[Libs-Or] Fwd: [alacoun] Congressional Research Reports - free access, bill proposed

[Diedre Conkling]

Another important issue.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mary Mallory <mmallory at illinois.edu>
Date: Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 2:07 PM
Subject: [alacoun] Congressional Research Reports - free access, bill
proposed
To: alacoun at ala.org


Dear Councilors,

Having free access to Congressional Research Reports (CRS Reports) is a long
standing battle.  Please help GODORT and other advocates in their efforts to
provide these important reports to the public.  I have copied and pasted
below a message from Patrice McDermott at Open the Government which has the
details about the latest proposals to achieve this end.  Thank you,

Mary Mallory

We need your help to urge Congress to provide free online access to
taxpayer-funded Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports!

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) uses taxpayer dollars to produce
excellent reports on public policy issues ranging from foreign affairs, to
agriculture, to health care. These reports are made accessible to Members of
Congress and their staff through on an internal system, and are never
released to the public directly from the Congressional Research Service.
Members of the public can ask for these reports through their member of
Congress, but they must first know that the report exists. While third party
nonprofit websites, such as Open CRS, now collect and share the reports as
they are released for free, for years the only way to get reports was to buy
them from third party, for profit companies that somehow get access to all
the non-confidential reports. Congress should direct CRS to release these
reports to the public proactively and directly.

Bills to provide free online public access to CRS Reports have been
introduced in the House (H.R. 3762) and the Senate (S. Res. 118). The House
bill is currently pending before the Committee on House Administration; the
Senate bill is awaiting action by the Senate Committee on Rules and
Administration. You can help move these bills through Congress; write your
representatives to ask that they support H.R. 3762 and S.Res. 118 today.

Patrice McDermott <info at openthegovernment.org>
**********************************************


Mary Mallory
Coordinator of Government Information Services,
Access and Collections, University Library
Associate Professor of Library Administration
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
200D Library, 1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, Illinois 61801
217-244-4621 (phone) 217-333-2214 (fax)
mmallory at uiuc.edu

ALA GODORT Councilor, 2007-2010
Vice-President, Campus Faculty Association (CFA), 2009-2010
Member, Athletic Board, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2009-2012

No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why
knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.
          The Lost Princess of Oz, 1917






-- 
Diedre Conkling
Lincoln County Library District
P.O. Box 2027
Newport, OR  97365
Work phone & fax:  541-265-3066
Work email:  diedre at beachbooks.org
Home email:  diedre08 at gmail.com
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