Government Information Quarterly
Volume 8, Number 3, 1991
Jane Bortnick
Guest Editor
Trends in State Legislative Information Technology
M. Glenn Newkirk
........................................................................ 259
Information Systems in the United States Senate:
An Overview of Current and Projected Applications
Thomas G. Meenan and Charles R. Wyman .......................... 273
House Information Systems Online Services:
Today and Tomorrow
Lea Fowlie
......................................................................... 285
The Development of Information Technology in the
Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress
Jeffrey C. Griffith
................................................................... 293
The Canadian Parliament's Automated Information Systems
Audrey O'Brien and Robert
Desramaux ............................................... 309
The Use of Information Technology in the Secretariat of the
Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.
Jeffrey C. Griffith
............................................................... 313
Contributors .................................................................................... 323
Reviews
John A. Shuler, Editor
County and City Statistics CD-ROM
Reviewed by Gary Cornwell ....................................................... 325
El Salvador: The Making of U.S Policy, 1977-1984
Edited by Janet Di-Vincenzo, Scott Armstrong, Nicole Ball,
and Thomas S. Blanton
Reviewed by Bert Chapman .......................................................... 328
Guide to Official Publications of Foreign Countries
By American Library Association
Reviewed by Marilyn K. Moody ...................................................... 329
Guide to U.S. Government Statistics
Edited by Donna Andriot, Jay Andriot, and Laurie Andriot
Reviewed by Donna L. Burton .......................................................... 330
In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the ACLU
By Samuel Walker
Reviewed by Robert M. Shaw ....................................................... 332
Managing Information Resources: New Directions in State
Government--A National Study of State Government Information
Resources Management
By Sharon L. Caudle and Donald A. Marchand, et al.
A Strategic Plan for Managing and Preserving Electronic
Records in New York State Government: Final Report of the
Special Media Records Project
New York State in Documents 1987-1988: An Annotated
Bibliography of Federal Government Publications
Edited by Donald J. Voorhees
Reviewed by Debora Cheney .................................................... 332
The Myth of Government Information
By Alastair J. Allan
Reviewed by Peter Hernon ....................................................... 334
Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective
By Richard Fried
Reviewed by Mallory L Stark .............................................................. 335
United States Government Information Policies:
Views and Perspectives
Edited by Charies R. McClure, Peter Hernon, and
Harold C. Relyea
U.S. Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Policies:
Views and Perspectives
Edited by Charles R. McClure and Peter Hernon
Reviewed by Jack Sulzer .................................................................. 336
List of Titles Received ....................................................................... 339
M. Glenn Newkirk
A decade ago state legislatures were only beginning to develop information systems capabilities. However, since then there have been dramatic changes in the scope, size, and structure of legislative information technologies. Discussions with legislative information technology directors and a review of literature point to five trends that are indicative of this maturation: the emergence of multi-vendor computing in the legislatures; the development of labor issues relating to information technology; the demise of the non-end user; the quest for legislative access to executive branch data systems; and the interest for public access to legislative data systems. These trends and others point to state legislatures as prime examples of governmental information industries.
Information Systems in the United States Senate:
An Overview of Current and Projected Applications
Thomas G. Meenan
Charles R. Wyman
United States Senators and their staff members have access to far-rearching computerized information systems supplied by the Senate infrastructure, by other government sources, and by commercial information suppliers. While the specific application of these assets varies considerably among individual Senate offices, such resources contribute profoundly to the legislative process and to peripheral support functions in each Senate office. This article traces the history and current applications of online information resources in offices of the United States Senate; it focuses specifically on the use of information systems directly accessible to Senators and their staff members within Senate offices. The U.S. Senate Computer Center, which prepared and submitted the article, provides a wide range of automated information services supporting the legislative, administrative, and constituent service functions of the U.S. Senate.
House Information Systems Online Services:
Today and Tomorrow
Lea Fowlie
House Information Systems (H.I.S.) serves as the data processing arm for the U.S. House of Representatives. Since 1971, H.I.S. has developed and supported a variety of computer systems and services designed to assist the work of the House.
Jeffrey C. Griffith
The Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress provides a wide range of information support activities to Congress. CRS' products must be timely, objective, and useful to the congressional audience. Increasingly CRS makes use of a variety of information technologies for quickly accessing information, performing analyses, producing copies, preparing reports, and distributing its products and services. These information systems are critical to the performance of CRS' mission in today's environment. CRS continues to explore the potential of new technological developments for improving its information services to Congress.
The Canadian Parliament's
Automated Information Systems
Audrey O'Brien
Robert Desramaux
For a number of years Members and staff of the Canadian House of Commons, the Senate, and the Library of Parliament have had access to a broad range of office automation technologies, the backbone of which is an integrated voice, video and data communication system called the OASIS Network. This article describes the services available through the OASIS Network as well as a number of other office automation applications and management information systems which have been developed. Of particular note among the latter is a procedural database used by House staff for procedural research.
The Use of Information Technology in the
Secretariat of the Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R.
Jeffrey C. Griffith
The Supreme Soviet of the U.S.S.R., the newly created legislative body of the Soviet Union, is struggling to become a truly independent branch of the national government, equal to its executive counterpart. Despite a lack of resources that limits each Deputy to a single staff assistant, the legislature is trying to establish, through its Secretariat, its own independent sources for information and analysis. The Secretrariat hopes to use informatin technology to support the Supreme Soviet's need for information more effectively, but it is confronted with a number of critical barriers such as import restrictions and the lack of a hard currency. Nevertheless, the staff of the Secretariat have been creative in their use of the technology which they could acquire and are reaching out to a number of other state organizations for support while they develop their own capabilities.
Robert Desramaux is Director General, Parliamentary Operations. Previously he was Director General of Support and Information Systems for the Canadian House of Commons. This Directorate is responsible for the development, implementation and support of office automation technologies used by Members and staff of the House of Commons.
Lea Fowlie analyzes vendor products for potential use in the Member Information Network, completes application design specifications, conducts pilot tests in the user community, and produces user documentation and online help tutorials. In previous positions, she has served as the Project Leader for the Member Information Network Product Packaging and training Group, Project Leader for the Member Information Network Support Group, and as a Service Representative and Office Automation Analyst. Ms. Fowlie received a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. She serves as President of the Friends of Alexandria Archaeology and Secretary for the USS ALEXANDRIA (SSN 757) Commissioning Committee, and is also affiliated with the Red Cross and Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Jeffrey C. Griffith is the Deputy Assistant Director for Automation at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. He is responsible for the development and application of information technology in support of research and policy analysis conducted by CRS for the U.S. Congress. Mr. Griffith received his A.B. from Harvard College, a master's degree in education from the Harvard School of Education, and a master's degree in information systems from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Thomas G. Meenan is an Office Communications Specialist in the United States Senate Computer Center in Washington, DC. He administers contracts and coordinates support for the Senate's commercial information services and newswire programs. He also produces educational and promotional materials for Senate staff who use computer services. Mr. Meenan graduated with honors from Georgetown University and completed graduate training in publications at George Washington University.
M. Glenn Newkirk is Director of the North Carolina General Assembly's Legislative Automated Systems Division. Previously, he was Senior Program Director for Information Systems at the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver, Colorado. He has extensive information systems research and consulting experience with state government executive agencies, state legislatures, and international parliamentary assemblies.
Audrey O'Brien is the Principal Clerk, Table Research Branch of the Canadian House of Commons. The Table Research Branch is responsible for the coordination of all procedural research for the House of Commons and its committees.
Charles R. Wyman is a Senior Systems Analyst with the United States Senate Computer Center. He completed undergraduate work at Carleton College, and received an M.S. in Physics from the University of Illinois. He has extensive experience in the design and development of computer applications software and is currently responsible for defining and documenting user requirements for the planned upgrade to the Senate's LEGIS applications.
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