VII. Other Activities

FOLLOW-UP ON THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON
LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES

uring FY 1982 the Commission continued to fulfill its responsibility to follow up on the resolutions and

recommendations of the 1979 White House Conference on Library and Information Services. NCLIS continued its liaison with federal agencies responsible for implementing specific resolutions by sending its annual letter to agency heads to obtain an update on the implementation of pertinent resolutions. Many of the Commission's FY 1982 accomplishments, such as helping to develop specifications for new library legislation, serve to implement White House Conference resolutions. The Commission also continued to work with professional and trade associations and organizations which are providing the citizen involvement that will make possible implementation of specific resolutions and recommendations.

The Commission also continued to work with the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Taskforce (WHCLIST), which promotes the implementation of resolutions adopted by the 1979 White House Conference. WHCLIST is comprised of 118 committee members-one lay and one professional delegate from each state and territory. The establishment and continuation of WHCLIST implements two of the White House Conference recommendations (Resolutions F-1 and F-5). Its activities include: educating the public about library and information services; encouraging and monitoring the progress of resolutions passed at the White House Conference; organizing statewide citizen support groups for libraries; supporting library and information services legislation and budget appropriations; and publishing an

annual report of progress. WHCLIST is liaison to the 1,000 WHC delegates and alternates and is the nucleus of the network of 100,000 people nationwide who participated in the WHC process.

Several Commissioners and NCLIS staff attended the Third Annual WHCLIST Meeting, held September 24-26, 1982, in Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting was attended by more than 100 persons from 37 states and trust territories. Among the actions taken to further implementation of resolutions from the White House Conference were: endorsement of the new national library logo, support of an ALA resolution to request UNESCO to declare an International Year of Libraries, and a decision to seek legislative support for a 1989 White House Conference on Library and Information Services.

WHCLIST Chairman Bill Asp reported on progress since the 1981 WHCLIST meeting: the group's organization has been strengthened, fully 25 percent of the WHCLIST members have

testified at various Congressional hearings, and there has been considerable activity on the state level, as documented in the Annual Report of the States. Since the previous meeting, 19 states increased aid to libraries, 21 states acted to heighten public awareness; and 14 states expanded library services. New WHCLIST leaders were elected: Laura Chodos, a community representative from New York State, as Chairman, and Donald Wright, a professional representative from Illinois, as Vice-Chairman. NCLIS Executive Director Toni Carbo Bearman reported on the Commission's activities for the preceding year, and awards were presented to State Representative Gail Orcutt of Connecticut, Fred Ruffner of Gale Research Company, and U.S. Representatives Paul Simon of Illinois and Peter Peyser of New York. Sessions and workshops were held on public awareness, legislation and funding, access, cooperation, and coalition building.

ADOPTION OF A NATIONAL LIBRARY SYMBOL

Resolution A-6 from the White House Conference on Library and Information Services suggested "adopting a library symbol for the nation" as a means of increasing public awareness of libraries. This resolution was implemented in FY 1982, when a special task force appointed by ALA President Betty Stone selected the attractive and effective symbol designed by the Western Maryland Public Libraries as the national symbol for libraries of all types. The symbol was launched at the 1982 ALA annual conference in Philadelphia and officially endorsed by the ALA Council at that Conference. A Library Symbol Implementation Group was appointed by incoming ALA President Carol Nemeyer to work with local, state and national associations, Friends of Libraries groups, and individual libraries to promote use of the symbol. NCLIS Research Associate Dorothy Gray chaired the task force that selected the symbol, and NCLIS Associate Director Mary Alice Hedge Reszetar serves on the implementation group.

NAIROBI PROTOCOL TO THE FLORENCE AGREEMENT

Another recommendation from the White House Conference concerned the Nairobi Protocol to the Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials. This addition to the existing agreement extends duty-free status to audio, visual and microform materials, whether educational or not, and to products for the blind and handicapped. The Commission advised Congress and the Secretary of Commerce that this resolution should