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Digital democracy: Citizens' guide for government policy in the information age
410
GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
QUARTERLY
Vol. 14/No. 4/1997
manipulation of the data through a variety of tables, graphs, charts, and maps functions. Missing also is the spreadsheet function. While CDC does plan on implementing the tables and graph function by the end of 1997, there are no plans to offer the spreadsheet function through the Web product. Finally, the Web version does not include either the medical or hospital data created by several important utilization studies. Users can log on anonymously, but registration with the CDC (there is no charge) is necessary if users want the ability to store searches in files for later retrieval. Presently, retrieved documents can be viewed online or sent to the user’s local e-mail account. In its present form, the Web version of CDC WONDER is clearly still under construction, and does not yet provide users with the same level of sophistication for the searching, manipulating, and sharing of data in the public health arena. The CDC plans to discontinue its support of earlier versions of the desktop-based software by the end of 1997. If the missing features are added during the coming year, then the Web version should prove to be a useful and easy to use vehicle for accessing the enormous wealth of data compiled by the CDC.
Digital Democracy: Citizens’ Guide for Government Policy in the Information Age. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Government Information Access Council, 1997.
It is seldom that one reads a government report and is impressed by its vision and realism. However, such is the case with a recent report on the digital democracy by the Minnesota Government Information Access Council (GIAC). The report is notable for not only for its ambitious agenda, but also its pragmatic approach to disseminating government information. It is forward thinking and innovative as it examines the potential of electronic information dissemination. GIAC was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1994 with the “mission to improve public access to government information and to help government become more efficient, effective and responsive through the use of information technology.” GIAC is guided by the ideal of an open government and a proactive and informed citizenry. This vision guided the members of GIAC in developing their report on a digital democracy. GIAC recognizes technology is only a means to achieve the goal of an open government. This ideal is the underlying premise of the report. GIAC agreed to a set of criteria when formulating its recommendations. The recommendations must expand and improve citizen access to government information, improve government efficiency, clarify government information policy, and be cost effective. Based upon these criteria, GIAC selected and grouped the recommendations into six categories, which cover all aspects of technology and access, including training, system design, and community access. Following GIAC’s vision, the recommendations are uncomplicated and broad enough so that agencies will not be welded to specific technology and will evolve as technology advances. The recommendations are not in isolation from other societal goals. For instance, GIAC views a comprehensive government information
411
Reviews
system as supportive of lifelong learning and contributing toward the state’s economic development. GIAC has set forth an integrated vision of an electronic democracy based upon guiding principles. This report is not the conclusion of GIAC, but one step in an ongoing progression of the state’s commitment to a digital democracy. The report contrasts with a recent study by the Government Printing Office (GPO). GIAC sets forth principles and goals for government agencies to follow as they implement electronic information systems. GPO’s report, which was bogged down in the political process, does not set forth an interagency consensus on information dissemination. GPO missed its opportunity to set forth an innovative vision for electronic delivery of information, whereas GIAC achieved a realist vision to strive to achieve. Despite the ambitious goals of the report, GIAC understands the political reality of implementing its vision. GIAC asks if “Minnesotans are willing to pay for advanced services” (Appendix, p. 37)? It will be up to Minnesotans to decide if the benefits of an integrated and comprehensive electronic information system are worth the costs. If so, Minnesota citizens have a set of principles to guide them and which may also serve as a model for other government projects.
Federal Information Policies in the 1990s: Views and Perspectives. Edited by Peter Hemon, Charles R. McClure, and Harold C. Relyea. Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing, 1996.340 pp. $65.00 (cloth). ISBN I-56750-282-2, $35.00 (paperback). ISBN l-56750-283-0. Reviewed by Barbara B. Alexander, Documents Librarian, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-8900.
While the editors of this volume stand highly regarded in the government information field, and the title looks as if it should cover topics both somewhat familiar and essential to the work of anyone dealing with the government, one approached this book with some kind of anticipation. However, it proved to be educational, informative, worthwhile, and even seductive. The information policies included here cover privacy, freedom of information, the electronic age and archival records, and scientific and technical information; all receive equal space, as do information resource management and geographic information systems. Specific examples of newsworthy events provide illustrations demonstrating the effectiveness, or lack, of the various policies presently in force. It is the breadth of the book, the examples, and the well-written narrative that keep the reader from putting this down. Of note are the parallels between the quandary of the federal government to find its way through the information technology maze and the resources necessary to support these new services, and a similar quandary being experienced by libraries and academic institutions across the nation. Such ambitious government programs as the National Information Infrastructure (MI) and the National Research and Education Network (NREN) contrast with the dilemma of agencies in the process of downsizing while automating. The government faces difficult decisions regarding the life cycle of information, the paper legacy, and levels of access due to varying formats. A lack of coherent, compatible legislation and/or instructions from the three branches of the government complicate and delay progress.
GOVERNMENT
INFORMATION
QUARTERLY
Vol. 14/No. 4/1997
manipulation of the data through a variety of tables, graphs, charts, and maps functions. Missing also is the spreadsheet function. While CDC does plan on implementing the tables and graph function by the end of 1997, there are no plans to offer the spreadsheet function through the Web product. Finally, the Web version does not include either the medical or hospital data created by several important utilization studies. Users can log on anonymously, but registration with the CDC (there is no charge) is necessary if users want the ability to store searches in files for later retrieval. Presently, retrieved documents can be viewed online or sent to the user’s local e-mail account. In its present form, the Web version of CDC WONDER is clearly still under construction, and does not yet provide users with the same level of sophistication for the searching, manipulating, and sharing of data in the public health arena. The CDC plans to discontinue its support of earlier versions of the desktop-based software by the end of 1997. If the missing features are added during the coming year, then the Web version should prove to be a useful and easy to use vehicle for accessing the enormous wealth of data compiled by the CDC.
Digital Democracy: Citizens’ Guide for Government Policy in the Information Age. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Government Information Access Council, 1997
It is seldom that one reads a government report and is impressed by its vision and realism. However, such is the case with a recent report on the digital democracy by the Minnesota Government Information Access Council (GIAC). The report is notable for not only for its ambitious agenda, but also its pragmatic approach to disseminating government information. It is forward thinking and innovative as it examines the potential of electronic information dissemination. GIAC was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1994 with the “mission to improve public access to government information and to help government become more efficient, effective and responsive through the use of information technology.” GIAC is guided by the ideal of an open government and a proactive and informed citizenry. This vision guided the members of GIAC in developing their report on a digital democracy. GIAC recognizes technology is only a means to achieve the goal of an open government. This ideal is the underlying premise of the report. GIAC agreed to a set of criteria when formulating its recommendations. The recommendations must expand and improve citizen access to government information, improve government efficiency, clarify government information policy, and be cost effective. Based upon these criteria, GIAC selected and grouped the recommendations into six categories, which cover all aspects of technology and access, including training, system design, and community access. Following GIAC’s vision, the recommendations are uncomplicated and broad enough so that agencies will not be welded to specific technology and will evolve as technology advances. The recommendations are not in isolation from other societal goals. For instance, GIAC views a comprehensive government information
411
Reviews
system as supportive of lifelong learning and contributing toward the state’s economic development. GIAC has set forth an integrated vision of an electronic democracy based upon guiding principles. This report is not the conclusion of GIAC, but one step in an ongoing progression of the state’s commitment to a digital democracy. The report contrasts with a recent study by the Government Printing Office (GPO). GIAC sets forth principles and goals for government agencies to follow as they implement electronic information systems. GPO’s report, which was bogged down in the political process, does not set forth an interagency consensus on information dissemination. GPO missed its opportunity to set forth an innovative vision for electronic delivery of information, whereas GIAC achieved a realist vision to strive to achieve. Despite the ambitious goals of the report, GIAC understands the political reality of implementing its vision. GIAC asks if “Minnesotans are willing to pay for advanced services” (Appendix, p. 37)? It will be up to Minnesotans to decide if the benefits of an integrated and comprehensive electronic information system are worth the costs. If so, Minnesota citizens have a set of principles to guide them and which may also serve as a model for other government projects.
Federal Information Policies in the 1990s: Views and Perspectives. Edited by Peter Hemon, Charles R. McClure, and Harold C. Relyea. Greenwich, CT: Ablex Publishing, 1996.340 pp. $65.00 (cloth). ISBN I-56750-282-2, $35.00 (paperback). ISBN l-56750-283-0. Reviewed by Barbara B. Alexander, Documents Librarian, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-8900
While the editors of this volume stand highly regarded in the government information field, and the title looks as if it should cover topics both somewhat familiar and essential to the work of anyone dealing with the government, one approached this book with some kind of anticipation. However, it proved to be educational, informative, worthwhile, and even seductive. The information policies included here cover privacy, freedom of information, the electronic age and archival records, and scientific and technical information; all receive equal space, as do information resource management and geographic information systems. Specific examples of newsworthy events provide illustrations demonstrating the effectiveness, or lack, of the various policies presently in force. It is the breadth of the book, the examples, and the well-written narrative that keep the reader from putting this down. Of note are the parallels between the quandary of the federal government to find its way through the information technology maze and the resources necessary to support these new services, and a similar quandary being experienced by libraries and academic institutions across the nation. Such ambitious government programs as the National Information Infrastructure (MI) and the National Research and Education Network (NREN) contrast with the dilemma of agencies in the process of downsizing while automating. The government faces difficult decisions regarding the life cycle of information, the paper legacy, and levels of access due to varying formats. A lack of coherent, compatible legislation and/or instructions from the three branches of the government complicate and delay progress.