REMINDER: The 22nd Annual FLICC Forum On Federal Information Policies is next week--Thursday, March 24, 2005--So don't delay. REGISTER NOW!

Evolving Information Policy: Open Access and New Constraints

March 24, 2005--9:00 am to 4:00 pm--Library of Congress--Washington, D.C.

See the agenda and registration details below.

The increase in electronic publication and the availability of the World Wide Web provide new opportunities to expand access to literature resulting from federally funded research and archive that material to ensure its long term availability. Like open access initiatives in academia and publishing trends in both the commercial and nonprofit sectors, the Federal Government is exploring ways to enhance access to valuable scholarly information resources.

On February 3, 2005 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) officially announced its policy to make available through its digital repository, PubMed Central, all final version, peer-reviewed manuscripts reporting results of research supported in whole or in part by NIH funding. Beginning May 2, 2005 the NIH will make these manuscripts readily accessible to the public within 12 months after publication of an NIH-supported research study--or sooner if the publisher agrees. NIH's policy builds on the historic mandate of the National Library of Medicine to promote the broadest possible access to the latest medical information in order to improve decision making by medical professionals, as well as patients and their families.

In the words of the NIH policy, "It has long been NIH policy that the results and accomplishments of the activities that it funds should be made available to the public...that widespread access to and sharing of peer-reviewed research publications generated with NIH support will advance science and improve communication of peer-reviewed, health-related information to scientists, health care providers, and the public... The policy is intended to: 1) create a stable archive of peer-reviewed research publications resulting from NIH-funded research to ensure the permanent preservation of these vital published research findings; 2) secure a searchable compendium of these peer-reviewed research publications that NIH and its awardees can use to manage more efficiently and to understand better their research portfolios, monitor scientific productivity, and ultimately, help set research priorities; and 3) make published results of NIH-funded research more readily accessible to the public, health care providers, educators, and scientists...NIH intends to maintain its dialogue with publishers and professional and learned societies as experience is gained with the policy."

Though the argument for broad access to health and medical research funded by taxpayers is particularly compelling, similar arguments could be made for most government research: Should the public have to pay a private sector publisher to learn from research supported by tax dollars?

At the same time, the threat of terrorism and other security issues have motivated new exemptions from open access. In addition, Executive Order 13233, issued by President George W. Bush in November 2001 to implement the Presidential Records Act, authorizes indefinite restriction of public access to archived presidential documents that, under previous rules, were largely available to the public after 12 years. The President and Congress continually struggle to achieve the proper balance between the citizen's right for access to information and the government's responsibility to protect certain categories of information.

What are the implications of these divergent initiatives, which on one hand promise unprecedented access to information generated by government funding, while on the other, take from the public purview information historically accessible to all?

The 2005 FLICC Forum on Federal Information Policies will explore the opportunities and risks of this evolving information environment and will consider the impact of both on federal libraries and information centers.

Date
Thursday, March 24, 2005

Time
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. There is no entry to the Library of Congress prior to 8:30 a.m.)

Place
Mumford Room, 6th floor, Madison Building, The Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue S. E., Washington, D.C. 20540

Metro
Capitol South (Orange and Blue Lines)

Sponsor
FLICC Education Working Group

Registration
$160--FEDLINK Members
$173--Federal Registrants (not FEDLINK Members)
$185--Non-Federal Registrants

Fees include refreshments and resource packet.

Visit the FLICC Educational Programs Web site at http://www.loc.gov/flicc/feveform.html to register online.

To view a PDF version of this Meeting Announcement, visit http://www.loc.gov/flicc/ma/2005/ma0519.pdf.

Request ADA Accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 TTY or [log in to unmask]

Information
Call FLICC (202) 707-4800; TTY (202) 707-4995

Cancellations
Cancellations must be called into the FLICC office (202-707-4800) 48 hours prior to the start of an educational program or the full fee will be charged.

Agenda

9:00 - 9:30
Welcome and FLICC Awards Ceremony:
* Kathryn M. Mendenhall, Interim FLICC Executive Director
* James H. Billington, The Librarian of Congress

9:30 - 9:40
Introductory Remarks: James H. Billington

9:40 -10:10
Keynote Speaker:
* Elias A. Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health

10:10-10:30
Break

10:30-11:30
Panel Discussion on Open Access:
Moderator: Jane Bortnick Griffith, Assistant Director, National Library of Medicine
Panelists:
* Sharon Terry, President and CEO, Genetic Alliance
* Brian Nairn, CEO, Elsevier Science and Medical Division
* David Stern, Director, Yale Science Libraries & Information Services

11:30-11:45
Q & A

11:45-1:00
Lunch (on your own)

1:00-1:40
Afternoon Keynote:
* J. William Leonard, Director, Information Security Oversight Office, NARA

1:40-2:40
Panel Discussion on Initiatives to Protect Information:
Moderator: Kathy Eighmey, Director, Library Services, Department of Homeland Security
Panelists:
* Sharon Fawcett, Deputy Assistant Archivist, NARA
* Michael A. Domaratz, Co-Chair, Homeland Security Working Group, Federal Geographic Data Committee, U.S. Geological Survey
* Elizabeth Withnell, Chief Counsel, Privacy Office, DHS

2:40-2:55
Q & A

2:55-3:15
Break

3:15-3:50
Information Industry Perspective on Balance Between Access and Protection:
* Jeffrey Seifert, Analyst in Information Science and Technology Policy, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress

3:50-4:00
Concluding Remarks: Kathryn M. Mendenhall

Join FLICC for a reception honoring its 40 years of service immediately after the Forum from 4:14 to 6:00 pm in the Madison Hall of the Library of Congress.

2004 FLICC Awards

The 2004 FLICC Awards are the sixth national presentation of these honors and recognize the many innovative ways that federal libraries, librarians and library technicians have fulfilled the information demands of government, business, scholarly communities and the American public in Fiscal Year 2004. This year's winners are:

* Federal Library/Information Center of the Year (Large)
Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California

* Federal Library/Information Center of the Year (Small)
Edwards Air Force Base Library, Edwards Air Force Base, California

* Federal Librarian of the Year
Barbara D. Wrinkle, Chief, Air Force Libraries Branch, San Antonio, Texas

* Federal Library Technician of the Year
Mary Alice B. Mendez, Library Technician, Defense Language Institute, English Language Center Library, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

4:15-6:00
FLICC 40th Anniversary Reception, Madison Hall, Madison Bldg, 1st Floor

FLICC Meeting Announcement MA2005-19
The Federal Library and Information Center Committee