Book Description

This report is the official record of an open forum on recommendations from the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services sponsored by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), a federal agency charged with advising the President and the Congress on library and information policies and plans. The forum was planned to help participants and the NCLIS become familiar with the range of concerns and possibilities pursuant to the Conference and to assist NCLIS Commissioners in deciding priorities for future work. Twenty-seven representatives of libraries, information services, education, and public and human services spoke at the forum and another 32 submitted written statements. Most of the participants represented national organizations, and they commented on Conference recommendations of special interest to their organizations and what they intend to do regarding those recommendations. Access to information, libraries' participation in the National Research and Education Network, intellectual property law, preservation, education reform, and libraries as educational institutions received much attention at the forum. Other priorities included recommendations that address family literacy, the Literacy Initiative to Aid the Disadvantaged, meeting the needs of a diverse population, multicultural/multilingual programs, and the focus on children and youth through the Omnibus Children and Youth Initiative. This report contains press releases describing the conference; White House Conference Recommendations as reprinted from the Conference Summary Report; and an index of the 38 organizations whose comments are included. (KRN)