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Access To and Services for Federal Information in the
Networked Environment
Overview
Overview Section
Federal information is often a critical piece of the research, as well as the
teaching and learning, process. It can provide the foundation for scholarly
research and/or provide the springboard for this type of work - from NSF
guidelines for obtaining grants, to U.S. census data, to inventories of
hazardous chemicals, to pending regulations, scientific databases, health care
information, to diplomatic post records. Figure 1 gives examples, by
discipline, of some commonly used resources.
FIGURE 1
History - Foreign Relations of the U.S. (FRUS); Weekly Compilation of
Presidential Documents; Congressional testimony and reports
Demography/Public Policy - Census data; data from the Current Population
Survey; Vital Statistics of the U.S.; Geographic Information Systems (GIS);
Federal Register; Code of Federal Regulations
Political Science - FRUS; Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS);
Congressional Record; Statutes at Large; U.S. Code; Congressional testimony
and bills
Business/Economics - BLS statistics; Budget of the U.S.; National Trade Data
Bank (NTDB); SEC data; Treasury statistics
Environmental sciences - Toxic Release Inventory (TRI); superfund information;
EPA environmental impact statements; wetlands survey
These and more provide the primary source material that researchers and
students have depended upon for decades. The ability to identify, locate, and
access this information enhances research productivity and student learning.
The way government information dissemination programs have operated until now
has been in a structured and organized environment. The Government Printing
Office (GPO) has traditionally been the required, primary printer for most
agency publications. The agencies pay for the cost of printing out of their
budgets, and increasingly resist this requirement to use GPO because they
believe that they can get their publications printed faster and cheaper using
in-house printing technologies or by contracting out their printing. GPO,
however, is not the sole disseminator of government information. The National
Technical Information Service (NTIS) as well as some agencies such as EPA and
NASA operate well established dissemination programs. Federal information has
been issued in multiple formats for a number of years. First microfiche was
introduced and, increasingly, materials have been distributed in electronic
formats.
Users of federal information have traditionally accessed these materials in a
variety of ways. Much federal information has been available either for free
or for minimal cost through intermediaries such as libraries, directly from the
agencies themselves, or from clearinghouses. Given that government information
is a public asset and the cornerstone of a democratic society and informed
citizenry, users have been guaranteed access through the provisions of Title 44
of the U.S. Code which describes the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP),
operated by GPO, that was established through this legislation in the late
nineteenth century. Publications not printed by GPO generally do not make it
into the FDLP and must be accessed in some other way.
However at the close of the twentieth century, with the increasing use and
availability of networked information technologies, there has been a
significant change in how federal agencies disseminate government information.
This change is resulting in new dissemination mechanisms, as well as new and
changing user needs and expectations. As a result, the responsibilities and
capacities of institutions that facilitate the flow of federal information to
academic and citizen communities need to be rethought in this shifting
environment.
Changing Technology
New patterns of federal information dissemination have emerged in recent years
based on the decentralization of formerly centralized information. This has
been made possible through advances in telecommunications coupled with
automated information technologies. Agencies can now reproduce and distribute
their electronic information, in a wide range of formats, cheaply, effectively,
and without working through a centralized source such as GPO. As more agencies
are moving into the electronic environment, the Internet provides them with a
low cost, timely dissemination mechanism to distribute their information to a
broadly based user community. Opportunities, as well as user expectations,
have increased for individuals as well as for intermediaries to both access and
retrieve vast quantities of information directly from the government. It is
possible for a user to directly access a federal government file server and
download the information without going through an intermediary. In short, vast
quantities of information is directly available to a wider user community and
this information is presented in more sophisticated ways.
These emerging technologies are part of the nation's evolving
telecommunications and information infrastructure known as the National
Information Infrastructure (NII). New systems such as these are beginning to
penetrate into the social and organizational center of American society.
Networking technologies can increase returns on research and education because
they permit convenient analysis and interpretation of information. The NII has
the potential to remove barriers leading to creativity and to the advancement
of research and education. In addition, there are comparable developments
simultaneously occurring at the state, local, and international levels.
Policy Changes
Another factor in this shifting environment is the pressure to reinvent
government. In other words, to downsize and to rethink the means of
disseminating government information. Electronic distribution of the same
government information that was once distributed in print and microfiche could
dramatically reduce agency printing costs, while still fulfilling statutory
obligations of citizen access to public information. Many of the policies
already in place that provide the structure and framework for the flow of
government information are now up for discussion. Policy has a difficult time
keeping up with the rapid changes in technology. Technological advances and
the resulting societal changes all but guarantee that, for the foreseeable
future, policy will be dynamic.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 and its reauthorization in 1995, together
with OMB Circular A-130, provide a policy framework for the management of
government information resources. This legislation, implemented through
A-130, directs agencies to employ information technologies in support of their
missions (Beachboard and McClure, 1996). In short, the red-tape and costs of
federal information will be minimized, while the utility of government
information will be maximized (Plocher, 1996). The Circular expressly urges
agencies to take advantage of electronic means to disseminate its information.
While agencies are encouraged to develop electronic information products and
services, they are not required to include these resources in established
dissemination programs such as the FDLP, the safety net for ensured citizen
access to public information.
Opportunities and Challenges
Electronic formats can facilitate the potential utility of government
information by making this information more visible to the public at large.
Many agencies have already put up home pages on the Web introducing visitors to
their various missions and services. The White House home page, for example,
is one of the most often visited sites on the Internet. Yet studies have
repeatedly shown how uninformed the public is about the most basic tenets of
its own government. A recent survey (Washington Post/Kaiser Family
Foundation/Harvard University study) pointed out that only 40% of those
questioned could accurately name the Vice President of the United States and an
even smaller percentage could name their Senator and member of Congress.
Although the Net is not a panacea to cure all ignorance, it does encourage
active learning by stimulating curiosity and creativity. Users can experience
learning in an enjoyable, engaging environment which can break down barriers
that, in turn, can lead to further study and other intellectual pursuits.
The Net is an enabling technology and has the potential to provide seamless
access to information for the scholar and student. The network offers people
broader access to information, especially to those with no nearby library. It
also offers the prospect for the development of new types of services, e.g.
interactive customer-oriented services linked to publications. By embracing
these technological changes, institutions that provide access and services can
have an impact on the network's future by adding value to this information.
Yet these fundamental technological and societal changes are expanding rapidly
and this sometimes clouds our ability to see clearly what is changing and what
is remaining the same. Technology allows government information to be dynamic
as users are more easily able to augment the data and add ideas to their own
research, but they still need to be able to identify and locate this
information. The infrastructure and delivery of services is shifting and this
poses new dilemmas, questions, and opportunities for all of us. Our ability to
provide our users with the access and services that they are accustomed to will
depend on how we answer such questions as 1) How will users get access?; 2) How
will institutions continue to carry out their missions as preservers and
servicers of information in pursuit of intellectual productivity?
We are all touching a part of the elephant without seeing the whole beast and
if we are not careful in the decisions we make and the strategies that we
develop, that same elephant must just step on us.
Focus of This Paper
Our vision is:
- Wide access
- Convenient access
- Timely access
- Long term access
- Ability to customize and otherwise repackage information
In order to inform institutions of the challenges and opportunities for
reaching this vision, this paper will examine the following areas:
- Networked Information Discovery and Retrieval
- Service Questions
- Collections
- Preservation
- Management Questions
We will make recommendations for further study and develop scenarios that will
assist institutions in devising strategies to meet the opportunities and
challenges of delivering and servicing federal information in the networked
environment.
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