Reviews provisions of information-related laws in light of the September 11th attacks and their impact on civil liberties. Highlights include the USA Patriot Act of 2001; law enforcement and the ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act); intelligence and the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978); implications for information…

Describes the results of a literature survey on recent developments in national information policies in the area of universal access that tries to ensure equal access to information, and considers the digital divide. Highlights include policies in Australia, Canada, the European Union, Hong Kong, the United States, and Okinawa. (Contains 64…

IT organizations are still here. Why? This question is not about survival of IT as a whole but rather about survival of central IT organizations and their share of the institutional IT pie. IT as a whole will certainly survive, perhaps at even greater institutional overall cost. Decentralization only stimulates appetites for more. And woe to the…

To address key policy and programmatic questions and help improve student and system performance, states must work to link data across the early childhood, postsecondary and workforce (P-20/workforce) spectrum and share this information with appropriate stakeholders. This issue brief highlights current efforts in California, Florida, Indiana, and…

This paper begins with a discussion of society and information, as well as the right to information. A 1996 UNESCO (United National Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) document entitled "UNESCO and an Information Society for All" is highlighted. Information and informatics policies are then considered. Efforts related to…

Provides an overview of national information policy and analyzes fundamental concepts in information policy. Concludes that though there is confusion about the meaning of concepts, there are frameworks in information and information policies studies that can provide input for development of information policy. Describes frameworks and how they can…

Contains two articles: (1) excerpts from testimony by the chairperson of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) regarding copyright law revisions; and (2) a statement by the Council on Library Resources (CLR) Board of Directors regarding the Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights' report on copyright law and…

Sometimes people want to see data that the government thinks should be kept under wraps. How does the Department of Defense balance the scales of justice while still ensuring information security? In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) found itself in the spotlight as journalists, academics, and…

From 2005 to 2007, the University of Connecticut Libraries Copyright Project Team engaged in a wide range of activities to fulfill its charge and to raise awareness of copyright issues in the library and across the university. This article highlights some of the primary activities and tools used by the team to involve stakeholders, to provide…

In 2005, the United States Supreme Court rendered a closely divided opinion that extends the protections against discrimination provided by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 to include a private cause of action for retaliation in "Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education." Therefore, "whistleblowers," or employees who report allegedly…

During his life and career as a muckraking journalist in Washington, Jack Anderson cultivated secret sources throughout the halls of government--sources who passed on information that allowed Anderson to investigate and write about Watergate, CIA assassination schemes, and countless scandals. His syndicated column, Washington Merry-Go-Round,…

Discusses factors that are combining to jeopardize access to government information throughout the country. Topics include the Federal Depository Library Program; what is not making it into the depository program, especially since the September 11 attacks; the Government Printing Office; and attempts to alter key federal government information…

Reviews the development of two similar policy concepts, national security and internal security, before exploring the new phrase homeland security that has become popular since the September 11 terrorist attacks. Discusses the significance of each for information policy and practice. (Author/LRW)

With the rise of the Internet and the debate over the National Information Infrastructure, Congress had an opportunity with the Telecommunications Act of 1996 to reassess communication policy in light of the information age. Instead, Congress passed a product of political compromise rather than political vision; it calls for deregulation without…

As a result of litigation, a number of companies have written policies declaring the right to monitor employee electronic communication. Discusses reasons why employers monitor employee e-mail, the prevalence of monitoring in universities, use and ethics policy statements, and bills of rights statements protecting employee privacy. (PEN)