Date: Sat, 27 Jul 91 09:56 EST
From: "Michael E. Marotta" <MERCURY@LCC.EDU>
Subject: Say Goodbye to FOIA?

    GRID News. ISSN 1054-9315. vol 2 nu 19e (Bitnet)    July 26, 1991.
    World GRID Association, P. O. Box 15061, Lansing, MI     48901 USA
+++++++++++++++++++++
    LIBRARIANS SUPPORT NREN, DECLINE TRIBE AMENDMENT;
    CALLS FOR ACCESS TO INFORMATION FAIL
    (c) Copyright 1991 by Michael E. Marotta

(86 lines) The White House Conference on Library and Information
Services was conceived in 1957 by Channing Bete, a library trustee
>from Greenfield, Massachusetts.  Lyndon Johnson created the National
Advisory Commission on Libraries in 1965.  In 1974 Gerald Ford
authorized the first White House Conference on Library and Information
Systems which was convened in 1979 under Jimmy Carter.  The second
WHCLIS opened on July 9, 1991.

On July 10, WHCLIS was address by three representitives from the White
House. Barbara Bush, Marilyn Quayle and George Bush said that
libraries are really very important.  Support from the White House is
based on the historically pro-active nature of the 65 conferences that
have been called since 1908 when Roosevelt ordered two to discuss
Conservation and Children.  The general tendency is for various
advocacy groups to arrange acceptable wording for their agendas.  The
conference passes these and up to 80% are incorporated into laws.

Productivity, Literacy and Democracy defined WHCLIS when it was first
announced.  In Michigan, we began meeting in 1989, to discuss
censorship, technology, special services, funding and literacy.
Michigan's library supporters gave much thought to literacy across
generations and technologies beyond books.  By 1991, we drafted 15
proposals in the format recommended by the national leaders.

For instance, the issue statement for CENSORSHIP was: "A variety of
impediments censor or restrict open access to information."
Background material, questions for discussion and paths for solution
were outlined.  Two specific recommendations were developed: "Federal
legislation is needed to mandate open access to public information";
and "Federal legislation is needed to mandate protection of patron
privacy."  These were followed by implementation strategies and
recommended programs.  Finally, the impact on LITERACY, DEMOCRACY and
PRODUCTIVITY were identified.

WHCLIS delegates (and alterates) assembled according to nine issue
areas: Access, Governance, Marketing, National Information Policy,
Networking, Personnel, Preservation, Services, Technology and
Training.  These plenaries were divided into subgroups to facilitate
discussion.  Within a plenary, each subgroup received the same set of
issues and recommendations.  These were discussed and editorial
suggestions were forwarded.  This went on for two days.  Then it was
repeated in the plenary sessions.  These final recommendations were
voted on by the entire conference on the last day.

These were among the recommendations which were approved by the entire
WHCLIS body:  (1) "Establish an office within the US Department of
Education responsible for providing leadership to school library media
programs across the nation."   (2) "Congress shall enact legislation
creating and funding the National Research and Education Network that
will serve an information super-highway and will allow educational
institutions, including libraries, to capitalize on the advantages of
technology for resource sharing and the creation and exchange of
information."

The second WHCLIS opened on July 9, 1991.  In all, over 120 calls for
federal funding were approved.  Of the major recommendations, only one
was defeated: "Congress and the states shall recognize the right of
the American public to access works of all authors, artists, scholars,
politicians and other public figures."  Another call for open access,
farther down the list, was also defeated.


In addition to the officially sanctioned recommendations, eleven
petitions made their way to the agenda.  A call for the funding of
special literacy programs targeted to African-Americans was accepted.
A similar proposal to fund Native American libraries was defeated.


On Saturday, July 13, 1991, the White House Conference on Libraries
and Information Systems (WHCLIS) gave its overwhelming support to the
Nation Research and Education Network (NREN).  NREN is said to be a
multi-gigabit-per-second fiber optic network that will link 1,000
colleges and other facilities.   When proposed to the WHCLIS
conference, NREN came to the floor with endorsements from over 200
delegates. Speaking against the proposal, I was hissed and the chair
reprimanded the offenders.

Later, the 27th Amendment suggested by Dr. Lawrence Tribe was moved
for acceptance by Andrew Spano of New York.  Feeling that the present
Bill of Rights is adequate, the delegates rejected the proposal.

(GRID News is FREQable from FidoNet 1:159/450, the Beam Rider BBS)

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