The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) was an agency in the United States government between 1970 and 2008. The activities of the Commission were consolidated into the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Records of NCLIS are held at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and the University of Michigan Library, Special Collections as part of the Power Collection for the Study of Scholarly Communication and Information Transfer. [1]
President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed a National Advisory Commission on Libraries in 1966 to appraise the role and adequacy of the nation's libraries and recommend ways of improving them. [2] Members of the Commission appointed: Dr. Douglas Knight, president, Duke University, as Commission chairman; Verner W. Clapp, president, Council on Library and Information Resources; Carl Overhage, director of Project INTREX, M.I.T.; [3] Herman H. Fussler, director of libraries, University of Chicago; Theodore Waller, president, Grolier Educational Corporation; Wilbur Schramm, director, Institute for Communication Research, Stanford University; Launor Carter, System Development Corporation; William N. Hubbard, Jr., chairman, Educause (then EDUCOM); Caryl P. Haskins, Carnegie Institution for Science; Alvin C. Eurich, president, Aspen Institute; Stephen J. Wright, former president of Fisk University; Harry Ransom, University of Texas at Austin; Carl Elliott, former Congressman from Alabama; and Estelle Brodman, National Library of Medicine. [4]
The National Advisory Commission was appointed to "make a comprehensive study and appraisal of the role of libraries as resources for scholarly pursuits, as centers for the dissemination of knowledge, and as components of the evolving national information systems." [5] The Commission report, Libraries at Large: Tradition, Innovation, and the National Interest; the Resource Book Based on the Materials of the National Advisory Commission on Libraries, provided documentation for legislation.
Other responsibilities included the appraisal of public agency programs and library funding. The Commission also had the task of making recommendations for government and private agencies to "ensure an effective and efficient library system for the Nation." After Hearings before the United States House Committee on Education and Labor, Select Subcommittee on Education [6] The Advisory Commission ultimately recommended "the establishment of a National Commission on Library and Information Science as a continuing Federal Planning agency." The recommendations of the National Advisory Commission were incorporated into legislation (PL 91-345) that established the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) as a permanent, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States in 1970.
Studies making recommendations on the dissemination of federal government information, including:
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter opened the first White House Conference on Library and Information Services stating that "libraries must be strengthened and the public made more aware of their potential: Libraries can be community resources for the consumer and small business on matters such as energy and marketing and technological innovation." [7]
The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science sponsored two White House Conferences in 1979 and 1991. [8] The 1979 conference focused on "Elements of a Comprehensive National Library and Information Services Program"; "Legislative and Administrative Initiatives"; and a proposed National Library and Information Services Act. [9] [10] Sixty-four resolutions were passed in five areas: services for personal needs, lifelong learning, organizations and the professions, social government, and international cooperation and understanding. "The resolutions asked that libraries serve people in better ways, that local control of these services be maintained, and that institutions providing the services be accountable." Attendance was 3,600. [11]
The 1991 Conference held July 9–13, 1991, brought more than 900 delegates representing all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and six U.S. territories. Resolutions included Access, Governance, Marketing, Networking, National Information Policy, Preservation, Services to Diverse Populations, Technology, Training of End Users, and Personnel. [12] Hearings were held on recommendations. [13]
The records of the state-level White House pre-conferences are held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Archives. [14] Some states, like Alabama and North Carolina, published state proceedings; [15] [16] Other states, like Arkansas and Massachusetts, included coverage in state association journals. [17] [18]
In 2004, the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) announced three strategic goals to guide its work in the immediate future.
| Name | Tenure | References |
|---|---|---|
| Charles H. Stevens | 1971–1974 | [24] |
| Alphonse F. Trezza | 1974–1980 | [24] [25] |
| Toni Carbo Bearman | 1980–1986 | [24] |
| Vivian J. Arterbery | 1986–1988 | [24] |
| Vivian J. Arterbery | 1986–1988 | [24] |
| Susan K. Martin | 1988–1990 | [24] |
| Peter R. Young | 1990–1997 | [24] |
| Robert S. Willard | 1998–2004 | [24] |
| Trudi Bellardo Hahn | 2004–2008 | [24] |
Brief biographies and photographs of NCLIS chairs are provided in Meeting the Information Needs of the American People: Past Actions and Future Initiatives Appendix B.
The Commission issued a comprehensive list of publications in Appendix F of its final (March 2008) report, Meeting the Information Needs of the American People: Past Actions and Future Initiatives . The report documents the history and accomplishments of the Commission and provides a compelling future agenda for information policy research and development. Among its notable publications was Pathways to Excellence: A Report on Improving Library and Information Services for Native American Peoples [27]
In Fiscal Year 2007–2008 appropriations, the Commission received limited funding and instructions to terminate its operations. Activities were consolidated under the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Commission office closed on March 30, 2008. [28]
The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-governmental, non-profit research and archival institution located on the campus of the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 to check rising government secrecy. The National Security Archive is an investigative journalism center, open government advocate, international affairs research institute, and the largest repository of declassified U.S. documents outside the federal government. The National Security Archive has spurred the declassification of more than 15 million pages of government documents by being the leading non-profit user of the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), filing a total of more than 70,000 FOIA and declassification requests in its over 35+ years of history.
The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is a nonprofit membership organization for information professionals that sponsors an annual conference as well as several serial publications, including the Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (JASIST). The organization provides administration and communications support for its various divisions, known as special-interest groups or SIGs; provides administration for geographically defined chapters; connects job seekers with potential employers; and provides organizational support for continuing education programs for information professionals.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility for investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations concerning civil rights issues in the United States. Specifically, the CCR investigates allegations of discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, disability. In December 2023, Rochelle Mercedes Garza was appointed to serve as Chair of the CCR having been the youngest person to be appointed to the position.
The United States President's Commission on CIA Activities within the United States was ordained by President Gerald Ford in 1975 to investigate the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency and other intelligence agencies within the United States. The Presidential Commission was led by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, from whom it gained the nickname the Rockefeller Commission.
The President's Committee on Administrative Management, commonly known as the Brownlow Committee or Brownlow Commission, was a presidentially-commissioned panel of political science and public administration experts that in 1937 recommended sweeping changes to the executive branch of the United States government. The committee had three members: Louis Brownlow, Charles Merriam, and Luther Gulick. The staff work was managed by Joseph P. Harris, director of research for the committee.
The National Science Board (NSB) of the United States establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation (NSF) within the framework of applicable national policies set forth by the president and the Congress. The NSB also serves as an independent policy advisory body to the president and Congress on science and engineering research and education issues. The board has a statutory obligation to "...render to the President and to the Congress reports on specific, individual policy matters related to science and engineering and education in science engineering, as Congress or the President determines the need for such reports,". All board members are presidential appointees. NSF's director serves as an ex officio 25th member and is appointed by the president and confirmed by the US Senate.
Frank George Wisner II is an American businessman and former diplomat who had served as acting United States Secretary of State for a few hours following the resignation of the previous acting United States Secretary of State Arnold Kanter at noon on January 20, 1993 until the confirmation by the United States Senate and swearing in of Warren Christopher as United States Secretary of State later that day. He is the son of CIA official Frank Wisner (1909–1965). On January 31, 2011, he was sent to Egypt by President Barack Obama to negotiate a resolution to the popular protests against the regime that had swept the country. A White House spokesman said that Wisner had vast experience in the region as well as close relationships with many Egyptians in and out of government. The New York Times reported that he was a personal friend of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
The White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) is a once-a-decade conference sponsored by the Executive Office of the President of the United States which makes policy recommendations to the president and Congress regarding the aged. The first of its kind, the goals of the conference are to promote the dignity, health and economic security of older Americans. It has been claimed that it is perhaps the best-known White House conference. The conference is held once a decade, with the most recent conference held in 2015, in preparation for the retirement of the baby boomer generation.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.” In fiscal year 2023, IMLS had a budget of $313.58 million. As of 2023, IMLS currently has 70 full-time employees, many of whom still work remotely. In 2022, the employees voted to unionize, joining hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have joined the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to “build power and have a voice at work.”
Charles Benton was an American executive who served as the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Benton Foundation and former CEO of Public Media Incorporated, a film and video publisher and distributor.
Robert Sidney Martin is an American librarian, archivist, administrator, and educator. He is Professor Emeritus, School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University, where he was the Lillian M. Bradshaw Endowed Chair until his retirement in 2008.
Bessie Grace Boehm Moore was an American educator from Arkansas. She was a lifelong advocate to increase funding and support for libraries and served on the Arkansas Library Commission for 38 years. In 1999, American Libraries named her one of the "100 Most Important Leaders We Had in the 20th Century".
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The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics is a multi-agency working group within the Department of Education charged with strengthening the nation's capacity to provide high-quality education while increasing opportunities for Hispanic American participation in federal education programs. In addition, the Initiative serves as a resource for information related to closing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic Americans. Finally, the Initiative provides staffing to support and coordinate the mission of a President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
Elmer Boyd Staats was an American public servant whose career from the late 1930s to the early 1980s was primarily associated with the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) and the GAO. Staats was born to Wesley F. and Maude (Goodall) Staats. Staats received his AB from McPherson College in 1935, his MA from the University of Kansas in 1936, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1939.
The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program consists of a group of U.S. federal agencies to research and develop information technology (IT) capabilities to empower Federal missions; support U.S. science, engineering, and technology leadership; and bolster U.S. economic competitiveness.
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The following is a timeline of the presidency of Jimmy Carter, from January 1, 1979 to December 31, 1979.
The following is a timeline of the presidency of Jimmy Carter, from January 1, 1980, to January 20, 1981.