ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

WASHINGTON HOTLINE

Carol C. Henderson (202) 547-4440; ALA0070 Deputy Director, ALA Washington Office

ACRL Legislation Committee memberHarold Shill of West Virginia University’s Evansdale Library testified for ALA March' 13 before the House Science, Research and Technology Subcommittee on the Japanese Technical Literature Act (HR 3831). The bill would direct the Commerce Department’s National Technical Information Service to monitor Japanese technical information and translate selected Japanese technical documents, index government translations and undertake related activities.

Shill’s testimony provided detailed data on the existing limited sources of access to Japanese technical literature, noted that small to mediumsized businesses rely heavily on academic libraries for access to information and research results, and warned that a recent vendor-based abstracting service for certain Japanese technical journals is priced out of reach of smaller firms and most university libraries. He supported HR 3831, but recommended technical amendments to improve its effectiveness.

The sponsor of a similar Senate-passed bill, S. 1073, Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-WV), also testified and urged the subcommittee to pay close attention to Dr. Shill’s statement. Rockefeller said: "The perspective of libraries is…particularly pertinent to our consideration of how to make Japanese technical information more widely available."

Other witnesses included representatives of the Commerce Department and private sector firms and associations. The hearing is a good example of the fact that when interest is expressed and knowledgeable data is provided, Congress is appreciative of and impressed with the library point of view on information policy issues.

At the same hearing, Francis Buckley of the Detroit Public Library testified for ALA on proposals which have been made to authorize the National Technical Information Service to procure printing services from sources other than the Government Printing Office. Although intended to reduce costs and improve the quality and timeliness of printing, Buckley said such a step would have a serious potential impact on access to government information by the public. He questioned whether NTIS would continue to provide copies of its own catalogs and indexes of government technical research reports to the depository library system, and whether such an exemption might not set a precedent for similar exemptions for other federal agencies.

Buckley was until recently the chair of the Ad Hoc Committee to form a Coalition on Government Information, charged by ALA Council with identifying other organizations concerned about government information access issues. ALA President Beverly Lynch appointed ACRL Legislation Committee chair Nancy Kranich of New York University Libraries after Buckley’s resignation.

ALA President Beverly Lynch testified March 4 before the House Legislative Appropriations Subcommittee in support of the Library of Congress FY ’87 budget, and the effects on libraries of the $18.3 million (or 8%) cut this year. The subcommittee said Congress needs additional evidence that the LC budget is important "beyond the beltway." (So keep writing!)