Washington, D.C. -- At its May 7 and 9 meetings, Commissioners heard progress reports and agreed on priorities for their work during June through September. The group discussed these priorities in light of upcoming changes in the Commission’s staff.
Executive Director Peter R. Young will leave May 30 to head the Cataloging Distribution Service at the Library of Congress. Mr. Young has been with the Commission since August 1990. NCLIS Chairperson Jeanne Hurley Simon expressed regret at his departure and acknowledged his leadership of major efforts for the Commission, including follow-up to the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services, investigations into services for children and youth, surveys of public libraries and the Internet, increased activity in information policy and intellectual property, and involvement in restructuring federal grant programs for libraries.
The Commission appointed Jane Williams Acting Executive Director.
On May 7 and 9 Commissioners discussed the following program priorities:
The operational priority is recruitment and selection of a new executive director. The Commission plans a national search and will advertise the position shortly. A committee of Commissioners will coordinate recruitment and interviewing.
As part of its new responsibility to give general policy advice on the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) met May 8 with the National Museum Services Board. Both groups are to advise the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on cooperative efforts between libraries and museums. NCLIS also advises on all other aspects of the LSTA as well.
The library-museum cooperative efforts are one of four parts of the National Leadership Grants or Contracts section of LSTA. The other three are education and training, research and demonstration, and preservation and digitization.
NCLIS is an independent agency, charged by law (P.L. 91-345) to advise the President and Congress on national and international library and information services policies and plans.