WHEREAS access to information and ideas is indispensable to the development of human potential, the advancement of civilization, and the continuance of enlightened self-government;
WHEREAS the preservation and the dissemination of information and ideas are the primary purpose and function of the library and information services;
WHEREAS the economic vitality of the United States in a global economy and the productivity of the workforce of the nation rest on access to information in the post-industrial information age;
WHEREAS the White House Conference on Library and Information Services of 1979 began a process in which a broadly representative group of citizens made recommendations that have improved the library and information services of the Nation, and sparked the Nation's interest in the crucial role of library and information services at home and abroad;
WHEREAS library and information service is essential to a learning society;
WHEREAS social, demographic, and economic shifts of the past decade have intensified the rate of change and require that Americans of all age groups develop and sustain literacy and other lifelong learning habits;
WHEREAS expanding technological developments offer unprecedented opportunities for application to teaching and learning and to new means to provide access to library and information services;
WHEREAS the growth and augmentation of the Nation's library and information services are essential if all Americans, without regard to race, ethnic background, or geographic location are to have reasonable access to adequate information and lifelong learning;
WHEREAS the future of our society depends on developing the learning potential inherent in all children and youth, especially literacy, reading, research, and retrieval skills;
WHEREAS rapidly developing technology offers a potential for enabling libraries and information services to serve the public more fully; and
WHEREAS emerging satellite communication networks and other technologies offer unparalleled opportunity for access to education opportunities to all parts of the world, and to individuals
who are homebound, handicapped, or incarcerated: Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
The President is authorized to call and conduct a White House Conference on Library and Information Services.
- Excerpt from Public Law 100-382