At the 16th Annual FLICC Forum March 30, speakers and participants anticipated the impact of the continuing information revolution on the programs and structures of the U.S. government during the next century. To explore this topic, the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) invited economists, technologists, legislators, justices, program managers, information specialists and others to present their views and discuss their opinions about the future context for federal library and information services.
From left: Emily Sheketoff, James Robertson, Patrice McDermott, Marcia Koslov, and J. Thomas Hennessey - Robin Hatziyannis
The FLICC Forum was called "Government Futures" to connote the relationship between the federal infrastructure and the economic and market forces that are shaping its evolution. Because the missions of federal libraries and information centers are tied to the benefits derived by the public from their parent agencies' programs, understanding the potential for change in federal agencies is essential for keeping federal information services vital in the future.
Following a welcome by FLICC Executive Director Susan M. Tarr, Dr. Billington reviewed FLICC's history and the Library's leading role in the information revolution, beginning in 1994 with the creation of its National Digital Library Program, which has become the country's leading provider of online high-quality content.
"The Library of Congress has been in the lead of many federal agencies in this fast-paced information economy to ensure that it fulfills its fundamental mission of making its resources available and useful to Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations," he said. Using the newest tools of information technology, "the Library continues to create an environment where it pursues its traditional Jeffersonian purpose of increasing the knowledge available not only to Congress and the nation, but individually, to Americans in their local communities—in schools, colleges, libraries and private sector research enterprises."
The Library of Congress entered the information revolution early by creating the National Digital Library Program and its American Memory project, which now offers more than 75 collections with more than 3 million items. In addition, acting under the directive of the leadership of the 104th Congress to make federal legislative information freely available to the Internet public, a Library of Congress team brought the THOMAS system online in January 1995. In just five years, Thomas has increased the number of files transmitted annually from about 14 million "hits" in 1995 to more than 142 million in 1999.
"The Library will continue to use the vanguard of information technology in its Bicentennial year to share its grand celebration with all Americans and the world as well as make other Library events accessible through traditional and innovative channels," said Dr. Billington. "An informed citizen is the foundation of a democratic government and the new technologies make it possible for our entire citizenry to have the latest and best information."
Co-founder and co-chair of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a fellow at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, John Perry Barlow began the day with an invigorating keynote speech. Mr. Barlow was asked to a give a "Vision for the 21st Century."
From left: David Barram, John Perry Barlow, Rep. Vic Fazio, and Judith Ford - Robin Hatziyannis
Mr. Barlow, whose writings about cyberspace have prompted some to call him "the Thomas Jefferson of the Internet," predicts a battle between the public seeking free access to information on the Internet and the publishing and recording industry seeking to protect their historical right to compensation for creative works.
His foremost concern throughout his address was making the "Internet the ultimate repository of all human knowledge," which he said is threatened by the efforts of the publishing and recording industries to have the government protect their interests.
Because frequent Internet users are already interpreting fair use far more broadly than lawmakers ever intended, he said, he foresees a time when libraries will become the battlefield between users' expectations and the roles of traditional disseminators of published works. He explained that recent bills concerning copyright and fair use "criminalize copyright violations. The impact of that is going to be profound because government is going to be asked to take the role of traffic cop … in the battle that is going to erupt … between … what is considered to be appropriate use of information on the Internet and what is considered to be legal use under the auspices of these new laws or existing copyright laws.
"Anytime you have a disparity between accepted social practice and law, it is not social practice that changes, no matter how severe or draconian the efforts to enforce the law become. The government will be nevertheless asked to enforce these laws. The place where [government officials] are likely to be asked to do this most painfully and awfully is the library." Mr. Barlow said the Internet "poses a grave challenge to all of the institutions that have risen since Gutenberg."
He also predicts that publishers and the record industry and, to a lesser extent, filmmakers, will be forced to change with the information revolution within a few years. He said technology will allow creators the opportunity to express and distribute their ideas immediately and more broadly, without an intermediary, in essence by "eliminating the music business and creating the musicians' business instead." Mr. Barlow believes the Internet should remain free of government controls or intermediaries between users and providers of information.
"One of the greatest pleasures of my life is that these days a great deal of it consists of encouraging librarians and discouraging lawyers," he said.
Vic Fazio, who for 20 years represented California's third congressional district in the House of Representatives before leaving public office last year to become co-head of Clark & Weinstock's Washington office, told the 2000 FLICC Forum audience he thinks information technology isolates individuals from the political process.
"Unfortunately, this technology drives us in a direction of more isolation, if we're not careful, from the decision-making process, which ought to be a collegial one; it at least ought to be a process that engages people and not just an outlet for frustration," Mr. Fazio said.
He spoke as a member of a legislative branch panel that tackled the question: "How will changes in information and communication affect the U.S. Congress?" Panels representing executive and judicial branch views followed. Moderating the legislative branch panel was Congressional Research Service Director Daniel P. Mulhollan. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) also was scheduled to speak, but was called to the Senate floor, where a bill of his was under consideration.
How Congress reacts to the information and communication revolution "varies tremendously from one office and one member to another," he said. Use of information technology is "a generational issue," he added. "Members generally are aware they are suddenly reaching and being reached by a new element of their constituents. There's no question there is a growing awareness that this can become a problem; inundation is always going to cause difficulty in allocating staff," Mr. Fazio said, adding that some members have a full-time staff member solely to respond to e-mail.
Mr. Fazio emphasized that a representative democracy relies on the interaction of ideas, not just on an abundance of information such as that made available via the Internet. "Is information just for its sake alone … an exchange of factoids? Is there really any thought going on? Is there any contemplation? Do we change anybody's mind? Do we open anybody's mind to new thoughts or new approaches, even if they don't abandon their original position? That's what politicians need. That's what elected officials seek. That's not only a way of getting educated, but educating others," he said.
During the first afternoon discussions, panelists from the executive branch, past and present, explored how government programs must respond to information innovations and how they will approach disseminating information and data within agencies and to the public at large.
The first member of the panel, David J. Barram, was the administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA). He directs all functions assigned to this independent agency while also serving as vice chair of the President's Management Council. Before coming to GSA, Mr. Barram was the deputy secretary and chief operating officer for the Commerce Department and a top official for Apple Computer.
According to Mr. Barram, there is "almost no chance that government cannot be dramatically different in five years. Citizens will expect and demand it and employees are already expecting and demanding it."
The second member of the panel was Emily Sheketoff, associate executive director for the American Library Association, Washington Office. Before coming to ALA, she acted as budget coordinator for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor and deputy assistant secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). She also has had several positions in the Clinton White House.
Ms. Sheketoff began by recounting how OSHA changed its approach by looking at results. "The way to start a very long journey is with the employees," she said. When employees began using technology differently and used the Internet to post answers to routine questions, OSHA found that making the information available led to creating safer workers. It also allowed OSHA workers to spend more time answering their customers' specific questions because the answers to routine questions were available on the Internet," said Ms. Sheketoff.
"This is an important place where librarians can come into play because you are information specialists, the currency of the realm now," she said. "Federal workers are looking outward, looking out for what the public wants."
Ms. Sheketoff believes that as the public becomes more and more adept at using the Internet, they are going to demand higher levels of information from government. "They pay a lot of money in taxes and expect service in return. A great way for your agency to deliver that service is through the librarian and the information you can help your agency craft," she said. The roles of the chief information officers (CIOs) and the librarians is a partnership that can make these services work. "That marriage can be beneficial to the agency and move the agency forward. Those agencies that do not move forward will be penalized with less acceptance from the public and less funding from Congress."
Calling this new century the "information century," she added that "a great guide to the great information on the Internet and elsewhere is the librarian. You can be leaders in this century."
As a respondent to both Mr. Barram and Ms. Sheketoff, Patrice McDermott, senior information policy analyst for OMB Watch, offered an outside view to the earlier presentations. OMB Watch is a nonprofit research, educational and advocacy organization, whose goals include promoting public access to government information and encouraging broad public participation in government decision-making to promote a more open and accountable government. Ms. McDermott has served as the assistant director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association and worked at the National Archives and Records Administration on electronic public access to and exchange of information from online information resources and services.
Ms. McDermott insists that there are three ways the Internet fundamentally changes the relationship of the public and government: access, accountability and interaction. "There is a danger if we see "e-government' as just transactions or the public doing business with government. It is about access to content." She then outlined the main forms of government information: electronic and print publications, records and raw data, both administrative and statistical.
As people become more empowered in using government information, Ms. McDermott is sure they are going to want more of it. "E-government should have the goal of making government more transparent at every level —information, operations and interactivity," she said.
"We should be moving toward a system where all new records are coded and tagged." Agencies need to think about how information technology, knowledge and records management, combined with Freedom of Information Act and declassification issues, can work together and still maintain privacy for individuals and security for agencies. "Libraries have a central role to play, particularly in knowledge management, and in helping agencies think through how information fits together," said Ms. McDermott.
"Privacy is going to become an increasing problem," she continued, and "security is another area where technology [will] change fundamentally how information is available and can be used." She cautioned that it is important to think about security and access together. "We need to be very careful we do not scare ourselves into limiting legitimate and needed public access to government information."
In another discussion, panelists reviewed the current use of information technologies in the judiciary and outlined how new approaches could be melded with traditional practices.
Judge Judith D. Ford of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, sees the judiciary branch facing two fundamental challenges as the information environment changes. "Courts must both adjudicate cases that arise from this new environment and they must adjust their internal business processes to function in this new environment," said Judge Ford. Presenting remarks from a paper she wrote with William A. Fenwick and Patricia A. Kilkenny, she said, "these are truly revolutionary times that have occurred in a very, very short period of time."
Judge Ford has been advocating the use of technology in justice administration for many years. As a member the California Court Technology Task Force and the Court Technology Committee, she has championed technology issues, including developing standards for privacy, access to electronic court information and advocating for the development of advanced decision support and case management systems to aid judicial officers and court staff in the timely processing of cases.
Judge Ford described the judiciary as an information processing system in which information enters the system as pleadings and evidence; is processed through various pretrial, trial and appellate operations; and exits the system as orders and judgments, data and opinions.
"What are the challenges that you, librarians and legal researchers, information keepers and information intermediaries face?" Judge Ford sees two challenges. "Your challenge is to transform the environment and shift the focus of the library away from reshelving books to the development and use of technology-based information-management tools." Judge Ford said she will look to librarians and legal researchers—knowledge navigators—to develop and implement these tools so that she can sift through the available information quickly and efficiently. "Remember," she warned, "judges may have the longest technology learning curve of all."
After 26 years spent as the State Law Librarian for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Marcia J. Koslov became the director of Knowledge Management for the National Center for State Courts in February. Also active in the American Association of Law Libraries, the Wisconsin Library Association, the American Bar Association and the National Association of Court Management, Ms. Koslov is eager to bring the field of knowledge management to her organization and to the field. She predicts that "we are in a unique period of time where we have an opportunity to change the future and make it happen in a way that we can be involved in."
Highlighting her new position, Ms. Koslov pointed out that "technology has spawned new disciplines, and one of them is knowledge management. At its most basic, knowledge management is the ability to get the right information to the right person at just the right time." She further defined knowledge management as three main processes: knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge use. "In library terms, these processes are acquisition, classification and maintenance, and dissemination of information and materials." She then asked the audience to view knowledge management work as a circle. "Use generates feedback that affects all the other activities. Feedback is injected into the knowledge management process throughout, but particularly in the development of knowledge creation. …
"Knowledge management is an opportunity for librarians to use their expertise in developing databases, access information and structures in a way that will help not only the judicial branch but the executive and legislative branches as well."
"The need to keep and secure and to keep knowledge secure is a big part of our innate thinking about what knowledge is. In the judiciary particularly, we get a bit obsessed by the permanence of every line we write," said Judge James Robertson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Also a member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Automation and Technology, and chair of the Subcommittee on Electronic Case Files and Public Access, Judge Roberston has been working directly on the issue of information technologies and the courts. "Since every judge has a computer, every court has a network with an Intranet, the federal judiciary is going to the Web." With electronic case filing and management systems in development, soon "this information will be filed and located and instantly available on the Web, available 24-7 to anyone in the world," said Judge Robertson.
"The judiciary considers itself custodians of this system, a system that is thousands of years old," he said. Changes in information management are going to change this system, "in theory creating a virtually paperless product of what we call justice." He did warn the audience to keep in mind the distinction between public information and published information, and what complete, anonymous access might mean.
He then asked the audience to recognize and respect concerns about security and privacy. "Privacy is the No. 1 issue in the minds of the judiciary." Citing liability, authenticity issues, permanence and the law of unintended consequences, he maintained that electronic case management is the wave of the future but suggested that "judges are to be, and should be, conservative" in this area.
As a wrap-up of the day's presentations, J. Thomas Hennessey Jr., chief of staff for the president of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., offered the audience a summary of the comments expressed throughout the day.
A former faculty member at the Institute of Public Policy, where he taught public policy while conducting research on information technology and organizational change, Mr. Hennessey found that many of the panel discussions covered common ground. He felt that to suggest that the nature of the unexpected will lessen in the future is naive. "To think we are going to address all of the problems that we have raised here is probably less than unrealistic; to think that we have thought about all the problems is unwise."
He suggested that the best course of action is to view "librarians, the knowledge navigators, as the glue that will bring together the content people and the IT people" working on these issues in all branches of government. Librarians are "the ones who will make possible for the information technology that is currently available, which is going to be available and will make government work better, cost less and do all the things we want it to do."
