Information under siege: The reagan administration's federal information policy

In this article, Congressman Owens assesses OMB's Circular No. A-130 on the management of Federal information resources. He finds the Circular highly deficient and a potential threat to the public's access to information that the government collects, produces, and maintains.     

Managing the Freedom of Information Act and federal information policy: The Reagan years

This article examines management of the Freedom of Information Act and how Federal information policy changed during the eight years of the Reagan administration. The article analyzes the 1986 F.O.I.A. amendments and, particularly, the fee waiver provisions; examines the varying congressional and executive interpretations of these amendments; and considers the Reagan administration's skillful use of traditional managerial tools in new ways to shape its policy and implement its philosophy.     

Canadian federal government policy and Canada's electronic information industry

This article examines, in detail, the history and process of formulation and implementation of information policy in Canada during the period of 1970 through 1994. The sometimes tenuous working relationship of the Canadian federal government and the electronic information industry is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the dynamics and consequences of Crown copyright. The financial environment in which the industry operates is viewed in the context of government policy and suggestions are made as to how those policies might be changed to favor the industry. Also, considered are recent developments—the 1992 National Information Summit, the Stentor alliance, plans for a national information highway, and CANARIE.     

Distribution channel management in e-government: Addressing federal information policy issues

Part of the promise of electronic government (e-government) is its ability to transform the delivery of information services and products from government to users. E-government allows federal agencies to supplement and even supplant private sector roles intermediating between government agencies and users, creating unintended consequences in terms of policy, theory, and practice. The problem is called “channel conflict” in the marketing literature, and the typical response is called distribution channel management (DCM). After reviewing the literatures of e-government, information policy, and DCM, the paper explores differing DCM philosophies of two federal agencies: the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Census Bureau. An examination of these two DCM programs provides insights on how federal agencies may be able to manage their various channels for e-government offerings despite tensions in the current legal and policy context. The paper concludes by using DCM literature to help frame options for dealing with these tensions.     

FOIA, federal information policy, and information availability in a post-9/11 world

Access to government records is increasingly shifting to a nether world-governed neither by the FOIA and the Privacy Act, nor by an executive order on classification. Instead, new categories of records, labeled “sensitive but unclassified,” “for official use only,” or “critical infrastructure information,” are being created in a variety of agencies, and are governed by agency regulations. Statutory authority is found in a number of separate laws, such as the Homeland Security Act and the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. These categories can be assigned by agency officials, contractors, or those in the private sector who originated the records; many records categorized this way are not subject to appeal or review by agencies or the courts, or to any automatic “declassification” process that has applied to documents withheld under the FOIA or subject to classification. Trends toward increased secrecy at all levels of government have become sufficiently alarming that individuals across the political spectrum have begun to speak out, and members of the access community (e.g., newspaper editors and public interest groups) have formed coalitions to focus debate on the need to rethink the balance of access with privacy and records protection, and to lobby actively for reinstatement of principles of access that have governed records policy for the past 35 years.     

The federal government and information technology standards: Building the national information infrastructure

For many years, standards have been important considerations in the Federal government's policies for the use of information technology. The Computer Systems Laboratory (CSL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology develops and issues technical standards that are used by the Federal government in its information technology systems. The new Federal initiative for the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and the National Performance Review (NPR) make information technology an agent for change and emphasize standards as a means for achieving connectivity of computer and telecommunications technologies and for easy access to information. The Federal government will be challenged to address the technical, organizational, and policy issues that affect the development of the standards needed for future information systems.     

Support for information technology in science: The federal role

The Federal government has supported information technology in science through mechanisms such as funding R&D in information technology, funding for purchase of information technology equipment, tax credits for purchase and donation of equipment, and funding of database development. Today government is faced with increased budget constraints at the same time that investments in information technology are more critical for scientific research. For example, potential difficulties in extending the limits of existing technology may require increased support so that scientists can have access to state-of-the-art computer and telecommunications technologies. Policymakers are faced with a need to examine various alternatives for supplying scientists with the access to data and information technology necessary for their research. In addition to problems arising from budget austerity, a number of other issues exist. These include the policy of increased reliance on the private sector, the impact of international competition in information technology, the need for access to and dissemination of domestic and foreign scientific and technical information, and the need for coordinated national policies for both scientific and technical information and information technology development.This article outlines some of the issues that could arise in a debate on the appropriate role of government in the area of information technology in science.     

The dissemination of federal government information: Prospects for the immediate future

The Government Printing Office is currently undertaking a study to “Identify Measures Necessary for a Successful Transition to a More Electronic Federal Depository Library Program.” With an anticipated date of 1998 for the implementation of an “electronic depository library program” this GPO study will become the blueprint for restructuring the FDLP. The ability of GPO to secure agency dissemination of electronic information through the FDLP as well as the willingness of depository libraries to remain in the Program will ultimately determine the long-term viability of the FDLP.     

Managing federal information technology: Conflicting policies and competing philosophies

Despite congressional initiatives and the Clinton administration's increased attention to information technology (IT) management policy, as part of its reinventing government and National Information Infrastructure (NII) initiatives, it is not evident that current IT policy initiatives will effectively address IT management problems. Nor is it evident that these efforts will result in the IT management improvements required to improve significantly Federal agency performance. This may be true because the government fails to recognize fundamental conflicts in the conceptualization of Federal IT management—conflicts perhaps best exemplified by the National Performance Review's (NPR) simultaneous call for reductions in bureaucratic red tape, reductions in the Federal workforce, limited support for IT education and training, and improved integration and oversight of IT management. After identifying some representative issues related to these program initiatives, the authors offer recommendations to improve Federal management of IT.     

Reinventing (open) government: State and federal trends

Federal open records laws, executive orders on national security classification, and similar policy instruments in the states require that most records at government agencies be available to the public upon request—subject to exemptions which may entail review. Traditionally, this review has been accomplished by redaction (purging) of hardcopy. Resource limitations and increases in the number of requests demand a rethinking of the process. Offices are experimenting with optical scanning, onscreen purging, and online dissemination. Statutory and common law trends may soon require disclosure of database reports in electronic form, when so requested, rather than printouts. The dissemination of manipulable data of commercial value requires a rationale broader than the “citizenship rights” that justified the Freedom of Information Act. Online publication of agency-controlled records also demands careful planning of information systems and public networks. The issues discussed in this article are central to the establishment of an adequate policy for electronic freedom of information.     

The right to know: Public access to federal information in the 1980s

This article is based on a symposium held at the University of California, Berkeley, and sponsored by the Library, University of California, Berkeley; the Librarians Association of the University of California (Berkeley Division); and the School of Library and Information Studies, University of California, Berkeley. The author examines government information controls in the context of the constitutional and statutory tradition of open access to government information in the United States. He discusses the restrictive climate in which the Reagan administration views public access and warns that restrictive national security policies may actually curtail economic growth, retard defense programs, and undermine the Constitution.     

Technology,public policy,and the changing nature of federal information dissemination: Overview of a new office of technology assessment study

Use of information technology—such as electronic document filing, computerized databases, optical disks, electronic mail, electronic remote printing, and electronic bulletin boards—could revolutionize the public information functions of the Federal government. Technology is providing many new opportunities for Federal information collection, maintenance, and dissemination, but is also raising new issues, as well as exacerbating old ones, such as equity of access to Federal public information, the private sector role in Federal electronic information activities, and institutional responsibility for Federal information collection and dissemination.Two congressional committees have asked the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) to study relevant technology and policy issues, including possible future roles for the Government Printing Office, Federal executive agencies, libraries, and private firms. The OTA study process includes in-depth research and extensive outreach, and provides several opportunities for the participation of individuals and organizations interested in these topics.     

Federal government information policy and public policy analysis: A brief overview

The information policy of the federal government of the United States has been evolving for well over 200 years, with antecedents in the British, colonial, and Confederation experiences. Having a variety of themes, (e.g., accountability, records management, accessibility, security, and privacy), it is a policy of complexity, both in terms of interrelationships among its themes and political dynamics, which is to acknowledge that all three branches have contributed to its substance, and that balance among competing forces has been neither easily realized nor maintained. Moreover, it concerns values of particular importance for a democracy, such as realizing a government that is accountable to the citizenry and protects the security of the nation. It continues to evolve, adjust, and change due to a variety of factors, new political environments and information technology being among the foremost. Policy analysis, discussed here in several dimensions, may be applied to understand not only information policy of the past and the present, but also what might be modified, adjusted, or created anew for the future. Ultimately, in all instances of policy analysis application, the end result, hopefully, will be more informed decision making.     

Public information provision about policy intentions: The Dutch and Belgian experience

This paper examines the manner in which governments should inform their citizens about policy not yet adopted by the competent authority (i.e., the legislature). This is an important but often neglected issue in theory and in practice. This paper focuses on the opportunities and dangers of the public information provisions about policy intentions and presents the relevant laws, principles, and practices in the Netherlands and Belgium. Based on a case study, the paper aims to illustrate the importance of complete, timely, and factual public information provisions in the formulation stage of policymaking. Some directions for further inquiry are suggested and some lessons from the Dutch and Belgian experience are presented. The information gathered is derived from literature, from government information regulations and guidelines, from analyses of government data reports, and from a survey.     

Federal information policy: Protecting the free flow of information

Federal information policy is a tangled web, woven over many decades and one which tends to trap information, rather than making it easily available. Although some of the difficulty has been caused by a lack of coherence and by some confusion among members of the Congress, the principal difficulty recently has been the lack of trust exhibited by the Reagan administration. If the United States is to regain its economic and technological health, a well-thought-out and administered Federal information policy will be the cornerstone to those ends. An informed electorate can help by assisting Congress with ideas regarding needs, both present and future. Together with an informed administration, we can, and must, create the Federal information policy that meets all our needs without jeopardizing our national security.     

Documenting federal scientific and technical information (STI): A discussion of appraisal criteria and applications for the national archives and records administration

The preservation of scientific data is a complex task, both in theory and in practice. This article examines the major producers of U.S. federal government scientific technical information (STI), principal data categories, and the role of the National Archives in documenting scientific data. The preservation of scientific data by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is a monumental task in both volume and complexity of the data and the issues involved. This article will examine several important questions surrounding the appraisal, accessioning, and preservation of scientific data by NARA.     

我国信息环境管理的政策调控与信息立法问题

国家信息化建设离不开一个能够使信息资源得以充分开发和有效利用的信息环境.本文讨论了制定我国信息环境管理政策的原则,对信息政策指导下的信息立法问题进行了初步探索.     

NTIS: Potential roles and government information policy frameworks

Despite major technological and document capture advances in the 1990s, the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) became a privatization target again in 1995 as part of Republican efforts to dismantle its parent agency, the Department of Commerce. After examining NTIS's current operational status and its user profile, this article explores six future role options for the agency. Finally, NTIS's “fit” with four competing information policy models is examined. NTIS has become an innovative, entrepreneurial agency with the potential to assume an expanded role in government and scientific/technical information dissemination, but it is still politically and financially vulnerable in the current Washington climate.