The intrusion resulted in no damage to material on the site, although the hacker tried to write a message on one page but failed because the site had already been shut down.
Lawmakers say they treat e-mail the same as postal mail.
Everything gets read and, if the content warrants it, gets a reply, they say. Although fewer than a third of the reports have been completed, Inspectors General have already found 64 federal agency Internet sites that used unauthorized permanent 'cookies,' information-collecting devices whose use was restricted last summer by the Clinton Administration. As associate librarian for strategic initiatives, a position created last year, Campbell is leading the library s effort to develop systematic methods for collecting and preserving digital materials that become part of the library s vast archives. It takes five to seven days to send a letter' to constituents back in Chattanooga or Oak Ridge, she said. At the same time, Congress is frustrated by what it perceives to be e-citizens' lack of understanding of how Congress works and the constraints under which it must operate.