Public Services Guidelines for Providing Government Information in Electronic Formats

Public Services Guidelines for Providing
Government Information in Electronic Formats

As a federal depository, the Dean B. Ellis Library is required by law to provide free public access to federal depository items, including electronic government publications. The library provides several in-house computers available to the general public which may be used to access electronic government information via Internet, CD-ROM, or floppy disc. All users are obligated to adhere to the Arkansas State University's Policy on Computer Ethics.

Guidelines

The Dean B. Ellis Library will provide hardware which meets the Recommended Specifications for Public Access Workstations in Federal Depository Libraries.

CD's and floppy discs do not circulate but may be viewed within the library by requesting document staff to load material onto a computer. Patrons may request to view material during normal staffing hours or by appointment. All tangible material such as CD's and floppy discs will be available in a timely manner.

All computers within the library provide access to the Internet and include telnet and ftp capabilities. Printing may be done from any computer and will print at the Circulation Desk. Government information can be faxed or emailed to distance users, in accordance with current library policies.

The Government Documents Department maintains a home page which includes links to prominent and useful sites in accordance with the Guidelines for the Federal Depository Library Program, Section 8-6.

Downloading of electronic information to portable disk formats is encouraged as long as appropriate virus protection and software license agreements are observed. Whenever possible, the library will provide temporary storage of electronic information on publicly available computers.

The Government Documents Department will provide the same quality reference service regarding electronic formats as with other formats. The department will also continue to provide help guides and training regarding electronic government information.