No 4, 1996
 No 3, 1996

Quarterly Newsletter
Vol. 7, No. 4, 1998
ISSN 1389-1804

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GreyNet, a New Branch of MCB University Press
FID Presidential Roundtable
GL'99 Conference Goals and Objectives
GL'99 Sponsors and Program Committee
Special GreyNet Subscription Offer

Annual Subscription: 20 Euros / 20 USDollars

Editorial Address

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GreyNet, a New Branch of MCB University Press

Final agreement has been reached by MCB and GreyNet for the merger and integration of their activities. GreyNet will proceed with its operations in Amsterdam (NL) as a Branch of MCB University Press with headquarters in Bradford (UK). The merger was effective as of October 30, 1998.

GreyNet brings a new, yet highly compatible dimension to MCB's approach to the publication and dissemination of knowledge. Dr. Dominic J. Farace, founder of GreyNet, will continue to head operations in Amsterdam with the technical and administrative assistance of Jerry Frantzen.

This merger secures the Fourth International Conference on Grey Literature (GL'99), which is scheduled for October 4-5, 1999 in Washington D.C., USA. Furthermore, GreyNet will be able to maintain its network of contacts worldwide with (corporate) authors and research institutes built-up since its establishment in 1992.

With GreyNet as facilitator and MCB as (electronic) publishing body, new information resources will be made available both in print and electronic formats. The launch of an International Journal on Grey Literature is but one example. It is believed that such endeavors will be widely applauded by the producers and users of grey literature. Not to mention libraries and information centers, that would readily tap such new and innovative resources.

From the Editor, December 1998

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Excerpts from the FID Presidential Roundtable

Although we are still trying to understand the full implications of the innovations, challenges, and impact associated with the new information society, it is interesting to note that as the year 2000 approaches, our vocabulary already has begun to change.

In many of our communities, the Knowledge-based Society concept is now of primary concern to our policy makers, and a significant level of resources is being allocated to ensure that an appropriate infrastructure exists to support this new Knowledge-based society rather than what we have become comfortable in calling the new information society. And while this new concept may drive our agenda for the coming millennium, there are several critical issues that have not been satisfactorily addressed, relating to the technological, the social, economic, and cultural components of what we refer to as the new information society. Even more importantly, I believe, insufficient attention has been directed to examining the relevance or impact of these components of this new information society on the citizenry.

"It is my wish, over the next several months, to enter into a comprehensive dialogue, in the form of the FID Presidential Roundtable to discuss some of these outstanding issues."

For it is my strong opinion that we, as information professionals, cannot enter the new millennium without bringing closure to what many regard as obstacles to the present era of this information society.

Information and Communication Technologies

On one hand, there has been much progress in the areas of research and development of new information and communication technologies, and a global shift has been seen in the utilization of these new technologies. While on the other, the development of the creation of a new category of information haves and have nots' is much more difficult to address. It has, in fact, forced the formulation (or consideration of formulation) of public policies to ensure universality and equity of information to citizens within national boundaries. So, although information and communication technologies are still being developed and applied to the problems of our new information society, the obstacles do not rest here. There is no fear that technologies can not be developed to facilitate the movement of information for ease of access, and therefore for me, this is not a serious obstacle that has to be overcome for it is then no longer an issue of innovation and development of new technologies. The obstacle has become one of changing the mind-set of national decision-makers and the creation of country-specific Public Policy .

I believe that for the community of information professionals and specialists in information resource management, this issue of public policy poses one of the major challenges. For it is this community that must pose and attempt to answer the question: What are the critical issues that must be addressed to ensure equity of access to information by all regardless of geographical locations? One of the exciting aspects of addressing this question is that those engaged in this dialogue are no longer identified by national boundary considerations. As I stated earlier, with respect to information, its dissemination and its use, geopolitical boundaries are becoming invisible. In this respect a level playing field has been created, for there is today in every country a significant group of information rich and information poor. Although the gap is ever present, and some say it is widening, the stakeholders around the discussion table are working in concert to solve the common problem of universal access, rather than discussing this issue from a position of power on one side and weakness on the other.

Human Resource Development

Human resource development also includes the information specialist who serves as the intermediary between the information source and the individual user, or group of users. The challenges, in this area are major. For it is the information specialist who must be skilled in ensuring universal access of information, regardless of the source, thus permitting the user to make the necessary choices to secure a desired quality of life. Achieving this goal is extremely difficult, for at the same time there must be protection of the rights of those who create the information; and where required, there must be protection of the privacy of both the creators and users of information. It is evident, therefore, that understanding the application of technologies in the manipulation and transfer of information is over-shadowed by issues of equity of access, fair use, ownership and privacy protection. Having highlighted human resource development as a critical challenge to the realization of the new information society, a question still remains as to how to harness the new technological developments to ensure that all individuals, within our respective societies, have the information tools they require to make their own quality of life choices.

The Impact of Information

The final issue that poses the greatest obstacle to achieving the goals of a new information society is, what I have referred to in some of my earlier papers, trying to answer the So what?' question. Having invested massive human and financial resources into the processes of information management, design, manipulation, dissemination, and utilization, very little attention has been paid to the impact that all of this has had on improving the decision-making capabilities of the ultimate user. Personally, I find this quite bizarre because of the bottom-line implications for increased financial resource allocations to the information services sector.

Clearly, before entering the new century and trying to understand the meaning and implications of a Knowledge-based Society, there must be a clear understanding of what has this present new information society achieved. There are those who are active researchers in the field of information science who are asking difficult questions such as: What difference has the availability of accurate and timely information made to the quality of life of our citizens; how has the availability of accurate and timely information made a difference to the decision-making process of our policy makers; and is it possible to go beyond anecdotal data to measure the impact of information and its abundant availability on our societies' development ?

The critical issue is that it is essential to understand and to document, in universally accepted measures, the impact of information and communication technologies on our global society. We must also understand fully the impact of policy decisions taken to meet the challenges of this new information society. And finally, we must understand how the availability of this information, more abundant and at speed of access far beyond the comprehension of most, will move forward the development of society. All of this must be understood before we can proceed with clarity of purpose into 21st century, the knowledge-based era.

In my comments this afternoon, I have at-tempted to highlight some of the major issues, often viewed as obstacles, that I believe we, as information professionals, face in contributing to the realization of the new information society. In choosing these issues over others, I have exposed my biases. The articulation of these will be reflected in the direction of FID's program over the next two years. However, in order to ensure the relevancy of our program, it is essential that I hear from you. What do you see as the most important issues that must be addressed, in full or in part, before we enter the new millennium?

Martha B. Stone, FID President
fid@python.konbib.nl

Excerpts from the FID Presidential Roundtable
held on 30 November 1998 in The Royal Library, The Hague.

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GL'99 Conference Goals and Objectives

The theme 'New Frontiers' captures the real spirit of The Fourth International Conference on Grey Literature, whose goals and objectives are reflected in the topics comprising the main sessions. At the Third International Conference in this series, not only was the definition of grey literature redefined but also the direction research should take in the 21st Century.

Grey Literature "That which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers" moves the field of grey literature beyond established borders into new frontiers, where lines of demarcation between conventional/non-conventional and published/ unpublished literature cease to obstruct further development and expansion. At the same time, this new definition challenges commercial publishers to rethink their position on grey literature.

The First Session at GL'99 confronts these and other issues. The papers will demonstrate the value of grey literature for researchers, policy makers, and information professionals in diverse disciplines and sectors of the global information community. The Second Session will confront the challenges facing librarians and information technicians in archiving electronic grey literature for subsequent full-text retrieval and document delivery.

The Final Session will address issues of authorship, copyright, and ownership of grey literature. Matters that affect the very processes of knowledge generation and information dissemination. Your intellectual contribution, either by way of a conference paper or as a conference participant pursuing discussion and debate are both solicited and welcome by the GL'99 Sponsors and Program Committee Organizations.

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GL'99 Conference Sponsors and Program Committee Organizations

Sponsors:
BIOSIS	Publisher of Biological Abstracts and Zoological Record
JST	Japan Science and Technology Corporation
MCB	University Press New Age Electronic Publisher in Management and Engineering
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NLE	National Library of Education, U.S. Department of Education

Program Committee Organizations:
BIOSIS	Publisher of Biological Abstracts and Zoological Record
EAGLE	European Association for Grey Literature Exploitation
FID	International Federation for Information and Documentation
GreyNet	Grey Literature Network Service
IFLA	International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
JST	Japan Science and Technology Corporation
MCB	University Press New Age Electronic Publisher in Management and Engineering
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NLE	National Library of Education, U.S. Department of Education

Program and Conference Bureau:
GreyNet, Grey Literature Network Service
Koninginneweg 201, 1075 CR Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Email: greynet@greynet.org
Tel/Fax: 31-20-671.1818

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Special GreyNet Subscription Offer

* Special Subscription Offer 1999 * For every new or renewed subscription for 1999, the GreyNet Subscriber will receive "free of charge" the publication of choice.

Indicate your choice of FREE publication and Complete the Form:

Annotated Bibliography on the Topic of Grey Literature (3rd Ed.) ISBN 90-74854-20-6 International Guide to Persons & Organisations in Grey Literature (4th Ed.*) ISBN 90-74854-23-0 *January 1999

About GreyNet

The Grey Literature Network Service is established in order to promote and support the work of authors, researchers, and intermediaries on the topic of Grey Literature. This is achieved through the enhancement of international co-operation, through training and conference organization, through the publication of research findings, as well as the establishment of a worldwide information referral base. In this capacity, GreyNet actively compiles bibliographic, documentary, and factual information on persons, organizations, and their respective products and services in the area of Grey Literature.

What are the Benefits for Members:

• A flat 15% reduction on all conferences and seminars organized by GreyNet.
• A flat 15% reduction on all information products published by GreyNet.
• A flat 15% reduction on all printed advertisements and inserts, as well as electronic postings on GreyNet's Website.
• A full subscription to NewsBriefNews a quarterly newsletter published and edited by GreyNet. Delivery in both printed and electronic mail formats.
• Unlimited login and information retrieval in GreyNet's Website.
• Guarantee that all of GreyNet's products and services in development and planning will be offered at set reduction rates.
• Pre-payment waiver on product deliveries.

Check one of the Boxes below for your Type of Subscription: Individual Subscription: 125 NLG per calender year Registered under the person's name entered below. Group Subscription: 300 NLG per calender year Registered under the Organization's name entered below. Indicate your Special Area of Interest in Grey Literature: Curriculum Development Electronic Archiving and Dissemination Copyright and Property Rights Technology Transfer and Innovation Marketing and Publishing Other:

Title (Mr. Mrs., Ms., Dr.): Name (Last, First, Initials): Organization: Address/P.O. Box: Postal Code/City/Country: Tel: Fax: Email: URL: Check one of the Boxes for the Method of Payment: Bank check/draft enclosed and payable to GreyNet. With Reference to GreyNet Subscription 1999 and Subscriber's name. Bank Account - Please Remit to GreyNet ABN-AMRO Bank No. 52.93.61.841 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With Reference to GreyNet Subscription 1999 and Subscriber's name. Credit Cards: MasterCard/EuroCard VisaCard/JCB Card American Express  Diners Club Credit Card Card Number: Expiration Date: If the name on the credit card is not that of the subscriber, print the name that appears on the card, here Signature: Date:

Return Address:
GreyNet, Grey Literature Network Service,
MCB University Press, 60-62 Toller Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK, BD8 9BY
Tel: 44 (0) 1274 777700 Fax: 44 (0) 1274 785200 Email:greynet@greynet.org

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