Federal information in the networked environment: A perspective from the coalition for networked information

Abstract

The Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) has had a longstanding interest in U.S. government information and the potential that the network offers to scholars, researchers, students, and citizens. This article is based on a CNI paper whose goal is to guide institutional leaders (e.g., library directors, chief information officers, and chief academic fficers) in higher education in the development of strategies for providing access to and services for U.S. federal information using the rapidly expanding global information infrastructure. The paper is not a policy paper nor does it propose a new Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) model. Its aim is to identify issues for the higher education community and to raise questions regarding sustainable access and services in order that federal information remains a viable resource in the evolving technological environment. Institutions of higher education that have provided access to, and services for, these materials are finding that they need to rethink their policies and practices to keep pace with the changes in electronic production and dissemination of federal information. Likewise, there is a concurrent need to focus people and investments on re-engineering their service programs so as to continue making federal information widely available.