Small local governments and information management

Abstract

During the past 10 years a revolution in computer technology has produced small, powerful, inexpensive computing devices that are easy to use and can be applied to a wide range of local government activities. Additionally, user-friendly generic and packaged software is becoming available for use with many governmental functions. Small local governments (cities under 50,000 and counties under 100,000) are adopting computer technology at rates higher than a decade ago. However, they lag behind both larger governments and businesses in computer adoption. Nevertheless, if procurement trends continue and announced plans come to fruition, local government could become a substantial market for computer technology. Most small governmental computers are used for automation of basic “housekeeping” activities such as financial management, word processing, and record keeping, which is highly consistent with larger government and business uses of computers.