Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/us-govt-net-pointers

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From: Blake Gumprecht <[e-mail]>
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Subject: U.S. Government Information on the Internet
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Archive-name: us-govt-net-pointers
Version: 1.1
Last-modifed: 93/11/04


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===

The following is a guide to Internet sources of government
information created for the students and community of Temple
University. In earlier versions of this document the author offered
a paper copy with Pagemaker, but due to overwhelming requests is no
longer able to provide this. However, if you are interested in
reproducing this document, consult the author for arranging use of
the typeset version.

Blake Gumprecht, Documents Librarian, Paley Library (017-00),
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, [phone],
[e-mail], gumpbw@templevm


                        Internet Sources
                    of Government Information

                   Compiled by Blake Gumprecht
             Documents Librarian, Temple University

Temple University computer users can now access dozens of sources
of current government information -- Census data, Supreme Court
decisions, weather forecasts, the Federal Register, daily White
House press briefings, Bureau of Commerce economic reports and
much more -- free from their homes and offices 24 hours a day or
at Paley Library.

Though the U.S. government has been criticized for not making
more information available online to the public, enterprising
computer users nationwide are taking advantage of the fact that
works produced by the U.S. government are not eligible for
copyright protection and have themselves made a wealth of
information available via the Internet. More and more government
agencies too are beginning to establish systems that can be
accessed remotely by anyone with a computer and access to the
network.

In many cases, there are significant advantages to the sources
than can be accessed online over what can be found in the library
or via other means. Internet resources are often more up-to-date
than their paper counterparts. Frequently, they can be searched
by keyword. Sometimes they provide information that is simply not
available in more traditional formats. A word of warning is
necessary, though. Internet resources are constantly changing.
What is available one minute may not be available the next.
Source and file names are often changed without notice.

This is the first in what is hoped to be a continuing series of
guides to Internet sources of government information. To access
most of the sources listed using the information supplied, you
must have an IBM mainframe or Astro account, or some other method
for accessing the Internet. Contact Temple Computer Services at
204-5555 to apply for an IBM or Astro account, or to learn more
about the Internet. A few of the sources listed can be accessed
without an account by using the Gopher or Telnet services
available through the Scholars Information Center at Paley
Library.

The sources in this guide are intended to provide the simplest
and clearest route known to the information provided. The
preferred source is often a Gopher source because of the ease of
using the Gopher software. Often, however, there are several
sources for the same information. Some may allow more
sophisticated file manipulation. Frequently files can be
transferred to your personal computer using a feature known as
file transfer protocol (ftp). Many files accessible via Gopher,
moreover, are also available using a Telnet command.

The "source" listed is the "address" of the remote computer where
the information described can be found, along with the "path"
that a user must take to locate the particular directory or file
that contains the information. When more than one source for the
same information is known, a second source may be listed. Slashes
in the source separate commands, steps, or levels in a menu
hierarchy. The first part of any source listing is a command
statement that must be executed to access the remote source of
the information. Type the first part of the source listing, up to
any slashes, and press the Enter key. If there are no slashes,
type the entire phrase.

If you have questions about this guide or other sources of
government information, contact Blake Gumprecht, Paley Library
Documents Librarian, at 204-3187, or visit the Government
Documents reference desk on the third floor of Paley Library.

AIDS Related Information: National Institutes of Health database
provides AIDS statistics, daily summaries of articles on AIDS in
major newspapers, full text of AIDS Treatment News, reports from
the National Commission on AIDS, pamphlets about AIDS and more.
Source: gopher odie.niaid.nih.gov / aids related information

Americans With Disabilities Act: Full text of the 1990 act.
Source: gopher scilibx.ucsc.edu / the library / electronic books

Americans With Disabilities Act Documents: Collection of
documents about the ADA, including the Department of Justice
technical manual. Source: gopher info.umd.edu / educational
resources / united states / government / adaregulation

AskERIC: Archive of education information compiled by AskERIC, an
Internet question-answering service for teachers and educators at
Syracuse University. Source: gopher ericir.syr.edu

Budget of the United States Government: Full text of the federal
budget for the 1993 and 1994 fiscal years; the 1994 budget can be
searched by keyword. Source: gopher sunsite.unc.edu / sunsite
archives / politics / sunsite political science archives

Bureau of Justice Statistics Documents: Full text of select U.S.
Bureau of Justice Statistics publications. Source: gopher
uacsc2.albany.edu / united nations justice network

Campaign '92 and Election Results: Full text of key position
papers, speeches, press releases and other documents from major
candidates in the 1992 presidential election. Source: gopher
tamuts.tamu.edu / browse information by subject / political
science

Canadian Documents: Full text of the Canadian Constitution Act,
Meech Lake Accord, Charlottetown Constitutional Agreement and
other historic Canadian government documents. Source: gopher
wiretap.spies.com. / government docs

CancerNet: Full text of National Cancer Institute fact sheets,
publications about cancer, patient diagnosis statements and more.
Source: gopher helix.nih.gov / health and clinical information /
cancernet information

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance: Provides information
about more than 1,000 U.S. government assistance programs,
administered by more than 50 federal agencies. Can be searched by
keyword. Source: gopher marvel.loc.gov / federal government
information / federal information resources / information by
agency / general information resources

Census of Population and Housing: 1990 Census data available in
text and Lotus 1-2-3 formats for U.S. cities, counties,
metropolitan areas, states and the nation, with comparisons from
1980. For an archive of historical Pennsylvania census data, see
the entree for the Economic Development Information Network.
Source: gopher bigcat.missouri.edu / reference center

Census of Population and Housing (Pennsylvania): Detailed 1990
Census data for Philadelphia, suburban counties and the state.
Source: gopher gopher.upenn.edu / penninfo / penninfo / libraries
/ electronic reference desk / u.s. census and statistical data

Chemical Substance Fact Sheets: Full text of Environmental
Protection Agency fact sheets about hundreds of chemicals; can be
browsed or searched by keyword. Source: gopher
ecosys.drdr.virginia.edu / education / environmental fact sheets

Citizens Guide to Using the Freedom of Information Act: Full text
of a popular government guide to obtaining information using the
Freedom of Information Act. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com /
government docs / citizens guide to using the FOIA

Code of Federal Regulations: Experimental system provided by a
commercial vendor allows users to browse the code or search it by
keyword. Access to the complete CFR is not yet available. The
system places limits on the amount of information non-subscribers
can retrieve. Source: gopher gopher.netsys.com / counterpoint
publishing

Congressional Committee Assignments: Provides current
Congressional committee rosters; can be browsed or searched by
keyword. Source: gopher.lib.umich.edu / social sciences resources
/ government and politics / u.s. government resources:
legislative branch

Congressional Directories: Library of Congress system provides
access to a variety of Congressional directories; some can be
searched by keyword. Source: gopher marvel.loc.gov / u.s.
congress / congressional directories

Congressional Firsts: List of firsts for the 103rd Congress.
Source: gopher info.umd.edu / educational resources / united
states / government / congress / 103rd-firsts

Congressional Information: Provides access to Congressional
directories, committee rosters, North American Free Trade
Agreement documents, Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S.
budget and more. Source: gopher gopher.lib.umich.edu / social
sciences resources / government and politics / u.s. government
resources: legislative branch

Congressional Information: Provides access to Congressional and
agency directories, biographies, lists of Congressional firsts,
information about women in Congress and more. Source: gopher
info.umd.edu / educational resources / united states / government
/ congress

Congressional Legislation: Library of Congress system allows
users to search files that describe and track legislation
introduced in the U.S. Congress from 1973 to present. Updated
daily. Source: telnet locis.loc.gov / federal legislation

Cooperative Extension System: U.S. Department of Agriculture
system provides access to extension service directories, fact
sheets, calendars, nutritional data, information on national
initiatives related to agriculture, flood information and more.
Source: gopher cyfer.esusda.gov

Copyright Information: Library of Congress system allows users to
search a database of information about works registered in the
U.S. Copyright Office since 1978. Also includes files that
provide general information about copyright. Source: telnet
locis.loc.gov

Criminal Justice Country Profiles: Full text of a series of
United Nations reports on crime and criminal justice in 123
countries. Most include statistics. Source: gopher
uacsc2.albany.edu / united nations justice network / u.n.
criminal justice country profiles

Earth Science Data Directory: U.S. Geological Survey system
provides keyword access to sources of earth science data
worldwide. Source: gopher scilibx.ucsc.edu / the researcher /
science and engineering / earth and marine sciences

Earth System Data Directory: National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) system provides descriptions and location
information for earth and space science data sets. Source: telnet
esdim1.nodc.noaa.gov / login:noaadir

Earthquake Information: Frequently updated data about recent
earthquakes worldwide. Source: gopher gopher.stolaf.edu /
internet resources / weather and geography

Economic Bulletin Board: Department of Commerce system provides
access to thousands of data files, more than 700 of them updated
daily. Includes information about current economic conditions,
economic indicators, employment, foreign trade, monetary matters
and more in 20 general subject areas. Source: gopher / off-campus
services / points of interest. Source: gopher
gopher.lib.umich.edu / social sciences research / economics.
Source: telnet ebb.stat-usa.gov / password:test

Economic Development Information Network (EDIN): Pennsylvania
State Data Center system provides access to current and
historical U.S. Census data for Pennsylvania and the nation,
procurement leads, PSDC bulletins and press releases, a variety
of business-oriented directories and more. Source: telnet
psuvm.psu.edu / press <return> when userid is requested / ebb /
edin.

Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC): Provides keyword
access to bibliographic information and abstracts for a variety
of articles and publications about education and related
disciplines. Source: gopher cwis.syr.edu / library, suinfo and
data archives / eric

Environmental Protection Agency Online Library System: Provides
access to the online catalogs of EPA libraries; separate
databases with citations for sources about environmental
financing, chemicals, hazardous waste and lake management; and a
directory of government sources of environmental information.
Source: telnet epaibm.rtpnc.epa.gov / public / ols

Executive Branch Resources: Provides access to U.S. executive
branch directories, White House information, NAFTA documents,
full text of the U.S. budget and more. Source: gopher
gopher.lib.umich.edu / social sciences resources / government and
politics / u.s. government resources: executive branch

Fair Credit Reporting Act: Full text of the act, as taken from
the U.S. Code. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs

Federal Information Exchange: Provides information about federal
education and research programs, scholarships, fellowships,
grants, minority education and research programs, procurement
opportunities and more. Source: gopher fedix.fie.com

Federal Jobs: Lists thousands of federal government job openings,
taken from a variety of Office of Personnel Management computer
bulletin boards. Source: gopher dartcms1.dartmouth.edu / job
openings in the federal government

Federal Register: Commercially produced system allows users to
browse or search the daily Federal Register. System places limits
on the amount of information non-subscribers can retrieve.
Source: gopher gopher.netsys.com / counterpoint publishing

FedWorld: National Technical Information Service system provides
access to more than 100 U.S. government computer bulletin boards,
many of them previously accessible only by modem. Also includes
full text of select U.S. government publications, statistical
files, federal job lists, satellite images and more. Source:
telnet fedworld.gov

Food and Drug Administration Bulletin Board System: Full text of
FDA news releases, enforcement reports, import alerts, drug and
product approval lists, Federal Register summaries, informational
publications, articles from FDA Consumer and more. Source: telnet
fdabbs.fda.gov / login:bbs

Food Labeling Information: FDA database provides access to
documents about new food labeling regulations and activities
related to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. Source:
gopher zeus.esusda.gov / other usda and government information /
food labeling information

General Accounting Office Reports: Full text of GAO high risk,
technical, transition and other reports. Source: gopher
wiretap.spies.com / government docs. Source: ftp ftp.cu.nih.gov /
user:anonymous / password:guest / cd gao-reports

Genetic Sequence Data Bank: National Library of Medicine database
allows researchers to search a collection of nucleotide
sequences, as well as relevant bibliographic and biological
annotation. Source: gopher helix.nih.gov / molecular biology
databases

Geographic Names Database: Provides geographic coordinates,
county and state location, elevation, population, zip code and
other information for thousands of places listed on U.S.
Geological Survey maps. Can be searched by place name or zip
code. Source: gopher / off campus services / libraries /
reference works / u.s. geographic names database

Government-Sponsored Bulletin Board Systems: Lists U.S.
government computer bulletin boards accessible by modem. Source:
gopher marvel.loc.gov / federal government information / federal
information resources / information by agency / general
information resources

Great Lakes Information Network: Provides information on
environmental and economic development issues concerning the
eight states that are members of the Great Lakes Commission.
Source: gopher gopher.cic.net

Gross State Product Tables: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
tables estimating the value of goods and services for 61
industries in 50 states. Source: gopher gopher.lib.umich.edu /
social sciences research / economics

Health Security Act of 1993: Full text of President Clinton's
health plan and related documents, including his speech to a
joint session of Congress in September in which he outlined the
details of the plan. Source: gopher ace.esusda.gov / americans
communicating electronically. Source: telnet fedworld.gov

Historical Documents: Full text of dozens of historic U.S.
government documents from the time of independence to the present
day. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs

Library of Congress Information System: Provides access to the
Library of Congress online catalog, U.S. government copyright
files, databases containing current information on federal
legislation and foreign law, a catalog of sources available in
braille or audio format, a national directory of organizations
and more. Source: telnet locis.loc.gov

Library of Congress Marvel: One stop source for a multitude of
government material -- Congressional information, Census data,
White House documents, crime statistics, State Department reports
and more -- taken from a variety of sources. Source: gopher
marvel.loc.gov

Maastricht Treaty on European Union: Full text of the latest
addition to the Treaty on European Union signed at Maastricht in
1992. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs. Source:
gopher sunic.sunet.se / subject tree / politics

Material Safety Data Sheets: Though not technically government
information, material safety data sheets are produced by chemical
manufacturers to comply with a variety of government regulations.
They provide safety data on hundreds of chemicals. Source: gopher
isumvs.iastate.edu / isu research information / msds

Merit Network Information Center: Michigan consortium provides
information about the Internet, NSFNET and MichNet, including
General Accounting Office and Office of Management and Budget
reports, National Research and Education Network (NREN) activity,
conference proceedings, newsletters, statistical reports, policy
statements, user's guides and more. Source: gopher nic.merit.edu

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report: Full text of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention weekly journal, available long
before libraries receive the paper edition. Source: gopher
odie.niaid.nih.gov / aids related information

National Archives and Records Administration: Provides access to
detailed information about audiovisual and electronic records
held by the National Archives. Source: gopher marvel.loc.gov /
federal government information / national libraries and national
archives

National Environmental Data Referral Service: National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) catalog provides keyword
access to sources of environmental information nationwide.
Source: gopher scilibx.ucsc.edu / the researcher / science and
engineering / environmental science / noaa national environmental
referral service

National Information Infrastructure Agenda: Full text of a
Clinton administration report describing the role of government
in promoting the development of the telecommunications and
information infrastructure by the private sector. Source: gopher
ace.esusda.gov / americans communicating electronically

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease: Full text
of NIAID press releases, AIDS information publications, institute
directories and more. Source: gopher gopher.niaid.nih.gov

National Institute of Standards and Technology: Provides access
to a variety of NIST files. Source: gopher gopher-server.nist.gov

National Institutes of Health: Provides access to a broad range
of NIH resources, including institute phone books and calendars,
library catalogs, molecular biology databases, full text of the
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, files containing AIDS and
cancer information and more. Source: gopher gopher.nih.gov

National Library of Medicine: Full text of library fact sheets
and current bibliographies. Source: gopher el-gopher.med.utah.edu
/ health sciences resources on the internet

National Performance Review (Reinventing Government): From Red
Tape to Results: Creating a Government that Works Better and
Costs Less, the 180-page report of Vice President Al Gore's task
force on reinventing government. Source: gopher sunsite.unc.edu

National Referral Center Master File: Directory of more than
12,000 organizations qualified and willing to answer questions
and provide information on many topics in science, technology and
the social sciences. Source: telnet locis.loc.gov / organizations

National Science Foundation: Provides access to grant
information, NSF directories and phone books, press releases,
full text of select NSF publications and more. Source: gopher
stis.nsf.gov

National Space Science Data Center: NASA database provides access
to a catalog of space science data held by research centers
worldwide. Source: telnet nssdca.gsfc.nasa.gov / username:nodis

National Weather Service Forecasts: Provides weather forecasts,
current weather conditions, information on earthquakes, tropical
storms and auroral activity for the 50 states and Canada. Source:
gopher ashpool.micro.umn.edu / weather

NavNews: Full text of the Navy News Service, distributed weekly
to Navy operations worldwide, providing official news and
information about fleet operations and exercises, Navy policy,
budget actions and more. Source: gopher marvel.loc.gov / federal
government information / federal information resources /
information by agency / military agencies

Navy Policy Book: Full text of the Navy policy manual, which
provides official statements on the Navy mission, objectives and
policy, for use by Navy personnel. Source: gopher marvel.loc.gov
/ federal government information / federal information resources
/ information by agency / military agencies

North American Free Trade Agreement: Full text of NAFTA. Source:
gopher wiretap.spies.com.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Documents: Full text of
NATO press releases, fact sheets, speeches, NATO Review, NATO
Handbook and other documents. Source: gopher sunsite.unc.edu /
sunsite archives / sunsite political science archives /
whitehouse-papers / read nato information

Patent Office Reform Panel Final Report: Full text of a U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office report recommending that U.S. patent
procedures be changed to follow policy held by most
industrialized nations. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com /
government docs

PENpages: Pennsylvania State University system provides the full
text of thousands of documents about agriculture, food and
nutrition, family issues and more. Source: telnet psupen.psu.edu
/ username:penpages

Political Platforms: Full text of the platform statements of the
major parties in the 1992 presidential election, along with other
major platform statements. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com /
government docs

President Clinton's Economic Plan: Full text of A Vision of
Change for America, a summary of the President's economic plan
presented to a joint session of Congress in February. Source:
gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs / clinton's economic
plan

Presidential Documents from the Federal Register: Full text of
presidential determinations, proclamations, executive orders and
other documents published in the Federal Register. Source: gopher
gopher.netsys.com / counterpoint publishing / federal register /
selected federal agencies. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com /
government docs.

Public Opinion Item Index: Though not government information,
public opinion polls provide valuable data about how the
population views the government and its officials. This
University of North Carolina system allows users to search an
archive of data from polls conducted by USA Today, Louis Harris,
the Atlanta Constitution and others. Source: telnet
uncvm1.oit.unc.edu / userid:irss1 / password:irss / irss / public
opinion item index

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Institute Daily Report:
Full text of a daily digest of the latest developments in Russia,
Transcaucasia and Central Asia, and Central and Eastern Europe.
Source: gopher gopher.lib.umich.edu / news services

Senate Bibliographies: Bibliographies of Senate hearings, prints
and publications for the 99th through the current Congresses.
Source: gopher dewey.lib.ncsu.edu / ncsu's library without walls
/ study carrels / government and law / mcgeachy's bibliography of
senate hearings

Spacelink: National Aeronautics and Space Administration system
provides access to NASA news releases, shuttle status reports,
mission summaries, NASA congressional testimony and speeches and
many other files with current and historical information about
NASA aeronautics and space research. Even allows users to ask
NASA scientists questions. Source: telnet spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
/ username:newuser / password:newuser

Speeches and Addresses: Full text of historic U.S. speeches.
Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs / us speeches
and addresses

Speeches from the 1992 Presidential Campaign: Full text of major
speeches by Bill Clinton, George Bush and Libertarian Party
candidate Andre Marrou. Source: gopher bigcat.missouri.edu /
reference center

State Department Travel Advisories: An archive of State
Department travel information and advisories. Arranged by
country, files include current conditions, country descriptions,
entry requirements, embassy and consulate locations, information
about registration, medical facilities, drug penalties, crime and
more. Source: gopher gopher.stolaf.edu / internet resources

Statistics Canada Daily Reports: Full text of daily statistical
releases, lists of publications and more from Statistics Canada,
the Canadian government's primary compiler of statistics. Source:
telnet info.carleton.ca / terminal type:decvt100 / statistics
canada daily reports

Supreme Court Decisions: Full text of Supreme Court decisions
issued since 1989. Also includes brief biographies of Court
justices. Source: gopher info.umd.edu / educational resources /
united states / supreme court

Treaties and International Covenants: Full text of major
treaties. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs

United Nations: Full text of U.N press releases, U.N. Conference
on Environment and Development reports, United Nations
Development Programme documents, U.N. telephone directories and
more. Source: gopher nywork1.undp.org

United Nations Conference on Environment & Development Documents:
Access to a broad range of documents pertaining to the June 1992
Rio de Janeiro conference. Source: gopher info.umd.edu /
educational resources / international / united nations /
environconf. Source: nywork1.undp.org

United Nations Resolutions: Full text of select United Nations
resolutions. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com / government docs

U.S. Constitution: Full text of the U.S. constitution, amendments
and articles. Source: gopher info.umd.edu / educational resources
/ united states / government / constitution

U.S. Geological Survey: USGS Gopher system provides information
about the agency, its publications and data as well as
miscellaneous information about geology, hydrology, cartography
and geographic information systems. Source: gopher
info.er.usgs.gov

U.S. Geological Survey Weekly Seismicity Report: Full text of a
weekly overview of earthquake activity around the world. Source:
gopher somalia.earth.nwu.edu / seismology resources

U.S. Government Gopher Servers: Provides one stop access to more
than a dozen U.S. government Gopher systems. Source: gopher
stis.nsf.gov / other u.s. government gopher servers

University of Illinois Weather Machine: Provides current
conditions, National Weather Service forecasts, severe storm
warnings, flood summaries, earthquake bulletins, upper air
conditions, satellite images and more for the 50 states, Canada,
Mexico and the Caribbean. Source: gopher wx.atmos.uiuc.edu

White House Information: Full text of major policy statements,
daily press briefings, speeches, proclamations, the president's
daily schedule and more. Source: gopher tamuts.tamu.edu / browse
information by subject / political science / information from the
white house. Source: gopher sunsite.unc.edu / sunsite archives /
sunsite political science archives / whitehouse-papers

World Constitutions: Full text of constitutions of select
countries worldwide. Source: gopher wiretap.spies.com /
government docs. Other constitutions can be accessed by
conducting a Gopher veronica search, using "constitution" as the
keyword

World Factbook (1990-1992): Full text of the Central Intelligence
Agency-produced World Factbook, which provides information about
the geography, people, government, economy, communications and
defense of countries around the world. Source: gopher
wiretap.spies.com / electronic books / cia world factbook

World Health Organization: Provides access to world health
statistics, WHO press releases, full text of selected WHO
publications and more. Source: gopher gopher.who.ch

Zip Codes: Database of U.S. zip codes, searchable by keyword.
Source: gopher gopher.uoregon.edu / desktop reference /
geographic and travel information


Copyright 1993 Blake Gumprecht


===
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