This course is designed to provide an overview of U.S. federal information policies and their impact on our society. Information has become the currency today for conducting business, providing service, collecting revenues, and distributing entitlements. The past 25 years has seen the federal government recognize this shift and enact and enforce legislation to insure that information and information resources are handled efficiently and effectively while protecting the interests of the private citizen and insuring the integrity and security of the data. Information policy has actually been a part of the national landscape since the U.S. Constitution, and through the 1970's has been addressed through various acts of Congress including the Federal Depository Library Act and the Records Act. We will be focusing on select information policies and guidance starting with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (first issued in 1980) and survey the policy framework through 2004. Main topics for our course include information management, information access, privacy of personal data, security of data and systems, and electronic government.
At the end of the semester the student will be able to:
• Be conversant on the major information policies in the U.S. federal government;
• Understand the social and ethical implications of information policies;
• Learn how to find and use a variety of sources for government information;
• Understand the relationships among information policy, management, and technology;
• Identify the major stakeholders in each policy arena;
• Acquire skills in policy analysis.
Hernon, P., Relyea, H.C., Dugan, R.E., and Cheverie, J.F. (2002). United States Government Information: Policies and Sources . Westport , CT : Libraries Unlimited.
This class is arranged for 14 three-hour class sessions held over a semester. The following information is abridged.
September 1 – Introduction to Information Policy
• U.S. Constitution , Articles 1-3, Amendments I, IV, X. This is available on Thomas .
• HRDC, Chapter 1 & 6
• GPO: Actions to Strengthen and Sustain GPO's Transformation (204). GAO-04-830
• What session of Congress is currently sitting?
• How do you interpret (109 Stat 163; 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520(1997 Supp.III)) ?
September 8 – More on the Information Policy Environment
• HRDC, Chapter 3; Chapter 4 pp. 72-82; Chapter 5 pp. 91-103
• Check out the Legislative Branch information on Thomas. Here is information on Congress, legislative agencies and commissions, and information resources. Can you find the voting record for your Congressional representatives?
• Go to Thomas . What information is available on Thomas? What policy created this web resource?
September 15 – Records Management and Libraries
• HRDC, Chapter 15
• Records Management: National Archives and Records Administration's Acquisition of Major System Faces Risks , GAO-03-880 , August 22, 2003
Electronic Records: Management and Preservation Pose Challenges , GAO-03-936T , July 8, 2003 . Read pp. 1-51 (most of these are PowerPoint outlines).
• Information Management: Electronic Dissemination of Government Publications, GAO-01-428 , March 30, 2001 . Read pp. 1-21 and Appendix IV.
• Federal Depository Library Program . Where is the nearest depository library to UMBC?
• Nara: About Us . Learn about the role of NARA and its basic laws and authorities. Can you find public laws at NARA ?
September 22 – Foundational Policies
• HRDC Chapter 8 (the sections on GPEA and Security will be discussed later in the semester).
• OMB Circular A-130 , Appendix IV.
• Paperwork Reduction Act - 1995 (P.L. 104-13)
• What is OMB's role in information policy guidance? Can you find out what OIRA does?
September 29 - Information Management
• Information and Technology Management: Responsibilities, Reporting Relationships, Tenure, and Challenges of Agency Chief Information Officers , GAO-04-957T , July 21, 2004
• Clinger Cohen Act of 1996 (40 U.S.C. 1401(3)) (Formerly the Information Technology Management Reform Act).
• Go to the CIO Council . Read their latest Strategic Plan . What are the Council's responsibilities? Who sits on the Council? How is it structured?
• Go to the OMB-OIRA web site and find an example of an agency paperwork “burden”
October 6 – Access RIghts
• HRDC, Chapter 7
• Access to Government Information in the United States . Congressional Research Service, January 23, 2003. . (available on our Blackboard site under “course documents.” )
• Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 USC §§ 153, 255. § 153)
• Freedom of Information Act of 1966 (5 USC § 552)
• Electronic Freedom of Information Act of 1966 (5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, As Amended by Public Law No. 104-231, 110 Stat. 2422)
• Telecommunications DIscounts for Schools and Libraries . Congressional Research Service, January 9, 2003. (available on our Blackboard site under “course documents.” )
• Go to a federal agency Reading Room – what can you find there?
October 13 – Issues in Intellectual Property and Copyright
• HRDC Chapter 121998 Amendment to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ( P. L. 105-304, 112 Stat. 2860)
• About Copyright – and the Copyright Act of 1976 ( P.L. 94-553, 90 Stat. 254) browse the information presented on this web site
• Find out the differences among patents, copyrights and trademarks
The Congress shall have Power ... To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries. (United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8)
October 20 – What Are Our Rights to Personal Privacy?
• HRDC, Chapter 9
• Privacy Act of 1974 ( 5 U.S.C. § 552a)
• Financial Modernization Act of 1999, also known as the “ Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ” (P.L. 106-102, Title V)
• The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996
• Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Amendments of 1990 and the Privacy Act o1 1974 , 56 FR 18599 (April 23, 1991)
• The Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56) CONs , PROs , and NEUTRAL
• What aspects of personally identifiable information privacy do we NOT have? What can we do about these? What is the federal government's policy on placing “cookies” on federal web sites?
October 27 – Issues Which Create Barriers to Privacy
• HHS's Efforts to Promote Health Information Technology and Legal Barriers to Its Adoption , GAO-04-991R , August 13, 2004
• Taxpayer Information Sharing , Highlights of a GAO Report
• Electronic Voting , highlights of a GAO Report
• Critical Infrastructure Protection (July, 2004). GAO-04-780)
• Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (Title XIII)
• Better Information Sharing Among Financial Services Regulators Could Improve Protections for Consumers , GAO-04-882R , June 29, 2004
• Information Management: Selected Agencies' Handling of Personal Information , GAO-02-1058 , September 30, 2002
• Are the above barriers insurmountable? What can be done to insure personal information privacy? What other barriers are their to privacy policy?
November 3 – Information Security Policy and Applications
• The Challenges of Security Management , Software Engineering Institute.
• Check out the CERT Coordination Center.
• What is a security violation? Why does it matter? What is “authentication?” What is OMB's role in security guidance?
November 10 – Information and Technology Policy for Secure Data
• Computer Security Act of 1 987 (P.L. 100-235)
• Federal Information Security Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35 SS 3541-3549)
• Special Report on FSMA . Government Computer News, August 32, 2004.
• Information Security: Continued Efforts Needed . (March 16, 2004) GAO-04-483T).
November 17 – The Policy Framework for E-Gov
• HRDC, Chapter 16
• The Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-277)
• Progress Report on Implementing GPEA . OMB: August 9, 2002.
• Electronic Government: Selected Agency Plans for Implementing the Government Paperwork Elimination Act , GAO-01-861T , June 21, 2001
• E-Government Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-347)
• Implementation Guidance for the E-Government Act of 2002 . OMB: M-03-18.
December 1 – Applications of Electronic Government
• A Primer on Electronic Government. Congressional Research Service. January 28, 2003 (available on our Blackboard site under “course documents.” )
• Implementing the President's Management Agenda for Electronic Government (April, 2003).
• Electronic Government: Initiatives Sponsored by the Office of Management and Budget Have Made Mixed Progress, GAO-04-561T , March 24, 2004
• A More Perfect Union – E-Government. CIO Magazine , March 1, 2003.
EVALUATION:
For more information about this course please contact Patricia Fletcher