Criteria for award: Stations/state networks (1) experiencing (official/manager, professional, technical, and sales) job Amount: Reimbursement of partial expenses. EEO TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Purpose: To assist with the development of an Equal Employment Plan: CPB's System EEO Support office serves as a resource to stations in need of technical assistance to develop their EEO program. It provides information relevant to EEO program requirements for broadcasters. Several resources are provided including an Affirmative Action/EEO Recruitment Kit, minority professional directories and recruitment contact mailing lists, sample job descriptions and announcements, employee handbooks and EEO program statements, and multicultural awareness training programs. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE STATEMENT OF CHARLES E. REID, CHAIRMAN ACCOMPANIED BY: ELINOR SWAIM, VICE CHAIRMAN PETER YOUNG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARY ALICE HEDGE RESZETAR, ASSOCIATE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JANE WILLIAMS, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE BUDGET REQUEST Senator HARKIN. I'd like to welcome Mr. Charles Reid, Chairman of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is an independent agency charged with advising Congress and the President on all issues concerning library and information policy. The Commission's request for next year is $911,000, an increase of $179,000 over the 1991 level. Mr. Reid, it is my pleasure to welcome you back to the subcommittee this year in your capacity as Chairman. I am happy to have you with us today to share the recommendations for improving library science in the years ahead. It is clear to me that the health of our library system and the effectiveness of the government's information transfer mechanisms are critical if we are going to head into the next century as a literate and skilled society. I will leave the record open at this point for any comments for Senator Specter, our ranking member. Mr. Reid, welcome. If you will introduce the people who are with you and summarize your statement, I would sure appreciate it. INTRODUCTION OF ASSOCIATES Mr. REID. Thank you very much, sir. I am Charles Reid, Chairman of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. I am pleased to introduce Elinor Swaim to my right, the Commission's Vice Chairman. Mrs. Swaim and I have over three decades of service as library trustees. Additionally, Mrs. Swaim has chaired the North Carolina State Library Commission, and I have been the President of the American Library Trustees Association. On behalf of the entire Commission, including Dr. Bessie Moore, our Vice Chairman Emeritus, I wish to gratefully acknowledge the support you have given us over these many, many years. Also with us today are Peter Young, the Commission's Executive Director, to my right; to my left, Mary Alice Hedge Reszetar, the Associate Executive Director; and to her left, Jane Williams, our research associate. I regret you do not have the opportunity to meet Jean Curtis, the Executive Director of the White House Conference on Library and Information Services. She could not join us today as she is representing the White House Conference at a meeting of the Public Library Association in San Diego. COMMISSION'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY This past January, the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science celebrated its 20th anniversary at a reception held at the Library of Congress to recognize accomplishments as diverse as the publication of the National Inventory of Library Needs in 1974 and the 1990 development and adoption of the principles of public information. INFORMATION AS A CRITICAL NATIONAL RESOURCE Information is increasingly recognized as our country's most critical national resource. The ability to assess, understand and use information effectively is critical to government, industry, educators, consumers, voters, and parents. The importance of library and information services in our society increases with the integration of electronic technology. 1991 WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES Now, the first White House Conference on Library and Information Services was held in 1979. This July's White House Conference, which is planned and conducted by the National Commission, continues the work begun over a decade ago and will set the library and information policy agenda for the next 10 years. The 1991 conference will work to formulate public policy recommendations on three themes vital to the United States: (1) a literate populace; (2) a work force with the productivity skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace of the 21st century; and (3) a knowledgeable citizenry equipped to participate actively in a democratic process on local, State, and national levels. Public awareness of this conference and enthusiasm for it are building rapidly. Thousands of Americans have and will participate in preconference activities in all the States and six territories. EMERGING TOPICS FROM PRE-WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCES We expect the conference resolutions will cover a broad range of complex concerns. A few of the topics from the preconferences are: the Federal and State role in the provision of library and information services; the preservation and conservation of books and nonprint materials; literacy, including adult literacy, as well as information literacy; access to library and information services to all citizens, including special populations such as native Americans, as well as the disabled, the elderly and rural populations; international competitiveness and the role of information in a global knowledge society; intellectual property ownership in electronic network environment; national scientific and technical information dissemination policy; and last, descriptive statistics regarding library and information services. IMPORTANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS In many respects the most important work of the conference process and of the Commission will begin after the delegates return home and the final report has been submitted. The analysis, study, research, investigation and hearings required to develop plans for implementation of the conference recommendations must be accomplished to capitalize on the White House Conference investment and opportunity. The Commission must assume this work in order to continue the further improvement of library and information services for the people of the United States. So, the agenda for the Commission in 1992 is long and full. To support that agenda, the Commission requests $911,000 for fiscal year 1992. That request is a 25-percent increase over our current appropriation of $732,000, and represents a cumulative increase of less than 1 percent per year over our initial 1970 appropriation. But this increase is essential if this independent agency is to continue to fulfill its mission and provide advice and assessment of library and information issues in order to develop and recommend overall national policies and priorities. Public Law 91-345 capped the Commission's authorization at $750,000. That cap was established in 1970 when $750,000 seemed to be a substantial sum for a small agency. Now, 20 years later, that cap is unreasonable. We are seeking the timely passage of technical amendments to remove that authorization limit and to improve the effectiveness of the Commission's operations. PREPARED STATEMENT We know that the coming year will mark the beginning of a new phase of Commission operations. I assure you that our request for 1992 is not an extravagant one. Most of the increase will allow us to restore part of our authorized staffing level, a necessity if we are to carry out our ambitious agenda. We hope the Commission can be provided the resources it needs to continue to build upon its strong record of achievement. And I wish to thank you today for the opportunity to testify before you. And I will be glad to answer any questions you may have. Senator HARKIN. Thank you very much, Mr. Reid, for your statement and all of you for being here. [The statement follows:] STATEMENT OF CHARLES E. REID Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, I am Charles E. Reid, Chairman of the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS). I am pleased to offer testimony to support the Administration's fiscal year 1992 budget request of $911,000 for the Commission. Three general points need to be stated to form a backdrop for specific discussion of the Commission. These points are as follows: Rapid changes are challenging our concepts of information in society. Our failure to formulate responsive Information policies will affect our ability to address serious national economic, educational, and social problems. • Access to information resources from a wide array of sources and representing a broad spectrum of viewpoints is essential for effective citizen participation in the democratic process and is critical for the Nation's productivity, economic competitiveness, and progress. • The United States government is this Nation's largest producer and consumer of information resources. As a consequence, the Federal government has a responsibility to manage public information resources effectively, to avoid duplication of resources, and to ensure that access to the Nation's library and public information resources meets the needs of citizens. To carry out this responsibilty, the Federal government and the library and information communities need objective advice from a group such as the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, a permanent, independent agency of the U.S.government. The Commission can acquire and assess the facts, examine the issues, and make reasoned recommendations, with due consideration for both long- and short-term goals. Twenty Years of Achievement 1991 and 1992 are very important years for the Commission. Two events exemplify their importance. The first is that, last January 23 the Commission celebrated its twentieth anniversary in a special ceremony co-sponsored by the Library of Congress's Center for the Book. People from across the U.S. came to help us acknowledge 20 years of achievement and to rededicate the Commission to the continued |