Archived Information

Access for All: A New National Library for Tomorrow's Learners - February 1997

Executive Summary

"We envision a future in which all persons have equal access to the information necessary to their personal and professional growth. To accomplish this goal, the National Library of Education will become the major national network providing access to education information through collections and other sources of education-related material."
This vision can best be realized if the National Library of Education becomes the hub of a national network of libraries, archives, and other information providers in the field of education. Such a Library will be both an effective partnership across diverse locations and a virtual library that exploits modern information technology to become a one-stop information provider for customers seeking high-quality education information.

The mission of the National Library of Education shall be:

To provide awareness and maximum access to high quality education information in all formats and from multiple sources, high quality assistance to information seekers, and to be accountable for all these efforts. Our customers are the educators, students, and parents of America at all educational levels and the agencies, corporations, and institutions that serve them. Our partners are the nation's education libraries, educational information providers, and educational organizations.
This mission statement contains the four essential goals that the Library seeks to fulfill: AWARENESS, informing current users of the resources available in and through the National Library of Education and cultivating new customers through an active program of marketing and outreach; ACCESS, providing all customers effective and efficient means to utilize the National Library of Education's information resources in all formats, whether housed within the Library's own collection or available through network partners; ASSISTANCE, enabling users to learn how to use electronic and print information tools, effective and responsive reference services, and state-of-the-art technology; and ACCOUNTABILITY, continually improving Library services through feedback from customers, network partners, and policy makers inside and outside government.

Guiding the Task Force recommendations are seven essential principles that need to be followed if the vision and goals of the National Library of Education are to be realized.

  1. The National Library of Education's authorizing legislation should be interpreted as broadly as possible.

  2. The National Library of Education will be a one-stop information center.

  3. Potential users of the National Library of Education will have universal access to its information and services.

  4. Users of the National Library of Education, as public taxpayers, will obtain information at little or no cost.

  5. Users of the National Library of Education will be helped to access and use essential information technology.

  6. The focus of the National Library of Education's organization and work will be toward the future of library and information services-toward a virtual library.

  7. The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) program, the Institutional Communications Network (INet), and other libraries and related information clearinghouses within the U.S. Department of Education and its contractors will be totally integrated within the National Library of Education.
The National Library of Education Advisory Task Force was a twelve member committee of distinguished citizens and national experts created to prepare recommendations for the Secretary of Education and other policy leaders on the development of the new National Library of Education. During its 6 month life the Task Force conducted research, collected public comment, and met across the nation. Its work has led to a report containing forty-one specific recommendations. The statute authorizing the National Library of Education is endorsed and incorporated by reference.

The recommendations themselves are grouped into five domains corresponding to the four essential goals and a set of important cross-cutting issues. Each domain comprises a chapter of the report, and textual commentary has been kept to a minimum. Following the recommendations are a series of appendices containing important documents pertaining to the report and the work of the Task Force.

It is essential that adequate funds be requested, authorized, and appropriated in order for the National Library of Education to develop into a national resource worthy of its vision and able to fulfill its mission. These funds should be accompanied by the authority to be organized and to operate in the manner proposed by the recommendations in this report.

Members of the National Library of Education Advisory Task Force are available, individually and collectively, to provide clarification of this report and assistance in its implementation.
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