On the Net, Government Metasites: Federal, State, and International

Greg R. Notess
Reference Librarian
Montana State University

ON THE NET

Government Metasites: Federal, State, and International

DATABASE, October 1998
Copyright © Online Inc.

At least three different approaches to creating metasites of government links can be found among the current crop.

Governments are on the Web. As the easiest new technology for making information available to the citizenry, governments from near and far have been actively establishing Web sites. Many have been making their publications available on the Internet: press releases, technical reports, bibliographic databases, legislation, regulations, and more. Add to this the online forms, directories, and basic descriptions, and the governmental sites on the Web become very important sources for a broad range of information.

With thousands of government Web sites and millions of individual pages, finding the appropriate government site is not always an easy task. Sometimes it can be as simple as guessing the agency's URL. But when it is an office within a division within an agency, particularly when you are not sure which agency, a directory of government Web sites makes it much quicker. There are numerous government metasites available.

TYPES OF METASITES

At least three different approaches to creating metasites of government links can be found among the current crop. The most common is the straight hierarchical approach. For example, it could start with the central three branches of government followed by more or less detailed hierarchical listings of the various agencies, departments, offices, and divisions within each agency. A second, less frequent approach is a subject-oriented, classified division of links pointing to varying government Web pages that deal with similar subjects--even when they are sponsored by different agencies or governments. An even rarer government metasite is one that focuses on publications. This kind may use a hierarchical, subject, or basic alphabetical arrangement, but rather than just pointing to general Web sites, it points specifically to online publications from the governmental body.

Is there one metasite that covers all these approaches, is comprehensive in coverage, and continues to be fully updated on a daily basis? In a word, no. With everyone from a local town council to the Norwegian Storting setting up Web sites, no single source will be comprehensive. Instead, an effective search for government information on the Internet will rely on various government metasites, depending on the kind of information needed.

With so many directories pointing to government information, a site that acts as a metasite of government metasites can be useful. One such site that covers local, state, federal, foreign, and international government information is the Documents Center Web site from the University of Michigan library (http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/Documents.center). This is an incredibly detailed metasite covering a broad range of government information. Maintained by the well-known documents librarian, Grace York, this Web site includes hierarchical, subject, and alphabetical access.

With its broad coverage of international, federal, state, and local government information, plus a huge number of links, the Documents Center can be overwhelming at first. The root hierarchical categories are simple enough: Federal Government, Foreign Governments, International Agencies, and State and Local. Under each category, the pages are often lengthy, with links to specific government resources as well as to other metasites. The search form and the directory, which is an alphabetical listing of the site's contents, help in navigating the site. Like other university sites, one distraction for the non-University of Michigan user is the inclusion of links to local resources. But the links to other metasites and the overall scope make this metasite of government metasites an important tool for tracking down elusive government resources.

U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

With a section of Webspace as large as that of the U.S. federal government, not only are there numerous metasites and finding aids, but there are some from each type. Many federal Web sites use the hierarchical approach to link to related federal agencies. Central agency sites like those of NOAA have their own detailed listing of subsidiary bureaus, offices, and divisions. For even broader access, see the following metasites.

Access by Agency

This typical, hierarchical approach is used by the majority of government metasites. Yahoo! takes this approach in its Government: U.S. Government section with sections for the Judicial Branch, Legislative Branch, and Executive Branch. It includes other sections as well, with an Agencies section that links to agencies from both the executive and legislative sides along with independent agencies. However, for those familiar with the federal government structure, Yahoo!'s arrangement does not always match the actual hierarchy of agencies.

The Federal Web Locator (http://www.vcilp.org/Fed-Agency) is one of the best known of the hierarchical federal government metasites. However, recently it has suffered from lack of in-depth upkeep. Maintained at the Villanova Center for Information Law and Policy, it is intended to be a comprehensive source for federal government Web sites. Arranged by agency hierarchy, its sections include Federal Legislative Branch, Federal Judicial Branch, Federal Executive Branch, Federal Executive Agencies, Federal Independent Establishments and Government Corporations, Federal Government Consortium and Quasi-Official Agencies, and Non-Government Federally Related Sites. Under each department is a further hierarchical breakdown. A keyword search option can be used to find offices when the exact hierarchy is not known.

Available since 1994, the Federal Web Locator is one of the best-known government metasites. Unfortunately, it has some problems. Some sections are dated. The Latest Additions section has included some links for almost a year. An agency like the National Biological Service that became the Biological Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Service in 1996 is listed only under the old name. The Federal Web Locator is still being updated, but not all sections get equal attention. In addition, due to the size of some of its pages, it can be slow to load.

A creation of the University of California, Riverside library, INFOMINE is a selective metasite, focusing on collections of scholarly Internet resources.
For a quicker approach and a more accurate representation of the hierarchical structure than Yahoo! provides, try the U.S. Federal Government Agencies Directory from the Louisiana State University Library (http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html). Based on the United States Government Manual, this site consists of a single page with an indented list showing the government hierarchy. Each level is arranged alphabetically. While this site is not as complete as some others, the simple hierarchical approach makes it easy to browse, or you can use the keyword search capability. More frequently updated than the Federal Web Locator, it does not go into quite as much depth. Unfortunately, it also contains some dated information, such as the National Biological Service instead of Biological Resources Division.

Access by Subject

For subject access to the Internet try INFOMINE (http://lib-www.ucr.edu/govsearch.html). A creation of the University of California, Riverside library, INFOMINE is a selective metasite, focusing on collections of scholarly Internet resources. The government section of INFOMINE provides access to government Web pages that have been individually annotated and cataloged with subject terms and keywords. While some are international or local to California, most are U.S. federal government resources. Access to the directory is by keyword search or browsing titles, keywords, or subjects. The search option supports Boolean searching and truncation.

The resources included in the Government INFOMINE are often specific offices, data sets, or online publications, rather than discrete Web sites. This emphasis on particular information resources combines well with the detailed subject indexing to make this site an excellent source for locating government resources by subject. Its one limitation is that, due to the human input involved in individually cataloging specific sites, it is only a very selective index to government resources. Plenty of other excellent federal government resources are not included. Also, like the Documents Center site, some of the listings point to local resources housed on the Riverside campus.

Documents Focus

For U.S. federal government publications, there are two important metasites that take the document-centered approach. Both of these focus exclusively on the addresses for specific online government publications.

The Uncle Sam Migrating Government Publications site (http://www.lib.memphis.edu/gpo/mig.htm) from the Regional Depository Library at the University of Memphis is designed to help users follow the migration of printed government publications toward Internet versions. Toward that end, the site presents lists of print sources that are now available on the Internet. It is limited to serial and periodical publications from the government, but it does point to both official and unofficial sites that may host such publications. Arranged both alphabetically by title and by Superintendent of Documents (SuDoc) classification number, the links point to the exact location of the publication or to the nearest search screen.

For a broader approach, the Government Printing Office produces the Pathway Services: Browse Electronic Titles: The Virtual Depository Web site, which is subtitled A Guide to Government Information Products Available via the Internet (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/dpos/btitles.html). If that title is rather unwieldy, the site is usually referred to as simply Browse Electronic Titles or BET for short. BET provides direct links to individual government publications, both monographs and serials, located on official government servers. Arranged by agency (and be sure to look for a rotated version of the agency's name), the individual records include the title, item number, SuDoc number, and linked URL for each publication.

INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTS

The United States federal government is one of the most prolific publishers among world governments. The quantity of information disseminated by the federal government on the Web has been equally prolific. However, there are many other countries and international organizations that have been busy setting up Web sites and offering their own information and online publications. Two excellent metasites provide access to the government sites from other countries and for international organizations.

Originating as an Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) project, Governments on the Web (http://www.gksoft.com/govt/) is one of the most extensive lists of international, national, regional, and local governmental and government-related Web servers. The original still exists (http://www.eff.org/govt.html) but has not been updated since 1995. Be sure to use the current one maintained by Gunnar Anzinger and available in both German and English.

The current version is kept up-to-date and contains more than 9,700 entries from 205 countries and territories. It uses both a hierarchical and an alphabetical arrangement. Access is via an alphabetical list of countries or by continent and then by country. The listing for each country uses a uniform format starting off with any general resources and then the major federal sites. After that is a hierarchical listing of departments, ministries, and agencies followed by state institutions, representation in foreign countries, political parties, and additional information. This last category links to World Factbook entries and other basic country information. Within these sections the list can include parliaments, ministries, offices, law courts, embassies, city councils, public broadcasting corporations, central banks, multinational organizations, and political parties.

Governments on the Web sports a very basic structure and simple design with almost no graphics, yet it succeeds extremely well at its mission. The few graphics proclaim some of Anzinger's own ideology in regards to Web browsers, free speech, and HTML. Sites are marked with special symbols if they use frames or Javascript. However, none of that gets in the way of the simple functionality of his site.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

For international organizations, the Government Documents Round Table's International Documents Task Force (IDTF) produces an excellent metasite (http://www.library.nwu.edu/govpub/idft/igo.html). This is a single-page, alphabetical list. Some agencies also have hierarchical listings. For example the International Finance Corporation is listed alphabetically under I as well as under the World Bank.

This metasite falls into the third category mentioned earlier with an impressive focus on online publications. Rather than merely listing the organizations with hypertext links, it also features direct links to documentation of the organization. Many of the listings include direct links to press releases, publication catalogs, resolutions, documents, and other publications.

STATE GOVERNMENT METASITES

There are numerous metasites for locating state governments on the Web. While a few state government URLs still end in .gov, most have moved to the newer standard top-level domain of .us. Thus, it is a good guess to try www.state.xx.us where the xx is the two letter postal abbreviation for the state. A few examples are www.state.ks.us, www.state.id.us, and www.state.ny.us. Typically, this will bring up the state's official Web site, with links to tourist information and to government links. Where this approach fails, most standard directories including Yahoo! should provide basic links to main state governmental Web servers. However, Yahoo! usually just presents an alphabetical listing with little sense of the government structure or subject access.

For those who prefer a more structured approach, try the Piper Resources--sponsored State and Local Government on the Net (http://www.piperinfo.com/state/states.html). Organized alphabetically by state, this site provides a similar structure for each state's listing: State Home Page, Statewide Offices, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Executive Branch, Boards and Commissions, Counties, and Cities. This similarity makes it far easier to identify parallel agencies. In addition, it includes multistate sites, federal sites related to the states, and national organizations. The very clean look and straightforward organization of State and Local Government on the Net make it very easy to use. Its frequent updates and clear focus make it a reliable and dependable metasite.

CONTINUOUS EVALUATION

As some of these sites have demonstrated, any metasite can become dated and less useful than it once was. The Federal Web Locator has been a standard resource for years, but over time it has become less accurate and less frequently updated. The original Governments on the Web page is still available on EFF's site even though it has not been updated for three years. Oddly, it has no link to the current Governments on the Web.

To avoid being misled by such sites, the savvy searcher needs to continually evaluate the quality of any metasite. Look for any sign of recent additions, an excessive number of dead links, or a large number of Gopher links. Above all, do not rely on just one metasite. If the first one does not provide the needed link, try another metasite. In the process, the comparison should also give a good sense of which ones may be the most useful for next time.

Communications to the author should be addressed to Greg R. Notess, Montana State University Libraries, Bozeman, MT 59717-0332; 406/994-6563; greg@notess.com ; http://www.notess.com.