Public Policy Connections

United Kingdom Government Services to be Online-only Under Current Plan

Britons will be forced to apply online for government services such as student loans, driving licences, passports and benefits under new cost-cutting plans. Officials say getting rid of all paper applications could save billions of pounds. They insist that vulnerable groups will be able to fill in forms digitally at their local post offices. The plans are likely to infuriate millions of people. Around 27% of households still have no internet connection at home and six million people aged over 65 have never used the web.

Read news story:  Government services to be online-only

 

Google Strikes Deal with French Publisher

The New York Times reported today, Wednesday November 17, that Google reached a deal with the French publisher Hachette Livrewhich.  Hachette Livrewhich has broken ranks with its French rivals and agreed to allow Google to scan thousands of out-of-print books for its digital library project.

Under the agreement, which follows a landmark settlement with U.S. publishers last year and is still working its way through the U.S. courts, Google will be allowed to sell the books it scans as e-books or in other electronic formats. But there is one important difference between the U.S. settlement and the deal with Hachette, the largest publisher in France and the No.2 trade publisher by sales worldwide, after Pearson. Hachette, not Google, will determine which of the books covered by the deal — those that remain under copyright but are no longer commercially available — can be scanned.

Read full article in The New York Times

UK Copyright Laws to be Reviewed

Britain's intellectual property laws are to be reviewed to "make them fit for the internet age," Prime Minister David Cameron has announced. He said the law could be relaxed to allow greater use of copyright material without the owner's permission. The announcement was welcomed by internet campaigners who say it will boost small business.

But any changes could be resisted by the music and film industries who have campaigned against copyright reform. Speaking at an event in the East End of London, at which he announced a series of investments by IT giants including Facebook and Google, Mr Cameron said the founders of Google had told the government they could not have started their company in Britain.

Read: BBC News Story

GAO Releases Report: EPA Needs to Complete a Strategy for Its Library Network to Meet Users' Needs

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has released its Full Report titled "EPA Needs to Complete a Strategy for Its Library Network to Meet Users' Needs."  In summary, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) library network provides agency staff and the public with access to environmental information. A 2006 attempt by EPA to reorganize its network by consolidating libraries and making more materials and services available online caused concern among users, and in 2007, EPA put a moratorium on its reorganization plans. Congress requested that GAO report on the reorganization and has again requested a follow-up on these issues. Accordingly, GAO reviewed (1) the status of EPA's overall strategy for its library network, (2) the status of EPA's plan to reopen the libraries it closed and other actions planned or taken, (3) EPA's efforts to digitize printed documents to make them electronically available, and (4) EPA's efforts to communicate with staff and other stakeholders about its library network. GAO reviewed regulations and agency funding and inventory documents and interviewed EPA staff and contractors, as well as independent library professionals. GAO also assessed the reliability of EPA's data on library holdings and from EPA's staff survey on library use and needs.

Read more: Access PDF of Reports. 

Call for Nominations: IFLA Section Standing Committees for 2011-2015

SLA is compiling a list of potential candidates to serve on various International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Section Standing Committees for the period from August 2011 to August 2015. For a full description of the IFLA nomination process and timeline please go here. 

IFLA and SLA partner on various programs and initiatives. IFLA's professional program is divided into sections, with each section governed by a democratically elected Standing Committee consisting of professionals with expertise and an interest in its field of interest. Serving on a Section Standing Committee is one of the best ways to contribute to the work of IFLA.  Standing Committees are at the heart of the federation, and they help develop policies, carry out surveys and other projects, prepare guidelines, and organize open sessions and workshops at the general conference.

Serving on a Standing Committee provides opportunities for professional development and networking with colleagues from many different countries. It also gives the individual an opportunity to help advance the profession. It is important to note that SLA does not pay or subsidize expenses associated with serving on IFLA committees.There is a considerable commitment of both time and expense that you and/or your organization must be able to assume. Please read more details here. 

SLA currently belongs to 21 of the 44 IFLA Sections. To view the various sections, along with SLA-nominated representatives to these IFLA Sections, please visit here.

If you are interested in being nominated, please contact Caroline Rives, SLA’s Events Associate, at CRives@sla.org  by 15 December 2010.