ASSESSMENT OF FORMATS AND STANDARDS FOR THE CREATION, DISSEMINATION, AND PERMANENT ACCESSIBILITY OF ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT INFORMATION PRODUCTS

Marjory S Blumenthal, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council, and Alan S Inouye, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council

1/01/2005
(Original Publish Date: 7/16/1997)

This "Assessment of Formats and Standards for the Creation, Dissemination, and Permanent Accessibility of Electronic Government Information Products" is being conducted by the U. S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science under an Interagency Agreement with the U. S. Government Printing Office that was approved by the Joint Committee on Printing. The Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council has been selected to participate throughout the study. Information gathered in this Assessment is to be used to facilitate improved public access to electronic Federal Government information made available through the Federal Depository Library Program and could be used to facilitate improved public access to electronic Federal Government information in general. According to the Interagency Agreement, this Assessment is expected to identify formats most appropriate for dealing with electronic information products throughout their life cycles, evaluate the plans of agencies, assess the cost-effectiveness and usefulness of various electronic formats, and assess formats most conducive to maintaining permanent accessibility. The study is divided into three phases. In Phase I, CSTB develops a detailed statement of work (presented in this document) that defines the data collection process required to conduct this Assessment. Contractors other than CSTB will be engaged to perform the research and data collection in Phase II. For Phase III, CSTB will draw upon experts to review the data and develop conclusions and recommendations. As indicated, the detailed statement of work is contained within this document. However, the larger framework for this study also needed to be sufficiently developed so that the appropriate data is defined for collection in Phase II. This preliminary framework, which will be elaborated upon and refined in Phase III, is also contained in this document. The preliminary framework will be used to develop a prospectus for Phase III, a necessary step towards establishing a formal CSTB project. The list of resources identified throughout Phase I, including all consultations, concludes this document. This document is a staff product. It is not an NRC report.