Government Information Quarterly
Volume 6, Number 1, 1989
Discussion Forum:
Sealing Criminal History Records:
Shall We Let the Fox Guard the Henhouse in the Name of Privacy?
Jane Kirtley ......................................................................1
Introduction ..........................................................................7
Federal Information Policy
Sherwood Boehlert ............................................................ 25
Federal Technical Information and U.S. Competitiveness:
Needs, Opportunities, and Issues
Christopher T. Hill ............................................................. 31
The Role of the Department of Commerce in the Acquisition and
Dissemination of Foreign Information
Barry C. Beringer .............................................................. 39
Federal Information Policy and U.S. Competitiveness
Charles T. Owens .............................................................. 43
The Role of U.S. Libraries and Information Centers in
Fostering Competitiveness
Peter Hernon .................................................................. 47
Realities and Opportunities in the Global Information Economy
Herbert R. Brinberg ........................................................... 59
Ideological Exclusion of Aliens during the Reagan
Administration, 1981-1987
Carl A. Hanson ................................................................ 69
Draft Policy of the U,S. Department of Commerce on the
Dissemination of information in Electronic Format ................................. 89
Contributors ........................................................................ 97
Reviews
David C. Heisser, Editor
Corporate Author Authority List: A Dictionary of More Than
40,000 Verified Main Entries for Documents Cataloged by the
National Technical Information Service
Edited by Asta V. Kane
Reviewed by Anna Chan ...........................................99
Federal Biotechnology Information Resources Directory
Federal Biotechnical Programs Directory
Reviewed by Cynthia H. Roberts ............................................. 100
Federal Information Sources in Health and Medicine:
A Selected Annotated Bibliography
Compiled by Mary Glen Chitty
Reviewed by A. James Bothmer ............................................102
Federal Statistical Directory:
The Guide to Personnel and Data Sources
By William R. Evinger
Reviewed by James L. Beasley ................................................ 102
Government Information Controls:
Implications for Scholarship, Science and Technology
By John Shattuck and Muriel Morisey Spence
Reviewed by Harold B. Shill .................................................. 103
Report of the First National Conference on Issues Concerning
Computerized Public Records
Reviewed by Russell Castonguay .......................................104
Unequal Access to Information Resources:
Problems and Needs of the World's Information Poor;
Proceedings of the Congress for Librarians,
St. John's University, February 1 7, 1986
Edited by Jovian P. Lang
Reviewed by Robert V. Williams ............................................105
United States Government Publications Catalogs
By Steven D. Zink
Reviewed by Charles R. McClure .......................................................106
Selected Federal Statistical Information Sources:
A Review Essay
By Robin P. Peek and Elizabeth Hagerty-Roach .............................. 106
List of Titles Received .............................................................. 110
SHERWOOD BOEHLERT
In the keynote address to the March 7, 1988 symposium sponsored by the Federal Library and Information Center Committee, the Honorable Sherwood Boehlert underscores the necessity of having a coherent information policy that fosters competitiveness and recognizes the place of the National Technical Information Service within the Federal government. The policy structure must create greater opportunities for the American public to gain access to worldwide information.
CHRISTOPHER T. HILL
This article defines competitiveness and discusses why the concept is important to the American economy and to American political discourse. The article also examines three broad issue areas in which there is a direct relationship between Federal information policies and the competitiveness of the American industrial economy. These areas are: (1) serving the private-sector demand for technical information, (2) making Federal information resources available to industry, and (3) restricting foreign access to Federal information resources. In each case, the article sketches the current situation in Federal policy and highlights some of the policy issues that may need resolution.
BARRY C. BERINGER
This article is based on a speech delivered at the FLICC symposium on "Federal Information Policies: The Impact on Competitiveness" held in Washington, D.C. on March 7, 1988. The author discusses the department's efforts to acquire and disseminate foreign information. The purpose of these efforts is to encourage greater U.S. competitiveness in international markets.
CHARLES T. OWENS
Adapted from a speech delivered at the 1988 forum of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee, this article reviews the policies and programs of the National Science Foundation.
PETER HERNON
This article is based on a speech delivered at the March 7, 1988 symposium of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee on "The Impact of Competitiveness." The article attempts an overview of the role of libraries in fostering competitiveness. In particular, the article addresses those study questions identified by FLICC.
HERBERT R. BRINBERG
Based on a paper delivered at the March 7, 1988 FLICC forum on "Federal Information Policies: The Impact on Competitiveness," this article addresses the increase in Foreign Direct Investment in the United States information industry. The presence of foreign companies in the United States--and the converse--reflects the international economic realities and their contributions to the well-being of the host countries. The injection of foreign ownership into the debate over the privatization of Federal agencies, in general, and of the National Technical Information Service, in particular, has deflected attention from the critical domestic concerns of economic efficiency and operational optimization. Only through promoting the international exchange of information--within the context of a much-needed national information policy--can the United States recapture control over its economic destiny.
CARL A. HANSON
During most of its eight-year tenure, the Reagan administration used the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act to exclude aliens from the United States for ideological reasons. Writers, actors, journalists, peace activists, and others were denied entry in the name of national security. Ideological considerations, not any real threat posed by aliens seeking visas, often underlay the administration's efforts to exclude those who might speak against its policies. This article examines various cases of exclusion and concludes that they may have been part of a broader administration effort to restrict access to information.
On August 11, 1988, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued draft guidelines on electronic data dissemination. Although the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued Circular A-130 at the end of 1985, Commerce is the first department to issue draft guidelines under the circular. This article reprints part of the draft guide- lines. These guidelines were not widely disseminated but may be revised for additional public comment once OMB issues its revision of A-130 containing inclusion of electronic files. Given possible revision of the draft policy, this article only calls attention to the guidelines and encourages readers to be aware that the Department of Commerce has been working on a policy for the dissemination of Federal information in electronic format. Readers should check on the status of draft policy and seek every opportunity to comment on the provisions.