BACK

Government Information Quarterly Contents

Government Information Quarterly

Volume 3, Number 4, 1986 (Index Issue)

CONTENTS

Discussion Forum
The Unrecognized Crisis:
Library Reference Service at the Crossroads
Peter Hernon ..................................................... 329

Access to Information and Privacy:
The Ten Information Commandments
 Michael D. Kirby .................................................. 333

Timeliness of the Contents of Certain Legal Publications
Robert A. Emery .................................................. 345

The Research and Publication Programs of
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.
Karl J. Crosby .................................................... 357

Sharing Results of Federal R&D:
A Look at the Department of Energy's System for
Managing Scientific and Technical Information
Joseph G. Coyne, Thomas E. Hughes and Bonnie C. Winsbro .............. 363

Documents Librarianship
Patent Basics: History, Background,
and Searching Fundamentals
Eulalie W. Brown ............................................ 381

The Council of State Governments:
A National Information Provider
E. Norman Sims .............................................. 407

Government Publishing in South Africa Today
I.F.A. de Villiers .............................................. 419

Contributors................................................................................ 425

Communications ...............................................................................427

Forthcoming..................................................................................... 431

Reviews
David C. Heisser, Editor

Government Executive Directory Library
Carroll Publishing Company
Reviewed by Elizabeth Alley Lang .................................... 434

European Communities Information: its Use and Users
Edited by Michael Hopkins
Reviewed by Peter I. Hajnal ......................................... 435

Federal Information Technology:
Management, Security, and Congressional Oversight
U.S. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment
Reviewed by Steve Ballard .......................................... 437

Goverment Publications Index
Information Access Company
Reviewed by Cynthia E. Bower ....................................... 438

Guide to Archives of International Organizations:
I. The United Nations System
UNESCO
Reviewed by W. David Rozkuszka ....................................441

List of Titles Received .................................................. 443

Index/Volume 3 ..................................................... 445

Access to Information and Privacy:
The Ten Information Commandments
 MICHAEL D. KIRBY

We stand at the brink of remarkable developments in the thriving new technology of informatics both in the public and private sectors. Some of the developments are regulated by current law, but many of them are outside. Moreover, there are features of the new information technology which endanger the value of individual privacy, and many of these aspects are now well known. Nonetheless, we face a future likely to be increasingly pervaded by the technology of informatics. During the past decade or so, all of the advanced English-speaking democracies have made important legislative responses to the advance of informatics. Considering these responses, the future of information technology, and the consequential dangers, the author offers ten information commandments in the hope that those who have the knowledge and can see the problems will act responsibly and courageously in meeting the challenges ahead.

Timeliness of the Contents of
Certain Legal Publications
 ROBERT A. EMERY

Librarians and lawyers depend on the publishers of legal materials to provide quick access to the court opinions, statutes, and regulations needed for legal research. There has been no systematic study, however, of the comparative speed with which legal publications provide the text of legal documents to users. This article presents a statistical analysis of the performance of certain commonly used legal publications, measured by the time elapsed from the issuance of a legal document to the receipt by a library of a publication containing that document. The article concludes that some of the truisms of legal research (that, for instance, official reporters of court opinions are always slower than commercially published reporters) are questionable, and that more extensive and refined statistical analysis is needed to ascertain the efficiency of the legal publication system.

The Research and Publication Programs
of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc.
 KARL J. CROSBY

In 1973, the Board for International Broadcasting assumed responsibility for the operation of the joint corporate entity, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc. Broadcasting news, entertainment, and public affairs programs to Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union since 1950 and 1953 respectively, RFE/RL, Inc. has also maintained the largest research and analysis activity on these countries in the Free World. This information has been made widely available through serial and monographic publications, notably in the two weeklies Radio Free Europe Research (Eastern Europe) and Radio Liberty Research Bulletin (Soviet Union). Contract and independent researchers make use of rich archival and current affairs library research facilities in New York and Munich. As Federal funding has been maintained and expanded in recent years, facilities and capabilities have been greatly extended.

The opinions and views stated in this article are solely those of the author, and do not reflect in any way the policies of the Library of Congress nor RFE/ RL, Inc.

Sharing Results of Federal R&D:
A Look at the Department of Energy's System
for Managing Scientific and Technical Information
 JOSEPH G. COYNE
THOMAS E. HUGHES
BONNIE C. WINSBRO

The Department of Energy's (DOE) scientific and technical information system, operational since the mid-1940s, is described as an example of the manner by which a large Federal R&D agency organizes, manages, and disseminates the information produced by its laboratories and contractor organizations. The role of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) within the DOE R&D cycle and its place in the DOE information infrastructure are outlined. OSTI's activities, products, and services are described under the following headings: management and dissemination of DOE research results; access to worldwide information on energy R&D; information management and accountability systems; and information consulting and specialized services.

Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors personally and are in no way to be construed as representing the official position of the United States Department of Energy.

Documents Librarianship

Patent Basics: History, Background, and
Searching Fundamentals
 EULALIE W. BROWN

The U.S. patent system and the body of issued patents are key elements in meeting information needs related to technology and innovation. Most librarians, however, have little understanding of the value of patents as sources of technological informa- tion-and less knowledge about how to help users tap what has been called, 'the largest and most comprehensive body of technological literature in the world." This article attempts to provide a sufficient background on patent fundamentals to allow librarians to assist or refer users who would benefit by the use of patents. Detailed patent searching instructions are provided for staff in Government Printing Office depository libraries to use materials available through the depository program. The value of utilizing one of the 58 Patent depository libraries to enhance and expedite the search process is highlighted, and online searching options are introduced.

Documents Librarianship

The Council of State Governments:
A National Information Provider
 E. NORMAN SIMS

The Council of State Governments was created over fifty years ago to serve as an information resource for state officials. The Council has been an active information provider over the years and is now entering a new phase which includes the development of a national state government information database and the creation of a state government research institute.

Documents Librarianship

Government Publishing in South Africa Today
 I.F.A. de VILLIERS

The new South African constitution signifies that at least six new government departments will also serve as publishers. For this reason, the problems associated with distribution, publication standards, and bibliographic control take on added significance. This article encourages the establishment of a central bureau for the storage and distribution of government publications. This bureau would also provide cataloging-in-publication, quality control, and the allocation of ISBN numbers to government publications.

Neither the Editorial Board nor the publisher necessarily concur with the political overtones of this article. We believe that the article may assist those studying South Africa and its political, economic. social, and cultural base.

Contributors

 Eulalie W. Brown is Head of the Government Publications and Maps Department at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has served as the Patent Representative to the Patent and Trademark Office since the University became a patent depository library in 1984. Previous experience included four years as a contractor to the Energy Information Administration, stints in both Documents Service and Reference Service at Arizona State University, and documents and reference with Rosary College, River Forest, Illinois. Her degrees include a B.A. from the University of Texas at El Paso, an M.A. in L.S. from Rosary College, and an M.P.A. from Arizona State University.

Joseph G. Coyne joined the U.S. Department of Energy in his present position in October 1978. Prior to that, he held various positions in the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Technical Information Service and the National Bureau of Standards. He currently serves as U.S. and/or DOE representative in several international organizations (International Atomic Energy Agency,, International Nuclear Information System; International Energy Agency; and International Council for Scientific and Technical Information). He has been awarded the U.S. Department of Commerce's Gold Medal Award and the Department of Energy's Exceptional Service Award.

Karl J. Crosby is currently the reference specialist in foreign government publications with the Serial and Government Publications Division of the Library of Congress. He received B.A., M.L., and M.A. (East European Studies) degrees at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is currently Secretary of the Society of Federal Linguists (1986-87). In addition to bibliographies of foreign national serials received by the Library of Congress, he is author of "Leading Figures of the Hiinka Slovak Peoples Party,' accepted for Kosmas; Journal of Czechoslovak and East European Studies (Winter 1986).

Robert A. Emery, a graduate of Syracuse University, was for several years a technical information specialist in the Interstate Commerce Commission, and is now a reference librarian in the Albany Law School Library.

Peter Hernon is Professor at Simmons College and the editor of this journal. He is the author of 18 books and over 40 articles. He is also active as a consultant and speaker.

Thomas E. Hughes spent four years with the International Atomic Energy Agency as Senior Officer in the Secretariat of the International Nuclear Information System in Vienna, Austria, prior to joining OSTI as Deputy Manager in 1985. From 1977 to 1981, he was employed by the Library of Congress as Assistant Chief of the Science and Technology Division, and Senior Information Systems Project Manager in the Automated Systems Office. From 1963 to 1977, he held various positions in the USAEC's (later ERDA'S) Division of Technical Information, becoming Acting Director of that Division in 1976. Before joining AEC, he spent twelve years with the Library of Congress.

Justice Michael D. Kirby is President of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Sydney, Australia. Among his other positions, he was formerly the Chairman of the Australian Law Reform Commission and Chairman of the OECD Expert Group on Transborder Data Flows and the Protection of Privacy.

E. Norman Sims, Director of The Council of State Governments' Office of Information Services, received a bachelor's degree in psychology and communications from Western Kentucky University in 1972. He received a master's degree in communication from the University of Kentucky in 1974. He has extensive experience with information dissemination systems at both the state and national levels.

I.F. Albert de Villiers was born in Zimbabwe but grew up in the Transvaal. He holds an Honnours degree in Psychology (University of Pretoria) and in Library Information Science (University of Potchefstroom). He has worked in the libraries of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Pretoria University, and has lectured at the University of Durban-Westville. Since 1971, he is the head of the RSA's rather unique system of government libraries staffed and run by National Education. He served on IFLA's Standing Committee on Publications (I 981-85) and is a Fellow of the SA Institute for Librarianship and Information Science.

Bonnie C. Winsbro is a full-time student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she is working toward a Ph. D. in English. She is a part-time employee at Science Applications International Corporation in Oak Ridge, where for six years she directed the information activities of the Technical publications and documentation staff. Ms. Winsbro has also worked as technical writer and editor for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Knoxville, Tennessee, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge.