ALAWON v2n39 (September 16, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v2n39 ****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File**** *************************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 2, Number 39 September 16, 1993 In this issue: (226 lines) ADMINISTRATION ISSUES AGENDA FOR INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE (PART 2 OF 2, CONTINUED FROM ALAWON VOL. 2, NO. 38) DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASES REPORTS ON LITERACY AND READING NAL REFERENCE SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE BY INTERNET *************************************************************************** ADMINISTRATION ISSUES AGENDA FOR INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE (PART 2 OF 2, CONTINUED FROM ALAWON VOL. 2, NO. 38) BENEFITS AND APPLICATIONS Another section of the document lists benefits and applications of the NII: The development of the National Information Infrastructure is not an end in itself; it is a means by which the United States can achieve a broad range of economic and social goals. Although the NII is not a "silver bullet" for all of the problems we face, it can make an important contribution to our most pressing economic and social challenges. Data and examples are given for economic benefits, health care, civic networking ("technology in the public interest"), research, lifelong learning, and creating a government that works better and costs less. Under civic networking, the document says the "NII could be used to create an 'electronic commons' and promote the public interest in the following ways:" 1. Community Access Networks: Grass-roots networks are springing up all over the country, providing citizens with a wide range of information services. The National Information Infrastructure should expand a citizen's capacity for action in local institutions, as it must honor regional differences and the cultural diversity of America's heritage. 2. Dissemination of government information: The free flow of information between the government and the public is essential to a democratic society. Improvements in the National Information Infrastructure provide a tremendous opportunity to improve the delivery of government information to the taxpayers who paid for its collection; to provide it equitably, at a fair price, as efficiently as possible. 3. Universal access: The NII must be used to bring Americans together, as opposed to allowing a further polarization between information "haves" and "have nots." The life-long learning benefits emphasize the national education goals and the Administration's Goals 2000: Educate America legislative proposal, and the educational applications of computers and networks. "Creating a government that works better and costs less" repeats some of the recommendations from Vice President Gore's _National Performance Review_, including development of integrated electronic access to government information and services: "Currently, citizen access to federal government information is uncoordinated and not customer-friendly. Electronic kiosks and computer bulletin boards can result in quick response, complete information, and an end to telephone tag." An example cited is Info/California, "a network of kiosks in places like libraries and shopping malls" in which Californians can use touch-screen computers to renew vehicle registration, register for employment openings, and get information on 90 different subjects. INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE TASK FORCE The White House has formed the Information Infrastructure Task Force, consisting of "high-level representatives of the Federal agencies that play a major role in the development and application of information technologies." The IITF operates under the aegis of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Economic Council. The IITF is chaired by Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown; the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration does most of the staff work. The IITF mission is described as follows: Working together with the private sector, the participating agencies will develop comprehensive telecommunications and information policies that best meet the needs of both the agencies and the country. By helping build consensus on thorny policy issues, the IITF will enable agencies to make and implement policy more quickly and effectively. So far, the structure of the IITF looks like this: 1) Telecommunications Policy Committee chaired by NTIA head Larry Irving. Working Group on Universal Service. 2) Information Policy Committee chaired by Sally Katzen, head of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights chaired by Bruce Lehman, head of the Commerce Department's Patent and Trademark Office. Working Group on Privacy chaired by Pat Faley, Acting Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services. Working Group on Government Information chaired by Bruce McConnell, OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. 3) Applications Committee chaired by Arati Prabhakar, Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Working Group on Government Information Technology Services. ADVISORY COUNCIL ON NII The President will sign an Executive Order creating a United States Advisory Council on the National Information Infrastructure "to facilitate private sector input to the Information Infrastructure Task Force." The Secretary of Commerce will appoint 25 senior-level individuals this year. Nominations will be solicited from a variety of NII constituencies and interest groups. The Council is to be "broadly representative of the key constituencies impacted by the NII, including business, labor, academia, public interest groups, and state and local governments." The Council will invite experts to submit information; the IITF and its committees also will use other mechanisms to solicit public input to ensure that it hears the views of all interested parties. The document describes the Council's purpose: The Council shall advise the IITF on matters related to the development of the NII, such as: the appropriate roles of the private and public sectors in NII development; a vision for the evolution of the NII and its public and commercial applications; the impact of current and proposed regulatory regimes on the evolution of the NII; privacy, security, and copyright issues; national strategies for maximizing interconnection and interoperability of communications networks; and universal access. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION To submit comments on "The National Information Infrastructure: Agenda for Action," or to request additional copies of the package, contact: NTIA NII Office, 15th Street and Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20230. Phone: 202-482-1840. Fax: 202-482-1635. Internet: nii@ntia.doc.gov. Copies of the document are available by anonymous FTP from several sources, including the following: ftp.ntia.doc.gov, directory /pub enh.nist.gov isdres.er.usgs.gov, directory /npr The filename is "niiagend.asc" for the ASCII version, "niiagend.exe" for the self-extracting compressed file. The compressed file must be transferred in binary mode. The document is also available by gopher. Telnet to gopher.nist.gov and login as "gopher," or choose "National Institute of Standards and Technology" from the list of gopher servers. Choose the menu item "DoC Documents," then choose "niiagenda.asc". *************************************************************************** DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RELEASES REPORTS ON LITERACY AND READING The Department of Education has released two major reports in the last few days, _Adult Literacy in America_, the results of the National Adult Literacy Survey, and the _NAEP 1992 Reading Report Card for the Nation and the States_, an assessment of reading achievement of public and private school students in grades 4, 8, and 12. The study of adult literacy sampled the English literacy levels of some 26,000 individuals in the United States over the age of 16, and found that about 47 percent of the U.S. adult population, or some 90 million adults demonstrate low levels of literacy. The reading study sampled almost 140,000 students and, although the majority of children were found to be able to read at a basic level, almost two-thirds are not reading as well as they should. Secretary Riley, in remarks released on September 15, 1993, called for parents to "turn off the television and spend some time each week working with your child or children." Both reports are for sale by New Orders, Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954, or by calling the GPO Order Desk at (202) 783-3238. Individual state reports of the NAEP report are available through participating state education departments. *************************************************************************** NAL REFERENCE SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE BY INTERNET Starting May 1, the Reference Section of the U.S. National Agricultural Library began accepting requests for reference services over the Internet. The address for requests is agref@nalusda.gov. Services are provided to federal, state, and local government researchers, scientists, and officials; university and college professors, researchers, and students; private scientific, business, and agricultural organizations; foreign government agencies; and the general public. Most reference requests are answered without charge, although Keith Russell, NAL's Associate Director for Public Services, said that comprehensive searches may require NAL to charge a user fee. NAL defines comprehensive searches as those that require NAL to search commercial online databases and exceed a $25 charge to fill, or those that require more than one hour of the NAL librarian's time, charged at $11 per hour. User fees are assessed only upon prior agreement with the user and are only charged for work over the one-hour limit. For further information, contact the Reference Branch, Room 111, National Agricultural Library, 10301 Baltimore Boulevard, Beltsville, MD 20705-2351; phone 301-504-5204; TDD 301-504-6856, fax 301-504-7098; Internet jforbes@nalusda.gov. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363. Editor and List Owner: Fred King (fdk@alawash.org). All or part of ALAWON may be redistributed, with appropriate credits. ALAWON is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your name]" to listserv@uicvm (Bitnet) or listserv@uicvm.uic.edu (internet). 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