National Commission on Libraries and Information Science

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The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) is one of the smallest policy agencies in the United States government and for the last 20 years has been fighting for its existence.

Contents

[edit] History

Created in 1970 by the recommendations of the National Advisory Commission on Libraries, the Knight Commission[1], appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966.

The National Advisory Commission responsibility was to "make a comprehensive study and appraisal of the role of libraries as resources for scholarly pursuits, as centers for the dissemination of knowledge, and as components of the evolving national information systems." Other responsibilities included the appraisal of public agency programs and library funding. The Commission also had the task of making recommendations for government and private agencies to "ensure an effective and efficient library system for the Nation".

The Commission recommended "the establishment of a National Commission on Library and Information Science as a continuing Federal Planning agency".

[edit] Establishment of NCLIS

'The recommendations of the National Advisory Commission were incorporated into the legislation (PL 91-345) establishing the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) as a permanent, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States.

[edit] Basic purposes of the NCLIS

  1. Advise the President and the Congress on the implementation of policy.
  2. Conduct surveys and studies relative to library and information needs.
  3. Develop plans to meet national library and information needs.
  4. Advise federal, state, local, and private agencies regarding library and information sciences.

[edit] NCLIS Activities

  • Government Information
    • Studies making recommendations on the dissemination of federal government information.
    • Documents:
1. 1978-2001 Study of the role of government documents in a national program of library and information services.
2. “Principles of Public Information,” adopted by NCLIS in June 29, 1990.
3. “Comprehensive Assessment of Public Information Dissemination,” issued in 2001.
  • Other Activities
    • Between 1973 and 2000, NCLIS published at least 10 reports dealing with public libraries. These reports dealt with funding, providing Internet access to the public, and establishing community information and referral services.
    • Other activities also include statistics, the sister libraries program, a conference on information literacy held in Prague in 2003, and two White House Conferences.

[edit] NCLIS New Goals

In 2004 the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) announced three strategic goals to guide its work in the immediate future.

  • Appraising and assessing library and information services provided for the American people,
  • Strengthening the relevance of libraries and information science in the lives of the American people,
  • Promoting research and development for extending and improving library and information services for the American people.

[edit] NCLIS Chairpersons

Frederick Burkhardt (1970-1978)

Charles Benton (1978-1982)

Elinor M. Hashim (1982-1986)

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson (1986-1987)

Jerald C. Newman (1987-1990)

Charles E. Reid (1990-1992)

J. Michael Farrell (1992-1993)

Jeanne Hurley Simon (1993-2000)

Martha B. Gould (2000-2003)

Joan R. Challinor (2003-2004)

Beth Dustan Fitzsimmons (2004-2008)

Brief biographies and photographs of the NCLIS chairpersons are provided in Appendix B of the Commission's final publication, Meeting the Information Needs of the American People: Past Actions and Future Initiatives, available at http://www.nclis.gov/about/MeetingtheInformationNeedsoftheAmericanPeople-NCLISFinalReport.pdf. [This publication is in the public domain as defined under Title 17 USC §105.]

[edit] NCLIS Publications

Meeting the Information Needs of the American People: Past Actions and Future Initiatives is the final publication of the Commission, issued in March 2008. It documents the history and accomplishments of the Commission and provides a compelling future agenda for information policy research and development. Appendix F contains a comprehensive list of NCLIS publications. It is available on the Commission website, http://www.nclis.gov. [This publication is in the public domain as defined under Title 17 USC §105.]

[edit] Closing of NCLIS

In Fiscal Year 2007-2008 appropriations, the Commission received limited funding with instructions to use the funds to shut down its operations. The Commission office closed on March 30, 2008. The statute authorizing the Commission was not amended.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Knight, Douglas N. and Nourse, E. Shepley; Libraries At Large: Tradition, Innovation, and the National Interest, New York, R. R. Bowker, 1969.

[edit] References

  • Drake, Miriam A. (February 2003). "National Commission on Libraries ans Information Science: Why Not?". Searcher 11 (2): 32–37. 
  • "New Goals for NCLIS" (November/December 2004). Public Libraries 43 (6): 329. 

[edit] External links