24 November 2000
Source: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/fr-cont.html 

[Federal Register: November 24, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 227)]
[Notices]               
[Page 70625-70626]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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NATIONAL COMMISSION ON LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

 
Public Meeting

    Date, Time, and Place: Monday, December 4, 2000 from 1:00 p.m. to 
5:00 p.m., 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building, First Street and 
Constitution Avenue, NE., Washington, DC.
    Matter To Be Discussed: The public is invited to comment on the 
proposed recommendations of the National Commission on Libraries and 
Information Science (NCLIS) resulting from the comprehensive assessment 
of public information dissemination policies and practices. Information 
about the assessment is available on the Commission website at http://
www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/assess.html. The Commission's final report to 
Congress must be completed by December 15, 2000.
    Written comments must be received not later than 9 a.m. Monday, 
December 11, 2000. Comments may be submitted to the Commission by mail 
at 1110 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20005-3552, Attn: F. Woody 
Horton, Ph.D., by fax to 202-606-9203, or by e-mail to 
whorton@nclis.gov.
    Individuals and organizations desiring to participate in the public 
meeting should contact NCLIS Deputy Director Judith C. Russell by fax 
at 202-606-9203 or by e-mail to jrussell@nclis.gov, identifying the 
speaker and the organization(s) represented by the speaker. Each 
speaker should bring at least thirty copies of their statement to the 
meeting as well as providing an electronic copy to the Commission, 
preferably by e-mail to jrussell@nclis.gov. Oral presentations will be 
limited to five minutes. There will be an opportunity to respond to 
questions from the Commission, and if time permits, there will be an 
opportunity for further comments from the audience once all scheduled 
speakers have made their presentations.
    The Commission will select speakers to represent the widest 
possible range of organizations and points of view in the available 
time. The Commission is particularly interested in hearing from end 
users of government information, such as students from elementary 
school through graduate school, senior citizens, individuals with 
disabilities, individuals from rural communities, individuals who are 
economically disadvantaged, researchers, employees of state, local or 
tribal governments, and small business owners. Other speakers are also 
welcome, including intermediaries who assist users with government 
information, such as librarians, information specialists and value-
added providers, and representatives of Federal agency information 
dissemination programs.

Background

    The assessment was initiated by NCLIS at the request of Senator 
John McCain, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and Senator Joseph Lieberman, Ranking Minority Member, 
Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. The Commission was asked to 
identify reforms necessary in the federal government's public 
information dissemination policies and practices.
    The Commission's proposed strategic recommendations were presented 
at the Commission meeting on November 15, 2000. As a result of that 
meeting, the Commission decided to hold a public meeting on the 
December 4th to provide for additional public comment.
    In this report the Commission states that the Federal government's 
public information is a critical national resource that must be 
exploited to the fullest extent possible. The Commission contends that 
public information resources are no less important to the nation's 
economic and social livelihood than are its human, financial, capital, 
and natural resources. However, exploiting the full potential benefits 
and values of this resource has not been given top-level national 
focus, attention, and support.
    The Commission believes that there is a missing building block in 
the nation's public information statutory foundation. A new law is 
needed, not only to put in place the concept of treating public 
information as a strategic national asset, but also to make clear the 
obligation of all government agencies with respect to their public 
information resources. To that end, every mission agency's authorizing 
legislation should have a standard clause mandating the dissemination 
of information to the public, and agencies should directly budget for 
the cost of implementing that recommendation in their annual budgets.
    Diffusing the government's public information resources 
proactively, broadly, and pervasively throughout all sectors of the 
economy and the society, for the benefit of all Americans, is a 
positive, social and moral construct which must be crafted in crystal 
clear terms in new legislation which spells out both agency obligations 
and overall national policy leadership and oversight needs.
    The complete draft report should be available on the Commission 
website by Monday, November 27, 2000. A draft Executive Summary of the 
final report is available at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/
execsum.pdf. [HTML version below.]
    The proposed legislation should be read and evaluated in the 
context of the strategic recommendations in the Commission's draft 
report. The purpose of the proposed legislation is to bring

[[Page 70626]]

together in a systematic fashion all of the key elements necessary for 
comprehensive public information resources management and to elevate 
the importance of Federal government public information resources to 
the status of a strategic national asset. It also includes the creation 
of government-wide information dissemination budget line item in the 
President's budget and in each agency budget. The Commission believes 
that this legislative proposal is the best means for implementation of 
its recommendations because it will draw attention to the issues and 
create a debate about appropriate solutions. However, many of the 
Commission's recommendations can and should be implemented, whether or 
not the proposed legislation is acted upon by the Congress.
    Excerpts from the Commission's proposed legislation, The Public 
Information Resources Reform Act of 2001, are available at http://
www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/legisum.pdf, as are related fact sheets. In 
this legislative proposal, the Commission recommends establishment of a 
public information resources agency in each branch of government. A 
Fact Sheet summarizing the duties and responsibilities of each agency 
and explaining how inter-branch coordination is to be accomplished can 
be found on at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/branch.html. A second 
fact sheet summarizing the Commission's recommendations for 
strengthening of the Federal Depository Library Program is available at 
http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/fdlpfact.html. Additional fact sheets 
may be added as needed.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request further information or to 
make special arrangements for persons with disabilities, contact Judith 
C. Russell by telephone at 202-606-9200, by fax at 202-606-9203 or by 
e-mail to jrussell@nclis.gov, no later than Wednesday, November 29, 
2000.

    Dated: November 20, 2000.
Robert S. Willard,
NCLIS Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 00-30063 Filed 11-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7527-01-P

Source: http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/execsum.pdf

Important Note: This is a DRAFT of the proposed Executive Summary, Volume 1, of the three volume NCLIS study report bearing the title shown below. It has been reproduced to afford stakeholders an advance opportunity to provide comments to the Commission. Revised November 15, 2000.


COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION DISSEMINATION

A Report to the President and the Congress




Volume 1
Executive Summary




December 15, 2000
(proposed final issuance date)


U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
1110 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 820, Washington, D.C. 20005-3522

________________________________________________________

U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science
1110 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 820, Washington, D.C. 2005-3522
Telephone: 101-606-9200; Fax 202-606-9203; Web: www.nclis.gov

The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is a permanent independent agency of the federal government established in 1970 with the enactment of Public Law 91-345. The Commission is charged with:

The Commission also advises federal, state, and local governments, and other public and private organizations, regarding library and information sciences, including consultations on relevant treaties, international agreements, and implementing legislation, and it promotes research and development activities which will extend and improve the nation's library and information handling capability as essentially links in the national and international networks.

Commissions and staff at the time that the assessment was completed include:

Martha B. Gould, Chair
Joan R. Challinor, Vice Chair

C. E. "Abe" Abramson
LeVar Burton
Jack E. Hightower
Walter Anderson
Rebecca T. Bingham
Jose-Marie Griffiths
*Paulette H. Holohan
*Marilyn Gell Mason
*Donald L. Robinson

James H. Billington
Librarian of Congress

Beverly Sheppard Acting
Director, Institute Of Museum & Library Services

Robert S. Willard
Executive Director

Judith C. Russell
Deputy Director

Forest Woody Horton & Sarah Kadec
Study Co-Coordinators

*Commissioner Designee

Suggested Citation: Comprehensive assessment of public information dissemination: a report to the President and the Congress. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2000.

______________________________________________________

TRANSMITTAL LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT, THE VICE PRESIDENT, AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE FROM THE NCLIS CHAIRPERSON (text under preparation; draft not repeated here)

PREFACE (text under preparation; draft not repeated here)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (text under preparation; draft not repeated here)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. THE ROLE OF NCLIS
B. FINDINGS
C. CONCLUSIONS
D. STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

ATTACHMENTS (all documents available on NCLIS web site; not repeated here)

1. Letter to NCLIS Chairperson Martha B. Gould from Senator John McCain, June 12, 2000

2. Reply to Senator John McCain from Chairperson Martha B. Gould, June 27, 2000

3. Letter to NCLIS Chairperson Martha B. Gould from Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, July 17, 2000

4. Reply to Senator Joseph 1. Lieberman from Chairperson Martha B. Gould, August 7, 2000

5. Letter to Secretary of Commerce Norman Mineta from NCLIS Chairperson Martha B. Gould, August 1, 2000

6. Reply to Chairperson Martha B. Gould from Secretary Mineta, September 1, 2000

7. NCLIS Study Plan Outline, July 25, 2000

8. Some Paradigms, Myths, and Realities, NCLIS Staff Paper

9. NCLIS Study Web Page Table of Contents

10. Special Panels and Board of Experts Memberships

(Volume 2, Main Report (text in preparation), and Volume 3, Appendices (in compilation), will both be separately bound and available from NCLIS, and posted on the NCLIS web site)

______________________________________________________

A. THE ROLE OF NCLIS

The United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) is an independent agency charged by Section 5 of PL 91-345 to take a leadership position on matters pertaining to the library and information needs of the nation. Specifically, 20 U.S.C. 1504(a)(1) says that the Commission shall "advise the President and the Congress on the implementation of national policy by such statements, presentations, and reports as it deems appropriate."

In fulfillment of that statutory mandate, the Commission throughout its 30-year history has had an abiding interest and concern for studying ways the government can improve its public information dissemination practices. However, in the last three years particularly, largely because of the intensified interest in using the world wide web and the Internet as the preferred medium for distributing government information to citizens and other elements of society, the Commission has focused squarely on major issues and concerns that have arisen as a result of this shift in access and delivery channels from pre-electronic modes like ink-on-paper and microfiche, to electronic modes.

More specifically, three years ago the Commission was asked by the Government Printing Office (GPO) to study issues surrounding the enormous proliferation of formats and mediums for disseminating government information, and issued a final report on March 30, 1999. The GPO, in turn, had been asked by the Congress to study the matter, and turned to NCLIS to undertake the task. Then in August 1999, following the announcement by the Department of Commerce to close the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) and shift its paper, microfiche, digital archives, and bibliographic database to the Library of Congress, after consulting with Department of Commerce officials and members of both the Senate and House Committees holding jurisdiction over science and technology issues, the Commission launched a major study of those issues and concerns. A preliminary assessment report on the NTIS closure situation was published in March 2000.

In both the 1990 GPO-requested study, and the follow-on NTIS closure study, the Commission observed that both the issues and concerns surrounding the proliferation of electronic formats for disseminating government information to the public, and the issues and concerns surrounding the proposed transfer of the functions, programs, and resources of NTIS to the Library of Congress, should not be viewed as isolated events. Rather, the Commission concluded that those issues were both a part of the broader fabric of an even larger question - - how the government should reform its laws, policies, programs, and practices for disseminating information to the public in the Internet Age.

The Commission therefore warmly welcomed the requests by both Senator McCain and Senator Lieberman to undertake this broader study, and we urge readers to keep this larger context in mind in reviewing the findings and recommendations contained herein.

B. FINDINGS

The public information resources that are created by all levels of government -- federal, State, local, and tribal -- are considered by the Commission in this report as a strategic national asset. The Commission contends that public information resources are no less important to the nation's economic and social livelihood than are its human, financial, capital, and natural resources. However, exploiting the full potential benefits and values of this resource has not been given top-level national focus, attention, and support.

Diffusing government's knowledge resources efficiently and effectively to all Americans is essential to:

In short, government's data, information, and knowledge resources are a critical national asset that must be exploited to the fullest extent, much the same as nation-states do when they "discover" a valuable natural resource such as mineral or energy deposits. Simply providing a framework for exercising legal rights on a case by case basis, in adversarial proceedings, and passively exhorting federal agencies to disseminate information to the public, are profoundly inadequate constructs for exploiting the largest and most valuable strategic resource on the planet, the knowledge reservoirs possessed by the United States government.

Unfortunately, accessing government information is a process that is all too often considered primarily in the context of opposing legal rights. That is, on the one hand the government claims a non-disclosure right on the grounds that the information sought by a citizen is protected on a variety of statutory grounds.

And on the other hand, would be accessors of the government information claim a disclosure right on the grounds that the information sought is not (or should not) be protected. And so the debates rage, often in the context of the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act, primarily between citizens acting in pro se, representing themselves in proceedings with the government, but oftentimes between batteries of opposing legal counsels as in the case of news media, law firms, and public interest organizations.

The Commission asks: Whatever happened to the idea of sharing the government's information? After all, has not the taxpayer paid for the information in the first place, and do not the citizens of this country own their government's information? But conflicts of rights are too often negative, essentially legal constructs and processes, and require prolonged and complex proceedings that are aimed at ferreting out a single piece of information held in the government's vaults.

In short, the Commission believes that there is a missing building block in the nation's public information statutory foundation. A new law is needed, not only to put in place the concept of treating public information as a strategic national asset, but also to make clear the obligation of all government agencies to proactively disseminate their information to the public. To that end, every mission agency's authorizing legislation should have a standard clause mandating the dissemination of information to the public, and agencies should directly budget for the cost of implementing that recommendation in their annual budgets.

Diffusing the government's knowledge holdings proactively, broadly, and pervasively throughout all sectors of the economy and the society, and to the fartherest reaches of land, for the benefit of all Americans, is a positive, social and moral construct which must be crafted in crystal clear terms in new legislation which spells out both agency obligations and overall national, not just federal, policy leadership and oversight needs.


C. CONCLUSIONS

To provide the necessary statutory foundation to achieve the goal of transforming the government's knowledge assets to the top-level status of a major national resource, the Commission concludes that:

a. a new statutory foundation and framework for harnessing and mobilizing government information in service of the needs of all Americans, and the nation as a whole, is needed;

b. a new independent agency is required in the Executive Branch to exercise policy leadership and oversight over the new mission;

c. corresponding public information resource machinery is also required in the Legislative and judicial Branches;

d. new authorities and responsibilities are needed to address: the mobilization and harnessing of government information content for all Americans; the establishment of a single, authoritative electronic public information resources database to complement agency web site postings; the revitalization of the Federal Depository Library Council as an elite cadre of government information specialists; the creation of a federal webmaster position; the establishment of a federal metadata standards and guidelines function; the creation of an intergovernmental and interagency sharing function; the establishment of a councilor-advocate (ombudsman) to respond to the special needs of disadvantaged and disabled Americans; a new focal point for information infrastructure development addressing all three areas -- federal, national, global levels -- which could take the lead to exploit the idea that government information is a strategic national asset; a new focal point for promoting public- private sector partnership initiatives and ventures; and other new initiatives;

e. the concepts of permanent public access, authentication, and preservation are defined, and formally afforded the status of an explicit policy in appropriate statutory contexts, including Title 44; and

f. State, local and tribal levels of government should be encouraged to develop their own unique and customized public information resources machinery comparable to the provisions herein recommended for the federal level.


D. RECOMMENDATIONS

To provide the necessary statutory foundation and other machinery necessary to achieve the goals and objectives of the new public information resources mission, the Commission recommends five strategic recommendations and a variety of "all other" recommendations:

Strategic Recommendations

1. The President Should Establish A New Independent Agency In The Executive Branch, The Public Information Resources Administration, To Provide Overall Policy Leadership, Oversight, And Accountability For The Two New Major National Missions Set Forth In This Report: First, The Concept That Public Information Is A Strategic National Asset, And Secondly That Government Has A Proactive Obligation To Disseminate Information To All Citizens (see Figure ); Both New Authorities And Responsibilities, And Transfers Of Existing Authorities And Responsibilities From Extant Government Entities Are Required; The President Should Also Issue An Executive Order Or Memorandum To The Heads Of Executive Departments And Agencies Should Be Issued Emphasizing The Importance Of Agency Proactive Initiatives In Making Their Information Resources More Effectively And Efficiently Available To, And Accessible By All Americans

An Executive Order or a Memorandum to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies should be issued by the President announcing the creation of the new independent agency, designating the government's knowledge holdings as a strategic national asset, and stressing the importance the Administration places on making agency information holdings more easily available to and accessible by the public. To This end, the Commission has drafted such an instrument (see App.      ).

Pursuant to the enabling statutory authority following enactment of the foregoing legislation, the President and the Congress should take the necessary steps to create a new independent agency in the Executive Branch, The Public Information Resources Administration. The absence of a clear, single, central focal point within the government for the policy leadership, public information resources planning and programming, cross-platform information handling and interchange standards and guidelines development and enforced use, intergovernmental and interagency sharing of federally created information resources, and management 9 of public information resources, is contributing to:

2. The President, Through The Use Of An Appropriate Executive Directive Instrument Such As An Executive Order Or Memorandum, Should Ensure That There Should Be A Standard Paragraph In Every Agency's Authorizing Legislation Identifying Public Information Dissemination As A Primary Responsibility, And The Cost Of Disseminating Information To The Public Be Considered An Essential, Integral And Direct Cost Of An Agency's Doing Business (Not An Overhead Cost), As Reflected In Procurement And Contracting Regulations, The Annual Budget Process As Prescribed By OMB Circular A-11, And In Other Contexts; The Congress Should Ensure In Fulfilling Its Oversight Responsibilities That Such A Policy, Once Promulgated, Is Reflected In Agency Plans, Budgets, Programs, And Performance; An Information Dissemination Budget Concept Should Be Put In Place

The cost of disseminating government information to the public should be explicitly identified in agency budgets as a direct cost (not an overhead cost). Too often disseminating information to the public is viewed as a by-product of other, more important agency business, or subsumed in agency overhead calculations, and yet disseminating government information to the public should be considered an essential and integral cost of the agency's doing business.

The Internet provides an unparalleled opportunity to adjust traditional incentives and disincentives with respect to motivating agencies to maximize rather than minimize their information flows to the public. Agencies are now able to reach out to all citizens in a far more effective manner, and are motivated to do so. Not only are the incentives enhanced, but also the disincentives to withhold information are reduced. Moreover, to the extent that individual agencies are successful in disseminating their own information directly, the burdens on central information service agencies, and the costs, are correspondingly reduced, but backup redundancy is still absolutely essential as a safeguard.

Just as the Congress put in place machinery to control the paperwork burden placed on the American public by government's programs to collect information from the public, impose recordkeeping and reporting requirements on it, and applying for government entitlements, so the Congress should direct the establishment of a "comparable" mechanism on the dissemination side of the ledger. That is, there should be an Information Dissemination Budget that estimates funds required by agencies, agency by agency, to disseminate its government information to the public.

3. The Congress Should Transform The Government Printing Office Into A New Legislative Information Resources Management Office With Appropriate Authorities, Functions, Funding, And Programs, In Addition To Printing And Printing Procurement, Necessary To Support The Full Range Of Legislative Branch Public Information Resources Management Responsibilities

The transformation of the Government Printing Office into a new Legislative Information Resources Management Office, will streamline, simplify, and modernize the mission of that organization so that it more effectively can support not just the printing and printing procurement needs of the Congress, but, working with the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate, ensure that information resources management principles and practices are diffused more widely throughout the entire Legislative information life cycle.

The scope of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 currently applies only to the Executive Branch. However, several key sections, notably Section 3506(d), could usefully be extended to the Legislative and Judicial Branches as well. Section 3506(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Reauthorization Act of 1995 states:

"(d) With respect to information dissemination, each agency shall -
(1) ensure that the public has timely and equitable access to the agency's public information, including ensuring such access through
(A) encouraging a diversity of public and private sources for information based on government public information;

(B) in cases in which the agency provides public information maintained in electronic format, providing timely and equitable access to the underlying data (in whole or in part); and

(C) agency dissemination of public information in an efficient, effective, and economical manner;

(2) regularly solicit and consider public input on the agency's information dissemination activities;

(3) provide adequate notice when initiating, substantially modifying, or terminating significant information dissemination products; and

(4) not, except where specifically authorized by statute -

(A) establish an exclusive, restricted, or other distribution arrangement that interferes with timely and equitable availability of public information to the public;

(B) restrict or regulate the use, resale, or redissemination of public information by the public;

(C) charge fees or royalties for resale or redissemination of public information; or

(D) establish user fees for public information that exceed the cost of dissemination."

There are other useful parts of the Paperwork Reduction Act that could be applied to the Legislative Branch as well.


4. The Judicial Branch Should Establish A New Office, The Judicial Information Resources Management Office, In The Administrative Office Of The U.S. Courts, With Comparable Authorities, Functions, Funding, And Programs Necessary To Support The Full Range Of Judicial Branch Public Information Resources Management Responsibilities

Similar to the foregoing recommendation with respect to the Legislative Branch, the judicial Branch should also establish a new office, the Judicial Information Resources Management Office, in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. This new entity should have comparable authorities, functions, and programs necessary to support the full range of Judicial Branch public information resources management responsibilities, throughout the entire judicial information life cycle. The new office would provide overall policy leadership, oversight, and accountability for the judicial Branch's overall public information resources programs.

5. State, Local, And Tribal Levels Of Government Should Consider Establishing Comparable Public Information Resources Planning, Management, And Control Machinery As That Contemplated By This Report, But Tailored To Their Unique Requirements And Circumstances

State, local, and tribal levels of government should consider establishing comparable public information resources planning, management, and control machinery as that contemplated by this Report, but tailored and customized to their own unique requirements and circumstances. All lower levels of government should formally designate their respective knowledge holdings as strategic assets, and effect appropriate actions to operationalize that designation so that it is not regarded just as an exhortational goal, but has practical value and utility as manifested by operational programs, policies, and practices.

6. The President And The Congress Should Review, Refine And Modify The Draft Legislation Proposed Herein By The Commission, The Public Information Resources Reform Act Of 2001 (see App. ), And Enact The Legislation In The 107th Congress, Preferably As Early As The First Session

The Commission has drafted a proposed bill, the Public Information Resources Reform Act of 2001 to provide a new statutory foundation for the formal establishment of government's knowledge holdings as a strategic national asset (see App.     ). The draft bill is an expanded outline of key provisions, but is not a complete bill. It is fully recognized that both the new President and the new Congress will need to examine the bill's overall thrust and detailed provisions very carefully, and make whatever modifications they believe necessary. The Commission's thought in preparing a draft was to simply facilitate this process.

Such a bill could ideally be introduced as early as in the First Session of the 107th Congress. The Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the House Committee on government Reform, because they have paramount jurisdiction over government information matters, should take the lead in reviewing the proposed draft, modifying it as necessary, and eventually sponsoring a revised bill in their respective Houses. Because of their keen interest in the matter, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the House Committee on Science should also play a key leadership role. And undoubtedly the Appropriations Committees of both Houses will be keenly interested, as will be the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the House Committee on Rules. Finally, individual Members of Congress such as Congressman Davis, Congressman Moran, Congresswoman Morella, and others, who have recently been heavily involved in public information matters, could also play a pivotal role in sponsoring such legislation.

7. Certain Information Collection, Editing And Related Tasks Are Inherently Governmental In Nature And Should Be Funded By Congress With Appropriated Funds.

Beginning in FY 2000, and extending into the future, NTIS, wherever it may be located, should receive appropriated funds to cover its "public good" activities related to information preparation tasks, because those activities are inherently governmental in nature. NTIS should not be required to recover the costs of those activities from sales income. These "public good" operations include the functions necessary to ensure that NTIS reports are permanently accessible to the public. These functions include:

In its March 2000 preliminary assessment report to the President and the Congress on NTIS, the Commission currently estimated the recommended annual appropriation sufficient to defray these inherently governmental activities to be $5M.

8. The NTIS Mission And Functions Are Fundamentally Sound Even Though The Agency's Business Model Needs To Be Changed; The Agency Should Remain In The Department Of Commerce Until Such Time As It Is Transferred To The Proposed New Public Information Resources Management Administration

The President and the Congress should reject the August 1999 proposal made by the Department of Commerce to close NTIS and transfer its authorities, collections, and resources to the Library of Congress. Instead, NTIS should remain in operation in the Department of Commerce, empowered to perform at a satisfactory level of service and staffing, until such time as it's mission and functions are transferred into the proposed new Public Information Resources Administration. Commerce should make the necessary adjustments in its FY 2001, and subsequent fiscal year budgets relating to NTIS, so long as that agency remains in the Department, to change the NTIS financing plan in accordance with the mix of revenue requirements recommended below. Commerce should also ensure that just as soon as the Congress authorizes the use of appropriated funds, NTIS change its business model as recommended below.

9. The NTIS Business Model Should Be Updated And Revenues Should Be Derived From A Mixture Of Three Sources: Appropriated Funds, Sales Income, And Reimbursements From Other Agencies For Services Provided; Charging Policies Need Also To Be Simultaneously Modified

The updated proposed NTIS business model should include a mix of three sources of revenue:

Other key elements of the revised business model are:

The cost of providing access to, and delivering older reports will oftentimes be higher than the cost of providing and delivering current reports becomes of format and medium conversions, and other special information handling requirements.

10. Public And Private Sector Partnerships Should Be Strengthened, Extended, And Expanded Where The Private Sector Can Serve As The Government's Agent In A wide Variety of Roles, As Information Provider Or Information Value-Adder

The private sector, as well as the not-for-profit sector including public libraries, both continue to play a crucial role by partnering with the government to enhance and enrich the production, organization, searchability, access to, and dissemination of government information. In the Commission's view, government has an affirmative obligation to facilitate a multiplicity and a diversity of sources and roles for gaining access to and disseminating government information because even if government could handle this total responsibility alone (which it cannot) the public and private sectors working together in a partnership will produce a far better mix of government information products and services for all citizens.

11. Library And Information Professional Associations Are Well Positioned To Expand Education, Training, Career Advancement, And Related Professional Opportunities Workshops; Funding Should Be Provided In Part Through Grants From The Library Services And Technology Act Grants Programs

The Commission, working closely with the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the various professional library and information societies, including ALA, SLA, ARL, ACRL, COSLA, ULC, and others, should develop a program aimed at securing grants through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) authorities, for the purpose of developing training courses, modules, materials, and online tutorials. A core of trained experts already exists for this purpose in the ranks of the Federal Depository Library Program librarians in every Congressional District in the country.

All Other Recommendations

Various additional budgetary, programmatic, and technical recommendations made in the Commission's report under the heading "All Other Recommendations" should be implemented, but are not herein repeated.