The views of private industry and government are offered in this report of a hearing on the Federal Audiovisual Policy Act, which would establish an office to coordinate federal audiovisual activity and require most audiovisual material produced for federal agencies to be acquired under contract from private producers. Testimony is included from…

The booklet discusses a basic concept in affirmative action and nondiscrimination for the handicapped, which requires federal agencies to make reasonable accommodation to the physical or mental limitations of a qualified handicapped applicant or employee unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the agency. Reasonable…

Many graduate students receiving stipends for research or teaching are being audited by the Internal Revenue Service. The situation is puzzling and angering administrators because the stipends have previously been considered tax-exempt. (MSE)

Discusses federal regulations that force federal agencies to justify budget requests through the use of benefit-to-cost analysis techniques. The description of a new approach, based on the Delphi technique, includes the information handling process, calculations of costs and benefits, and resulting value enhancements. (three references) (CLB)

With a decision on an oyster developed at the University of Washington, the federal Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences has opened the way to granting patents for animals and animal improvements developed through genetic engineering and other scientific methods. (MSE)

This examination of the news media use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) as a source of information focuses on three categories of journalists: non-users; reactive or periodic users; and paper chasers. The use of the FOIA reflects differing views on newsgathering methods, i.e., through people or through documents. (CLB)

The top 100 institutions in total federal obligations in fiscal 1984 are listed, and the total funding amounts and funding and ranking for research and development are included. These institutions account for 63 percent of total federal obligations to higher education institutions. (MSE)

The 11th Federal Forecasters Conference provided a forum where 180 forecasters from different federal agencies and other organizations could meet and discuss forecasting in the United States. The theme for this conference was "Forecasting, Policy, and the Internet." In the morning session, a panel presentation featured three speakers.…

This fiscal year 2002 annual report of the Library of Congress (LC) Cataloging Directorate covers the following topics: (1) production and productivity; (2) arrearage reduction; (3) the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; (4) cooperative cataloging programs; (5) conversion of LC records in Chinese from Wade-Giles to pinyin…

This fiscal year 2001 annual report of the Library of Congress (LC) Cataloging Directorate covers the following topics: (1) Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium and LC Action Plan; (2) conversion of LC records in Chinese from Wade-Giles to pinyin romanization; (3) production and productivity; (4) cataloging…

The 10th Federal Forecasters Conference provided a forum where 127 forecasters from different federal agencies and other organizations met to discuss various aspects of the conference's theme, "Forecasting in the New Millennium," that could be applied in the United States. A keynote address, "Procedures for Auditing Federal…

This twenty-seventh (1997-98) annual report of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) includes the following sections: (1) 1997-1998 Highlights; (2) 1997-1998 Commission Meetings; (3) Highlights of NCLIS Activities, 1970-1998; (4) NCLIS Action Plan, 1998-2000; (5) Advice to the Government, including advice to the…

This guide organizes nearly 1,000 federal government World Wide Web sites and shows users how to find the information they need quickly and easily. More than a directory, this resource gives users a clear understanding of U.S. government agencies, their online publications, and their applications. There is background material on all three branches…

Describes some of the salient issues and how they were dealt with during the development and delivery of a multilevel evaluation of a large human relations training program in a federal agency. Nine references are listed. (Author/LLS)

Focuses on the decentralization of governmental agencies from the perspective of both municipal and federal experiences. The article first discusses the main lessons from municipal decentralization, then outlines the characteristics of recent federal initiatives, and concludes with comments on the likely effects of decentralization. (Author)