ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


20/C & R LN ew s

NASULGC examines 
Conference information technology

Circuit

By Barbara J. Ford

A dm inistrators address libraries 
a n d  technology

A  Commission on Information Technology 
(CIT) of the National Association of State 

U n iv e r s itie s  a n d  L a n d -G ra n t C o lle g e s  
(NASULGC) is examining the changes in teach­
ing, learning, communications, information cre­
ation, storage and retrieval, and the operations 
of libraries, which are increasingly driven by 
te c h n o lo g y . It is c h a ir e d  b y  M artin  A. 
Massengale, president, University of Nebraska.

In 1990 NASULGC conducted a major self- 
study focusing on the directions it should take. 
CIT is one o f the six new  commissions created 
as a result.

The goals of CIT are to identify and develop 
policy positions on information technology and 
related issues of concern to members; publish 
reports and guidelines, sponsor workshops, and 
provide other educational support to develop 
members’ ability to deal with issues; work with 
other parts of NASULGC and other associations 
and agencies of the federal government to iden­
tify related and overlapping issues; and to serve 
as a sounding board for proposed federal poli­
cies relating to information technology.

The commission will use boards to carry out 
its activities. The Information Policy Board will 
focus on issues such as intellectual property and 
privacy, security, and freedom of expression. 
The Technology Infrastructure Board will ad­
dress U.S. technological leadership in comput­
ing and communications and discuss topics such 
as federal policy, NREN, human resources, and 
technology transfer. The Library Resources and 
Services Board will cover issues such as copy­
right and licensing, scholarly publishing, coop­
eration using electronic äystems, preservation, 
and networking and the global or virtual library.

The Educational Telecommunications Board 
will w ork to improve educational access to tele­
com m unications systems by addressing the 
impact of federal regulations, funding initiatives, 
and information exchange.

NASULGC’s agenda for the 1990s includes: 
showing the linkages betw een public higher 
education and economic and societal interests; 
affirming access for a college education to all 
w ho can benefit; and helping to strengthen the 
credibility of public higher education and mak­
ing the case for investment in it a top priority.

The commission met for the first time dur­
ing NASULGC’s 105th annual meeting in New 
Orleans in November. The charge was reviewed 
and discussed and then each of the boards met. 
A num ber of academic librarians were at the 
meeting representing their institutions.

The Library Resources and Services Board, 
chaired by Richard West (University o f Califor­
nia), discussed the need to coordinate with the 
Association of American Universities Task Force 
on Scholarly Information, NASULGC’s Council 
on Academic Affairs, the Coalition for Net­
w orked Information, and the EDUCOM Na­
tional Telecommunications Task Force. Agenda 
topics of interest that were discussed include 
position papers and infrastructure ideas for the 
new  federal administration, GPO/Windo Leg­
islation, seminars on information technology 
for presidents, and demonstration projects in 
electronic environments. The meeting was brief 
and the board hopes to meet again in January 
to work on position papers that need to be 
prepared quickly.

Founded in 1887, NASULGC is the nation’s 
oldest higher education association and repre­
sents the nation’s principal state universities and 
all the land-grant institutions. Among the 159 
institutional members are 17 historically black 
1890s institutions, major public universities, and 
state higher education systems. ■

Barbara J. Ford is director o f  university library services a t Virginia Commonwealth University