ABSTRACT
Much has been written and spoken about the public's right to know. All the freedom of information laws that have been promulgated require governments to release previously withheld information upon request if justified and under appropriate limiting circumstances. But there is another right—the right to be informed. And this is made manifest by government policy toward the volume of public documents that are issued by or for the federal establishment, state and local entities, international bodies, etc. Thus while the library community has always supported liberal open records legislation, its major interest properly lies in the broader arena of the production and dissemination of government publications for the benefit of the using public. For although my colleagues in documents librarianship are as disputatious as any other group, they are virtually unanimous in believing that democratic processes languish when government information is not made promptly and readily accessible. 1
