Contact:
Cara Schatz
+1.703.647.4917
cara@sla.org
SLA Applauds the Opening of Shuttered EPA Libraries
Following Public Outcry and Congressional Orders, EPA Headquarters, Chicago, Dallas and Kansas City Regional Libraries Open to the Public and Agency Employees
Alexandria, Virginia, September 30, 2008--Special Libraries Association (SLA), the first library association to denounce the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional library closures, today applauds the agency for its efforts to restore service and collections in its regional libraries. Under congressional orders, and following an outcry by the scientific and library community, EPA will again provide access to library services for agency employees and the public in 15 states and its own headquarters in Washington, DC, starting today.
"We are thrilled that after two years of diligent work by SLA and its members to educate EPA officials and members of U.S. Congress on the importance of access to information, EPA is re-opening its libraries and restoring a much needed service for the public, business community and government scientists, " stated SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance. "SLA, with assistance from our vocal members around the world and other allied library associations, remained vigilant in pushing the EPA to reexamine a short-sighted move that placed public health at risk. We are pleased with the direction EPA is now taking with its information network."
In its September 24, 2008 Federal Register notice, EPA states that these re-opened libraries "will be staffed by a professional librarian to provide service to the public and EPA staff via phone, e-mail, or in person...for a minimum of 24 hours over four days per week on a walk-in basis or by appointment."
"We are most pleased with the EPA's commitment to staffing the libraries appropriately with trained information professionals and librarians," said Lachance. "EPA scientists and researchers, other Federal agencies, state and local governments, industry and the academic community are just some of those who rely on the information in EPA's libraries to make decisions that affect everybody's health. Simply digitizing materials and putting them online would not have met the needs of the community. The opening and staffing of these libraries is a happy new beginning to what started as a tragic story over two years ago, when we learned that the Bush Administration planned to cut funding for EPA's network of 27 libraries and information centers."
EPA will re-open its regional libraries in Chicago (serving the Great Lakes region), Dallas (Mid-Southern region) and Kansas City (Mid-Western region) after more than two years. In addition, one library in EPA Headquarters will re-open and include a small portion of holdings from what had been a free-standing chemical library, for research on the properties and effects of new chemicals, as a "special Chemical Collection".
EPA announced plans in February 2006 to close libraries and began to eliminate services and collections at regional facilities shortly thereafter. These actions continued until Congress intervened and directed the agency to reverse course in December 2007. In response to this order and criticism from SLA and allied organizations, EPA has undertaken an elaborate "National Dialogue on Access to Environmental Information" to develop a new Library Strategic Plan in December 2008, just before the Bush administration leaves office.
About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.
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