Shipping List
Newsletter of the Public Documents Forum
of the Virginia Library Association
 

vol. 26, no.2 May 2001

From the Editor

This spring has been filled with legislative developments that promise to spark discussion at ALA's Annual Conference in San Francisco (June 14-20).  Budget hearings are finally underway and the E-Government Act of 2001 opens the door for yet another reinvention of government information dissemination.  The GODORT Legislation Committee is tracking a full slate of issues and will likely be asking for grass roots support in the upcoming months.  If you missed ALA's National Library Legislative Day there will be additional opportunities to discuss library issues with your legislators.  Please stay informed and involved in this important activity.

Please send any comments, questions, suggestions, etc. to the editor.-- Janet Justis

ALA Briefings and National Library Legislative Day / April 30 - May 1, 2001

Approximately 650 librarians, trustees, and Friends of the Library met in Washington, DC on April 30th and May 1st to receive briefings from the ALA Washington Office staff and to meet with members of Congress regarding pending legislation affecting all types of libraries.  The Holiday Inn on the Hill served as the site for day long briefings on April 30th.  The ALA Washington Office prepared and distributed Issue Briefs on key matters before Congress.  These briefs, along with talking points and updates on late-breaking developments can be found on the ALA's web page at:

http://www.ala.org/washoff/

Key issues for the 107th Congress include: (links include briefs, talking points, and updates)

Virginia Delegation Hosts Luncheon for Legislators

 

Congressman Ed Schrock, aide Tom Gordy, and constituents attend the VLA Legislative Luncheon

In addition to visiting individual members of Congress on May 1st, many state delegations also sponsored luncheons for legislators and their staff.   The Virginia delegation  was fortunate to have Congressman Ed Schrock, Congressman James Doran, and Congressman Thomas Wolfe join the luncheon.  Congressman Cantor met later with several constituents.  Aides to Senators Allen and Warner, as well as aides to several other Congressional members, attended the luncheon and discussed library concerns.  Many aides received packets for review.

Congressman Doran offered brief remarks, and an aide to Congressman Rick Boucher spoke about the Congressman's plan to introduce a bill on copyright which is friendly to library fair use practices.  The bill supports the concept of "first sale" for electronic formats, fair use for educational purposes and attempts to reaffirm/realign the balance between publishers and library users.  Congressman Schrock decribed his affection for and involvement with the Virginia Beach Public Library Friends group, and expressed thanks for the Friends of the Libraries U.S.A. Award he received earlier in the day.
 

Congressman Ed Schrock Receives the Friends of the Libraries U.S.A. Award

 
Congressman Edward Schrock Receives the Friends of  Libraries U.S.A. Award on May 1, 2001

Congressman Edward Schrock of the 2nd District of Virginia was honored in a ceremony on May 1st by The Friends of Libraries U.S.A (FOLUSA) for his long time contributions to libraries.  Prior to joining the 107th Congress,  Schrock served as President of the Friends of the Virginia Beach Public Library for 12 years, and was appointed to the Board of the Library of Virginia by former Governor Allen.  During the morning awards ceremony and later at the Virginia delegations' luncheon, Congressman Schrock spoke of the importance of libraries in our children's education.  He described the following building blocks of education as "secondary education" representing the 2nd floor, "elementary education" representing the 1st floor, and the "library" as the basement or "foundation" for learning.

Congressman Schrock spoke of his wife, Judy's, commitment to teaching noting the importance of developing critical skills in reading.  Mrs. Schrock has been a kindergarten teacher in the Norfolk public school system since 1985.  He spoke with pride about the Virginia Beach Public Library system noting that it's easy to support "those that you love."
 
 

  BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Senators Lieberman and Burns Announce New E-Government Legislation

On May 1st, Senators Lieberman and Burns announced the E-Government Act of 2001.   Lieberman described the bill as "ground-breaking" legislation which would "harness" new technologies, and called for bipartisan support.  He stressed that the public is demanding the same "24 / 7 " access to government information that they find in the private sector.  Emphasizing the more traditional roles of doing business with the government, the bill supports using online technology so that citizens can file electronic tax returns or communicate with Social Security.  Small businesses would also be able to check regulations, obtain necessary forms and conduct bids via the web.

You can review Senator Lieberman's official press release at:
http://www.senate.gov/~lieberman/press/01/05/2001501810.html

Perhaps of special interest to the library community are parts of the bill that deal with permanent public access and the information life-cycle of government information.  Equally important is the recognition of the need for coordination of activities among federal agencies.  The bill calls for a Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) to be located in the Office of Mangement and Budget.  This individual would serve as a coordinator reviewing agencies IT planning, addressing concerns for security and authentication, ensuring compliance with statutory guidelines, and promoting interagency coordination and cooperation to better provide the public with a more seamless way of accessing government information.

You can read the full text of S. 803 and comments about the bill at:
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/GODORT/#current

ALA President, Nancy Kranich, spoke during the press conference; her complete remarks can be found at
http://www.ala.org/washoff/kranichegovt.pdf

Kranich stressed that libraries have been partners with the federal government in providing access to information since the 19th Century, and added that we can assist in the development of effective e-government programs by sharing our  experiences.  She listed 4 areas where libraries can provide valuable expertise:
 

Many questions remain about the intent of S. 803, and the effect it might have on the Federal Depository Library Program and GPO's role in dissemination of government information.  The bill directs that the Chief Information Officer compile a Public Domain Directory of Federal Government Websites and asks that federal depository librarians be included as consultants in identifying sites.  This is one of the few references to the depository library program or librarians as partners.  The bill also would require that agencies report on the type of  cataloging and indexing they are using, yet the legislation seems to miss the point that expertise and best practices in cataloging and indexing already exist and have been used by GPO and libraries for many years.

Parts of the bill seem to address recommendations from the NCLIS Report by calling for a Chief Information Officer and stressing the need for coordination among federal agencies. However, other parts calling for a national digital library harken  back to the GAO's recomendation that several GPO functions be transferred to the Library of Congress.  The bill directs the National Science Foundation, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the Director of the National Park Service, the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Librarian of Congress to establish on Online National Library after consultation with the private sector, public, research and academic libraries, historical societies, archival institutions, and other cultural and academic organizations. While it is encouraging that libraries are included in the list of interested parties for consultation, there does not seem to be any specific acknowledgement of the role the FDLP has played and can play in the future, in the dissemination of government information. There is still work to do, and hopefully, Senator Lieberman will be open to President Kranich's suggestion that depository librarians  have valuable insights to share in refining and reshaping this legislation.
 

Notes from the PDF Chair

The PDF has two programs planned for fall!  In August, Barbie Selby, Mary Clark, and Carol Hunter will reprise (and update!) the program given so successfully at Old Dominion University in 1999 and at Virginia Tech in 2000.  Entitled "A Documents Sampler", the program gives a very helpful overview of online government databases and is designed to help  non-depository library personnel learn more about the ever changing world of federal information online.  By request, it is being offered in the far western part of the state, at the Southwest Center for Higher Education in Abingdon on August 3, 2001.   The fee for the workshop is $25.00 for VLA members and $35.00 for non-VLA members.

A registration form for the workshop is available on the VLA website at:

http://www.vla.org/Programs/080301pdf.pdf

Please complete the registration form and send it and the registration fee to:
Peggy Burgess
Norfolk Public Library
301 E. City Hall Ave.
Norfolk, VA  23510
email: pburgess@npl.lib.va.us
phone: (757) 664-7325

We are also planning a very interesting program on the "Freedom of Information Act"  for VLA's Annual Conference in Chesterfield County.  The speaker will be Maria Everett of the Virginia FOIA Advisory Office.  Thanks to Mary Clark at the Library of Virginia for organizing this!  Look for it on the conference schedule.  This year's annual conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Select Koger South Conference Center from October 18-19th.

The PDF is developing a reputation for giving very useful programs.  The earlier program at ODU was oversubscribed, and at The Homestead, I heard some say that Patrick Yost's presentation on the census was the best offering at the conference.  These workshops should be similar: rich with specifics.   More details, anon.

Peggy Burgess, Norfolk Public Library
Chair, Public Documents Forum
 

News and Views from Around the Commonwealth


Barbara White has been promoted to Head of the Reference Department at Chesapeake Public Library.  The depository functions still remain in the Reference Department, and Ann Martin will be assuming responsibilities for the depository collection.  Congratulations to Barbara and welcome to Ann.
 amartin@chesapeake.lib.va.us

Walter Newsome announced recent revisions to the Depository Pages on UVA's website.  Visit the site at:
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/gov.html

Geostat has also posted links to data for Census 2000.  Excellent tips for downloading large data sets for manipulation in Access, SAS, etc.  can be found at:
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census2000

Alan Zoellner reports that the renovation at Earl Gregg Swem Library is continuing.  For a closer look at the progress:
http://www.swem.wm.edu/Building/building.html

Keith Weimer reports that Boatwright Memorial Library at the University of Richmond will be  undergoing a "facelift" this summer. The carpet will be replaced and walls repainted in the Reference area during the period May 21-July 21. This renovation will also involve the  relocation  of  popular literature and new books displays and a  rearrangement of the computer workstations in the Reference area.

The "facelift" will affect access to Government Information in the following ways:

 1) There will be no Reference Desk during the period of the remodeling. However, patrons may request librarian assistance at the Circulation Desk,  and staff on duty will call for the librarians. The Government Information  Librarian will be working out of the Government Documents Office during this time and will have immediate access to the government information collection.
 2) Patrons will have to use Basement Level I (first floor of stacks) to  cross the Reference area in order to reach Government Documents. This will  not hinder access to the documents, but may be slightly confusing to  patrons.

Billie Hackney, Cataloging Librarian, recently resigned her position at Old Dominion University to accept the position as Head of Cataloging at the Getty Center's Research Institute in Los Angeles.  Billie served on the Government Advisory Group and recently completed a project on authority control for the library.  One of her favorite library quotes is:

"If information is the currency of democracy, then libraries are the banks." -- Wendell Ford
 

Library Journal's "Notable Government Documents 2000" Issue

 

Shipping List normally publishes quarterly columns devoted to "New and Noteworthy" state and  international documents.  In lieu of our regular columns, we are pleased to review  Library Journal's May 15th issue featuring the annual "Notable Government Documents 2000" selections.  Please take some time to review this year's winners.

Federal selections cover a wide range of topics.  The effects of climate change, ethical issues in human stem cell research, juvenile offenders and their victims, along with the controversial George W. Bush, et al v. Albert Gore, Jr. , et al represent events and issues which have filled the headlines in the past year.

International concerns of global biodiversity, the state of the world's refugees, violence against women and girls, and Source OECD remind us that we are all part of a global community and that access to information helps us identify problems and solutions creating a more stable and productive environment for us all.

The entries in state and local documents were very strong this year and feature many publications that address important societal concerns.  In addition to two beautiful atlases, the state and local winners feature publications about school violence, children and tobacco use, the concerns facing elderly drivers, and a CD-ROM of native american stories truly reflecting the power of the "oral tradition".

Special congratulations to the two Virginia winners.  The Library of Virginia's entry "Virginia in Maps: Four Centuries of Settlement, Growth, and Development"  is a beautifully illustrated atlas and has received state-wide attention for its comprehensive coverage and attractive display of mapping the 17th and 18th centuries, the antebellum years, the Civil War era, and modern mapping including GIS.

The Virginia Main Street Programs' "15 Years of Building Vitality Downtown" is also an attractive publication describing the stories of 16 individual communities' experiences in downtown revitalization efforts.  This entry demonstrates the concept that all government is local.

All of the notable documents winners remind us that government publications contain important historical, scientific, and local information which helps us learn from the past and hopefully build a better future.  In her remarks as chair of the Notable Documents Panel, Peggy Jobe, sums it up best,

" Finally, an independent government agency has stated a simple fact that librarians have known for years-- public information is a "strategic national resource"; still, it is in danger of disappearing."
She is referring of course to the recent NCLIS report and reflecting on the numerous plans, reports, recommendations and legislation which have proported to reinvent the way government information is accessed and preserved.

When reviewing many of the state and local entries, I could only cringe at the thought that these publications might be in danger of disappearing because of short-sighted legislation or the failure to address core issues related to the dissemination of government information.   The real fight is not about format or an online-only environment; it's about the people's right to know and ensuring permanent public access to the vital information our state, local, and federal governments, and intergovernmental organizations produce.

Janet Justis, State and Local Selector for the GODORT Notable Documents Panel