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Internet Sources of Government Information, 2nd Edition
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Date: Sat, 26 Feb 94 12:17:26 EST
From: Blake Gumprecht
Internet Sources of Government Information
2nd Edition February 26, 1994
By Blake Gumprecht Documents Librarian, Temple University
Internet users can now access hundreds of sources of current government information from around the world -- Census data, Supreme Court decisions, world health statistics, company financial reports, weather forecasts, United Nations information, daily White House press briefings and much more. The Internet has become a rich resource for government information, in part because works produced by many government agencies are not eligible for copyright protection.
So, while government agencies have been criticized for not making more information available online, enterprising individuals and organizations have themselves made a wealth of sources available via the network. A growing number of government agencies too are beginning to establish systems that can be accessed remotely. You can now e-mail the President, and enactment by Congress last year of the Government Printing Office Electronic Information Access Improvement Act assures the U.S. government's role in distributing information electronically will increase. A variety of other proposals suggest that in the future, more and more information produced by state, local and international governmental organizations will also be available online, sometimes exclusively.
In many cases, there are significant advantages to the sources accessible online over what can be found in the library or via other means. Internet resources are often more up-to-date than their paper counterparts. Frequently they can be searched by keyword. Sometimes they provide information simply not available in more traditional formats. A word of warning is necessary, though. Internet resources are constantly changing. What is available one minute may not be available the next. System addresses, source directories and file names are often changed without notice. Sometimes a remote system may be temporarily unavailable.
This is the second edition of a guide to Internet sources of government information originally created for the students, faculty and staff of Temple University. The second edition includes more than 325 sources, two-thirds of which were not listed in the first edition. The sources listed are intended to provide the simplest and clearest route known to the information described. The preferred source is often a Gopher source because of the ease of using the Gopher software. Often, however, there are several sources for the same information. Some may allow more sophisticated file manipulation. Frequently files can be downloaded to your personal computer using a feature known as file transfer protocol (FTP).
When the source listed is a Gopher source, the instructions assume users can escape the local Gopher menu structure to connect directly to a remote Gopher. This can normally be done by issuing the Gopher command in combination with a remote system address from your system's ready prompt. Contact your local systems administrator if this doesn't work. Many files accessible via Gopher are also available using a Telnet command, but don't assume a Gopher source can be accessed via Telnet. Telnet sources usually require an account or password and are sometimes not intended for outside use.
The second edition of this guide includes a few changes from the first. Because the new edition features many more sources than the first, sources in this edition are arranged by subject rather than alphabetically. Each source is listed in only one subject category. Sources that include information about a wide variety of subjects are usually included in one of three general categories that begin the list. Additional access points have also been added for many sources. Often in the first edition only a single access point was provided, typically a Gopher source. I now realize some Internet users do not have direct Gopher access, so I have supplied Telnet addresses when known. Instructions for retrieving files via FTP are generally not provided unless the information is otherwise unavailable. System addresses, source directories and file names for all sources have been verified at least twice. I have added in parenthesis the date I last accessed the source using the information provided.
The "path" listed is the "address" of the remote computer system where the information described can be found, along with the steps a user must take to locate the particular directory or file that contains the information. Slashes in the path separate commands, steps, or levels in a menu or file hierarchy. The first part of any path is a command statement that must be executed to access the remote source of the information. Type the first part of the path, up to any slashes, and press the Enter key. If there are no slashes, type the entire phrase.
I would like to thank Terese Austin, Maggie Parhamovich, Joe Ryan and Kim Tsang, whose guides helped me improve the quality of my own. I am indebted as well to the ever-helpful participants of the GOVDOC-L electronic discussion group, without whom this guide would not be possible. I'd also like to thank Calvin Boyer, whose U.S. Government Gophers gateway proved useful, and contributors to Gleason Sackman's Net-Happenings list, an important source of information about new network resources. Thanks to Larry Detweiler, Louis Rosenfeld, Mike Showalter and others too numerous to name who have helped make my guide more widely available. And thanks to all who have had kind words.
Current and future editions of this guide can be retrieved via Gopher, anonymous FTP and e-mail. The guide can be obtained via Gopher or FTP from the University of Michigan's Clearinghouse of Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides...
Path: gopher una.hh.lib.umich.edu / inetdirs / guides on the social sciences / government...
Path: ftp una.hh.lib.umich.edu / user:anonymous / password:e-mail address / cd inetdirsstacks / get government:gumprecht
To have a copy sent to you by e-mail, send a message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu. The body of the message should read: send usenet/news.answers/us-govt-net-pointers/part1
Paper copies of this guide are no longer available. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited by law, but I'm generally open to requests. If you have questions, comments or suggestions about this guide, please contact me using the information below.
Blake Gumprecht, Documents Librarian Paley Library (017-00) Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122 (215) 204-3187 gumpbw@vm.temple.edu gumpbw@templevm
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