_________________________________________________________________ ALAWON Volume 7, Number 103 ISSN 1069-7799 September 11, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (100 lines) - ACTION NEEDED: COSPONSORS FOR S. 2288 STILL NEEDED - ADDITIONAL GPO WEB SITE AVAILABLE FOR REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL; GPO BOOKSTORE TO BE OPEN ON SATURDAY _________________________________________________________________ ACTION NEEDED: COSPONSORS FOR S. 2288 STILL NEEDED The markup on S. 2288, the Wendell H. Ford Government Publications Reform Act of 1998, scheduled for September 10, has been postponed until Wednesday, September 16. The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration plans another hearing on the bill that morning and a markup of the bill afterwards. During the Committee meeting yesterday, chair Sen. John Warner (R-VA) emphasized that he and Sen. Ford (D-KY) are trying to do something in the interests of the public and that Congress has an obligation to be sure that government publications are made public. Both Senators mentioned libraries as key to their efforts to be sure government information is made available to the public. The Senators acknowledged opposition to the bill, especially from the private sector. REASONS TO SUPPORT S. 2288: In a fax or phone call, explain to your Senator that: * S. 2288 supports good government and an informed citizenry by improving public access to government information. * S. 2288 will resolve the "fugitive documents" problem and stop the erosion of public access to government publications taking place under the current system. The bill will ensure that the public has access to government information paid for at taxpayer expense. * S. 2288 will ensure that electronic government publications are preserved and permanently available for current and future users. This will address the current loss of government information taking place on a daily basis as agencies delete files from their Web sites without first providing for ongoing access. ACTION NEEDED: The delay in the Committee action gives additional time to urge Senators to cosponsor S. 2288. The bill includes much-needed reforms to improve and enhance public access to government information. Contact your Senators today and urge them to cosponsor S. 2288. Immediate action is especially important if your Senator is a member of the Committee on Rules and Administration. An easy way to contact Senators is through the ALA Washington Office Legislative Action Center at http://congress.nw.dc.us/ala/. For more information about S. 2288, including sample letters, talking points, and additional background information, please consult the Web site of the Inter-Association Working Group on Government Information Policy (IAWG) at: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/IAWG. _________________________________________________________________ ADDITIONAL GPO WEB SITE AVAILABLE FOR REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL; GPO BOOKSTORE TO BE OPEN ON SATURDAY According to the Government Printing Office, due to the high demand for Kenneth Starr's Report to Congress (H.Doc. 105-310) on their already publicized Web sites, GPO Access has set up a new Web site, http://icreport.access.gpo.gov/report/cover1.htm. On Saturday, September 12 the U.S. Government Bookstore (710 North Capitol St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20401) will be open from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. for sales of the report ($14, Stock Number: 052-071-01271-1). _________________________________________________________________ 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, go to http://www.ala.org/washoff/ subscribe.html or 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: Anne Heanue All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. _________________________________________________________________