perils"--authenticity, preservation, for example--in the use of electronic technologies. The final panel consisted of Raymond Lawton, Chairman of the Board of the Printing Industries of America; Fred Antoun, GPO Contractors Coalition; and David Mason, Heritage Foundation. They agreed that all government printing should be performed by the private sector. Lawton stated that an open-procurement, centralized system like GPO should be retained. Mason recommended that GPO be abolished, and the indexing and depository libraries functions moved to the Library of Congress. ***************************************************************** SENATOR FORD PROMOTES DEPOSITORY LIBRARIES Legislative language directing executive branch agencies to make information available to the public through the GPO Access electronic directory was added by Senator Wendell Ford (D-KY) as the Senate considered S. 1026, Department of Defense Authorizations for FY96 (see August 4 Congressional Record, pp. S11392 and S11469). Explaining his legislative language, Ford said: ...an executive agency will continue to determine when it will make information available to the public. But once that decision is made, regardless of whether the information is reduced to printed form or posted on an electronic database, the public will be able to find it through the GPO access system. The public is entitled to that information and should not have to own a computer with a link to the specific agency, or any other database, to find it. My language ensures that they will not. A simple trip to their library to access the GPO system is all that is required. Ford praised the depository library program "as a system that is working and working well. It simply makes no sense in these times of fiscal restraint to reinvent the wheel when it comes to a system by which the public will locate and access government information." The GPO Access provision was added to S. 1026 when the Senate approved an amendment sponsored by Senators Cohen (R-ME), Levin (D-MI), Roth (R-DE), Glenn (D-OH), and Bingaman (D-NM) to change the way the government buys and manages information technology. This section of the bill, the "Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1995," is a modified version of S. 946 S. 1026 would amend the Paperwork Reduction Act, expanding the authority of the Office of Management and Budget by giving it responsibility for evaluating agency information systems as part of the annual budget process. The bill would create a chief information officer within each agency and an interagency Chief Information Officers Council. Senator Ford's amendment to the bill requires the Council to consult the Public Printer regarding implementation of the GPO Access provision. The Senate had not adopted S. 1026 at this writing. The President has threatened to veto the final Defense bill because of provisions relating to a ballistic missile defense system that he says violates United States treaties. ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363. Contributing to this issue: Carol C. Henderson and Anne A. Heanue; Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org). 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 and other documents 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. To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename filetype" to the listserv. Do not include the quotes in your commands. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. For other reprinting or redistribution, address requests to the ALA Washington Office (alawash@alawash.org). ***************************************************************** ***End of file************End of file**************End of file***