Approved-By:  RAED@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.govdoc-l
Date:         Fri, 8 Jan 1993 13:41:56 CST
From:         "SHILL.HAROLD" <HBS2%PSUADMIN@PSUVM.PSU.EDU>
Subject:      NTIS Gateway Project

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Acting under a mandate from the American Technology Preeminence Act
(P.L. 102-245, Section 506(a)), NTIS has created a pilot gateway to 56
databases made available by Federal agencies.  Among the databases of
broad interest to the library community are:

  ALIX (LC's Automated Library Information Exchange)
  ALF (NAL Bulletin Board)
  CIC-BBS (Consumer Information Center)
  EBB (Commerce's economic data and information bulletin board)
  EPUB (Energy information & data)
  FEDERAL BBS (GPO and Government data)
  PATENT LICENSING BBS (from NTIS)
  OERI BBS (Dept. of Education)
  SBA ONLINE (Small business information & data)
  USGS BBS (US Geological Survey)

The pilot project will run for 18 months, after starting in November 1992.
The American Technology Preeminence Act has directed NTIS to study the
feasibility of establishing and operating at NTIS a Federal Online Product
Catalog (FEDLINE) which would "serve as a comprehensive inventory and
authoritative register of information products and services disseminated
by the Federal Government and assist agencies and the public in locating
Federal Government information."  NTIS is calling the gateway "FedWorld"
because the Fedline name has been copyrighted by a private vendor.

NTIS is encouraging users to access FedWorld and provide feedback, either
over the FedWorld e-mail system or by telephone.  In order to connect to
FedWorld, users should:

  Set your parity to NONE, data bits to 8, and stop bit to 1 (N,8,1).
  Set your terminal emulation to ANSI.
  Use your communications software package to dial (703) 321-8020.

Once connected to FedWorld, the first screen will ask users to sign in.
You should type "new" at the prompt.  Then you will be asked a few
questions about name, address, etc.

If you are using a Macintosh computer, answer NO when FedWorld asks if you
want ANSI graphics (color menus).  Users of MS-DOS computers can also
answer this question NO if they do not want color menus (this will appa-
rently make the screens scroll faster).

Once users have selected the file they wish to search, they can search by
keywords or strings.

NTIS is encouraging users to explore FedWorld and its connections.  They
are urging that you feel free to download files of interest to you and to
share comments, questions, problems and suggestions in the Conference
section.  They are specifically asking that you send a few comments to
Bob Bunge, one of the two computer specialists who developed FedWorld in
an 80-day period this fall, by e-mail.  For technical problems or
questions,

    Call (703) 487-4608, OR
    E-mail SYSOP on the FedWorld system.

The FedWorld gateway was announced at the December 14-15 NTIS Advisory
Board meeting.  I have not yet had a chance to explore it myself, but I
would be glad to share any policy comments/suggestions with the Advisory
Board.  Please direct technical problems and suggestions to the NTIS
numbers above, NOT TO ME (THANKS).

Happy holidays to all!              ADDRESS:  Penn State Harrisburg
                                              Middletown, PA 17057-4898
Harold B. Shill (Hal)               Internet:  HBS2@HOST1.MS.PSU.EDU
Member, NTIS Advisory Board         Bitnet:    HBS2@PSUADMIN.BITNET
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU