April 18, 1996
Contact: Guy Lamolinara, Library of Congress (202) 707-9217
Ernie Shannon, Goddard Space Flight Center
(301) 286-6256
Library of Congress and NASA Sign Agreement To Upgrade Global Legal Information Network
The Library of Congress and the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center today signed
an agreement to upgrade and enhance the Global Legal Information
Network (GLIN) to serve Congress better. The memorandum of
understanding signed by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington
and NASA Administrator Dan Goldin will increase accessibility of
legal data from around the world for the Library's legal
specialists, who provide information to Congress.
GLIN is a cooperative database administered by the Library
of Congress's Law Library that provides access to laws of foreign
countries and the United States to its 10 member countries over
the Internet. Today's agreement will enable GLIN partners
without Internet access to receive and transmit data using a
satellite system being tested by Goddard. The agreement also
calls for Library and NASA staff to work together to upgrade the
speed and flexibility of GLIN.
Specifically, the agreement calls for, by the year 2000:
Using satellites "to provide sufficiently high bandwidth
communications to insure interactive usage of the [GLIN]
database as a digital legal library anywhere in the world."
Establishing a technology infrastructure that "supports
current or de facto standards to provide basic access to any
country of the world desirous of participation."
Increasing usability of the system by designing better
indexing and searching tools.
"The Library of Congress is pleased to enter into a
cooperative agreement with NASA that will benefit both agencies,"
said Dr. Billington. "NASA's technology and expertise will help
make GLIN more responsive to the needs of Congress."
GLIN is a system developed by the Library of Congress and
its Law Library to improve service to Congress, which often needs
information on the laws of foreign countries. For example, when
writing treaties, the Senate needs to know the legal environment
in which the treaty will be implemented. Congress also often
asks the Law Library for examples of laws in other nations that
address issues faced by the United States as well. All of GLIN's
members have access to one another's databases.
Goddard researchers are developing systems to manage quickly
large volumes of satellite data. The cooperative agreement joins
the Library's need for an advanced data management system with
Goddard's desire to test its systems inexpensively.
According to Dr. Milt Halem, head of Goddard Space Data and
Computing Center, "This is a unique opportunity and may very well
be the first time that Goddard or NASA has provided such
significant information-network technology to an organization in
the legislative branch."
Rubens Medina, Law Librarian and GLIN Director, praised NASA
for its willingness to offer its expertise and technology. "The
Law Library staff look forward to a fruitful relationship.
Together, we will make GLIN an even better system that is more
widely accessible and easier to use."
The Law Library is the largest such library in the world.
It was established in 1832 by the U.S. Congress to answer
congressional inquiries and prepare reports and other documents
for U.S. lawmakers. Its staff of legal specialists track
legislation from around the world.
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PR 96-58
4/18/96
ISSN 0731-3527