Thursday, April 29, 2004
President Janis L. Johnston Testifies Before House Committee
AALL president Janis L. Johnston testified in Washington, D.C., before the House Committee on Administration's oversight hearing on the Government Printing Office on April 28, 2004.
Speaking on behalf of AALL, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the Medical Library Association and the Special Libraries Association, Janis asked members of Congress to reaffirm the core principle that the American public has the right to no-fee access to government information.
Her testimony, drafted by Mary Alice Baish, reiterated the library community's belief that the Federal Depository Library Program and depository libraries will continue to be crucial access and service points for the public in the 21st Century. She noted that it is the responsibility of the federal government to ensure the authenticity, permanent public access to and preservation of electronic government information. Until the government solves these challenges of the digital environment, certain materials should continue to be made available to federal depository libraries in a tangible format. You'll find Janis' statement here.
The AALL Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers: Customer Satisfaction
This is the sixth in a series of 10 e-mails explaining and discussing the AALL Guide to Fair Business Practices for Legal Publishers
The Guide was designed with the purpose of fostering good business practices on the part of publishers by encouraging five basic principles.
The fourth of these, customer satisfaction, states that Publishers should seek to ensure customer satisfaction by honoring representations, answering questions and resolving complaints and disputes in a timely and responsive manner.
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Publishers should work collaboratively with customers to resolve problems and improve products and service.
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Publishers should provide customers with ready and convenient access to information through a variety of channels, and technical support should be provided on a schedule that meets the needs of the majority of the customer base.
- Publishers should ensure that employees responsible for customer service duties are adequately prepared, including a complete understanding of the basic products and services, and should have access to information regarding customer accounts.
- Publishers should respond to all inquiries in a manner that is timely for the communication medium used by the customer.
- Publishers should ensure that their promises to resolve problems are fulfilled in a timely manner.
For more information about Principle 4, read your paper copy or the online version of the Guide.
In our next e-mail we will discuss Principle 5: Product Quality.
The AALL Fair Business Implementation Task Force
Kay Todd, chair
Michael Beaird
Kamla Hedges
Judy Lauer
Linda McLane
James Mumm
IMLS Institutes New Deadline Dates for Fiscal Year 2005
For Fiscal Year 2005, several of the application deadlines for Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant programs will change. IMLS hopes that by providing advance notice of the new deadlines that applicants will be able to plan accordingly.
A list of the updated deadlines can be found here. More information about IMLS 2005 Grants and Awards Program is available online.
Have You Received Your Dues Invoice?
By now, all members should have received their dues invoices. If you have not, please contact AALL Membership Coordinator Steven Oberhoffer , and he'll get one right out to you!
Please Welcome our Newest Staff Member
I am very pleased to announce that Gina Bordelon recently joined our staff as AALL's newest membership services assistant. Gina is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa, majoring in communications. Since her graduation she worked as office coordinator at Hull House in the Children's Advocacy Center (devoted to healing the emotional harm inflicted upon children subjected to sexual abuse). She also served as a production intern on the Jenny Jones Show - I'm sure she has a story or two to tell from that experience!
She tells us, Since I attended the University of Iowa, I will always be one of the biggest Hawkeye football fans around! She's also a big White Sox fan.
She couldn't arrive at a better time, as we ramp up to the Annual Meeting, and we couldn't have a better person for the position. You can reach her at gbordelon@aall.org.
Sincerely,
Susan E. Fox, CAE
Executive Director