ALA Washington Office Sponsors Information Institute Policy Research Initiatives

Tallahassee, FL - The Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) of the American Library Association Washington Office has become a sponsor of the Information Use Management and Policy Institute of the School of Information Studies at the Florida State University (http://www.ii.fsu.edu).

The sponsorship will support the Information Institute's ongoing research initiatives examining the policy implications on a host of federal issues broadly related to access to and use of government information and more specifically, research concerned with the impact of the U.S. Patriot Act and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Charles R. McClure, Director of the Institute said that "by sponsoring this research, the ALA Washington Office is providing valuable support to a number of Institute initiatives that have significant repercussions for libraries and citizens across the United States."

The Information Institute conducts information policy research on current issues at Federal and state levels related to public access to information, privacy and security, records management, and the use of information in electronic forms, as well as other topics. The Office for Information Technology Policy of ALA conducts policy research and analysis and offers education to members on key information policy issues. It also provides ALA with strategic perspectives on technology and policy.

Beginning in early 2003, researchers at the Information Institute began to study the potential ramifications of the U.S. Patriot Act and CIPA for public libraries and the number of libraries that might be affected by the law. Initial findings from this research initiative have appeared in two Institute reports and will appear in two forthcoming articles written by Institute researchers.

Dr. Rick Weingarten, Director of the Office of Information Technology Policy at the ALA Washington Office noted that "it is essential to have ongoing policy research related to a range of Federal policies - especially those related to the U.S. Patriot Act and CIPA. We are pleased to be able to sponsor the Information Institute in its work in these areas."