Access To and Services for Federal Information in the
Networked Environment
Call for Participation
Introduction
During the period of September, 1995 to July, 1996, the Coalition for
Networked Information is pursuing a new initiative that addresses its interest
in federal government information in the networked environment. This
initiative will result in a white paper that will guide higher education and
other institutions, such as public and state libraries, in the development of
strategies for providing access to and services for federal government
information by their constituencies using the powerful, and rapidly expanding
global information infrastructure.
Basic Approach
With the increasing use and availability of information technologies, there has
been a significant change in how federal agencies produce and disseminate
government information. This change is resulting in new dissemination
mechanisms, as well as new and changing user needs and expectations. As a
result, the responsibilities and capacities of institutions that facilitate the
flow of federal information to academic and citizen communities need to be
rethought in this shifting environment. The paper will primarily focus on
issues and models for: collections; preservation; access; services; and,
staffing and training. It will address these issues at the enterprise-wide or
institutional level. The paper will also summarize policy and technical
directions to provide a framework for understanding the issues involved.
A Call for Input
The Coalition is seeking input from individuals and institutions from a variety
of sectors who have had experience in areas of preservation, collection
management, staffing and training, and in offering new services in the
networked environment, and who have ideas to contribute regarding the handling
of federal information in this evolving field. We are also interested in
receiving input from individuals who work with government information, either
providing it, servicing it, or using it as a scholar or citizen.
Individuals who are interested in contributing to, shaping, and/or providing
feedback and critical comments are encouraged to contact (see below) Joan
Cheverie (1) to state their interest in the project, and (2) to briefly
describe the relevant experience that they have regarding the purposes and
outcomes of the project. Ms. Cheverie will be following up on these statements
to formulate appropriate ways and means for each respondent to participate in
this initiative as it develops.
Contact
Joan Cheverie, Visiting Program Officer
Coalition for Networked Information
21 Dupont Circle, Washington, DC 20036
Voice: (202) 296-5098
FAX: (202) 872-0884
Internet: jchev@cni.org
About the Coalition
The Coalition for Networked Information was founded in March 1990 to help
realize the promise of high performance networks and computers for the
advancement of scholarship and the enrichment of intellectual productivity.
The Coalition is a partnership of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL),
CAUSE, and EDUCOM. The Coalition pursues its mission with the assistance of a
task force of over two-hundred institutions and organizations that provides
focus and resources which are crucial to the ability of the Coalition to
articulate and explore shared visions of how information management must change
in the 1990s to meet the social and economic opportunities and challenges of
the 21st century. Members of the Coalition Task Force include higher education
institutions, publishers, network service providers, computer hardware,
software, and systems companies, library networks and organizations, and public
and state libraries.
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