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arl-ereserve: CONFU feedback

arl-ereserve: CONFU feedback

CONFU feedback

Jeff Rosedale (rosedale@columbia.edu)
Fri, 21 Feb 97 16:02:37 EST 

Date: Fri, 21 Feb 97 16:02:37 EST
From: Jeff Rosedale <rosedale@columbia.edu>
To: arl-ereserve@cni.org
Subject: CONFU feedback
Message-Id: <CMM.0.90.4.856558957.rosedale@ciao.cc.columbia.edu>


I am considering writing something to express my dismay at a lack of
any direction from CONFU on fair use and electronic reserves.  It
occurs to me that if the government and/or publishers know how many of
us there are, they might be more disposed towards serving our needs
(though it's probably up to *us* to define, fight for and preserve fair
use rights).

     Take or leave as you see fit...

                        --Jeff
                rosedale@columbia.edu

/* Written  2:08 pm  Feb 21, 1997 by magier@columbia.edu in jambo:cul */
/* ---------- "NCC Washington Update, Feb 20, 1997" ---------- */

NCC Washington Update, vol. 3, # 7,  February 20, 1997
   by Page Putnam Miller, Director of the National Coordinating
      Committee for the Promotion of History <pagem@capaccess.org>

1.  NHPRC Commissioners Vote Unanimously
          To Reconsider Strategic Plan
2.  The Conference on Fair Use Releases Its Interim Report
          And Requests Endorsements and/or Comments

1.  NHPRC Commissioners Vote Unanimously to Reconsider Strategic Plan --
At its February 20 meeting, the National Historical Publications and
Records Commission (NHRPC) voted unanimously to reconsider the strategic
plan that it had adopted at its November meeting. The November plan,
adopted, by a divided vote, was originally to go into affect in 1999 and
was to serve as the framework for guiding the Commission in its allocation
of grants.  The November plan has only four categories of grant making,
two in the top priority and two in the second priority.  The two
categories in the top priority level are grants for states and grants for
research and development projects, particularly those dealing with
preservation of and access to electronic records. The second priority
categories are for documentary editions (all existing and future projects)
and grants for preserving and making available document collections.

In January the American Historical Association and the Organization of
American Historians passed resolutions requesting reconsideration of the
plan.  Additionally there was some critical press coverage of the plan and
numerous letters from diverse constituents to the Executive Director of
NHPRC questioning aspects of the plan.  The various expressions of concern
stressed that the November strategic plan placed no historical documentary
editions projects or nationally significant records projects in its first
level of funding priorities, despite the fact that these had been central
to the mandate of NHPRC.

Lewis Bellardo, presiding as the designated replacement for Archivist John
Carlin, called early in the meeting for a report from the Executive
Committee, composed of 5 commission members.  William Slany on behalf of
the Executive Committee, which had met the previous day, presented a
resolution calling for the reconsideration of the November strategic plan.
A very congenial discussion preceded the vote in which the Commission
agreed to review at its June 19 meeting the November strategic plan and to
delay the implementation of the November plan in the meantime.

The Commission also put in place a process for providing an opportunity
for constituent groups and interested people to comment on the plan.  The
resolution instructed the NHPRC staff to prepare a packet for distribution
to interested organizations that will include background material and a
series of questions that address the present and future status of NHPRC's
mandate and role. The resolution calls for responses to the questions by
May 1 and authorizes the Executive Committee to meet in May to review the
responses and forward them to the Commission with such further
recommendations as may be desirable for reviewing the plan.

2.  The Conference on Fair Use Releases Its Interim Report And Requests
Endorsements and/or Comments -- The Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) has
released an Interim Report, which contains the draft proposals for fair
use guidelines in the areas of digital images, distance learning, and
educational multimedia.  Organizations in both the copyright owner and
user communities are encouraged to study this report and provide CONFU
with letters or statements, commenting on or endorsing the various
guidelines.  When CONFU meets on May 19 for its final meeting, it will
consider adopting the proposed guidelines and will be taking into
consideration the responses to the Interim Report.  CONFU must receive
communications no later than May 9 to be considered at the May 19 meeting.
Send letters to the CONFU facilitator:  Peter N. Fowler, Attorney-
Advisor, Office of Legislative and International Affairs, U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office, Box 4, Washington, DC 20231, FAX (703) 305-8885 or
e-mail:  confu@uspto.gov

To receive a free single copy of the report, send or fax a written request
to:  CONFU Interim Report, c/o Richard Maulsby, Director, Office of Public
Affairs, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC 20231 FAX:
(703) 308-5258.  The Interim Report is also available on the US Patent
and Trademark Office website at <http://www.uspto.gov>
/* End of text from jambo:cul */

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