Interagency public access conference: Summary report

The article analyzes the third in a series of interagency workshops whose purpose has been to develop a policy framework for improving public access to agency information. The agencies are clearly demonstrating a determination to assume a leadership role on information policy issues.     

Fourth interagency conference on public access: Summary report

This article summarizes the Fourth Interagency Conference on Public Access, which was held in Reston, Virginia, on April 26, 1993. The all-day session focused on issues the subgroups identified in their deliberations, a revised policy framework document incorporating these policy issues, and locator systems.     

科技期刊知识服务新模式——在线学术研讨会

科技期刊在履行学术交流这一重要责任方面存在着较大不足。在媒体融合发展的背景下,有必要探索一种更加方便快捷地获取知识、提高传播效率的学术交流方式。《沉积学报》近年来通过新媒体社交平台,召开多期在线学术研讨会,不仅带动了期刊学术水平的不断提升,更加推动了期刊学术品牌的建设。在线学术研讨会是一种以期刊为主导的新型知识服务产品模式,也是一种科技期刊的增值服务内容,对推动学科建设、提升科技期刊学术影响力等方面具有积极的作用。在线学术研讨会作为新媒体环境下进行学术交流的新方式,其传播效果、选题内容、模式规范等方面仍需要进一步探索。     

The co-evolution of e-government and public libraries: Technologies,access, education,and partnerships

While many studies have discussed the impacts of electronic government (e-government) on public libraries, little research has considered the extent to which the current federal government's implementation of e-government relies on the public technology access, training, and support provided by public libraries. A range of data and policy materials are drawn upon in order to illuminate the co-evolution of public libraries and e-government. Beginning with a discussion of the development of e-government and its impacts in public libraries, the access, goals, and challenges of e-government are detailed as they relate to libraries, and the areas in which current implementations of e-government would not be possible without public libraries. Based on the explorations of the co-evolution of e-government and public libraries, key policy issues are offered that require reconceptualization in order to better support the interrelationship between e-government and public libraries.     

Reconfiguring public Internet access in Austin, TX: Wi-Fi's promise and broadband divides

This paper assesses the ways in which local actors are reconfiguring public access to broadband through the unlicensed spectrum. The process of adoption and configuration of public Wi-Fi networks in Austin, Texas, is the focus of our case study. Austin is one of the most “unwired” cities in the United States and increasingly known as a world-class industrial center in wireless. The development of strategic visions about public Wi-Fi services among user groups and local startups provided a fertile ground for diverse partnerships among nonprofit groups, broadband providers, wireless ISPs, and the city government. We also found that the popularity of the venue-sponsored or free-to-end-user model of access is supported by different providers that see their interests represented in the growth of public wireless broadband. However, the prevailing model of public Wi-Fi has a strong commercial bias. This, combined with the historical socioeconomic divides in the city, has resulted in an uneven geography of public Wi-Fi networks.     

Usability,content, and connections: How county-level Alabama emergency management agencies communicate with their online public

Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs) in the U.S. operate at federal, state, and local levels, each with a common purpose “to prepare for, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of incidents” (Homeland Security, 2008). As Homeland Security (2008) explains, local EMAs (LEMAs) lay the groundwork for prevention and other activities, coordinating with nearby LEMAs and local entities, including private and non-governmental organizations. LEMAs have been studied little; most research on online LEMAs and State Emergency Management Agencies (SEMAs) has been limited to website content, providing an incomplete picture of how they provide online service to the public. Bertot & Jager argue that functionality, usability, and accessibility are critical elements in evaluating e-government, noting that if users cannot get to or find the content, the content becomes irrelevant. This study contributes to addressing this gap by evaluating Alabama LEMA websites, based on a combination of content rubrics used in prior EMA studies and usability heuristics, factors that can affect user trust, and thus a site's usefulness. It also looks at how Alabama LEMAs are using social networking on their websites.     

Providing access to local government information: The nature of public library activity

This article focuses on the problems associated with providing access to local government information. The research on which it is based is from a 1986 survey conducted by the author of 265 public libraries in six library systems in northern Illinois, the largest comparative study of public library providers of local government information conducted to date. Fifty-five active providers of local government information (those that received requests for this information at least every two weeks) were identified: the findings are based on telephone and group interviews with key staff of those libraries. The article examines a variety of methods that might be used to increase access to local government information. It analyzes the nature of requests received and the types of responses given by these libraries. It examines the major problems associated with providing access to local government information and discusses the reasons given by librarians for providing access to local government information sources. The article concludes that a serious local government information gap exists and that librarians who seek to over-come it must articulate a role that addresses the serious barriers that must be overcome before a library can provide meaningful access to local government information.     

Creating the electronic collection of a university library: criteria for selecting online access resources

The process is described and the basic models are distinguished of a university library’s acquisition policy. The parameters of evaluation and structured scheme of requirements to subscribed resources are considered.