Date: Thu, 10 Nov 1994 10:05:38 -0500 (EST)
From: James McDonough <epin@access.digex.net>
Subject: EPIN Summary


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     SUMMARY OF ELECTRONIC PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWSLETTER
                  VOL. 4, NO. 21; November 4, 1994
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INDEX:

1. FREE GPO ACCESS TO ONLINE SERVICES FACES LIMITATIONS
2. GPO ACCESS, WHITE HOUSE WWW ARE BIG NEWS IN SEATTLE
3. WHITE HOUSE PROVES TO BE A TECHNOLOGICAL LEADER
4. IITF SETS UP INTERAGENCY GROUP TO DEAL WITH STI DISEMINIATION


1. FREE GPO ACCESS TO ONLINE SERVICES FACES LIMITATIONS: The new
free access to the GPO Access online services faces serious system
limitations that will make public access to the system burdensome.
The GPO Depository Library Program (DLP) is planning to start
granting 10 subscriptions or passwords for each depository library.
It is too early to determine if 10 will be a sufficient number, but
the logjams have already arisen at Columbia Online Information
Network (COIN), the first community-based network in the nation to
offer the free service. Marylin McLeod, Head of Reference
Department of the Daniel Boone Public Library in Columbia, MO, and
Chair of the Information Resources Committee of COIN, reported that
GPO has started her system off with five passwords. "Only five
people can use it (GPO Access online) simultaneously system-wide
and it is very popular. Late last week I tried to get in and I kept
getting brushed off...and people tend to use it for quite some
time--people just don't jump in and jump out," McLeod said.

2. GPO ACCESS, WHITE HOUSE WWW ARE BIG NEWS IN SEATTLE: The Mayor
of Seattle Norman Rice held his weekly press conference at the
Seattle Public Library last month to announce the inauguration of
the GPO Access and Welcome to the White House, two new online
federal information services. Government Documents Librarian
Patrick Grace reported that the local television, radio and printed
press covered the event. "It was on television, on at least two
local radio stations, and one of the city daily's wrote a big story
on the new services," Grace said. Another library official added,
"We did quite well in terms of public attention."


3. WHITE HOUSE PROVES TO BE A TECHNOLOGICAL LEADER: With the
inauguration three weeks ago of the "Welcome to the White House,"
world wide web (WWW) site on the Internet, the Clinton White House
has solidified its national leadership role in the deployment and
use of the information technology. The reception by the public to
the new White House WWW has been overwhelmingly favorable,
according to David Lytel, an official with the White House Office
of Science and Technology Policy and one of the project's prime
movers. "The messages I like best are the ones that start off
saying, `Hey, I am a Republican, but this is a great idea'; they
rate a full 10 points," Lytel said in a telephone interview this
week.

4. IITF SETS UP INTERAGENCY GROUP TO DEAL WITH STI DISEMINIATION:
The federal Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) through
its Government Information Working Group (GIWG) (a subgroup of the
Government Information Policy Committee) has established an
interagency group to consider the development of management systems
for the dissemination of federal scientific and technical
information (STI) under A-130. The "A-130 Implementation for
Scientific and Technical Information Group," is headed by Elizabeth
Buffum, Director of the Office of Scientific and Technical
Information, Department of Energy. The group is to report its
findings by March 1, 1995

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EPIN: For more information on the complete ELECTRONIC PUBLIC
INFORMATION NEWSLETTER and subscription rates contact:

James McDonough
Electronic Public Information Newsletter
epin@access.digex.net
Tel:/Fax: (301) 365-3621