[Federal Register: April 15, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 73)]
[Notices]
[Page 16470-16471]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Library of Education Advisory Task Force; Meeting
AGENCY: National Library of Education Advisory Task Force, Education.
ACTION: Notice to solicit public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary solicits written public comment on the
development of the National Library of Education, authorized under Part
E of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and
Improvement Act of 1994 (Act). Comments will be used to help the
National Library of Education Advisory Task Force make recommendations
to the Assistant Secretary regarding the activities that the National
Library of Education will carry out, as well as establish priorities
for its future work.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 15, 1996.
ADDRESSES: All comments concerning this notice, as well as requests for
copies of Part E of the Act, should be addressed to Dr. E. Stephen
Hunt, National Library of Education, Room 203, 555 New Jersey Avenue,
NW., Washington, DC 20208-5523. Comments on this notice may also be
sent in facsimile format to the facsimile transmission telephone number
(202) 219-1970, and to the Internet electronic mail address
stephen_hunt@ed.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: E. Stephen Hunt, National Library of
Education, Room 203, 555 New Jersey Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20208-
5523. Telephone: (202) 219-1882; fax: (202) 219-1970; Internet
electronic mail address: stephen_hunt@ed.gov. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8:00 a.m.
and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 13, 1994, President Clinton signed
Public Law 103-227, which contains the Educational Research,
Development, Dissemination, and Development Act of 1994. That Act,
under Part E, Section 951, authorizes the National Library of Education
(20 U.S.C. 6051). Part E, Section 951 (h) of the Act creates the
National Library of Education Advisory Task Force (Task Force), a
temporary Federal advisory committee charged with preparing a set of
recommendations on the establishment and development of the National
Library of Education for presentation to the Assistant Secretary for
the Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
The mission of the National Library of Education as defined by law
is to: (1) Become a principal center for the collection, preservation,
and effective utilization of the research and other information related
to education and to the improvement of educational achievement; (2)
strive to ensure widespread access to the Library's facilities and
materials, coverage of all education issues and subjects, and quality
control; (3) have an expert library staff; and (4) use modern
information technology that holds the potential to link major
libraries, schools, and educational centers across the United States
into a network of national education resources. Among the statutory
functions of the National Library of Education are: (1) Providing a
central location within the Federal Government for information about
education; (2) providing comprehensive reference services on matters
related to education to employees of the Department of Education and
its contractors and grantees, other Federal employees, and members of
the public; and (3) promoting greater cooperation and resource sharing
among providers and repositories of education information in the United
States.
The statute requires that the National Library of Education create
and operate a ``one-stop information and referral service'' to respond
to telephonic, mail, electronic, and other inquiries from the public
that will provide information on programs, activities, products,
publications, and statistics available from the Office of Educational
Research and Improvement, the National Center for Education Statistics,
the Regional Education Laboratories and National Research Institutes
and associated Centers, the ERIC Clearinghouses, the national education
dissemination system, other offices of the Department of Education,
education related publications produced by other Federal departments
and agencies, and referrals to additional sources of information and
expertise outside the Federal Government, both public and private. A
toll-free telephone number shall be part of the information and
referral service.
Among the reference and research services that the National Library
of Education is required to provide, either alone or in cooperation
with other major libraries and archives, are: specialized subject
searches, search and retrieval of electronic databases, document
delivery by mail and facsimile transmission, research counseling,
bibliographic instruction, user training, interlibrary loan services,
selective dissemination of information services, information and
resource sharing networks, a national union list of education journals
held by U.S. education libraries, directories and indexes to
specialized subject collections throughout the United States related to
education, and cooperative efforts to preserve and maintain
[[Page 16471]]
accessible collections of valuable historical materials.
As required by law, the National Library of Education has already
developed a preliminary collection development policy which will be
refined in conjunction with the recommendations of the Task Force.
Plans for completing the cataloging of arrearage in the former
Education Research Library collection and for the preservation of
historical materials are also being formulated in cooperation with the
Task Force.
The Task Force is charged with developing a plan to implement
requirements stated in the law. In addition, it is expressly
authorized, at its discretion, to ``identify other activities and
functions for the Library to carry out, except that such functions
shall not be carried out until the Library is established'' and has
implemented the requirements expressly stated for it in Section 951 of
the Act.
In seeking public comment, the National Library of Education
Advisory Task Force and the Assistant Secretary for Educational
Research and Improvement are committed to fulfilling the requirements
of the law authorizing the National Library of Education and to
developing a world-class education library providing useful and high-
quality electronic and traditional information services to the American
people. The Office of Educational Research and Improvement and the
National Library of Education are also committed to supporting
Executive Order 12862, Setting Customer Service Standards, which
provides that the Federal Government be ``customer driven.'' To
delivery the highest quality service, the National Library of Education
and its Advisory Task Force must understand the needs and interests of
the Library's customers and how it can be most responsive to them.
Invitation to Comment
Interested persons are invited to submit comments and
recommendations regarding this notice.
All comments and recommendations will be available for public
inspection, during and after the comment period, in Room 202, 80 F
Street, NW., Washington, DC between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:00
p.m. Monday through Friday of each week except Federal holidays.
Sharon P. Robinson,
Assistant Secretary, for Educational Research and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 96-8753 Filed 4-12-96; 8:45 am]
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