EPA Libraries Coming Back: Following an Outcry over Closings, the Federal Agency Will Reopen All Shuttered Facilities, Staff Them with Info Pros, and Make Them Available to the Public

All Environmental Protection Agency libraries that were closed in budget-cutting actions will reopen by the end of September, the agency says in a report to Congress.

Regional libraries in Chicago, Dallas, and Kansas City, plus the headquarters repository and chemical library in Washington, D.C., will reopen for walk-in or appointment use at least four days a week--with professional librarians at each site, the agency pledges.

EPA officials discussed the report in a conference call with SLA and other interested organizations the day after it was released.

"I am thrilled to learn of the EPA's plans to reestablish the collections, as well as appropriate library staff, at the closed libraries before the end of the year," said SLA CEO Janice Lachance. "This kind of thinking and planning is exactly what we expected would come from extensive efforts by SLA staff and members to bring about a turnaround on this issue, and I think that EPA is currently moving in the right direction."

The report lays out the general approach EPA plans to take for each library location to reopen, and establishes operational standards applicable to all libraries in the EPA network. Specific site …

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Publication information: Article title: EPA Libraries Coming Back: Following an Outcry over Closings, the Federal Agency Will Reopen All Shuttered Facilities, Staff Them with Info Pros, and Make Them Available to the Public. Contributors: Not available. Magazine title: Information Outlook. Volume: 12. Issue: 5 Publication date: May 2008. Page number: 14+. © 2009 Special Libraries Association. COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale Group.

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