ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Inside Washington

James D. Lockwood Assistant Director ALA Washington Office

The White House Conference on Library and Information Services is now only two months away. Much has been written about the resolutions adopted by the state conferences. Now people are beginning to speculate on the possible impact of resolutions that will come out of the national conference.

The Washington office is greatly interested in what happens at the White House Conference. The office is constantly seeking new material that will help tell the library story to those in government who make laws and regulations. Resolutions of library organizations and meetings lend weight to the message we convey on behalf of librarians and libraries.

Resolutions from the White House Conference will be special, however, and the 96th Congress will indeed require something special if libraries are to come out ahead. The purse strings of Congress remain very tight. As a result, more than the usual justifications will be necessary just to keep in place successful federal programs, let alone start new ones.

Every once in a while federal programs in any area need a shakedown. No matter how important the goals of minority librarian recruitment, service to the disadvantaged, and cooperation and sharing, the programs designed to meet these needs must occasionally be reviewed and repackaged. To be sure, the U.S. Office of Education conducts its own evaluations, but an evaluation by librarians and library users themselves could have an even greater impact.

The results of the White House Conference will have special significance for several reasons. First, the time is right for a fresh look at the direction the library field is taking. Second, the conference will focus national attention on library issues. Third, the predominance of citizen participants (two-thirds of the total) should not only improve discussion but also enhance the overall credibility of the process. And finally, multiple targeting on local, state, and national issues and the wide scope of the topics to be considered will give added importance to the resolutions that come out of the conference.

All of this is not to say that the current slate of library problems will be wiped clean, or that long-debated issues will finally be resolved. On the other hand, it will be refreshing to look at a brand new distillation of what is changing (and not changing) in the field. In the Washington office, we are confident that the overall results of the conference will help to highlight our national assets, to reconfirm continuing needs, and to focus our efforts in new areas. ■■