United States Information Resources August/September 1995 "Environmental Protection Management EPA220-N-95-023 Agency (3404) &EPA The Catalyst Information for Environmental Action An Information Service for EPA HQ Staff from the Headquarters Library BNA ENVIRONMENT LIBRARY ON CD-ROM Workshop Federal and state regulations and laws Do you need to refer to federal or state regulations and laws? Come learn effective search techniques for this database at the BNA (Bureau of National Affairs) Environment Library CD-ROM Orientation on Tuesday, September 19th at 9:30 a.m. This CD-ROM also includes other useful information such as policy documents, Memoranda of Understanding, chemical regulations, legislative histories, and more! Sign up at the EPA Headquarters Library, or call (202) 260-5921 or send an e-mail message to LIBRARY-HQ@epamaikepa.gov. ~ Code of Federal Regulations on the VABS EPA Headquarters is a test site for an electronic, searchable version of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) on the value added backbone service (VABS) provided by the National Data Processing Division (NDPD) in Research Triangle Park. To access the CFR from the VABS menu, choose "Site Services". In the Windows version, the window that opens up may not be large enough to show all the available icons. Expand the window to expose "CFR E & E Series". Choose among full text, fully searchable versions of Title 10, Energy; Title 29, Labor; Title 40, Environment; or Title 49, Transportation. The Library provides telephone help support for searching the databases. Call 260-5921 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. for assistance. ~ S9SBS Ml" GILS Project The Government Information Locator Service (GILS) project is an effort to make Federal information more accessible to the public by providing electronic access to descriptive records for Agency information dissemination products and services and for automated systems within the Agencies. Headquarters Library staff are involved in making the information available by formatting and enhancing "metadata" records describing EPA information resources and databases in preparation for mounting the records on the EPA Public Access Server as GILS. GILS metadata records contain the following information to allow users to select useful sources: Originator, Abstract, Statement of Purpose, assigned Controlled Vocabulary and Local Subject Terms, and information on Access and Use Constraints. Each recorcf also includes information on Distributors, Technical Prerequisites for use, EPA Headquarters Library (3404) WSM2904 202-260-5922 NQCV Printed on Recycled Paper ------- and electronic Available Linkage. Explicit directions for electronic access to a resource or database are included whenever applicable. Library staff are available (202-260-3102 or email: gils-center) to answer questions from Agency offices creating metadata records for resources not already included in Access EPA or ISI (Information Systems Inventory). A prototype of GILS records will be on the Internet for review in the Fall. Library staff are working to make the record as complete as possible and to prepare the metadata information for effective electronic search and retrieval. ~ Cataloging EPA Resources on Internet: Efforts of the EPA Headquarters Library On May 12, 1995, Headquarters Library registered as a participant in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC, a national bibliographic system) Internet Cataloging Project. The objective of this project is to create a database of bibliographic records for Internet resources that provide description, location, and access information. EPA offices have been putting EPA publications and "hot" information on the Internet, including many EPA documents, e-journals, reference sources, software, and databases. However, it is very difficult to search those electronic files. Despite the fact that there are some searching tools such as Veronica, WAIS, and Web Crawler to search the Gopher and WWW sites, it is still a problem to find exactly what one wants quickly. The Internet Cataloging Project is designed to provide an alternative approach for searching Internet resources in a better organized and more structured way. Headquarters Library is working towards making EPA Internet resources searchable through the Online Library System (OLS), EPA's national library catalog. Building a Catalog of EPA Electronic Publications One might ask, "The Internet is so big, how do you select and catalog the resources?" While this would be a problem for Internet resources as a whole, the number of EPA publications that are available on the Internet is still manageable. After the electronic EPA publications are cataloged in OCLC, their bibliographic records will be downloaded into OLS. A new field in OLS called Internet/Access includes all the information needed to access the electronic document, such as access method, URL, host name, file size, etc. OLS programmers are currently working on adjusting the system code, to improve the appearance of the screen display for the Internet/Access field. Once this work is done, we will be ready to catalog a large number of EPA resources that are available on the Internet, building a catalog of EPA electronic publications. Then, instead of stumbling around on a huge "web" of the Cyberspace trying to find specific EPA documents, you will be able to do a quick search on OLS, get the URL and/or other access information, and go directly to the full-text documents online. The advantages of cataloging Internet resources are the increased searchability provided by online library systems. In OLS, for instance, you can search on title, keyword, author, or EPA report number, as well as other fields. You can construct a Boolean logic search or a proximity search. None of the Internet search tools offers such rich searching capabilities. After most EPA electronic publications are cataloged, you will not need to browse the Internet menu by menu, link by link, or item by item to find an EPA document. OLS will be the first place to check and it will give the necessary information for direct and easy access. Another advantage of creating a bibliographic database for Internet resources in online library catalogs is integrating electronic resources into libraries' information systems. By searching one integrated system, patrons can retrieve essential information regardless of the medium or format of the information. Perspectives for Future Development Cataloging Internet resources is at its initial stage. There are many things to be done in the future. Some libraries are planning to establish a link between the URLs in the bibliographic records in online library catalog and the real full-text files on the Internet. Then a click of the mouse on the URL in the bibliographic record would bring the document itself up on the screen. Of course this is not an easy task, it requires time and effort from systems technical experts and librarians. In addition to cataloging electronic resources published by EPA, we will also catalog other environmental related resources. The long term goal is to build a bibliographic database of EPA electronic publications and other major environmental resources that are available on the Internet. ~ THE CATALYST AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995 PAGE 2 ------- Selected Recent Additions to the Headquarters Library Collection To borrow any book that is not "REF", please call the Library at 260-5921 or send an email message to library-hq. Environmental Administrative Decisions: Decisions of the United States Environmental Protection Agency [from March 1972 to December 1993]. REF KF3776.A5E58 v.1-4 The Internet Yellow Pages. 2nd ed. by Harley Hahn and Rick Stout. Published by Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1995. REF TK5105.875.157H35 1995 Headquarters Library has recently added more than 25 Internet books in its IRM (Information Resources Management) collection. The following are selected items from that group: Agenda for Access: Public Access to Federal Information for Sustainability through the Information Superhighway. January 1995. IRM Z674.5.U5B32 1995 Directory of Directories on the Internet: a Guide to Information Sources. By Gregory B. Newby. Published by Mecklermedia, 1994. IRM TK5105.875.I57N49 1994 The Essential Internet Information Guide. By Jason J. Manger. Published by McGraw- Hill, 1995. IRM TK5105.875.I57M36 1995 The Internet for Everyone: a Guide for Users and Providers. By Richard W. Wiggins. Published by McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1995. IRM TK5105.875.I57W54 1995 TCP/IP for the Internet: the Complete Buyer's Guide to Micro-Based TCP/IP Software. By Marshall Breeding. Published by Mecklermedia, 1995. IRM TK5105.585.B74 1995 The following items have been recently added to the Hazardous Waste/Superfund Information Center: Remediation Case Studies: Groundwater Treatment. March 1995. HW EPA-542-R-95-003. Guide to Documenting Cost and Performance for Remediation Projects. March 1995. HW EPA-542-B-95-002. Remediation Case Studies: Thermal Desorption, Soil Washing, and In Situ Vitrification. March 1995. HW EPA-542-R-95-005. Remediation Case Studies: Bioremediation. March 1995. HW EPA-542-R-95-002. Remediation Case Studies: Soil Vapor Extraction. March 1995. HW EPA-542-R-95-004. ~ THE CATALYST AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995 PAGE 3 ------- Conferences, Meetings, Symposiums, Workshops This is a list of selected meetings and conferences chosen for their potential interest to EPA staff. If EPA staff wish to have an EPA-sponsored event listed here, please forward the information to The Catalyst, HQ Library, 401 M St., SW--3404, Washington, DC 20460 or email Library-HQ. Emission Inventory: Programs and Progress. October 11-13,1995, Research Triangle Park, NC. Cosponsored by the US EPA Emission Factor and Inventory Group, Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division and the Air and Waste Management Association (A&WMA). For more information contact A&WMA, 1 Gateway Center, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or call 412-232-3445 or 3444 or fax 412-232-3450. Superfund XVI. November 6-8, 1995, Washington, DC. Sponsored by EJ Krause & Associates, Inc. and Hazardous Materials Control. US EPA Office of Emergency and Remedial Response is one of the thirteen Superfund XVI affiliates. For more information contact Susan Newman, EJ Krause & Associates, INc., 7315 Wisconsin Ave., Ste. 450 North, Bethesda, MD 20814 or call 301 -986-7800 or fax 301 -986-4538. ~ Reference Inquiries 202-260-5921 Circulation Inquiries 202-260-5922 Interlibrary Loan 202-260-1757 INFOTERRA-Reference 202-260-5917 Water-Reference 202-260-8760 Email Library-HQ The Headquarters Library is contractor operated and managed by the Office of Information Resources Management (OIRM) Information Access Branch. United States Environmental Protection Agency (3404) Washington DC 20460 Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 THE CATALYST AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1995 PAGE 4 ------- |