The Library of Congress Network Advisory Committee

This paper was commissioned in part to provide an institutional memory for the Network Advisory Committee, not only for its new members but for the entire library and information service community. The deliberations of this committee, which has been the catalyst for a number of significant efforts in networking, are presented in this detailed report. Introductory materials provide background information on the establishment of the committee. The first year (1976) and developments during the second phase (1977 to 1980) are then described. Finally, a more detailed report on the third phase (1981-present) is presented in the following subsections: Ownership and Distribution of Bibliographic Data; Nationwide Network Governance; Resource Sharing; Public/Private Sector Interactions; Telecommunications; Information Economy; Developments in Networking since the 1960s; and Special Libraries in Networks and Cooperatives. A retrospective review concludes the report. A chronology is included as Appendix A; a selective bibliography of items published by or for the Network Advisory Committee as Appendix B; and a list of Network Advisory Committee Members as Appendix C. (THC)