J. Andrew Magpantay (MLIS
'86) heads the Americam
Library Association's new
office of Information Technology
Policy in Washington, D.C.
As part of a lecture series on "New Perspectives on the Information Age," UCLA's DIS welcomed in November J. Andrew Magpantay (MLIS '86), who now heads the American Library Association's (ALA) new office of Information Technology Policy in Washington, D.C.
In front of a vast audience of faculty, students and invited guests, Magpantay presented the challenges that digital technologies pose for national and international regulations. This "techno-political federalism," as he called it, will affect the way the information society will be shaped.
The ever growing focus on the Internet and the Information Superhighways by the media, and the harsh battle between the different stakeholders (private sector, government, interest groups) to bend policies and legislation to favor their own interests is a pressing issue for ALA. Specific concern exists because the public interest is never mentioned, and librarians' voices often go unheard.
In this climate, Magpantay explained, ALA decided to implement an Office of Information Technology Policy (OITP) to complement its Washington office's efforts and to support the field's need for information and consultation of a technological nature. This endeavor is part of the ALA Goal 2000, a five-year plan aiming to position the American Library Association as an active participant in the decisions affecting libraries and their publics in the Information Age.
The purpose of OITP is to follow and participate actively in the debates on intellectual property rights, public interest, equity of access, and privacy that will shape the information environment of the future. The OITP team seeks to influence the policies, legislation and regulations pertaining to the library field and its publics, and to promote the development and utilization of electronic access to information as a means to ensure the public's right to a free and open society. To accomplish this, librarians work side by side with lawyers and technical experts. This collaboration is necessary for ALA's voice to be heard. It also is instrumental in providing expertise to government officials who are largely ignorant about digital technologies.
The current trend is toward giving more power to the states with a heavier reliance on the private sector. However, moving things down to the local level can result in uninformed decisions. Magpantay cited the example of the ongoing discussions on privatizing certain sectors of dissemination of government information. There are access issues at stake here because only 23% of the people are connected. If government information becomes solely online, a large portion of the population will be prevented from accessing this information.
"This is a time when librarians and other information professionals have to share information and add to their talent some technical expertise in order to have a voice at the state or national level," Magpantay said.
Return to Spring 1996, vol. 1, no. 1 Issue
Go to the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies Home Page