ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 740 / C &RL News Forming a national information policy: Selections from a White House Conference diary By Lynn Scott Cochrane Delegate, Virginia, and Reference Librarian, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University T h e W hite H o u s e Co n fe r e n c e O n L ibr a r y A n d I n f o r m a t io n S ervices 1991 Wednesday, July 10, 1991; 8:3 0-10 :0 0 p.m. Small Discussion Groups: National Inform a­ tion Policy (NIP). NIP Topic Group A ’s goal this evening was to address four o f the 18 draft recom ­ mendations relating to a national information policy. National Information Policy recommendations cov­ ered a broad range o f issues including government information and its delivery, copyright, intellectual freedom, multicultural and multilingual services, federa l library services, special co lle ctio n s, W H CLISII follow-up, classification o f government information, and— above all— ACCESS to govern­ ment information. The federal government does not have an official “Information Policy” and there was sometimes confusion among W H C LIS II del­ egates as to what is, or should be, included in NIP recommendations. Many delegates felt we needed to discuss NREN , preservation o f library materials, and library personnel. Controversy surfaced early and continued through the conference about use o f the word “ free.” Many delegates objected to use o f the w ord free because it implies “without cost.” Other delegates preferred to use the phrase “without charge” when describing library services. Still others felt comfortable with the idea o f charging fees for library and information services and wanted the words “free” or “without charge” deleted from all resolutions. W e did not finish discussing the four resolutions. Thursday, July 1 1 ,1991;4:10-5:30p.m . Topic Plenary Session. The NIP group reconvened for a plenary session to begin discussing the recom m en­ dations which will go forward to the Conference Resolution Committee (C RC) tonight. The CRC will revise the recommendations from each o f the 10 groups and produce a full set, which will be discussed again tomorrow. Friday, July 12,1991; 8 :0 0-12 :0 0noon. Topic Plenary Session. As we began our NIP discussions in earnest, I frequently felt frustrated that the attempt to reach consensus bogged down, and the chair’s unwillingness to use strict parliamentary procedure delayed our deliberations. The NIP group included many public officials w ho hold strong opinions and are used to public debate and oratory. Discussions on eveiy recommendation were lengthy and sometimes heated. From my point o f view, there were too many recommendations and they contained too many “laundry lists” o f products and services wanted by particular constituencies. By this time delegates began to realize that if their own pet projects or language were not in the original recommendations, they weren’t likely to make it now. Some seemed to becom e a little desperate. I was struck with the fact that, ultimately, the most influential groups in the W H C LIS II process were 1) the committee that met in a motel near Dulles airport in the spring to write the Issue Briefing Book, and 2) the Conference Resolution Committee (CRC). As it turned out, the technology failures during the conference mandated that we would be mostly unable to rewrite or revise recom ­ mendations. In the end the initial recommenda­ tions, and what the C R C did with them (in a sincere effort to avoid redundancy), had the major impact on the final W H C LIS II recommendations. Saturday, July 13,1991; 8:30 a.m.– 7:30 p.m. Plenary Session— Voting on the Recom m enda­ tions. In a day which closely resembled a marathon, 15 N IP r e co m m e n d a tio n s w e r e p a ssed by W H C LIS II, along with 82 other recommenda­ tions. NIP topics include information delivery (postal and telecommunications rates); copyright; govern­ ment information (access and dissemination); fiscal December 1991 / 741 concerns; government initiatives (establish an Ad­ visor on Information Policy to the President; change the name o f the Department o f Education to the Department o f Education, Libraries, and Informa­ tion Services; and library participation in all actions related to information technology); intellectual free­ dom; access (nationwide information infrastruc­ ture, fiber optic transmission network, federal d e­ pository library programs for information in all formats, Native American peoples program); con­ ference followup (meetings at least every decade, passage o f a Library and Information Service Act); multi-cultural and multilingual services; acknowl­ edging the importance o f libraries in education; special collections; and federal library services. The day’s accomplishments took place despite a sudden change o f moderators and the moderators’ failure to use the electronic voting machines. Final im pressions The best result o f W HCLISII was that thousands o f people across the country (WHCLISII delegates and alternates, delegates to the state and local conferences, and observers) took time to discuss and debate library and information services. W e talked about who benefits from library services, what information services are needed in today’s competitive marketplace, what is literacy and how libraries promote it, what roles various levels o f government should play in the provision o f library services, and what the role o f government informa­ tion is in a democracy. I often found myself defining O C LC or the NREN, what library preservation entails, what de­ pository libraries do, and on and on. My experience as an academic librarian, a past-president o f the Virginia Library Association, and an active ALA member helped me present answers from several perspectives. W h ere d o w e g o from h ere? How can we use the W HCLISII recommenda­ tions and carry the White House Conference pro­ cess forward? 1) Keep in touch with the W HCLISII delegates you know, especially the lay delegates. W e now have hundreds o f non-librarians throughout the country who have current knowledge about libraiy and information service issues and their policy implica­ tions. It is our obligation to build on this base o f support and invite the W HCLISII delegates to help us get the message out to decision-makers that “libraries are worth it.” 2) I urge all o f you to read the 97 recommenda­ tions critically. Then choose the 10 or so which relate to you and your particular situation (type o f library, location, source o f financial support, con­ stituency, etc.) and use those recommendations as “talking points.” Prioritize them and print them on a single page for easy reference. In discussions with your boards o f trustees, friends groups, state legis­ lators, federal legislators, and colleagues you can bring up your favorite W HCLISII recommenda­ tions. The recommendations have broad-based support among the general public and among li­ brarians. Use them to help you "make the case for libraries.” W HCLISII was an effort to promote citizen participation in governmental policy-making. It will only succeed insofar as we carry the process to its logical conclusion through the passage o f legislation and publication o f new regulations. I felt very honored to represent Virginia at W HCLISII and, even in my most exhausted or frustrated moments, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. I will continue helping to carry the torch for better libraries until W HCLISIII. ■ ■ Women at thirtysomething Although the educational achievements o f women in the high school class o f 1972 were superior to those o f men, their rewards in the labor market have been thin by comparison, according to a recent study from the Depart­ ment o f Education’s Office o f Educational Re­ search and Improvement. Women at Thirty- something: Paradoxes o f Attainment follows the educational careers and job market experiences o f these women from their teens through their early thirties. The study found that, as a group, women outperformed men academically at ev­ ery level; had higher college grade point aver­ ages than men no matter what field they stud­ ied; continued their education at a higher rate; completed degrees faster; and developed more positive attitudes toward learning. At the same time a much higher percentage o f women than men experienced genuine un­ employment, no matter what degree they earned. In only 7 o f 33 major occupations did women achieve pay equity with men. The study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study o f the High School Class o f 1972, including high school records, test scores, college transcripts through age 30, and six sur­ veys conducted between 1972 and 1986 on a sample o f 22,650. Women at Thirtysomething is $4.25 from the Government Printing Office; #065-000-00451-8. Reprinted from. OERI Bulletin, Fall 1991.