The growing need for an understanding of the information industries in the United States led to the Program on Information Technologies and Public Policy. The public has a vital interest in the rapid and fundamental changes occurring in how information systems perform, who controls information flow, and on what terms what information is made available to users to meet their needs for the knowledge and understanding required to participate fully in our society. The program's aim is to develop an understanding of information systems and information technologies and to use that understanding to illuminate public discussions of information policy and the information industries. The scope of the program includes services that private firms or government now perform; interaction among these services; and social and technological changes taking place and the basic questions they raise. Broad program strategies are also discussed. (SK)