In several cases, the information being sought is already online, but citizens have such a difficult time locating it, it hardly matters. Since requesters thought that the following information was not online, we decided to explain how to locate it, explain how the government’s Web sites are integrated and let agencies know about the documents that cannot be located easily, in the hope that agencies will improve their searching and indexing resources. Documents on GPO Access GPO Access http://www.access.gpo.gov is one of the best sources for online information and probably the first place that researchers should look if they are having trouble. We found all of the following documents there:
We had one request for the budget in spreadsheet format which actually is available at the GPO budget page. The "Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents," which includes Executive Orders and other Presidential documents, is only available through a keyword searchable database. Plans to make these records searchable through a browsing mechanism are underway. Census Data We had many requests for "more" census data online. We were able to locate the specific information requested from the agency's homepage.
Congressional Information We received a few requests for a tracking mechanism on certain subjects. Fortunately such a tool exists. Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov was created by the Library of Congress to help citizens keep track of legislative proposals. Generally, the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov ; either of the two Congressional sites http://www.house.gov and http://www.senate.gov ; or GPO Access are good places to start looking for legislative and Congressional information. We also received a request for the Cox Report, which, at the time this report was published was linked directly from the House Home Page http://www.house.gov .
Grant Information Information on Federal Grants is spread throughout the federal government. Unfortunately, there is still no way to track down the information without knowing where to start. There are several sites that have sprung up dedicated to grant information, notably GrantsNet http://www.hhs.gov/progorg/grantsnet/ on the Department of Health and Human Services Web site which includes a "Who’s Who in Federal Grants Management." The best single online source for information is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA), which describes itself as "a government-wide compendium of Federal programs, projects, services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the American public." It is put together by the General Services Administration.
Labor Information Although one might think that the Department of Labor would have links to all labor oriented information in the government, this is not the case. The Department of Labor has a useful set of information on its Web site, but it does not have easy-to-find links to other important sources of information on the U.S. workforce. We found these two sites more by chance than by plan.
Pending Regulations The Office of Management and Budget http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/ keeps track of all pending paperwork and regulations. These databases are online at the White House site http://www.whitehouse.gov/ , which, along with GPO Access, is the first place that someone looking for information from the Executive Branch may want to start.
Zip Code Lookup The Post Office http://www.usps.gov makes this database available in many formats. A quick look at the agency home page and we located this useful tool.
"Falling Through the Net" We received a request for the Department of Commerce’s recent report, "Falling Through the Net." The requestor thought that the report was written by the FCC. A look on GSA’s full government search engine http://www.info.gov can help get a requestor to a report without knowing which agency created it.
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