National Archives Hosts Forum on Communications, Technology, and Government
Press Release · Thursday, October 29, 2009

Washington, DC

Discussion on Web 2.0 Technologies and Participatory Democracy

On Thursday, November 5, at 7 p.m., the National Archives will host the fifth annual William G. McGowan Forum on Communications, Technology, and Government. The program is free and open to the public. It will take place in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, located on the National Mall at Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station.

President Obama has called for transparency and collaboration. But can “Government 2.0” technologies build a new kind of participatory democracy? A panel, moderated by Darrell M. West, vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, will discuss how collaborative democracy can be designed. Panelists include Beth Simone Noveck, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Mark H. Webbink, visiting professor of law, New York Law School, and executive director, Center for Patent Innovations; Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder, Public Knowledge; and Jason R. Baron, director of litigation, National Archives.

“Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to fundamentally change the way we interact with our government,” said Diana Spencer, Executive Director of the William G. McGowan Fund, Inc. “With the proliferation of these technologies in our daily lives, this topic is particularly timely. The William G. McGowan Charitable Fund is delighted to partner with the National Archives in bringing this relevant and substantive dialogue to the public."

The National Archives is fully accessible. To request an accommodation (e.g., sign language interpreter) please e-mail public.program@nara.gov or call 202-357-5000.