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THE FOLLOWING IS BEING POSTED ON GOVDOC-L, MAPS-L, AND LAW-LIB.
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| T H E D U P O N T C I R C L E R E P O R T E R |
| |
| An Informal Newsletter for the Federal |
| Depository Library Community |
| May 6, 1993 No. 4 |
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CONTENTS: * Discussion Draft: Mission Statement and
Goals of a Federal Information Access Program
* Discussion Draft: Benefits of a Depository
Library Program
* Discussion Draft: Staking Our Claim in the
Electronic Environment
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This issue of the newsletter includes three "Discussion Draft"
documents written by the Dupont Circle Group. These documents
are presented as part of an effort to focus discussion on the
future of the Federal Depository Library Program. (The next
issue of the newsletter will include additional draft documents,
presenting possible models for a new depository program.)
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* DUPONT CIRCLE DISCUSSION DRAFT *
MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS
FEDERAL INFORMATION ACCESS PROGRAM
The mission of a federal information access program is to make
government information freely available in usable formats to meet
the diverse needs of multiple publics.
Underlying values and assumptions:
* Democracy requires an informed citizenry; access to government
information supports education, research, and scientific and
technological development, and improves decision-making for
economic development and well-being, the environment, health,
safety, security, and other societal goals.
* All citizens have a right to public information regardless of
format.
* An organized, cooperative program is an efficient and cost-
effective mechanism to disseminate government information for
public agencies and the public.
Goals and Objectives:
A federal information access program must be tied to the life
cycle of government information, ensuring public participation in
all phases of information creation, distribution, access, use, and
evaluation.
Creation of Information
* All program participants, including agencies and libraries, will
cooperate in interpreting the publics' needs for information.
* Participating libraries will advocate the public's need for vital
government information products and services.
* All participants will cooperate in designing usable information
products.
* The program will promote and develop standards which facilitate
access to government information.
Distribution of Information
* The Federal Government and participating libraries will form a
partnership in the cost-effective and timely distribution of public
information services and products.
* The program will ensure the equitable distribution and/or access to
federal information sources.
* The program will produce and distribute government information in
the most appropriate and usable format(s).
Access to Information
* The program will provide effective means for bibliographic control
and intellectual access to government information.
* Libraries will select and maintain information products and
services from the program in the most appropriate and cost-
effective format.
* The program will effectively ensure the preservation and archiving
of government information.
* The program will effectively meet the publics' needs for access to
federal information products and services.
* Participating libraries will facilitate access to government
information by navigating, mediating, and analyzing a complex
array of information choices.
Use of Information
* Participating libraries will provide a physical place and necessary
equipment for use of public information for all citizens.
* The program will provide adequate training for librarians to
effectively manage and service government information collections.
* Libraries will provide instruction to users of government
information products and services.
* The program will promote public awareness of the program and
government information.
* Programs and services in the participating libraries will enhance
the value of public information.
Evaluation
* The program will facilitate communication among all program
participants and others concerned with government information.
* Libraries will select and access materials based on evaluation
of user/constituent needs.
* Librarians will provide feedback to federal agencies.
* The program will evaluate its effectiveness in carrying out the
program mission and goals.
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* DUPONT CIRCLE DISCUSSION DRAFT *
BENEFITS OF A FEDERAL INFORMATION ACCESS PROGRAM
(DEPOSITORY LIBRARY PROGRAM)
Benefits Which Libraries and Librarians in the Program Provide
to the Public:
* Localizes federal information -- places critical government
information relating to education, economic development,
political participation, and other social issues, in the local
community.
* Enhances the use of government information for technology
transfer, economic stimulus, and entrepreneurial enterprise.
* Provides free, open, and equal access in every Congressional
district.
* Serves as advocate for the public's right to know.
* Assists in identifying and locating information.
* Makes information useable through bibliographic control,
collection maintenance, reference, and other services.
* Serves as a single point of access to a wide array of government
information products and services.
* Helps and instructs the public in the use of electronic and other
information resources.
* Serves as ombudsman with federal agencies to meet public
information needs.
* Maintains historical and archival collections for future access.
Benefits Which Libraries and Librarians in the Program Provide
to Federal Agencies:
* Helps fulfill agencies' obligations to disseminate information.
* Takes advantage of historical and existing information networks.
* Supplies an efficient and cost-effective way for agencies to widely
disseminate their information.
* Shares responsibility for providing intellectual and physical
access to agency information.
* Facilitates cross-agency dissemination of information.
* Serves as a proving ground for public information technologies.
* Provides a forum for feedback from the public.
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* DUPONT CIRCLE DISCUSSION DRAFT *
STAKING OUR CLAIM IN THE ELECTRONIC ENVIRONMENT
Strengths of the Federal Depository Library Program:
* Human resources
* Free public access
* Cover entire scope of government information
* Outreach and educational functional
* Exist at national level
* Localize federal information
* Public value enhancement
* Maintains archival collections of government information
Questions:
1) Numerous individual and group initiatives are attempting to
develop public access and to promote computer networking
through community institutions such as schools and libraries
to the Internet/NREN and its resources. This includes
government information at all levels. How should we, as
government information professionals, align ourselves with,
and provide input to national initiatives and programs which
are likely to evolve under the Clinton/Gore National
Information Infrastructure technology initiative?
2) As Federal information policy continues to develop and the
formation of a national information infrastructure continues to
take place through the legislative process, what should be our
strategy for representing our interests in new and forthcoming
legislation?
3) Does the system have to be designed to ensure that all 1,400
libraries currently in the Program are included?
4) How we can help provide vision and educate our colleagues
and administrators about the potential of a new electronic
system?
5) How do we move ahead given the disparity and varying goals
among the individual libraries in the Program?
6) What are we doing that is different from other providers of
government information?
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The members of the Dupont Circle Group are:
Gary Cornwell, University of Florida, and Chair,
Depository Library Council
[log in to unmask]
Julia Wallace, University of Minnesota, and Chair,
ALA Government Documents Roundtable (GODORT)
[log in to unmask]
Duncan Aldrich, University of Nevada, Reno
[log in to unmask]
Tom Andersen, California State Library
[log in to unmask]
Diane Garner, Harvard University
[log in to unmask]
Carol Gordon, Milwaukee Public Library
[log in to unmask]
Steve Hayes, Notre Dame University
[log in to unmask]
Sally Holterhoff, Valparaiso University School of Law
[log in to unmask]
Linda Kennedy, University of California, Davis
[log in to unmask]
Ridley Kessler, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
[log in to unmask]
Melissa Lamont, University of Connecticut
[log in to unmask]
Sandee McAninch, University of Kentucky
[log in to unmask]
Kay Melvin, Patent and Trademark Office
703-308-4472
Daniel O'Mahony, Brown University
[log in to unmask]
John Shuler, Colgate University
[log in to unmask]
Jack Sulzer, Pennsylvania State University
[log in to unmask]
Susan Tulis, American Association of Law Libraries
[log in to unmask]
Carol Watts, NOAA/National Envir. Satellite & Data Info. Services
[log in to unmask]
Dupont Circle Reporter/Number 4/May 6, 1993
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