US information policies, etc. (117)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Tue, 21 Mar 89 18:00:17 EST
Humanist Mailing List, Vol. 2, No. 751. Tuesday, 21 Mar 1989.
(1) Date: Tue, 21 Mar 89 07:08 EDT (81 lines)
From: Joe Giampapa <GIAMPAPA@brandeis.bitnet>
Subject: concerning the Association of Research Libraries
(2) Date: 21 March 1989 (19 lines)
From: Willard McCarty <MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: unlocking the filelist
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 89 07:08 EDT
From: Joe Giampapa <GIAMPAPA@brandeis.bitnet>
Subject: concerning the Association of Research Libraries
I haven't studied all of this, but I thought that HUMANISTs might be
interested in it.
Follows:
1. ARL press release
2. ARL action needed alert to library directors
3. ARL letter to OMB
4. ARL letter to Congress (Conyers,Wise,Bingaman)
ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES
1527 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036
202-232-2466
ARL@UMDC
ALA0180
FAX 202-462-7849
February 28, 1989
ARL CALLS FOR FULL REVIEW OF OMB INFORMATION POLICIES
(Washington, D.C.) The Association of Research
Libraries (ARL) called on the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to initiate a full-scale public review of OMB
Circular A-130. OMB Circular A-130 is a key information
policy statement adopted in 1985. ARL also called on
Congress to make this review part of the upcoming
reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act, scheduled
for 1989. ARL urged OMB to complete the review of A-130
prior to initiating new information policy regulations.
ARL described OMB's information policies as a major
obstacle to federal agencies in their efforts to comply
with congressional mandates to disseminate government
information. These policies have led to severe
restrictions on public access to government information.
Duane E. Webster, ARL Executive Director, writing to OMB
on behalf of the Association, cites three overall
objections to Circular A-130:
Role of government in the delivery of information to
the public: Circular A-130 supports a role for the
private sector IN LIEU of a government role. ARL and
others support a role for the private sector IN
ADDITION to a government role.
Availability and format of information: Circular A-130
makes a policy distinction about HOW information is to
be made available based on the format of the
information (paper or electronic). ARL and others
contend that format should not dictate policy.
Cost recovery: A-130 has been interpreted as
REQUIRING agencies to recover costs from information
users. ARL and others argue that it is the nature of
the information itself, and circumstances specific to
the agency and the information product, that should
dictate if, and the extent to which, user fees should
be assessed.
Mr. Webster emphasized that research library
opposition to A-130 does not diminish research library
support for private sector entrepreneurship.
--------------------
[A complete version of this announcement is now available on
the file-server, s.v. US-INFO POLICIES. A copy may be obtained
by issuing either an interactive or a batch-job command, addressed to
LISTSERV@UTORONTO -- not to HUMANIST. See your Guide to HUMANIST
for information about how to issue such a command. Problems
should be reported to David Sitman, A79@TAUNIVM, after you
have consulted the Guide and tried all appropriate alternatives.]
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 21 March 1989
From: Willard McCarty <MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca>
Subject: unlocking the filelist
I just discovered that Humanist's list of files, HUMANIST FILELIST, has
been "locked" for the last several days. I must have been trying to
update it and somehow failed. In any case, it is now unlocked. My
apologies to anyone who was inconvenienced.
Let me hasten to assure you all that "locking" the filelist has nothing
whatsoever to do with editorial control or censorship. ListServ protects
updating operations by making the crucial file temporarily unavailable;
its chosen verb is "lock".
Willard McCarty