Daniel C. Barkley

Changing Partnerships? Government Documents Departments at the Turn of the Millennium.

Abstract During the 1990s the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) has undergone a transition from collections comprised exclusively of tangible print on paper or fiche publications to a mix of print and electronic materials. This article examines the impact of this transition on depository library operations—both collections and services—at the turn of the millennium. The discussion of reference service on depository materials is considered within the context of G. K. Zipf’s law, that is, people will tend to seek the path of least effort in gathering information. Given this tendency, the extensive use of the Web to deliver electronic depository materials redirects depository library users away from depository shelves to Web workstations, and leads depository librarians to build Web pages to direct their patrons. The conclusion is that for depository libraries the new collection mix poses a management paradox—the FDLP receives thousands of tangible documents each year, yet it must maintain new services for patrons turning increasingly to Web-based resources.

Joint electronic library

Joint Electronic Library. Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Developed by OC Incorporated for J-7, Joint Staff Doctrine Division. CD-ROM, 1997 ( SuDoc Number: D 5.21: 997-2). Internet: http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/. Operating system required: 486/33 PC (Pentium PC recommended) MS Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.5, OS/2, 2.2 or later (running Windows compatibility mode) 8 MB of RAM (16 MB recommended) 5 MB of hard disk space VGA (SVGA, or higher resolution recommended)

Public service guidelines in an electronic environment

Abstract In todays electronic environment, government information librarians face new and difficult challenges, especially in the arena of quality public service provision. Given the lack of clear guidelines that Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) participants follow, and based upon suggested guidelines of a reference oriented literature, the author proposes a new set of guidelines that FDLP participants might wish to adopt.

Using Government Information Sources-Electronic and Print: Jean L. Sears and Marilyn K. Moody; 3 rd edition. Oryx Press. Westport, Conn, 2001.

Guide to U.S. Government Publications , one of the most well regarded research tools in government librarianship today. Like her father’s book, Internet Blue Pages provides a simple, organized approach to the United States government on the Internet. This book is painstakingly researched and compiled. The younger Andriot not only provides all the major agencies, but includes the various offices and sub-agencies that can be difficult to pin down. A comprehensive index points users to the appropriate section of the book. As with the first edition, Andriot follows the organization of the United States Government Manual, which breaks down the hierarchy of government in a systematic and consistent manner. The major drawback to this particular work is that, like all print directories of internet resources, this publication is out-of-date practically before it leaves the printer. Ms. Andriot provides a companion web site, “FedWeb” to keep the data up-to-date (http://www.fedweb.com). Unfortunately, when this reviewer tested the site over a period of two weeks, it was unstable on Mac, Windows ME, and Windows NT stations on both an academic T1 connection and home cable modem. The main page was a broken link, though subsequent pages were working on the days I tried to use them. When the main page finally did appear at the end of the second week, I discovered that the site was annoyingly designed to open all the pages in a frame inside the FedWeb home page, insuring that the URL displayed in the address bar was perpetually www.fedweb.com. The largest block of outdated links in the book is due to the change in administrations, but unfortunately the web site has not yet been updated to reflect these changes either. I wish Ms. Andriot and her publishers delayed publication of this book until after President Bush and his cabinet were sworn in. In its current state, In rnet Blue Pages i a snapshot of what was available during the Clinton Administration. Ever since the Whole Internet Catalogand the many “Internet Yellow Pages” projects that have come and gone over the last decade, this book, despite possessing a flawless simplicity in organization and design, has a very limited shelf life. The accompanying web site, if better designed and more vigorously updated, would make this a truly outstanding reference source for public, academic, and government documents collections.

125.00 550 pp. isbn 1-57356-288-2.

l OMB should issue a new bulletin that brings its responsibilities -and the GlLS into compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (P.L. 10413) and the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (I?L. 104-23 1); l The GILS Board should be reestablishedwith public participation on the Boardand should be directed to address usability and utility concerns; l OMB should identify to Congress and the public those agencies that are out of compliance with the law-including failure to update information regularly-and indicate what steps will be taken to bring them into compliance. (One recommendation to force agency compliance would be to tie compliance to agency budget submissions); and l OMB and the reestablished GILS Board should directly oversee and report publicly-and regularly-on the work that OMB has delegated to the CIO Council and the Government Information Technology Services Board: training agencies in GILS best practices; further developing the U.S. GILS guidelines, search standards and subject keywords; coordinating “one-stop” access to multi-agency government services; and coordinating with intergovernmental and other related initiatives.