vnunet.com Freedom of Information alert for librarians

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“Industry experts have renewed their warning that the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, which comes into force next January, will place major new pressures on information professionals.


“The issues are as much cultural as technical or legal,” said Guy Daines, principal policy officer at CILIP.

“The whole organisation needs to be aware of its responsibilities, otherwise it risks failing to comply with the Act.”

Experts agree that librarians need to reassess their view on the information they hold.

“The library stock is information,” said Martin Hughes, an FOI officer for the Scottish information commissioner, saying users will have rights of access to that data.”