United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Information Resources
Management
(PM-211A)
March 1992
&EPA The Catalyst
Information for Environmental Action
An Information Service for EPA HQ Staff from the Headquarters Library
cat • a • lyst\ an agent that provokes or
precipitates an action or reaction between two
or more persons or forces provoked or
precipitated by a separate agent or force.
(Webster's Third New International Dictionary),
information is a catalyst for change.
Knowledge about the state of the environment
21 years ago lead to the establishment of the
EPA. Again and again information has lead to
environmental action. The Catalyst from the
Headquarters Library can keep you informed
to become an agent for change.
The Results Are In...
In response to concerns about indoor
air pollution and work environment
discomforts, EPA undertook a 3 year study of
EPA employees in three buildings in the
Washington, DC area. The Indoor Air Quality
and Work Environment Study gives details of
the findings. Volumes 3 and 4 present a
statistical analysis of the questionnaire which
was administered in 1989. The Headquarters
Library has complimentary copies of both
Volumes 3 and 4 of this report. The earlier
volumes are available for examination only in
the Library.
Speech
E/ Writers 'Corner
The Headquarters Library has been
working closely with several speechwriters,
doing such varied services as verifying the
source of the quotation, "Whiskey's for drinking,
water's for fighting over" (Mark Twain), to
providing statistics concerning ground-water
contamination. Indeed, Ben Lessor, the special
assistant to the AA in the Office of Water,
maintains that the Library "is an excellent and
reliable resource." Some of the Library
resources that you can use in writing your
speeches include:
* Style books, dictionaries,
grammar books, and thesauri.
CD-ROM databases on a variety
of medical, environmental and
public information topics.
Quotation books, poetry indices,
and folklore and mythology
guides.
Statistical sources,
encyclopedias, atlases, and
almanacs.
In addition to these resources, the Library
has access to several newspaper and popular
magazine databases online, some of which can
be printed full-text, as well as scientific, business
and environmental databases. If you need help
with a speech, or would like more information on
services available to you, please call the Library
at 260-5921 or visit us in room M2904 on the
second floor mall area above the EPA Education
Center. For further information on how the
Library can assist you, see this month'? NFO
PAGE.
S9SSS
Ml
Jour ne?(tgreat idea is in the TfPfl. headquarters LiSra /
EPA Headquarters Library (PM-211 A) WSM2904 202-260-5922

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MONTHLY HOTLINE REPORT
RCRA/SF/OUST and Emergency
Planning and Community
Right-to-Know
Just this month the Office of Solid
Waste (OSW) took another step to improve
public access at EPA. No longer is it
necessary for the public and regulated
community to request the ever popular
RCRA/SF/OUST and EPCRA Monthly Hotline
Reports under the Freedom of Information
(FOIA) process. The complete set of Monthly
Hotline Reports (June 1982 to present) are
now available at the National Technical
Information Service (NTIS) individually or by
subscription. OSW also plans to make
available subject matter indices and a 1991
Annual Hotline Report at NTIS.
In addition, excerpts from the Hotline
Report's "Question and Answer" and
"Publications" sections are available through
the Clean-Up Information Bulletin Board >
System (CLU-IN).	b: ;
For more regarding the Hotline contact,:
Barbara Roth, Project Officer at 260-26581 Hi
INFO EXPO Trivia Contest
In case you missed the Info Expo last
month at Waterside Mall, here's a recap of the
questions we asked. Test your skills! All
answers can be located in sources in the
Headquarters Library. All answers and where
they can be found will be somewhere in this
Issue. Ready?
1.	What is the address and phone
number of the Steel Can Recycling
Institute?
2.	When did the Headquarters Library
start subscribing to the journal
"Environment and Planning?"
3.	What was the total snowfall
reported in Washington, DC
(National Airport) for December
1985?
4.	How much land is administered by
the National Park Service? By all
federal agencies?
5.	What is chirality?
6.	What is the definition of
"xenobiotic?"
7.	Who is the chairman of the Senate
Subcommittee on Environmental
Protection?
8.	What is the size of the average US
family, according to the 1990
census?
9.	What is the Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) code for
growing berry crops?
10.	What company did George Bush
co-found in 1959?
Now that we've given you an idea of
the types of questions we can answer, let us
provide the information you need the next
time you have a query. (Answers on p. 3)
EPA
Legislative Library ,
mm
Jb
The Legislative Library abstracts the
Congressional Record each day Congress is
in session. The Record contains each word
spoken on both House and Senate floors,
statements submitted for the record, and lists
hearings that were held. Our abstract
highlights all of the many subjects of interest
to EPA. You can quickly determine if there is
anything of interest to you on a particular day
without having to search or read the entire
Record. Any individual or company may be
placed on our mailing list to receive this
abstract by calling or writing our office.
—Joan Platten (202) 260-5425
EPA Legislative Library (A-102)
401 M St., SW, Wash.,DC 20460
THE CATALYST MARCH 1992
PAGE 2

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The Customer Strategy
Bibliography Preview
The following citations are excerpts from
the forthcoming management bibliography,
The Customer Strategy. This bibliography will
address quality customer service in the public
sector. Including summaries of journal articles
and other resources available through the EPA
Library Network, The Customer Strategy will
provide the starting point for an inquiry into
achieving customer satisfaction through quality
service.
Right-Side-Up Organization.
Richards, Phillip. Quality Progress.
v24n10. PP. 95-96. October 1991.
Quality in Government: Capitol
Improvements. Penzer, Erika.
Incentive. v165n4. PP. 45-47,97.
April 1991.
Putting Service Quality into Gear.
Horovitz, Jacques; Cudennec-Poon,
Chan. Quality Progress. v24n1.
PP. 54-58. January 1991.
Customer Service in Public
Administration. Wagenheim,
George D.; Reurink, John H. Public
Administration Review. v51 n3.
PP. 263-270. May/June 1991.
Customer Profiling: Getting into
Your Customer's Shoes. Whittle,
Susan; Foster, Morris. International
Journal of Bank Marketing. v9 n 1.
PP. 17-24. 1991 ^ATALVSfr
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THE CATALYST MARCH 1992
PAGE 3

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If you're a manager, have we got a series
of videos for you! Actually, these tapes are for
anyone who interacts with coworkers. In the 5
part Manager-to-Manager series, Mr. Jack Noon
devotes each 10-minute unit to an aspect of
getting along with colleagues.
Dealing With Difficult People describes critical
steps in gaining control and reducing the stress of
working with agressive or authoritarian people.
Gaining Cooperation From Peers provides
guidance for obtaining collaboration from peers,
including appealing to broad goals, reciprocating,
scheduling and following-up.
Getting Approval From Authorized
Departments promotes greater understanding
between staff- and line-managers. Preparation,
agreement on solutions and written
communication, are stressed."
If you need to preview your tape selection
before you make your presentation, stop by the
Library and use our equipment. In any case, use
our videos to expand your organizational
awareness. C£ata'-tsS>
Conferences, Meetings,
Symposiums, Workshops
If you wish to have an upcoming event listed
here, please forward the information to The Catalyst,
HQ Library, 401 M St., SW - PM211A, Washington, DC
20460. Please submit the information as soon as
possible before the meeting, because we list events
that are scheduled three months in advance of each
publication date.
Fundamentals of Government Contracting.
June 10-11,1992, Washington, DC. Sponsored by
KPMG Peat Marwick. For more information contact:
Ms. Bridget Cipollini, Government Contractor Advisory
Services, Registrar, KPMG Peat Marwick, 2001 M. St.,
NW, Washington, DC 20036 or call (202) 467-3216.
Fourth Forum on Innovative Hazardous
Waste Treatment Technologies: Domestic
& International. November 17-19,1992, San
Francisco, CA. Sponsored by the U.S. EPA
Technology Innovation Office and Risk Reduction
Engineering Laboratory and the California
Environmental Protection Agency. CALL FOR
INTERNATIONAL PAPERS. U.S. EPA invites
international vendors of innovative hazardous waste
treatment technologies to submit and abstract for
review. Deadline for abstracts is June 8,1992. For
more information contact: Dr. Tomas R. DeKay at (703)
308-8798 or fax or mail abstract to: SAIC
Technology Dept., 501 Office Center Dr., Suite 420, Ft.
Washington, PA 19034 U.S.A. or call (215) 542-1200.
Fax number is (215) 542-8567.
World Recycling Conference and Expo.
June 2-4,1992, Rosemont, IL. Sponsored by the
Conference Management Company. For more
information contact: 200 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk, CT
06856-4990 or call (800) 243-3238 or
Fax (203) 838-3710.
Environmental Management Expo. June 3-6,
1992, Seattle, WA. Sponsored by the International
Association of Environmental Managers. For more
information, contact: 243 West Main St., P.O. Box 308,
Kutstown, PA 19530 or call (215) 683-5098.
85th Annual Meeting of the Air and Waste
Management Association. June 22-26,1992,
Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Air and Waste
Management Association. For more information
contact: P.O. Box 2861, Pittsburgh, PA 15230 or call
(412)232-3444.
Reference Inquiries

Circulation Inquiries

Interlibrary Loan
wKUSSm
Hazardous Waste-Reference
tsiiiii :!i:
INFOTERRA-Reference
¦¦illliii
Email
Ijiftiplll
The Headquarters Library is contractor
operated.

THE CATALYST MARCH 1992
PAGE 4

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United States	EPA/IMSD
Environmental Protection	March 1992
Agency
Info Page: Speech Writing
A speech is an oral discourse given in front of an audience. Before you
organize information or write a speech, you should decide what you want to accomplish.
DO YOU WANT YOUR LISTENERS TO:
*	Do something — such as allocating more funds for wastewater treatment
*	Refrain from doing something — such as polluting drinking water
*	Become more aware of a topic — such as increasing public sensitivity to
the benefits derived from wetlands
A SPEECH SHOULD HAVE:
An Opening
Introduce yourself
*	Introduce your topic
*	Get the attention/interest of your audience
—	Tell a joke, anecdote, case study, quote
—	Relate topic to your audience
A Body
Studies show that people remember only 5-7 bits of information at
one time, so plan your information into 5-7 groups
*	Arrange these groups logically, in a way which suits your audience
and topic
—	Chronological — from beginning to end
—	Emphatic — from strongest to weakest
—	Scope — from comprehensive overview to specific
A Closing
*	Sum up your main points
*	Give your audience ways to respond or become more involved
Leave your audience with something to remember

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TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN WRITING A SPEECH
Know your audience and tailor your speech to them
Provide information that is new to your listeners — no one wants
information they already know	Headquarters and Chemical Libraries
EPA West Bldg Room 3340
Speak in concrete terms	Mailcode 3404T
Use specific verbs	1301 Constitution Ave NW
Use examples to illustrate points	Washington DC 20004
202-566-0556
Don't try to be someone you're not: use a style of speaking that you are
comfortable with
MATERIALS LOCATED IN THE HEADQUARTERS LIBRARY WHICH CAN HELP YOU
WRITE A SPEECH:
Style Manuals
The ACS Style Guide
The Associated Press Stylebook and
Libel Manual
The Chicago Manual of Style
The Government Printing Office Style Manual
REF QD8.5 A25
REF PN4783 .A8
REF Z253 -U69
REF Z253 .U58
Statistical Sources
Famous First Facts
Statistical Abstract of the United States
Trivial Conquest [Trivial Pursuit guide]
Vital Statistics of the United States
Who's Who [Library has a variety]
World Almanac
REF AG5 .K315
REF HA202 -U4
REF GV1469.T77M47
REF HA203 .A22
REF AY67 .N5W7
Cultural Sources
Anthology of Magazine Verse and


Yearbook of American Poetry
REF
PN6099.6 A57
Bulfinch's Mythology
REF
BL310 .B82
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
REF
PN6080 .C58
Dictionary of Quotations
REF
PN6081.E9
Grainger's Index to Poetry
REF
PN1022 .G7
Holy Bible
REF
BL310 .B82
Home Book of Quotations
REF
PN6081 .S73
Oxford Dictionary of English Proverbs
REF
PN6421 .S6
Political Quotations
REF
PN6084 .P6P64
Roget's International Thesaurus
REF
PE1591.R737
Toastmaster's Quips and Stories: and


How to Use Them
REF
PN6153 .P75
Twentieth Century Culture
REF
CT120 .15 
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