GOVERNMENT INFORMATION QUARTERLY
VOLUME 13, NUMBER 4, 1996
Discussion Forum:
The Electronic Federal Depository Library Program
Peter Hernon
Simmons College, Boston
Government Control of Information: Some
British Developments
Mike Feintuck
The University of Hull Law School
Federal Budgeting for Information
Technology
Nada D. Harris
Department of Veteran Affairs
Are the National Technical Information Service's
Prices Too High?
J. Timothy Sprehe
Promoting Patents and Trademarks: A Study of Outreach
Activities in
Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries
Kevin R. Harwell
Penn State University Libraries
Book Reviews
Index to Volume 13
Mike Feintuck
Despite long-standing claims to democracy, Britain has an unenviable reputation for secrecy and no
Freedom of Information legislation. However, in 1993 ,the government introduced a non-justiciable
Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, the limitations of which are explored in this
article.
A specific aspect of government control of information recently under the spotlight is the use by
government ministers of Public Interest Immunity (PII) Certificates to deny litigants access to
government documents in the course of proceedings. The use by Ministers of this power was part of
the terms of reference for the recent Scott Report into the export of defense-related equipment to Iraq,
the relevant parts of which are reviewed.
The article concludes that recent developments have not remedied the situation relating to access to
information in Britain, the norm remaining one of secrecy rather than openness, and that the use of PII
certificates exemplifies the resulting fragility of mechanisms for executive accountability.
Nada D. Harris
Although there is broad agreement that more and better information technology (IT) can produce government efficiencies and provide long-term savings, short-term budgetary constraints are making such investments extremely difficult. At minimum, the current fiscal stress demands implementation of creative alternatives for funding such projects, bringing into focus some budgetary opportunities which should not be overlooked. This article examines the relationship between IT planning and budget formulation, use of the franchise fund concept newly implemented in pilot by the Office of Management and Budget, and cost implications for outsourcing or privatizing the IT function.
J. Timothy Sprehe
Some have claimed that prices charged by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS)for its information products and services are inappropriately high. NTIS commissioned a study, carried out by the author, to determine whether these claims were substantiated. The study focused on 15 selected information products and services, and asked whether prices for these products were too high relative to NTIS costs, relative to prices for comparable commercial products, and relative to prices for comparable products from the Government Printing Office. NTIS breaks even in the aggregate, showing neither profit nor loss at the end of the year, although individual products may be priced higher or lower than cost. NTIS prices appeared to be competitive with comparable private sector prices, and 17 executives from information industry firms believed NTIS prices were about right or not too high. For comparable products from GPO, NTIS prices tend to be lower because of administrative decisions to underprice GPO. The study examined in greater depth issues surrounding two new information products, Big Emerging Markets and World News Connection. The author concludes that NTIS prices are not too high relative to costs, to comparable commercial products and to comparable GPO products.
Kevin R. Harwell
Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs) were surveyed to measure the effort they expended to promote and publicize patent and trademark services and resources during one 12-month period. Responding libraries undertook leadership in 578 events attended by 23, 446 persons. Additionally, they distributed more than 75,074 copies of locally-produced information pieces. This article discusses various characteristics of the efforts developed by PTDLs to raise awareness of library services and resources.
Mike Feintuck, a lecturer at the Law School of the University of Hull (UK), is interested in the application of public law principles in two main areas: publicly -funded schooling and media regulation. He is the author of Accountability and Choice in Schooling (Open University Press, 1994), and other recent publications include "Choice in Schooling: A Constitutional Perspective" (1995) and "Good News for the Media? Developments in Media Ownership in Britain and Europe" (1995).
Kevin R. Harwell is a documents librarian with special responsibilities in patents and legal resources. He is a member of the Special Libraries Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, and the Patent and Trademark Depository Library Association, in which he has held a number of committee assignments and, recently, the office of President. He has published "Searching U.S. Patents: Core Collection and Suggestions for Service," Reference Services Review.
Nada D. Harris is Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Resources Management at the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). She is responsible for nationwide information technology (IT) planning, policy, acquisition, and deployment. She has as degree in mathematics from Mississippi State University and began her career in government as a mathematician with the Public Health Service.
J. Timothy Sprehe is president of Sprehe Information Management Associates. His firm offers consulting in the Federal marketplace on information issues. Now retired from the office of Management and Budget, he was the principal author of the 1985 government-wide information policy directive, OMB Circular No. A-130, "Management of Federal Information resources." He writes frequently in the field of Federal information policy, including a regular column for Federal Computer Week. He holds a doctorate in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
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