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Sender: H-NET Distribution List for News and Announcements <H-ANNOUNCE@H-NET.MSU.EDU> Date: Wed, 21 Aug 2002 08:33:14 -0400 From: Bruce Craig -- NCCPH <rbcraig@nccph.org> Subject: NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #34, August 21, 2002 NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #34, August 21, 2002 by Bruce Craig <rbcraig@nccph.org> National Coordinating Committee for the Promotion of History (NCCPH) ***************** 1. Update: Legislative Branch Appropriations 2. Under Secretary at Smithsonian Appointed 3. NARA Electronic Records Archives Project Seeks Private Sector Input 4. News Bits and Bytes: Connecticut Historical Commission Gets Funding Restored; New on the Web 5. Articles of Interest:"Education After the Culture Wars" in Daedalus magazine (Summer 2002); "Students Take History Into Their Own Hands" (The Christian Science Monitor; August 13, 2002) 1. UPDATE: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS In March and April 2002, officials of various legislative branches including the Library of Congress (LC), Congressional Research Service (CRS), and Government Printing Office (GPO) testified on their agency's needs. The LC, for example, requested $572.7 million (a net increase of $56.3 million over fiscal 2002 levels) while the CRS hoped to see a slight increase over the enacted level of $81.454 million. The GPO asked for $129.3 million, a net increase of $14.7 million over FY 2002 levels. Shortly before their recess, both the House and Senate announced their recommendations for the FY 2003 Legislative Branch appropriations. The House version of the appropriations act (H.R. 5121; H. Rept 107-576) calls for $508.484 million for the LC and $86,241 million for the CRS -- less than the request but nearly $5 million above the current year. On the Senate side, legislation (S. 2720; S. Rept. 107-209) provides $496.920 million for the LC; the CRS would see $86.952 million. Funding for the GPO is at the requested level. In the House report, the committee questioned the LC's implementation of its new hiring system; the committee requested "further management review" of the request for an increase of 169 staff positions and ordered that a GAO report be prepared. On the positive side, the Committee was particularly impressed with the "Joining Hands Across America" initiative that seeks to teach educators how to incorporate the LC's digital collections into school curricula. The House report also provides an extension of the grant deadline (to March 31, 2005) for $75 million for necessary salary and expenses of the National Digital Information Infrastructure provided matching grants from non-federal sources can be obtained. There is also a provision for the LC to transfer $500,000 to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. Finally, there is clarifying language relating to the House History Project that provides for posting on the Internet "excerpts" rather than the full text of the proposed "History of the House of Representatives" once that book is completed. On the Senate side, the committee recommended $1.5 million above the budget request for the "Joining Hands Across America" program as well as an increase of $200,000 for a Lewis and Clark Bicentennial exhibition to a total of $989,000. The Senate fully supported the Veterans History Project and recommended a significant increase to the National Digital Library Program. The committee did, however, express concern over the LC's retail operations and requested marketing and other product development studies be prepared and provided to the committee prior to the FY 2004 budget request. Library and archives insiders have expressed concern over some of Congress and the Administration's plans for the Government Printing Office. On the House side, for example, the Office of the Superintendent of Documents is slotted for a $2.641 million cut from the budget request of $32.302 million. In the Senate version there is report language directing the GAO to "conduct a comprehensive review and assessment" of the current state of printing and dissemination of federal government information. The report calls for the GPO to "enhance the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of printing and disseminating Federal Government information to the public" raising the concern that the depository library program may be endangered. The Senate also included language that "strongly opposes" the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) plan to disregard the statutory requirement that printing and publishing of government publications must be conducted through the GPO. Mitch Daniels, director of the OMB, has been advocating a revision to Federal acquisition regulations that would allow private companies to compete with the GPO, raising fears that the public may find it harder to gain access to government information. The Committee directed the administration "to abide by the statutory requirement" (U.S.C. Title 44, Section 501). However, with the issuance of a recent memorandum (OMB Directive M-02-07, "Procurement of Printing and Duplicating through the Government Printing Office," dated May 3, 2002) the Bush Administration is blatantly disregarding the existing statutory requirement that all government printing be channeled through the GPO as well as Congressional report language in various appropriations bills. 2. UNDER SECRETARY AT SMITHSONIAN APPOINTED On August 19, 2002 Smithsonian Secretary Laurence M. Small announced the appointment of David L. Evans as Under Secretary for Science at the Smithsonian Institution. This appointment will be effective September 9, 2002. According to Small, "David Evans' considerable experience as a leader of complex, federally-funded science research organizations and his passion for communicating about science to the general public are exactly what we need." Evans is an oceanographer and has been the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Assistant Administrator for Research since 1998. According to a Smithsonian statement, he was the "clear choice" of the Smithsonian Science Leadership Search Committee after "an intense, nationwide search." Evans has considerable background in federal science research administration and reportedly "is widely known as a strong long-term strategist who knows how to garner support for Federal science programs." Of particular interest to the historical and research communities, Evans will be responsible for working closely with the blue-ribbon science commission appointed by the Smithsonian regents to assess the Smithsonian's science and research programs. In previous assignments at NOAA, Evans was Deputy Administrator for Fisheries (1997-1998) and Senior Scientist and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services (1993-1997). He served earlier as Program Manager for Physical Oceanography at the Office of Naval Research (1988-1992) and Assistant and Associate Professor, University of Rhode Island (1976-1988). He holds a B.A. degree in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania (1968) and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. His areas of specialty include physical oceanography, small-scale dynamics, and the climate. 3. NARA ELECTRONIC RECORDS ARCHIVES PROJECT SEEKS PRIVATE SECTOR INPUT According to an article that appeared in "Federal Computer Week" ("NARA Seeks Ideas for E-Records Archive" by William Matthews; August 19, 2002), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is asking private companies to submit ideas they might have for a workable way to save electronic records. The tone of the article suggests that the electronic archives project may be stymied and that there is a need for an influx of ideas if NARA is to meet its five-year target to build a state-of-the-art Electronic Records Archive (ERA). In fact, the requirement for seeking private sector input does not originate with NARA, rather it is mandated by Congress. To date, NARA has spent over $20 million over a three-year period to build some of the basic components of an ERA. The ERA is envisioned to be a comprehensive, systematic, and dynamic means for preserving any kind of electronic records, free from dependence on any specific hardware or software. To this end, NARA faces at least two major obstacles: first, electronic files created just a few years ago quickly become obsolete because of fast-changing technology and information may no longer be retrievable; second, the sheer volume of e-records -- 36.5 billion a year in e-mail messages alone -- is daunting. According to Reynolds Cahoon, NARA's chief information officer, in issuing the Request for Information (RIF) to vendors, NARA officials are open to any suggested solutions. "We want to be sure there isn't something else out there that we should be looking at," said Cahoon; "We're vitally interested in seeing what the vendor community has to offer." But, according to Michael Tankersley of Public Citizen, "I do not know why anyone would give very meaningful information at this point since it might benefit competitors." Though according to Deputy Archivist Lew Bellardo, NARA is already involved in "a number of research activities and prototypes" for long-term e-records storage systems this does "not necessarily translate into a commitment to those technologies and architectures." Instead, says Bellardo, "We want to get as many creative ideas coming forth as possible" and do "not want to constrain the responses we might get" by listing system requirements specific to the prototypes NARA has already developed. NARA hopes to award two or three system design contracts that will lead, after 18 months, to a single system designer. For more on the ERA, tap into http://www.archives.gov/electronic_records_archives; for the RFI (Issued August 14, 2002; Reference number: NAMA-02-R-ERA) tap into the Federal Business Opportunities web site at: < http://eps.gov>. 4. News Bits and Bytes: Item #1 -- Connecticut Historical Commission Gets Funding Restored: A little bright spot in our day! Readers may recall the NCC story, "Connecticut Historical Commission Funding Slashed" (NCC WASHINGTON UPDATE, Vol. 8, #23, July 19, 2002) which reported on a drastic funding cut that threatened the existence and independence of the Connecticut Historical Commission. Executive Director John W. Shannahan faced either laying off nearly half his staff or closing some if not all of the six historic sites operated by the historical commission. Also, the independence of the agency was threatened as the legislature was considering consolidating the commission with an arts organization in order to save money. Shortly after posting the story in this publication, a special "NCC Action Alert" was electronically sent to nearly 500 historians in Connecticut asking them to contact their state representatives and the governor to take action to address the twin issues. Director Shannahan reports that thanks to the actions of many people, the general assembly voted to restore $350,000 to the commission's budget and decided not to merge his organization with another state entity. Thanks to all in Connecticut and elsewhere who took action on behalf of history! Item #2 -- New on the Web: Several new web sites may be of interest to readers: "North American Slave Narratives" is a collection of more than 250 memoirs, autobiographies, & narratives from individuals who were slaves. These firsthand accounts describe the conditions of slavery and a number of slave escapes to freedom; tap into: <http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/neh.html>. "A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization" features 10 units on Chinese history, culture, and society. Each unit organizes photos, maps, and art around themes including China's geography, archaeology, religion, calligraphy, military technology, painting, homes, gardens, clothing, and the graphic arts. Questions highlight key facets of Chinese culture; tap into: <http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/>. "Women's History Month" showcases historic properties listed in the National Register, National Register publications, and National Park units commemorating the events and people, designs, and achievements that help illustrate the contribution of women to our nation's history; tap into: <http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/wom/>. "The Enola Gay Controversy" references more than 900 documents covering the entire vigorous and nationally publicized controversy over a proposal by the Smithsonian to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1995 with an exhibit examining the consequences of atomic warfare; tap into: <http://www.lehigh.edu/EnolaGay>. 5. Articles of Interest: Two postings this week: first, Diane Ravitch, in an article, "Education After the Culture Wars" in Daedalus magazine (Summer 2002) imagines a future in which history and literature are absent from American schools in her opening article to the issue's forum on education. She states that "cultural amnesia" is a frightening prospect, but that is exactly the direction that the nation's schools are headed in light of the censorship and sensitivity standards that permeate the educational publishing industry. The present "regime of censorship" explains why many American students enter college without having been exposed to the works of major writers and historians. For the article, tap into: <http://daedalus.amacad.org/issues/summer2002/ravitch.pdf >. Second, "Students Take History Into Their Own Hands" by Shira J. Boss (The Christian Science Monitor; August 13, 2002) discusses an innovative teaching technique using games to teach history. For the article, tap into: < http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0813/p14s02-lecs.htm>. *********************************************************** NCC invites you to subscribe to this FREE weekly newsletter! You are also encouraged to redistribute the NCC Washington Updates to colleagues, friends, teachers, students and others who are interested in history and archives issues. A complete backfile of these reports is maintained by H-Net on the NCC's web page at <http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/~ncc>. 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