[Sigifp-l] ASIS & T Information Policy SIG listserv

[TAMaxwell at aol.com]

Colleagues:

Let me first introduce myself.  I'm Terry Maxwell, and I'm a new moderator 
for the ASIS&T's Policy listserv.  My background includes 20 years in 
government at the local and state level, where I had several 
information-related roles.  My most recent government policy position was as 
the Executive Director of the NYS Forum for IRM, where we helped NYS develop 
and implement information policies.  I also have information policy 
consulting experience at the Federal and international governmental levels.  
Currently, I'm an Assistant Professor at the U of Albany's School of 
Information Science and Policy, with a cross-appointment at the Rockefeller 
College Public Administration school.  My research interests are in all 
aspects of government information policy.

If you're willing, I'd like all of you to share, via the listserv, your areas 
of interest and expertise in the information policy arena.  My reason for 
this is twofold.  First, it will give us a good sense of what our potential 
network looks like and where its strengths lie.  Second, it will help me 
focus information dissemination to the group.  I hope to be gathering and 
culling information policy developments from a variety of sites, and want to 
make sure the stuff I send out is of interest to the group.

The areas I'm most interested in relate to a series of tensions in US 
information policy, including: 1) the desire for freedom of speech and the 
press vs. the desire to control information flow; 2) intellectual property 
rights vs. the desire for a rich and healthy public domain; 3) Freedom of 
Information laws vs. the need for operational security among government 
agencies; 4) the desire for information privacy vs. both security needs and 
the desire for efficient information flow in the public and private sectors; 
and 5) efforts to close the Digital Divide vs. opinions that the development 
of information technology should be market-driven.

I'd really love to hear from you all about your interests and concerns in 
this area.  I hope these first steps will provide us with impetus toward 
making the listserv a lively and useful space for the sharing of information 
and opinions.

Thanks,

Terry Maxwell