A Comprehensive Assessment of Public Information Dissemination 

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APPENDICES

 NOTE: Appendices 1 through 10 are included in this volume of the Commission's 

report, A Comprehensive Assessment of Public Information Dissemination, Volume 1. 

Appendices 11 and 12 are in Volume 2, Legislative and Regulatory Proposals; it is 

available at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/assess.vol2.pdf. 

Appendices 13 through 34 are in Volume 3, Supplementary Reference Materials; it is 

available at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/assess.vol3.pdf. 

Appendix 35 is in Volume 4, Compilation of Recent Federal Statutes on Information 

Dissemination; it is available at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/assess.vol4.pdf. 

Each appendix is also available at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/assess.html as an 

individual file. The unique file name for each appendix is included as the appendix is 

inserted or identified below. 

Most of the appendices were posted on the Commission website during the course of 

the study to facilitate public access, review and comment. The appendices, and other 

files providing background on the assessment, will remain on the Commission website 

for permanent public availability. The Commission feels that this method of 

distribution is in keeping with the subject matter of this report, which encourages 

agencies to ensure the permanent public availability of their electronic government 

information resources. 

Appendices submitted to the Commission as paper copies have been scanned and 

reformatted, so the content is as submitted, but the format is different. Electronic 

submissions have also been reformatted, but the content is as submitted. 

APPENDIX 1. LETTER FROM SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN TO NCLIS 

CHAIRPERSON MARTHA B. GOULD, JUNE 12, 2000 

United States Senate 

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

Washington, DC 20510-6125

June 12, 2000 

The Honorable Martha Gould 

Chairperson 

United States National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 

1110 Vermont Avenue, NW 
U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science 

1-198 

Suite 820 

Washington, DC 20005-3552 

Dear Chairperson Gould: 284 

On October 21, 1999, the Commerce Committee held a hearing on the re-organization of the National 

Technical Information Service. At that hearing, the Committee heard testimony on the need for a 

formal study on the proposed organizational changes to the National Technical Information Service 

(NTIS) and overall government information dissemination policy. 

The Committee would like to request that you undertake a review of the reforms necessary for the 

federal government's information dissemination practices. At a minimum, this review should include 

assessments of the need for: 

• proposing new or revised laws, rules, regulations, missions, and policies; 

• modernizing organization structures and functions so as to reflect greater emphasis on electronic 

information planning, management, and control capabilities, and the need to consolidate, 

streamline, and simplify missions and functions to avoid or minimize unnecessary overlap and 

duplication; 

• revoking NTIS self-sufficiency requirement; and 

• strengthening other key components of the overall federal information dissemination 

infrastructure. 

You are also requested to provide specific recommendations on the future of NTIS. It is hopeful that 

these recommendations would be consistent with any overall federal government information 

dissemination recommendations that you would also provide. 

In formulating this review, I ask that you consult with the Federal agencies, the research library 

communities, the state librarian communities, the user communities, and other relevant public and 

private sector organizations, as well as individual citizens. I feel that these are key stakeholders in this 

area and they input will be of great value to the Commission in completing this request. 

To facilitate action on this matter during the next Congressional session, I ask that you complete your 

review and recommendations December 15, 2000. If you have any additional questions or need further 

assistance, please feel free to contact my staff at 202-224-8172. 

Sincerely, 

/signed/ 

John McCain 

Chairman 

 

284 Available at http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/mccain.html and http://www.nclis.gov/govt/assess/assess.appen1.pdf.