ALAWON v2n49 (October 27, 1993) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v2n49 ****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 49 October 27, 1993 In this issue: (151 lines) PROPOSED AMENDMENT WOULD RESCIND LSCA TITLE II FUNDS LIBRARY GROUPS JOIN IN ISSUING TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY PRINCIPLES *************************************************************************** PROPOSED AMENDMENT WOULD RESCIND LSCA TITLE II FUNDS Just days after the American Library Association Washington Office learned that education and library programs had been removed from the Administration's list of rescissions, it appears that Reps. Tim Penny (D- MN) and John Kasich (R-OH) will offer an amendment to the Administration's rescission and procurement package when it reaches the floor, to rescind funds for the Library Services and Construction Act Title II, Public Library Construction and Technology Enhancement ($17,792,000) which the sponsors contend has outlived its usefulness. LSCA Title II provides seed money which helps communities raise matching funds, in some cases by more than twice the amount, to provide library access to individuals with disabilities and to re-wire buildings to accommodate new technologies. Since LSCA II money flows to all states in proportion to their population, all states benefit. In all communities that have been hard-hit by the recession, LSCA II projects provide jobs. ACTION NEEDED: Those concerned about LSCA II funding should contact House Members to urge them to oppose rescission of LSCA II. *************************************************************************** LIBRARY GROUPS JOIN IN ISSUING TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY PRINCIPLES The American Library Association and several other library groups joined more than sixty organizations in announcing a new coalition and unveiling a blueprint for America's 21st Century information infrastructure. The Telecommunications Policy Roundtable called on Americans to make their voices heard on vital issues of communications policy. The coalition's statement, "Renewing the Commitment to a Public Interest Telecommunications Policy," outlines a series of principles, and introduces them with this credo: "We believe that the following principles must guide policy making in order to ensure that future generations inherit an information infrastructure which enhances the quality of life for everyone." The coalition's public interest principles were announced at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on October 26. Elaine Albright, Chair of the ALA Committee on Legislation's Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Dean of Cultural Affairs and Libraries at the University of Maine, spoke on behalf of the library community. She noted that several library groups, the American Library Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, the Coalition for Networked Information, Libraries for the Future, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Libraries Association, had all endorsed the principles. Albright also said that these public interest principles are consistent with the outcome of a policy forum held in September at which representatives of 15 national library and information associations reached general consensus on areas of key information infrastructure principles and questions. Albright said: "Without equity of access through libraries, the technological promise of the information revolution may turn hollow for many 'information have-nots.' To continue and adapt their public service mission, libraries require a national information infrastructure with the characteristics represented by the coalition's public interest principles." The coalition's seven principles are: * Universal access -- In our information age, everyone has a right to affordable news, education and government information. Information that is essential to the functioning of citizens in a democracy should be free. * Freedom to Communicate -- Information is a two-way street. The design of the new networks should aid two-way audio and video communication from anyone to any individual, group or network. * Vital civic sector -- The new networks should allow all groups and individuals to freely express their ideas and opinions. The new networks should include a way for us to build communities. * Diverse and competitive marketplace -- No one should ever control both the wire or wires into our home and the content of the programs that go over those wires. * Equitable workplace -- workers must be valued and protected in the new electronic workplace. Nondiscriminatory practices must form the core of the new information marketplace. * Privacy protection -- Privacy should be carefully protected and extended. * Democratic policy making -- Every American deserves to be heard on this complex set of issues. On behalf of ALA, Albright called on the Administration and Congress to (1) include library community expertise in its planning and deliberations; (2) recommit to the long-standing federal role of stimulus funding for libraries to innovate with technology to share information resources across institutional, political, and geographic boundaries on behalf of users, and (3) to state as a goal that every school, college, public and state library should be connected to the national information infrastructure. She said ALA expects to be working with the Administration, Congress, and other organizations on appropriate federal investments in such key user institutions as libraries, but also on regulatory framework issues to explore how to ensure that the information infrastructure serves the public interest. She concluded: "The NII is about basic human communications and access to information. Neither technology itself, nor market forces alone, will guarantee the right to communicate and to access information." The October 26 Telecommunications Policy Roundtable press conference was moderated by Kathryn Montgomery, Center for Media Education. Speakers in addition to Albright were James Ferguson, National Coalition on Black Voter Participation; Mary Gardner Jones, Consumer Interest Research and Alliance for Public Technology; T. Andrew Lewis, Alliance for Community Media; Marc Rotenberg, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility; Paul Schroeder, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Task Force on Communications Access, and American Council of the Blind; and Linda Tarr-Whelan, Center for Policy Alternatives. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** 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: Carol C. Henderson (cch@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). Back issues and other documents are available from the list server. To find out what's available, send the message "send ala-wo filelist" to the listserv. The ALA-WO filelist contains the list of files with the exact filename and filetype. To get a particular file, issue the command "send filename filetype" to the listserv. Do not include the quotes in your commands. *************************************************************************** ***End of file******************End of file******************End of file***