   
Section on Government Information and Official Publications
Medium Term Programme 1998-2001
Scope statement
Governments, inter-governmental organizations and public non-governmental organizations generate large quantities of documents and information which shape our lives and mold the societies in which we live. The Section promotes the discovery, collection, bibliographic control, preservation and dissemination of information from and about all these public bodies. Persons interested in the Section are drawn from the world community of specialists in access to public documents and public policy. They share the mission of promoting free and equitable access to quality information in order to assure accountability from governments and other public bodies to the people they serve.
Goals, 1998-2001
- Promote universal access to government information as a basic human right.
- Encourage governments and international organizations to disseminate their information.
- Serve as an international forum for discussion among information professionals and providers in the field of government information.
- Promote the education of library and information professionals in the methods of access to and management of government information.
- Encourage governmental organizations to provide equitable access to their information irrespective of format.
- Work for the long-term preservation of, and access to, public information in electronic format world-wide.
- Promote the exchange, archiving and retrieval of public documents in both electronic and paper formats among libraries and between nations.
Action Plans, 2000-2001
- Continue the Section's ongoing series of professional seminars and training programs in different regions of the world. Continue work to secure funding for, and conduct seminars for government information librarians in the Middle East and South America. Explore possibility of an additional seminar in Africa.
- Complete translation and publication of the proceedings of the May 1999 professional seminar held in Moscow for librarians from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
- Work with librarians and concerned professionals in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to implement resolutions from the Section's Moscow seminar, by assisting in efforts to develop self-financing programs of education, training, co-operation, and exchange in the field of government information.
- Assist librarians from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union with the organization of a conference program on "Government Information for the People" at the IFLA Regional Crimea 2000 conference.
- Complete work on the Internet version of The Directory of Government Information Specialists. Publish print version
- Conduct workshops, in conjunction with IFLA annual conferences, on methods of electronic access to information produced by governments, inter-governmental organizations and public non-governmental organizations
- Develop an educational tool to train users and information professionals in means of access to government information. Publish an Internet version and explore options for publication in other media.
- Explore ways to raise awareness of the impact copyright and user fees have on access to electronic government information. Possible alternatives include developing a conference program, writing a status report outlining the situation around the world, or developing a position paper.
- Edit and publish for comment by IFLA membership the Section's position paper on the means of deposit of public international documents and information in countries without fully developed electronic information infrastructures.
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