July, 1998 — Volume 16 Number 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEDLINK Customer Service Survey Gets Results

TECH NEWS: Online Privacy Issues

OCLC News

Federal Library Survey Highlights Usage,
Appropriations, and Information Technology

FEDLINK Issues Final Call for FY94 Invoices

FEDLINK—New for Fiscal Year 1999

End-of-Year Schedule for FY 98 Accounts

Editorial Staff

FEDLINK Customer Service Survey Gets Results

At the FEDLINK Spring Membership Meeting, FEDLINK's Ruby Thomas facilitated a discussion of FEDLINK customer service issues. Results from this discussion and from an accompanying survey posted on FLICC's Web site (http://lcweb.loc.gov/flicc/custsurv.html) highlighted several areas where members thought service could be improved. Many of these Thomas and her Customer Service Team have already tackled or have targeted for change in Fiscal Year 1999.

Fiscal Matters Matter

Members at the membership meeting and those who responded to the Web survey indicated they are concerned about the process of paying bills on time. In response, FEDLINK has launched a batch invoice processing solution that will be fully implemented for FY99upon receipt of the signed IAG, customer bills will be processed automatically and invoices printed overnight. Currently, each bill is entered into the central accounting system manually. "The new automated system reduces the redundancy of data entry, greatly improving our efficiency with transaction processing," said Thomas.

Many members also asked how FEDLINK could speed up the Interagency Agreement (IAG) process so that products and services are available more quickly. "We continue to look for ways to improve IAG turn- around time between the Library of Congress and the members' agencies," said Thomas. She believes the best approach is through education at the agency level. "FEDLINK is developing new initiatives to assist member agencies' budget and finance staff to understand the IAG process better." As a finance staff gains familiarity with FEDLINK processes, they will be able to complete, sign, and return IAGs more quickly.

Personal Attention Is Key

Responding to customer needs is the number one priority of any customer service initiative. The telephone continues to be the main initial point of service and an area where the FEDLINK customer service team has focused a great deal of attention. "We have recommended that FEDLINK acquire a `Call Directory System' in FY99. Once that new system is in place, members will always reach a staff member rather than a staff member's voice mail," said Thomas.

The new phone system will offer callers more choices so that their calls and inquiries are directed to appropriate staff. Call forwarding will transfer calls to the next available staff member rather than requiring members to leave messages in voice mail. "If members still need assistance, they will be able to speak directly to the FEDLINK Hotline or to one of our operators so they can have their questions answered right away," said Thomas.

Publications Stay Online and On Paper

When asked if FEDLINK should move more of its materials and resources to the Internet, members said they did want to see more online publications. But the survey and discussions also revealed that many members are concerned they may miss important information if FEDLINK stops producing materials on paper. "Members want to stay caught up with FEDLINK and the federal library and information center scene. Producing our materials both electronically and on paper keeps important information in front of our members," said Thomas. A few members still do not have Internet access, so for the foreseeable future, FEDLINK will continue producing its materials in both formats so that all members have access to the variety of materials and formats available.

Training Options Grow

This fiscal year, both FLICC Educational Programs and FEDLINK Training began accepting online course registrations. Since the response to this level of automation has been positive, staff are creating additional Web-based services, so that members may even be able to take training courses online in the future. A recent education survey of the membership (see http://lcweb.loc.gov/flicc/fn/97/fn9704.html#Education Survey) indicated that members wanted more Internet/Web, HTML coding, end-user training, OCLC, cataloging, preservation, and document delivery training. This year FEDLINK has offered education events covering law classification, metadata, and end-user training while integrating more hands-on-computer courses into the FEDLINK curriculum, including Internet/Web, HTML coding, OCLC software.

Customer Service Effort Will Continue

Not only are many of the Customer Service Team's projects and goals designed to improve service in FY99 and beyond, the team plans to continue identifying new areas for improvement. Later this summer, the team will host formal focus groups so that members and vendors can express individual concerns and ideas and/or offer recommendations for improving FEDLINK's levels of service. The results of this focus group will be published in a Fall issue of FEDLINK's Technical Notes.

FEDLINK would like to thank members of the Customer Service Team, Anna Bohlin, Kathy Eighmey, Ava Everett, Patti Fields, Alan Harrison, Darlene Johnson, Patrick Miller, Edna Thomas, and its chair, Ruby Thomas, for all of their efforts and ideas that already are improving the way FEDLINK and its members and vendors are doing business.

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TECH NEWS
Online Privacy Issues Reach Critical Mass

By Jessica Clark
Barely a week passes without a news story about online privacy violations that range from employer surveillance of email to "Web cams" mounted in public spaces. Web-based businesses and online services are busy soliciting and collecting health and consumer information, Social Security and credit card numbers, household information, and personal preferences through online surveys and forms, Web store shopping carts, chat rooms, and email.

Privacy experts warn that "matching" programs can gather information from disparate sources to yield startlingly complete personal profiles. Businesses can use this information to target segments of the population for marketing pitches, to screen employees or potential tenants, or to identify likely victims for scams.

National Electronic Privacy Practices and Principles

In June, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a report to Congress on online privacy and electronic commerce. The report surveyed privacy experts, industry associations, and more than 1,400 commercial Web sites to assess the effectiveness of encouraging businesses to regulate their collection of personal information.

FTC findings suggest that for Web-based commerce to expand both businesses and the government must improve consumer protection of online information. In December 1997, 10 million people reported making purchases via the Internet, but consumers remain wary of providing personal and financial information online. Among those not using the Internet, a March 1998 Business Week survey found nonusers ranked privacy concerns as the top reason they have stayed offline.

To address these issues and concerns, privacy experts in the United States, Canada, and Europe have reached a consensus on several fair information practice principles:

Notice—organizations should give notice of data collection and use policies;

Choice—consumers and information seekers should specify whether and how those collecting information may use personal information;

Access/participation—consumers and information seekers should be able to access and correct data about themselves;

Integrity/security—data collectors should take reasonable steps to obtain and maintain correct data and to protect that data from outside access; and

Enforcement/redress—consumers need an outside body, appropriate legislation, or civil and criminal remedies to enforce compliance with these guidelines.

FTC researchers asked trade associations and industry groups about their online information collection practices and compared them with these five principles. Subsequently, this group of businesses submitted nine industry-specific guidelines to the FTC as its suggestions. Most of their guidelines encouraged member companies to provide consumers with some degree of choice in the use of their personal information. Several also addressed consumer access to information. Few of the guidelines, however, contained enforcement mechanisms. This suggests that industry self-regulationthe strategy currently encouraged by both government and industry groupsmay not be effective.

The FTC survey of commercial Web sites also measured self-regulation of privacy principles. Researchers examined how many sites provided a notice of their information practices, offered consumers a choice of how their information would be used, and provided access to their information. During a two-week period in March 1998, they found more than 90 percent of electronic business examined collected personal information ranging from general demographics to users' names, addresses, and Social Security numbers. The FTC concluded that "all these sites, therefore, are capable of creating personal profiles of online consumers by tying any demographic or interest information they collect to personal identifying information."

FTC researchers then chose 111 sites thought to be popular among consumers. Administrators of these Web sites knew that their sites would be included in the FTC study. Researchers found that 71 percent of these popular sites included some sort of information practice disclosure. However, only 16 percent provided short "information practice statements" detailing how personal information would be used, and only 2 percent provided comprehensive privacy policy notices. In the group of popular sites, less than 40 percent offered consumers access to their personal information for correction and verification purposes. In the second group, less than a quarter of the sites did so.

These results suggest that individual companies are paying little heed to fair information practice principles. With a bit of encouragement, it seems, companies can be convinced to include some notice of how information will be used. With no enforcement measures in place, however, there is no way to ensure that even these companies will follow through.

The study also raises concerns about online collection of personal information from children. FTC researchers looked at 212 sites geared toward children. Of the children's sites, 89 percent collected a wide array of personal information. While 54 percent of these included either a short information practice statement or a more comprehensive privacy policy notice, only 12 percent of the sites offered users access to their information, and only 23 percent told children to ask their parents for permission before providing information.

Several sites surveyed made children's information available to third parties by either displaying it publicly or selling it to others. "In either case," the researchers note, "the release of children's personal identifying information to third parties is of concern, because it creates a risk of injury to or exploitation of children so identified."

The FTC recommends that Congress develop legislation placing parents in control of the online collection and use of personal information from their children. The commission will make recommendations on appropriate actions to protect all online consumers later in the summer.

E-Privacy in the Federal Context

As the country's largest collector of personal and business information, the federal government's online privacy policies are under intense scrutiny. Last year, in a widely publicized example, the Social Security Administration was forced to respond to criticisms that its online Personal Earnings Benefit Estimate (PEBES) revealed too much information about citizens.

An August 1997 study by the public interest group OMB Watch surveyed 70 federal agency Web sites. Researchers found that several agencies collect information without saying how they will use the information nor do they allow users to check or correct their personal information. The OMB Watch report also noted that they expected the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue a memo randum of Principles for Federal Agency Use of the World Wide Web. So far, OMB has not issued this memorandum, however, leaving federal Web masters without overarching privacy guidelines.

E-Privacy in Libraries and Information Centers

As providers of both printed and online information, librarians are custodians of potentially explosive datathe borrowing and online searching records of their users. Kenneth Starr's subpoena of Monica Lewinsky's book purchase records or public requests for Judge Bork's video rental history are public examples of the questions that may occur regarding an individual's reading/viewing habits.

Federal libraries in particular face additional issues related to online privacy. The borrowing and electronic research records of federal library users may have an impact on national security by revealing patterns of investigation, scientific experimentation, or business investment within agencies. Federal librarians must simultaneously protect such records and find ways to comply with Electronic Freedom of Information Act (E-FOIA) requests.

The Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C., Sections 3501-3520) and OMB Circular A-130 constrain the amount and type of information agencies and agency libraries may collect from members of the public via Web sites. Government critics have also expressed concern about the use of "cookies" in federal Web sites to collect information about users' operating systems. By digitizing reports and statistics compiled by their agencies, federal librarians are making valuable information readily available to researchers and the public. Such reports may contain information about individuals that can be used by electronic matching programs to compile profiles that violate those individuals' right to privacy.

Federal librarians must stay current on the issues of online privacy issues and work to protect their libraries and their users. As Web masters, librarians should determine if their sites follow core privacy principles. As nodes for public and staff access to the Internet, libraries can play a key role in informing users about these expanding concerns.

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OCLC News

OCLC Fiscal Reminders

Members must register and return signed IAGs in a timely fashion to begin FY99 services. Registration forms will be available in August. We will block access to OCLC services for those who have not returned signed IAGs by November 30, 1998.

Those who have not registered by the end of October will receive reminders from FEDLINK Network Operations in early November, and we will block OCLC access if members do not return their registrations by that time. Assuming Congress authorizes funds in a timely manner, signed IAGs will need to be returned by the end of November 1998.

If funds are not available for all services initially, members can register for and/or establish IAGs for some services and amend their IAGs for other services later in the fiscal year. Call the FEDLINK Fiscal Hotline at (202) 707-4900 if you have questions about these deadlines, the IAG process, or your account. The email address for fiscal questions is fliccffo@loc.gov.

When spending FY98 funds in your OCLC account, be sure to allow FEDLINK and OCLC time to process your order so the activity appears on the September bill. Requests for Local Database Creation (i.e., pulling copies of archival catalog records from OCLC's files) must have been to FEDLINK by August 7, although earlier arrival is better as OCLC needs time to schedule this work.

FirstSearch searches are on sale through the end of the fiscal year, September 30. FEDLINK cannot guarantee orders placed in the last week. DO NOT MAIL orders. Fax them to 202-707-4873. After September 18, please call and verify receipt of FirstSearch orders if you do not receive confirmation from FEDLINK. FirstSearch searches during the sale period are 62 cents each (i.e., $310/block of 500) no matter how many blocks are purchased. After that time, you must purchase 61 or more blocks to receive the $0.62 price; 1-9 blocks will cost $0.82/search ($410/block); and 10-60 blocks will cost $0.72/search ($360/block).

FEDLINK OCLC Listserv

FEDLINK has a new listserv to facilitate timely communication of changes in OCLC's products and services. Each FEDLINK OCLC library must designate at least one subscriber to the list by the end of September 1998. Whenever possible, information distributed via the listserv will be brief and refer to longer information posted on OCLC's or FEDLINK's home page.

To subscribe, send email to listserv@loc.gov and submit the following subscribe command:

subscribe oclcfed yourfirstname yourlastname

You will then receive an email requesting confirmation that you must reply to within 48 hours with the answer "OK," or you will need to start the subscription process again. You will receive a second confirmation with instructions on how to unsubscribe, etc. (information identical to that of other FEDLINK listservs). You will also receive the following Welcome message:

Welcome to the FEDLINK OCLC listserv, OCLCFED. This list is moderated, so that messages posted to it by subscribers will be reviewed and may be edited before being sent forward to the list. If a direct response to the subscriber is deemed more appropriate, the message may not be posted. Instead, periodically such questions may be compiled into a general Frequently Asked Questions message.

Questions about OCLC should be sent to askocfno@loc.gov rather than to the list, for response from a member of the FEDLINK OCLC team. Or call 202-707-4800 and tell the receptionist you have a question about OCLC.

PURPOSE of OCLCFED

The listserv will distribute general information about OCLC and FEDLINK OCLC practices, policies and prices. All subject areas related to OCLC and federal libraries' use of OCLC will be covered. Subject areas will be indicated in the Subject line using regular character strings at the beginning of the Subject, to facilitate routing within libraries: GENERAL, TECHSVS, ILL/UL, REF, and ACCESS.

An attempt will be made not to duplicate information distributed via other FEDLINK listservs, although from time to time this may be necessary. Detailed cataloging information will continue to be distributed via the listserv FEDCAT-L, with executive summaries posted to this list. From time to time, OCLCFED will also note important new information available on OCLC's or FEDLINK's home page, and summarize main points rather than post the entire content. OCLC's URL is http://www.oclc.org and FEDLINK's is http://lcweb.loc.gov/flicc. (Note that the letter "L" appears in both URL's; those are not the number "1" <one>.)

SUGGESTIONS WELCOME

We welcome suggestions as to how to improve this list, OCLC services, or other FEDLINK support. Send comments and questions to askocfno@loc.gov or call 202-707-4800 or fax 202-707-4873.

OCLC Mails Telecommunications Usage Analysis

OCLC has mailed member libraries letters that analyze their use of telecommunications and recommend TCP/IP-based alternatives to traditional means of accessing OCLC. Some libraries will receive revised letters that compare flat fee Internet access to hourly Internet rates.

The new flat fee Internet costs $134 per simultaneous user per month. At $3.72/hour (i.e., $0.062/minute), a library can access OCLC for approximately 36 hours a month before the flat fee access becomes more cost effective. Libraries should also consider whether they need to allow for "overflow" at the per minute rate. For example, if the library signs up for three ports (simultaneous users), the fourth person to log on will get a message saying he/she is currently blocked from accessing OCLC (no overflow) or will get a message saying he/she is logged on at the per minute rate (overflow allowed).

Because usage may not be exact from month to month, OCLC supplies average, high, and low monthly usage statistics. A library that averages around the break-even point of 36 hours a month may want to continue using the per minute Internet access, especially if two or more users frequently log on simultaneously.

Dial access via the asynchronous CompuServ connection that many FEDLINK libraries use costs more than Internet access. FEDLINK strongly encourages these libraries to move to Internet access as soon as possible. Besides a higher per minute rate ($0.125/min = $7.50/hour), asynchronous dial access also has an annual rate of $225, billed every year in July. If a library cancels asynchronous dial access during the year, OCLC credits a prorated amount equaling $18.75 a month. TCP/IP dial access passwords can remain in place without incurring the annual fee, to serve as backup to Internet access if it is ever needed. TCP/IP dial access is billed at $0.12/min ($7.20/hour).

Per minute Internet access has no sign-up fee. Libraries only need to install Passport for Windows on a workstation with Telnet capability and choose Internet as the telecommunications method when setting up sessions. Notify FEDLINK when you are ready to cancel asynchronous dial access by sending email to askocfno@loc.gov or by faxing a request to 202-707-4873. Be sure to include your OCLC symbol and a way to contact you if we have questions.

You can print flat fee Internet forms from OCLC's home page at http://www.oclc.org/illme/, or send a request to the above email or fax for a faxed paper copy of the form.

Passport for Windows software is available free from OCLC. Passport for Windows and the rest of the Access Suite can be downloaded from the OCLC home page at http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/passport/ or ordered as part of the Access Suite from OCLC. Members may order two copies of the Access Suite that OCLC will deliver on CD-ROM. Order forms are available on OCLC's home page (http://www.oclc.org/illme/) or can be requested from FEDLINK.

OCLC will issue credits on the July 1998 statement for all members who purchased Passport for Windows, the Cataloging or ILL MicroEnhancer, or the Access Suite since June 1997.

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Federal Library Survey Highlights Usage, Appropriations, and Information Technology

The Status of Federal Libraries and Information Centers in the United States: Results from the 1994 Federal Libraries and Information Centers Survey reinforces what federal librarians already believed—that not only are federal libraries and information centers critical to the mission of their agencies, they are also a needed service for the general public. This statistical analysis report was a collaborative effort of the FLICC Survey Working Group, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), and the Bureau of the Census.

Usage data paints a detailed picture of how essential federal libraries and information centers are to their agencies. Respondents to the survey reported that in 1994 they averaged "43 requests or searches per week per federal FTE staff, an annual average of 1,445 loan transactions per federal FTE staff, and an annual average of 776 interlibrary loan requests sent out per library." Work with the general public continues to increase with over 50 percent of responding federal libraries and information centers offering services to the general public and 40 percent reporting the public among their regular users.

Although federal appropriations for federal libraries and information centers remained level from 1992 to 1994, the survey found the staffing levels declined at the same time purchasing power decreased due to increased costs for acquisitions, serials, and information technology. Holdings, however, remained impressive, with respondents representing over 51 million volumes or volume equivalents in print and about 625,000 current serial subscriptions. The report also found that "two in five reported providing professional consultation services and preparing published bibliographies; and about one in three reported producing publications other than bibliographies and providing outreach services such as bookmobiles, clinical and circuit libraries, and regional services."

Advances in information technology also were a major factor of change from 1992 through 1994. A third of respondents indicated that they maintained some electronic collections and offered common technologies such as fax, email, CDROM, local area networks (LANs), and Internet access. Federal libraries and information centers also indicated that by 1994 nearly half of their functions were already automated and another 11 percent were under development.

Authors of the report anticipate that demand will continue to grow and summarized their findings clearly: "It appears that users did not decrease their reliance on services provided by federal libraries and information centers, and there is no reason to expect that they will in the future. In fact, it is more likely that demands for services, particularly those involving advanced technologies, will continue to increase. For these reasons, it will be important to ensure that federal libraries and information centers receive the support they need to continue fulfilling their missions to meet the needs and demands of their agencies and the general public."

The report and its data are available online in PDF format through a link from the FLICC Web site's Federal Library Forum page (http://lcweb.loc.gov/flicc/mmissue.html) or through the NCES Web page (http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98296.pdf). For a free printed copy or a CDROM version of the report, contact the National Library of Education or the National Education Data Resource Center (NEDRC) and request the publication by its full title and NCES number (NCES 98296).

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FEDLINK—New for Fiscal Year 1999

FEDLINK staff is already gearing up for 1999! The budget has been approved, the Registration Book will be in the mail by early August, and new customer service initiatives are under way. Here is a look at what 1999 has in store for FEDLINK members.

Lower Transfer Pay Account Fees

FEDLINK is pleased to announce that transfer pay account fees for FY99 have been reduced. The new fees are:

• 7.75% on the first $300,000 in each account
• 7.00% on amounts over $300,000 in each account

No Increase in Direct Pay Account Fees

Direct pay account fees in Fiscal Year 1999 remain at 1998 prices—

• A $1,200 flat fee for the first $100,000 in each account
• 0.6% on amounts over $100,000 in each account

Streamlined Direct Pay Account Purchases

Direct pay customers with purchase orders or purchase modifications under $100,000 no longer need to submit their purchase orders for Library of Congress review.

No Increase in Training Fees

FEDLINK training fees remain at $100 for one-day classes and $60 for half-day classes. To arrange for onsite training, fees are still $350 per day plus travel. FLICC/FEDLINK continues to expand the current list of programs and classes offered. Visit the FLICC/FEDLINK Web page (http://lcweb.loc.gov/flicc) for details!

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FY 98 End-of-Year Schedule

FEDLINK Fiscal Operation (FFO) must receive requests for adding or canceling services, or for adding or transferring funds by the deadlines noted below to complete necessary IAG, delivery order, and billing activity by the end of FY98. Requests received after these dates cannot be processed this fiscal year.

ADD NEW SERVICE REQUEST
Request to add a new service account over $25,000
must be received in FFO—July 31

Request to add a new service account under $25,000
must be received in FFO—August 14

ADD NEW FUNDS REQUEST
Request to add new funds to an existing account that will exceed $25,000
(accounts that exceed $25,000 must be synopsized in the Commerce Business Daily)
must be received in FFO—July 31

Request to add new funds to an existing account that will not exceed $25,000
must be received in FFO—August 14

RETURN OF SIGNED IAG
Signed IAG for new servicev accounts that exceed $25,000 or add funds accounts that will exceed $25,000 (accounts that exceed $25,000 must be synopsized in the Commerce Business Daily) must be received in FFO—August 14

ALL OTHER SIGNED IAGs MUST BE RECEIVED in FFO
(no exceptions)—September 18

REFUND
Requests for refunds must be received in FFO
(to ensure receipt in your agency before September 30, 1998)—July 31

TERMINATION
Requests to terminate service before the delivery order expires
must be received in FFO—August 14

MOVE FUNDS
Requests to move funds from one account to another that will exceed $25,000 (accounts that exceed $25,000 must be synopsized in the Commerce Business Daily) must be received in FFO—August 14

Requests to move funds from one account to another that will not exceed $25,000 must be received in FFO—September 4

For more information on your account or on the FY98 End-of-Year Schedule, please contact the FEDLINK Hotline at (202) 707-4900.

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Editorial Staff

FEDLINK Technical Notes is published by the Federal Library and Information Center Committee. Send suggestions of areas for FLICC attention or for inclusion in FEDLINK Technical Notes to:

FLICC was established in 1965 (as the Federal Library Committee) by the Library of Congress and the Bureau of the Budget for the purpose of concentrating the intellectual resources of the federal library and related information community. FLICC's mission is to foster excellence in federal library and information services through interagency cooperation and to provide guidance and direction for the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK).

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