March 24, 2006
EPA Libraries to Close?
UPDATE:
The Virtual Chase Research News (March 23, 2006) shared information on the start of the EPA library closings. According to FCW.com, the Midwest Regional Library is already preparing for closure. The current plan calls for warehousing the materials as the EPA has "not allocated funds for moving collections to other libraries or digitizing the holdings to post online". I wonder how the additional research funding will be used to accomplish anything significant if the old research and other information will not be available for consultation? I guess the government would rather spend money to repeat existing research or work very slow as library assistance is not available.
Original Post (February 20, 2006):
In what can be a devastating move, George Bush's proposed budget will close down the Environmental Protection Agency's library network and its online catalog that serves the government's scientists and the public. It sounds as if they hope to maintain several of the libraries. Of greatest concern is the uniqueness of the online catalog and the over 50,000 documents only available through the EPA's library network.
What confuses me most about this move by the current administration is that they are willing to increase funding for and promotion of new and future EPA research. I guess the scientists are expected to conduct research with either no, poor, or limited information.
Read more here.
The EPA Library Network, established in 1971, is composed of libraries in the Agency's Headquarters, Regional and Field Offices, Research Centers, and specialized laboratories located throughout the country. The combined network collection contains a wide range of general information on environmental protection and management; basic sciences such as biology and chemistry; applied sciences such as engineering and toxicology; and extensive coverage of topics featured in legislative mandates such as hazardous waste, drinking water, pollution prevention, and toxic substances. Several of the libraries maintain collections focused on special topics to support specific Regional or Program Office Projects. The Library Network provides access to its collections through the Online Library System (OLS), a web-based database of the library holdings. The OLS offers author, title, and keyword access to documents and makes it possible to retrieve information relevant to almost every request.The National Library Network Program provides leadership and direction for the libraries, ensuring their support of the Agency's mission. The Program provides a wide range of services to the EPA libraries, facilitating communications, networking and resource sharing, and provides technical assistance on all aspects of library management.
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