Approved-By:  RAED@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.govdoc-l
Date:         Wed, 9 Sep 1992 09:34:11 CDT
From:         Joe Ryan <JORYAN@SUVM.acs.syr.edu>
Subject:      U.S. Federal Government Locator Study Announced

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Received: by SUVM (Mailer R2.08) id 9699; Thu, 03 Sep 92 12:20:35 LCL
Date:      Thu, 3 Sep 1992 12:20:17 EDT
From:      CMCCLURE@SUVM
To:        Joe Ryan <JORYAN@SUVM>, Bill Moen <WEMOEN@RODAN>
Subject:   GIILS Ex Sum


                IDENTIFYING AND DESCRIBING
       FEDERAL INFORMATION INVENTORY/LOCATOR SYSTEMS:

            DESIGN FOR NETWORKED-BASED LOCATORS

                      FINAL REPORT

                          To

           Office of Management and Budget,
     Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

         National Archives and Records Center,
           Center for Electronic Information

            General Services Administration,
        Regulatory and Information Service Center


                           By

       Charles R. McClure <cmcclure@suvm.acs.syr.edu>
            Joe Ryan <joryan@suvm.acs.syr.edu>
        William E. Moen <wemoen@rodan.acs.syr.edu>

             School of Information Studies
                 Syracuse University
                 Syracuse, NY  13244
                  August 15, 1992

                 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  This study identified and described Federal information inventory/
locator systems.  Such locator systems provide an important means of
accessing a range of government information not previously available to
the public or other government officials.  The report should be
considered as phase II to the study _Federal Information Inventory/
Locator Systems:  From Burden to Benefit:  Final Report_ (McClure,
et al., 1990; ERIC ED 326-247). That report has background information
about Federal locator systems and recommends the development of
a Government-Wide Information Inventory/Locator System (GIILS).

  Phase II of the project began May 1, 1991 and was completed in August,
1992.  Overall, the study's goal was to improve access to and use of
U.S. government information.  The project's methodology relied on
multiple data collection and analysis strategies employing primarily
a qualitative approach with the following specific objectives:

  * _Identify existing and planned Federal locators_.  This involved
    developing a more precise definition of a locator, identifying a
    preliminary list of existing locators within the U.S. Federal
    government, describing them in a machine-readable database, and
    assessing the degree to which they would be candidates for
    archival retention.

  * _Identify critical success factors in the design, development
    and maintenance of a Federal agency locator_.  This involved
    identifying issues and suggesting policy recommendations to
    better enable government agencies to develop effective and
    efficient agency locators.

  * _Identify and discuss key issues and policy recommendations related
    to the design and development of a government-wide locator system_.
    This involved an outline design of a networked-based GIILS.

The current study produced (1) a final report describing study efforts,
identifying issues and conclusions, and recommending the design of an
networked-based GIILS (Volume I) and (2) the Federal Locator Database
(FLD) -- a machine-readable database of descriptive information on some
300 Federal databases, of which 53 met the study's criteria as a
locator, and (3) a user's guide to that database (Volume II includes
a machine-readable version of the database and the user guide and
codebook).

  This study recommends that OMB develop a policy framework requiring
agencies to design and maintain machine-readable locators to be
accessible over the Internet/NREN that meet certain requirements and
standards.  A Federal agency would be designated to coordinate the
development of locators accessible via the network, provide guidance
and suggestions to agencies as they mount their locators for such
access, and assist the agencies in making certain that their
locators, and perhaps other important databases, are made available
over the Internet/NREN.

Copies of the two volume study can be purchased from the National
Audio-Visual Center, 8700 Edgeworth Dr, Capital Heights, MD
20743, 1-800-788-6285.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU