sign the petition to Protect the public right to government information

[James Jacobs]

Hi all,

As you may already know, there’s a push to update Title 44 of the US Code, the section of law which codifies the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) into law, and is the only legal guarantee that the US government will provide its information for free to the General Public, the citizens of the USA. Leading the charge is Bob Tapella, former Public Printer at GPO, who’s been hired by the Committee on House Administration. 

Over at Free Government Information (FGI), we’ve created a petition recommending that any changes to Title 44 affirmatively reflect four principles:

1) Privacy
2) Preservation
3) Free Access and Free Use
4) Modernized scope of information covered by Chapter 19 to include digital information.

And recommending 6 specific changes that will expand and support the FDLP, public access to and preservation of govt information.

I hope you’ll agree to sign the petition and forward it to your various networks. Every time the petition is signed, an email goes to Bob Tapella, other Congressional staffers, GPO, and ALA’s Washington Office. And I hope you’ll ask your library directors to write a letter to the Committee on House Administration and its sister Joint Committee on Printing (GPO’s oversight committees) along the lines of the one that my director, Michael Keller, wrote. 

We need many voices to make sure that any changes to Title 44 do not gut the FDLP or change the law in any way that will erode public access to govt information.

Thanks!

James 


Sign the petition “Protect the public right to govt information: help preserve and expand Title 44”
https://freegovinfo.info/node/12325

Stanford Library Director sends letter to Committee on House Admin in support of Title 44 and the FDLP
https://freegovinfo.info/node/12255

Strengthening the Discussions about Title 44
https://freegovinfo.info/node/12316


-- 
James R. Jacobs
US Government Information Librarian
123D Green Library 
Stanford University
P: 650.862.9871 
E: jrja...@stanford.edu
AIM: LibrarianJames 
T: @freegovinfo
W: freegovinfo.info
lockss-usdocs.stanford.edu
library.stanford.edu/people/jrjacobs
freegovinfo.info/about/jrjacobs

[James Jacobs]

Hi all, (apologies for duplication)