American Association of School Librarians (AASL),

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

1. Introduction

Thank you for that kind introduction and that wonderful welcome. I am delighted to be here for several reasons. First, I'm happy to be with my favorite Senator. Second, I'm honored to join my friend and colleague, Carol Henderson on this panel.

Carol, I don't know whether you knew quite what was in store when you were appointed to suceed Eileen Cooke as Director of the ALA Washington Office, over 18 months ago, but you certainly have earned our respect and admiration in these turbulent times.

I am also pleased to be home in Illinois. And I am delighted to be on this program to talk again with librarians who serve children and young adults. Paul and I are blessed with two great childrem (Shelia and Martin) and with three wonderful grandchildren (Reilly, Brennan, and, our newest, Corey Jeanne -"CJ", . We know firsthand the value of libraries for young people and we know the difference that library services for youth can make.

You, as much as anyone I know, understand the challenges and opportunities facing our country's young people. You also understand the responsibilities that we in public service have to help our young people sort through and choose among all the possibilities presented to them to answer that perennial question:

You are valuable in another area also. You don't just see young people just as future workers. You see -- and you help them see -- their potential on many different levels and in many different roles. You see them as present-day learners and explorers and as real people, with real needs and real concerns. So, I am glad to have this chance today to acknowledge and encourage your efforts to meet the library and information needs of our Nation's young people.

I want to highlight several topics this morning to update you about some of the Commission's recent activities. I also want to add some personal insights about the current changes to the Federal scene in Washington. Finally, I am going to cover some general points for you to ponder about federal roles.

2. NCLIS' Efforts in Behalf of Children and Youth Services

I expect all of you are familiar with the number one priority recommendation from the 1991 White House Conference on Libraries and Information Services. That recommendation was labeled the "Omnibus Children and Youth Literacy Initiative."

Pursuit of that recommendation led the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science to host various meetings and regional forums. These forums addressed issues related to the Federal government's role in support of library, information services, and literacy programs for children and youth. Some of you here today may have attended these Commission meetings. We involved representatives from the American Association of School Librarians, the Association for Library Service to Children and the Young Adult Library Services Association. And, of course, we involved Virginia Mathews who, I believe, is with us today as well. (Hello Virginia).

The Commission also pursued other program activities related to this important WHCLIS initiative. Notably, three forums were held in 1993 in Boston, Sacramento, and Des Moines. Is anyone here today who attended one of those forums? If so, hello and thank you!

At these events we heard from young people, parents, community and business leaders, educators and librarians about the importance of libraries and information services for children and youth. We heard success stories and we heard pleas for help. The Commission has published and distributed the transcripts of these open forums.

One of the most memorable statements presented at the December, 1993 forum in Des Moines, Iowa was from Rhonda Sheeley of Keystone Area Education Agency in Elkader, Iowa. Listen to these highlights from her poetic testimony about technology as a means, not an end, to providing library and information services for young people:

"I'm here to tell you that this is not about technology, it's about access. . . .Let me tell you, it is not about technology, it is about motivation. . . .it is about life skills. . . . it is about equity. This is not about technology,. it is about early childhood readiness to learn. . . . it's about creativity. . . . it is about the arts. . ., it's about empowerment. . . .about the future. . .about inclusion. This is not about technology, it is about working smarter. . . .We need to assure that all students, no matter what their circumstances or school district, have equity, have access, are included, are motivated, are empowered, are ready to learn, have an opportunity to exercise their creativity, experience the arts and have a chance to see into the future."

Thank you, Rhonda Sheeley.

In April, 1994 the Commission also published the results of a school library media center survey it sponsored with the ALA Office of Library Statistics and Research. This study reported on public school library media centers in twelve states. We used the information from that survey, as well as from the forums, to support authorizing legislation for federal funds in support of school libraries in the reauthorization cycle of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. As you know, funds were authorized, but none appropriated to date.

I expect that Carol Henderson will bring you up to date on the current status of ESEA, HEA, LSCA and other letters in our alphabet soup of legislation and potential legislation. The pace of change is mind-blowing. So that I don't cover the same ground as Carol, I want to quickly outline related topics that are of special interest to the Commission.

3. Federal Role

We are all aware that discussions of the federal role in just about every arena have intensified since November, 1994. Debate about the appropriate Federal role is hardly new. It is certainly more strident today, however, with different sides proposing radical changes and reforms. If enacted, some of these proposals could change the function and nature of government services in fundamental ways.

One important contribution to this National discussion which preceded last fall's Congressional elections was authored by NCLIS Commissioner Bobby Roberts and Urban Libraries Council director Joey Rodger.

Published in the May 1994 issue of ULC EXCHANGE and titled "Whose Job Is it?", the statement began in this fashion:

Politics and economic theory combine in wondrous ways to produce patterns of public support for public services. Rarely are funding responsibilities neatly divided along conceptually pure lines, for libraries or any other public good. There are, however, some principles which shape what governments at various levels are willing to do.

Time permits me to tell you only the names of their principles, which are as follows:

1. Spacial limitations,
2. Economies of scale,
3. Benefit overlap,
4. Redistribution,
5. Stimulus.

Perhaps I have piqued your interest enough for you to track down the article itself. I hope so.

4. Federal Role in Education

I hope too that you will consider these principles alongside the current debate about the appropriate federal role in education. Because the U.S. Department of Education has been and is of great interest to all of us here, partly because it currently has authority for the Office of Library Programs, I want to take a couple of minutes to summarize the variety of proposals regarding the department's future.

In May the Senate held two days of hearings on the recommendations of its GOP task force on agency elimination. Co-chaired by Senators Spencer Abraham (MI) and Lauch Faircloth (NC), the task force targeted the departments of Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, and Education. Also in May a task force of House Republicans recommended eliminating the Department of Education.

In May the House Budget Committee revealed its long-term plan, part of which calls for eliminating three Cabinet-level departments: Education, Energy and Commerce. In contrast, the plan from the Senate Budget Committee calls for eliminating the Department of Commerce.

In early June the House Economic and Educational Opportunities Committee held hearings on differing plans for consolidating or eliminating various agencies. As a member of the House Education Task Force, Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), outlined the "Back-to-Basics Reform Act" which would eliminate the Department of Education and consolidate funding for the programs administered by the Department into two major block grants, one for elementary and secondary education and the other for higher education.

At these hearings, Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-WI) unveiled his proposal to merge the Department of Education, the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to form a Department of Education and Employment. The new department would be organized into three basic functions: workforce preparation and policy, civil rights, and workplace policy. Most education programs and most adult training programs would fall under the workforce preparation and policy function.

As the rhetoric and actions from the U.S. Congress regarding education and the Department of Education have intensified, President Clinton has moved to defend the federal government's interests in education. One recent move reflecting this position is, as you know, his veto of a 1995 recisssions bill because it would have cut funds for certain education and social programs.

5. Federal Role in Libraries and Information Services

Of course, long before last fall's elections, the Commission was concerned with the federal role in relation to libraries and information services. As one recent highlight, let me read you the short list of Commissioners' statements on principles to guide the development of future federal roles relating to libraries and information services. These statements were discussed at our meeting last July. They are as follows:

1. The federal role should be limited to those activities that the states and local governments cannot effectively perform.
2. The federal government should lead and cooperate with state and local governments and public and private agencies in assuring optimum provision of library and information services adequate to meet the needs of the people of the United States.
3. The funding of libraries is primarily a local responsibility and any federal funds should be for innovative projects or as a catalyst to spur additional local and/or state support.
4. State and local governments should be accountable to the federal government for the results of services supported with federal funds.
5. Whatever the federal government does to stimulate better libraries should include all kinds of libraries.
6. Any federal financial aid should be expended by a state-directed plan within a set of federal guidelines.
7. Needs of special groups for certain or specialized library and information services should be acknowledged and provided.

6. Conclusion

In conclusion, let me say that the Commission strongly supports federal role in support of libraries and information services. That role is multi-faceted and includes information policy, access to public information and protection of intellectual property via copyright law. Furthermore, we believe that the federal role should be carried out visibly, energetically and consistently.

Thank you for this chance to meet with all of you. I look forward to Carol Henderson's current status report on the Congressional front. I will be glad to take questions if there is time afterwards. Thank you very much.