Thank you for that wonderful introduction. I need to take a moment at the start of this session to say a word of thanks to Jane Angelis. Jane, as all of us here know, is the Director of the Illinois Intergenerational Initiative, which is an HEA partnership funded by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and a whole host of wonderful cooperating partners.
But Jane is more than this --- she has done more than organize our conference. She truly is a treasure for Illinois and a tremendous asset for those of us who work together for youth and elder leadership.
Her work and her vision serve as an example to all of us. I first met Jane....[a few personal remarks about Jane].
It is a thrill for me to be here today with all of you and to introduce the first session of this 10th anniversary conference of the Illinois Intergenerational Initiative. The issues we are discussing at this conference are of vital importance to me, to the citizens of Illinois, and to the Nation. Intergenerational programming, where personal experiences are shared for the benefit of others is critical for the health of our national community. In the words of Margaret Mead:
"A society that cuts off older people from meaningful contact with children is greatly endangered. In the presence of grandparent and grandchild, past and future merge in the present." (1972)
We must work together to assure that our efforts to link the life experiences, stories, and wisdom of our elders to all generations, in order that the "past and future merge in the present."
I have two jobs this morning: First, I'll talk briefly about the work of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), and about my role as NCLIS Chairperson. Then, I'm going to introduce the four ( or 3?) panelists who will share their wisdom with us all on Issues Challenging Individuals and Communities - Intergenerational Information.
First then, a word about NCLIS. The National Commission advises the President and the Congress on information policies related to libraries and information services. I serve on NCLIS along with 13 other Commissioners from different parts of the country who each serves a five-year-term. The Librarian of Congress (Jim Billington) is the only permanent NCLIS member. Only five Commissioners of the fifteen are professional librarians or information specialists. The rest, like myself, are American citizens who are not librarians or information professionals, but who have a special competence or interest in the needs of our society for library and information services.
Thus, NCLIS is a citizens' advisory board that works to improve the ability of libraries and information services to meet the needs of the American people. This broad mandate and charge included in the 1970 law establishing NCLIS offer continual challenges to us, especially with a Congress that is reducing federal budgets across the board. But our legislation also requires that at least one Commission member... "...shall be knowledgeable with respect to the library and information service and science needs of the elderly."
By this provision, NCLIS is concerned about services to older Americans. But my fellow NCLIS members and I also share a concern for those policies and programs designed to help bring children and young adolescents together with their elders in creating opportunities for people of all ages to be productive members of the National community.
Ever since President Clinton appointed me NCLIS Chairperson three years ago, I have had the chance to pursue my life-long commitment to libraries. When I testify before Congressional committees, I take every opportunity to talk about the terrific public service potential that new information technologies such as the Internet and World Wide Web offer libraries. But I also mention the pleasure that I receive from reading books to our four grandchildren.
As NCLIS Chairperson, I meet with government agency officials to discuss policies for providing enhanced community-based information services through libraries. But I also speak about the role of libraries in strengthening intergenerational bonds and about the importance of literacy in providing a critical solution to many of our Nation's most urgent problems, including unemployment, welfare dependency, and crime.
And, most importantly, as NCLIS Chairperson, I have the chance to attend conferences such as this where committed librarians, community leaders, advocates, library supporters, literacy specialists, and information professionals from around the state, country, and globe get together. These meetings provide a chance to plan for a future where children and parents, students and grandparents, are brought together in a society that offers people of all ages the opportunity to be productive, to establish meaningful relationships, to develop a positive sense of self worth, and to feel invested in the future.
Meetings such as this provide me a chance to learn. That is why I am pleased to join you today. This is also why I continually tell Paul that I have the best job in the world!
Before I introduce our panelists, let me mention some of the Commission's recent concerns and activities. We have recently published a research on public libraries connected to the Internet. The Commission's 1996 survey found a whopping 113% increase in public library Internet connectivity since a similar NCLIS national survey was completed in 1994.
In less than two years, the number of public libraries offering Internet access grew from 20.9% to 44.6%. These statistics provided the Commission an opportunity to offer comments to the Federal Communications Commission as they develop regulations for discounted telecommunication rates for schools and libraries.
The explosive rate of growth in information technology in libraries is truly astonishing. It reflects the frenetic pace of change in electronic information technologies that requires us to re-examine our policies related to intellectual property and to the public's ability to access government information. And the Commission is currently very involved in studies related to copyright and to the Government Printing Office.
But NCLIS is also concerned with those programs that address the specific needs of elderly Americans and our youth. We planned and conducted a national conference on Library and Information Services for Older Adults in Philadelphia in early 1995. The 24 policy recommendations resulting from this tremendously successful conference were submitted to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging. One theme in the top priority recommendations reads as follows:
"Existing inter-generational and multi-generational programs involving libraries and information services offer successful models for further development...."
You can see from these comments about recent Commission work, our concentration ranges from the technological future, to policy concerns of the present, and a concern for preserving the past. This merging of Commission interest in the past, the present, and the future is based on the belief that individuals from different generations will have access to a rich variety of collections in both print and digital formats, from both local and remote sources. The great promise of the future is inherent in this conference. I am pleased to be able to be with you today, both to share and to learn.
Now, it is my pleasure to introduce the following panelists who will be involved in this session. Although their biographies are available in the conference packets, let me take a moment to say a few words about each.
Joan Wood, Pekin Public Library
Loretto Cowhig, Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging
Tyrone Ward, Children's Librarian, Chicago Public Library
Carol Morrison, Retired Librarian, DuPage Library System
Joan Wood has been Public Services Coordinator for the Pekin Public Library since 1987. Hired because of her background in business and communication, she was asked to develop a closer relationship between the library and its businesses. In doing this, she discovered the magic of intergenerational programming and has worked since then to incorporate its elements into many of the library's services. Joan believes in the importance of sharing experiences with others interested in the intergenerational field, and she has done so through presentations and published articles. The Pekin Public Library was the recipient of the American Library Association's 1995 Bessie Boehm Moore award for contributions to the elderly through its intergenerational innovations. Joan lives in Pekin with her husband Gary and they have three grown sons who live in Chicago, Syracuse, and Tucson.
Loretto S. G. Cowhig has been a planner with the Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging in Kankakee since 1984. She is responsible for legislative issues, public information, demographic data, and community coordination. Loretto has a Bachelor's degree from St. Louis University in History and Urban Affairs, and a Master's from the University of Virginia in City Planning. She is Chairman of the Kankakee Plan Commission, a board member of the League of Women Voters, and a volunteer in her children's schools and in other civic activities.
Carol Morrison recently retired after a 32-year career in libraianship. For most of that time, she worked for Illinois Library Systems, first at Starved Rock Library System in Ottawa, Illinois and then at DuPage Library System in Geneva. While she has had several different job titles, her primary responsibilities have revolved around libraries working together to make information more easily available to all.
Tyrone Ward - hopeful that he will come-- he is a wonderful resource!!!