Good afternoon. I am pleased to be here this afternoon to represent the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and to comment on plans for an Electronic Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). My name is Joan R. Challinor and I am a member of the National Commission.
Jeanne Hurley Simon, Chairperson of the National Commission regrets that she is not able to be here this afternoon to offer these comments. Jeanne is in Illinois today participating in a program at Southern Illinois University.
The National Commission appreciates the opportunity to comment on this draft Study Report. NCLIS members have not yet had the opportunity to fully review and discuss the draft Study Report. NCLIS will submit additional comments in the next several weeks.
The Commission's initial comments address the following:
B. Background on the Commission
Established in 1970 (P.L. 91-345) as an independent agency, NCLIS advises the President and the Congress on national and international library and information policies. NCLIS develops plans and recommendations for library and information services adequate to meet the needs of all the people of the US. As a citizens' advisory body, NCLIS represents the public's interest.
C. NCLIS Principles of Public Information
The Commission developed the Principles of Public Information in response to a 1988 Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) report on Federal Information Dissemination in an Electronic Age. The Principles of Public Information were adopted by NCLIS July 29, 1990. The eight principles were constructed as an interrelated whole and are intended to form a foundation for decisions and policies throughout the federal government. The eight statements included in the Principles of Public Information are included as an Appendix in the March 1996 draft Study Report.
The inclusion of the Principles of Public Information underscore the importance of developing plans that balance Congressional cost efficiency concerns with basic principles regarding the creation, access, use, and dissemination of government information.
The Commission has prepared a chart comparing:
Each articulation of the principles underscores important concerns about the accessibility, usability and reliability of government or federal information resources.
D. Findings from NCLIS studies of public libraries and the Internet
As background, let me give a brief overview of the results of several NCLIS studies on public libraries and the Internet. Our first study, in 1994, found that 20.9% of the nation's public libraries had Internet connections. Our 1996 study shows that percentage has increased to 44.6%.
This 23.7% increase in public library Internet connectivity in two years indicates the rapid pace of change in electronic networked information and communication technology. Plans for a transition to a more electronic FDLP must address this extremely rapid pace of change. The results of the Commission's surveys indicate that public library Internet connectivity could well reach 70% by 1997.
In addition to the 1994 and 1996 surveys of public library Internet connectivity the Commission also developed cost models for public library Internet connections in 1995. We will provide additional information regarding the costs of public library Internet connectivity in our future comments as the results of the NCLIS 1996 public libraries and the Internet survey are analyzed.
E. Implementation study of transition to a more electronic FDLP
The access needs of the general public for federal information should guide the development of transition plans and strategies. We need current, reliable, and consistent information about federal agency and depository library capabilities, as well as information about how the public's need for convenient and inexpensive access to government information can be effectively addressed with electronic technologies.
The fast pace of technological change presents challenges for successful transition planning.. The need for planning information can be addressed by collaborative efforts involving the National Commission, Congress, and GPO. Planners need assistance in gathering survey data and performing related analysis as background information for successful plans. Survey information about current agency and depository library capabilities is essential to identify appropriate technical implementation assistance needed for a restructured FDLP.
In this regard, a two-year transition period is insufficient to ensure successful transition planning. The rapid pace of change, both in network communications technologies and in library adoption of advanced electronic information services, requires a five year transition from 1996 to 2001.
F. Evaluation of how well the public's need for access to public information is being met
It is important to consider plans for a restructured FDLP within a government-wide context. As individual agencies, offices, and programs make expanded use of Internet and World Wide Web capabilities, challenges arise related to preservation, authenticity, access, and cost.
This decentralized use of networking technology by Federal agencies has a direct impact on public access. We need to evaluation showing how well the public's need for access to public information is being addressed through the federal depository library program, in relation to the publics' use of the GPO Access Service, the Library of Congress' THOMAS system, through agencies Government Information Locator Service (GILS), through agencies Internet gopher sites, WWW home pages, and by other electronic means.
NCLIS is interested in cooperative projects to study and analyze the contextual issues relating to public access to government information and to recommend plans for expanding user's access. The transition to a more electronic FDLP involves more than a change from ink-on-paper to electronic networks. We must work together to assure the right and responsibility of every American to be informed, as Thomas Jefferson noted in 1816.
Thank you for this opportunity to present these comments.
Footnotes:
(1) U.S. Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure. A Nation of Opportunity: Realizing the Promise of the Information Superhighway. West Publishing, 1996.
(2) U.S. Government Printing Office. Report to the Congress: Study to Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program. (Draft) Washington, D.C.: GPO, 1996.