================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 26 ISSN 1069-7799 March 16, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (154 lines) MADISON AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED INTER-ASSOCIATION WORKING GROUP SUBMITS LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO CONGRESS _________________________________________________________________ MADISON AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED Journalist Ben Bagdikian, former Superintendent of Documents Wayne Kelley, federal computer specialist Eliot Christian and the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Library of Medicine were the recipients of the 1998 James Madison Award, sponsored by the Coalition on Government Information. The coalition, founded by the American Library Association (ALA), presented the awards on March 16 at a reception at the Library of Congress. "These awards honor the unique and valued contributions that each of the recipients has achieved in furthering the public's right to know," said Daniel O'Mahony, chair of the coalition and Brown University librarian. Named for President James Madison, the awards are presented annually on the anniversary of his birth, Freedom of Information Day. Ben Bagdikian, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has cast a critical eye on the media and government as he has exposed the dangers that exist to the public's most basic rights to information. His work is a telling reminder of the need for full discourse in a democratic society and the fundamental responsibility of government to provide people with the information they need to make intelligent decisions that affect their lives. Wayne Kelley retired in 1997 after serving as the Superintendent of Documents since 1991. Kelley oversaw the Federal Depository Library Program, a program that provides public access to millions of federal publications through the nation's network of depository libraries. Prior to joining the federal government, Kelley was a publisher at Congressional Quarterly and a journalist with more than 30 years of newspaper editing and reporting experience. Throughout his career, Kelley has been a strong promoter of access to government documents and a defender of the public's right to access government information. Eliot Christian's personal vision of a Government Information Locator Service (GILS) has become a reality in the federal government and has developed into a model standard for state and foreign governments. His commitment to the GILS concept has provided a framework to assist the public in locating and using government information. As a result of his hard work and the support of the U.S. Geological Survey, GILS has swept far beyond the borders of the United States, providing developing countries with a democratic model of public access to government information. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is being recognized for its decision to provide free Internet access to MEDLINE, the largest and most extensive database of published medical information, and PubMed, a service that links users from the abstract to the full text of an article. As NLM Director Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D., stated when announcing this policy change, "Citizens are increasingly turning to the Web as a source of information to improve their daily lives, including their health. So it is vital that they, and the health professionals who serve them, have access to the most current and credible medical information." The Coalition on Government Information was founded in 1986 by the American Library Association. The 50-member coalition includes diverse groups who share Madison's commitment to open public access to government information. Member organizations include the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of Journalists and Authors, the National Education Association, the National Security Archive, the American Physical Society, and many others. _________________________________________________________________ INTER-ASSOCIATION WORKING GROUP SUBMITS LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO CONGRESS The Inter-Association Working Group on Government Information Policy (IAWG) has submitted a March 1998 revised legislative proposal to Congress to revise Chapter 19 of Title 44 of the U.S. Code, the law that governs public printing, procurement and the Federal Depository Library Program. Copies of the IAWG legislative proposal and issue briefs, as well as other information about the IAWG and its activities are available at http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/IAWG. The latest revision focuses on the library community's three key goals for reforming the law: (1) Enhancing public access to government information in all formats from all three branches of government; (2) Strengthening the Federal Depository Library Program to improve public access to government information; and (3) Ensuring the public has continuous and permanent access to electronic government information. The IAWG and its member organizations -- American Library Association, its divisions and roundtables; American Association of Law Libraries; Association of Research Libraries; Chief Officers of State Library Agencies; Medical Library Association; Special Libraries Association; Urban Libraries Council -- strongly believe that it is imperative that legislation to reform Title 44 be enacted during the 105th Congress. The present legal framework does not adequately address the new challenges of electronic government information. For example, no entity in the federal government currently has responsibility for capturing and providing ongoing public access to electronic files available on agency web sites. In addition, agency printing practices have shown a tendency towards increased non-compliance with Title 44 requirements, resulting in fugitive publications that are not included in the Federal Depository Library Program. Without needed reforms, the public will be increasingly denied access to the government information they need to make informed decisions. Established by ALA in February 1997, the IAWG has been working with members of Congress and their staff, other government representatives, the library community, the public interest community, and other interested constituencies to find common ground in enacting legislation that will improve public access to government information. For more information about the work of the IAWG, contact Daniel O'Mahony, IAWG chair and member of ALA's Committee on Legislation, at 401-863-2522, or email IAWG@brown.edu. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Carol C. 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