See the official press release (PDF).

The bill (H.R. 1120) withholds federal e-rate funding from libraries and schools that do not restrict the use of social networking websites by minors.

If this is bill is as vague as people are suggesting, we will be taking several steps backwards from the way people have evolved in the utilization of information. Our economy is knowledge based and international in scope, but politicians continue to try to decrease collaboration and reduce U.S. competitiveness. Why are we not improving our education methods first, before restriction? Our children are leaving school at a disadvantage because we keep roadbocking their information/collaboration/communication development.

[VIA: The Plain Dealer, Sunday, February 11, 2007]

It easily passed the U.S. this summer, but its time has now passed. Many educators criticized the bill for being way to broad as it would have blocked many online resources and tools. This bill was very anti-Web 2.0 as it was originally designed. TeacherSource gives a great summary.

On a college campus, it would be difficult to find two subjects more different from each other than art and engineering.Yet on the campus of the University of South Florida, one engineering professor responsible for teaching classes about differential equations and electromagnetism has created a popular course that merges his research world with the world of fine art.

American Libraries Online (September 15, 2006) has summarized the closings and other cuts through August and September. These cuts may be devastating to government-sponsored environmental research and protection.

http://osincsurvey.com/run/osl03loc

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If universities pay the salaries of researchers and provide them with labs, and the federal government provides those researchers with grants for their studies, why should those same universities feel they can't afford to have access to research findings? That's part of the argument behind a push by some in Congress to make such findings widely available at no charge.

(VIA: Case Daily, July 28, 2006)

UNIVERSITY SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC ACCESS ACT EXPANDS
Library groups commend twenty-three provosts for joining recent surge of support

Washington, DC – August 3, 2006 – Just one week after more than two dozen leading universities declared their strong support for the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (S.2695), provosts from an additional 23 universities added their backing in a letter issued by the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) and in individual correspondence. This brings the total to at least 48 universities that have gone on record as favoring the measure.

The Federal Research Public Access Act was introduced on May 2, 2006 by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Joseph Lieberman (D-CT). It requires federal agencies that fund over $100 million in annual external research to make electronic manuscripts of peer-reviewed journal articles that stem from their research publicly available on the Internet. The U.S. government funds an estimated 50% of university research, making this a particularly important cause for the higher education community.

The GWLA letter reads, in part: “Access to publicly funded research facilitates the open discussion needed to accelerate research, share knowledge, improve treatment of diseases, and increase human understanding. [The Public Access Act] is a crucial step in realizing this goal…”

“With the passage of this bill, researchers across the United States will have access to the results of work supported by federal government funding, which will help advance scientific understanding at a faster rate,” said David Pershing, Senior Vice-President, Academic Affairs, University of Utah. “No longer will knowledge created using public funds be limited to the wealthiest institutions and corporations. With everyone having access to up-to-date information, I am confident we will see a higher level of scientific research and innovation. This is a remarkable opportunity for educators and students across the nation.”

Signatories of the GWLA letter include provosts and vice presidents for state and non land-grant institutions, such as the University of Washington and Rice University. Their names are added to those of another twenty-five institutions, including Harvard University and Arkansas State University, who on Friday jointly issued “An Open Letter to the Higher Education Community.”

“The time is ripe for this legislation,” added Rodney Erickson, Executive Vice President and Provost of The Pennsylvania State University, who signed the Open Letter. “Many of us in the academic community believe the process of making the findings of publicly supported research more widely available will stimulate further research and education, and that is our primary mission as universities.”

“GWLA member libraries and administrators support the Public Access Act in principle and in practice,” said Adrian Alexander, Executive Director of the Greater Western Library Alliance. “The implications for research stemming from this bill are widespread, profound, and utterly positive. We are pleased to add our voices in support.”

Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resource Coalition), added, “This groundswell of commitment from the provost community is a significant indication that the Federal Research Public Access Act has strong support in the higher education community in the United States.”

The GWLA letter, available online today, is at http://www.gwla.org/provostletter.html.

The Open Letter to the Higher Education Community signed by twenty-five provosts and issued on July 28, 2006 is online at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/frpaa/Provosts_openletter_06-JUL.pdf.

The American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries, Association of College & Research Libraries, Association of Research Libraries, Greater Western Library Alliance, Medical Library Association, SPARC, and The Special Libraries Association encourage taxpayers and other stakeholders in the scientific process to add their support for this important legislation. Details are online at http://www.taxpayeraccess.org/frpaa/.

###

Contact:
Jennifer Heffelfinger
SPARC
jennifer@arl.org
(202) 296-2296 ext.121

According to Chemical & Engineering News (July 3, 2006), sector-specific security plans that complement NIPP and detail the risk management framework will be released within six months.

From the Environment News Service (July 7, 2006) comes word that over half of the EPA workforce (10,000 scientists, engineers and other technical specialists) have asked Congress to stop Bush's administration from closing the EPA libraries.

They contend that thousands of scientific studies are being put out of reach, hindering emergency preparedness, anti-pollution enforcement and long-term research, according to the letter released by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

EPA internal studies show that providing full library access saves an estimated 214,000 hours in professional staff time worth some $7.5 million annually, an amount far larger than the total agency library budget of $2.5 million.

It offers the following sections:

• Aviation Weather
• Aviation Research
• Airport Design
• Air Traffic Management
• Navigation
• Communications
• Aeronautics

(VIA: The Scout Report, June 23, 2006)

Highlights include:

• Subcommittee approves 8% increase to bring the National Science Foundation's budget to $6 billion
• House of Representatives passed their version to increase the National Institute of Standards and Technology research budget by 18%, but drop its overall budget by 16%
• The Advanced Technology Program, which provides additional funding for industry to conduct high-risk research, often at universities would get no money in 2007

Chemical & Engineering News also highlighted these developments.

(VIA: Case Daily, July 12, 2006)

(VIA: Blogcritics.org, July 8, 2006)