ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries September 1983 / 287 W A S H I N G T O N ________ H O T L I N E by Carol C. Henderson Deputy Director ALA Washington Office UCNI Restrictions. "UCNI" stands for Unclassified Controlled Nuclear Information, for which the Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed regulations to define nuclear materials to be restricted, establish minimum protection standards, set forth conditions under which access to UCNI would be granted, and set penalties for violations. The broad scope of the proposal (April 1 Federal R e g ister, pp.13988-93) has caused concern, prompting the DOE to hold hearings (July 19 Fed.Reg.‚ p.32834). Sandra Peterson, Documents Librarian at the College of William and Mary and Chair of A L A 's Government Documents Round Table, testified August 16 in Washington, D.C. Although the proposed regulations do not mention libraries, Peterson's testimony objected to them on three grounds: 1) the reduction of information available to the public; 2) the limitations on who has access to UCNI; and 3) the impact on libraries of the rule’s implementation. In addition to standard restrictions such as national security classification, Restricted Data status, and FOIA exemptions, Congress in the Atomic Energy Act Amendments (P.L. 97-90) allowed DOE to withhold sensitive information about unclassified military activities if the information significantly increased the likelihood of sabo­ tage or diversion. Peterson noted that the proposed rule goes beyond congres­ sional intent in giving DOE sweeping powers to withhold new categories of information which are very broadly defined. As an example of the effect on libraries, Peterson said that 35 academic libraries receive by deposit or purchase technical reports from D 0 E 's Tech­ nical Information Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The collection totals over 300,000 microfiche with 30,000 produced each year. Several thousand addi­ tional libraries purchase individual reports. An unknown quantity of these documents contain UCNI. Besides important philosophical objections, the pro­ posal is impractical in that it would be impossible for libraries to identify the affected documents and restrict access to "authorized persons" defined as federal employees with a need-to-know in performance of official duties. Peterson concluded that the proposed regulation should be withdrawn and reevaluated. If rewritten, she recommended that the definitions be very spe­ cific, that the types of information included be narrowly defined within the congressional mandate, that provision be made for citizens to be designated as having a need-to-know, and that librarians be consulted and surveyed concern­ ing implementation of any proposed rule governing UCNI. HEA II Reauthorization. It's time to think about the proper federal role in support of academic and research libraries and library education and research. Congressional subcommittees and the Department of Education are gearing up for reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which will expire (except for an automatic one-year grace period) after FY 1985. HEA II library programs are the II-A college library resources grants, II-B library training fellowships, research demonstration grants and contracts, and special purpose grants (currently unfunded), and II-C grants to major research libraries. The ALA Washington Office (110 Maryland Avenue, NE‚ #54, Washington, DC 20002; (202) 547-4440) would welcome comments on whether or not these programs are working well, and what changes— if any— should be made in them. 288 / C &RL News Anne Roberts Miriam Dudley holds the plaque presented to her at a special reception hosted by the Bibliographic In ­ struction Section at Annual Conference in Los Angeles. M iriam D udley A w ard for Bibliographic Instruction At ALA Annual Conference in Los Angeles the ACRL Board of Directors established the Miriam Dudley Award, an annual aw ard of $1,000 presented to a librarian who has made an especially significant contribution to the ad­ vancement of bibliographic instruction. The aw ard honors Miriam Dudley, reference librar­ ian at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose pioneering efforts in the field of biblio­ graphic instruction led to the formation of the ACRL Bibliographic Instruction Section. The Section held a reception for Dudley in Los An­ geles and presented her w ith a redwood and brass engraved plaque in recognition of her achievements (see photo). Nominees for the M iriam D udley A w ard should have achieved distinction in such areas as planning and implementation of a biblio­ graphic instruction program that has served as a model for other programs; development of courses on bibliographic instruction in ALA- accredited library schools, or development of BI continuing education courses th a t have served as models for other courses; research and publication th at has had a demonstrable im­ pact on the concepts and methods of teaching bibliography; and active participation in orga­ nizations devoted to the prom otion and en­ hancement of bibliographic instruction. Nomi­ nees need not necessarily meet all the criteria. The aw ard has been funded by Mountainside Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and will be ad­ ministered by ACRL. The deadline for nominations in letter form for the 1984 aw ard is December 1, 1983. Send nominations to Anne Roberts, C om m unica­ tions Project L ibrarian, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY 12222.