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Government Information Quarterly

Volume 12, Number 3, 1995

CONTENTS

DISCUSSION FORUM

Comments on the Draft Privacy and Security Principles for the NII--
Mega Project III
Jane E. Kirtley and Rebecca Daugherty......................................................... 243

ARTICLES

Canadian Federal Government Policy and Canada's
Electronic Information Industry
Bruce Morton.......................................................................... 251

Electronic Communications for Reference Services: A Case Study
Theodore J. Hull and Margaret O. Adams ................................................ 297

Government Publishing. Past to Present
Peter Hernon and Harold C. Relyea................................................. 309

The Defense Technical Information Center: Expanding Its Horizons
Kurt N. Molholm ................................................................ 331

About the Authors........................................................................................ 345

REVIEWS

European Library Networks, edited by Karl W. Neubauer and Esther R. Dyer
Reviewed by Nancy R. John....................................................... 347

Historical Dictionary of the International Monetary Fund,
by Norman K. Humphreys
Reviewed by Mary E. Beall ......................................................... 348

Lesko's Info-Power II, by Matthew Lesko
Reviewed by Paul Frisch ....................................................... 349

National Security Law and the Power of the Purse,
by William C. Banks and Peter Raven-Hausen
Reviewed by Harold C. Relyea ................................................................. 350

Spin Control. The White House Office of Communications and
the Management of Presidential News, by John Anthony Maltese
Reviewed by Bernard Roscho .......................................................... 351

This article examines, in detail the history and process of formulation and implementation of information policy in Canada during the period of 1970 through 1994. The sometimes tenuous working relationship of the Canadian federal government and the electronic information industry is discussed . Particular attention is paid to the dynamics and consequences of Crown copyright. The financial enviromncnt in which the industry operates is viewed in the context of government policy and suggestions are made as to how those policies might be changed to favor the industry. Also, considered are recent developments--the 1992 National Information Summit, the Stentor alliance, plans for a national information highway, and CANARIE.

For more than three years, the Center for Electronic Records of the National Archives of the United States has used a variety of electronic communication tools in its Reference Services program. These include monitoring and participating in a number of network 'listservs," using electronic mail (e-mail) for reference communication, and providing copies of descriptive materials and finding aids online on the international computer networks via file transfer protocol (ftp) and via a "gopher' server. This article describes the types of services offered and discusses the Center's three years of experience with these tools. In addition, it provides an overview of constituency groups and volume of inquiries received and responded to using e-mail. Further, the analysis offers some general conclusions about the effects of electronic communications on the Center's Reference Services program, and on the provision of networked information services more broadly.

This article provides an overview of government publishing for different levels of government, although most attention focuses on the U.S. national government. The article documents the shift from paper to electronic publication, for some but not all governments, and discusses the implications of that shift.

Nearing its 50th anniversary, the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) continues to support the conduct of DoD research, development, and engineering programs. DTIC provides a full range of information services, providing its customers with document services, database services, and information analysis. Included in its mission are the investigation, experimentation, and application of advanced information science and technology, permitting it to be a leader in the use of the World Wide Web in the Department of Defense. Scientific and technical information (STI) remains DTICs primary area of concern, but DTIC's organizational and professional culture of providing information content and DTIC's information technology infrastructure have permitted DTIC to extend its customer base beyond the science and technology communities. DTIC now provides external access to publicly releasable defense information such as DoD public affairs, envirommental and economic security information.

About the Authors

Margaret O. Adams is Assistant Chief, Archival Services Branch, Center for Electronic Records, National Archives and Records Administration. She coordinates the Center's Reference Services program. She holds an M.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has published widely in the field of archival electronic records, data archives, and information services.

Rebecca Daugherty has served as director of the FOI Service Center, a special project of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, since 1987. She is an editor of Tapping Officials'Secrets, a 50-state guide to open records and meetings laws, and editor of How to Use the Federal FOI Act. A former newspaper reporter and copy editor, Ms. Daugherty holds two journalism degrees and a law degree from the University of Missouri. Before joining The Reporters Committee staff, she was a Freedom of Information specialist with the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Theodore J. Hull is an archives specialist, Archival Services Branch, Center for Electronic Records, National Archives and Records Administration. He specializes in reference services on the electronic records of the National Archives and pioneered the use of electronic networks as a communications tool for the reference services of the Center. He also has responsibility for the accessioning and appraisal of electronic records from a number of Federal agencies, including the Bureau of the Census. He holds an M.A. and is currently a doctoral candidate in geography at the University of Washington.

Jane E. Kirtley is Executive Director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a voluntary association of reporters and editors dedicated to protecting the First Amendment interests of the news media. A lawyer and former newspaper reporter, Ms. Kirtley writes and speaks frequently on press freedom issues. She edits The Reporters Committee's quarterly magazine, The News Media & The Law. She holds a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law and bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Kurt N. Molholm has been the Administrator, Defense Technical Information Center, since 1985. He received his B.S. from the University of Oregon and his M.S. from George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Active in many aspects of the "Information Community," he served simultaneously as Chairman of the Commerce, Energy , National Library of Medicine, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Defense Information (CENDI) group; President of the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services (NFAIS); and Vice Chairman of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC). He is a member of the Government Information Working Group of the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) and of the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI).

Bruce Morton is a member of the faculty at the Montana State University Libraries in Bozeman. This and previous work in the area of Canadian federal information policy has been supported by faculty research grants from the Canadian emissary in Washington, D.C.

Harold C. Relyea earned his Ph.D. in government from American University and has worked at the Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, since 1971. He currently holds the position of Specialist in American National Government with the Congressional Research Service. He is a frequent contributor to, and serves on the editorial board of, GIQ. He has produced numerous publications related to government information policy, including Silencing Science: National Security Controls on Scientific Communication (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1994).

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