OMB Circular No. A-130, the management of federal information resources: Its origins and impact

An OMB circular is a policy directive that tells Federal executive agencies how they shall implement laws or presidential policies. OMB Circular No. A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources, prescribes a general policy framework within the Paperwork Reduction Act for developing uniform and consistent Federal information resources management policies. The need for the policy framework was identified by the Commission on Federal Paperwork, and reaffirmed by the General Accounting Office and the Congress. The Circular enunciates some policies regarding dissemination of information for which Congress has not provided explicit statutory guidance. The Circular is quite general in its policy statements and does not subdistinguish various categories of government information. The principal impact of the Circular will be a continuing emphasis on planning for information resources management.     

Policy perspectives on electronic collection and dissemination of information

This article discusses the relationship of OMB Circular No. A-130, the Management of Federal Information Resources, to the Paperwork Reduction Act. Information collection and information dissemination are treated unequally in the Act. OMB's proposed policy guidance on electronic collection enumerated conditions favorable to electronic collection, and criteria for design and development of electronic collection systems. Issues raised by commenters included the response burden for electronic collection, the importance of benefit-cost analysis, and the advisability of waivers. Policy issues to be treated in forthcoming proposed OMB policy guidance on electronic collection include requirement of agency inventories of information dissemination products and services, the meaning of adequate notice prior to initiating or terminating dissemination, and other general guidance.     

OMB A-130

The Federal Office of Management and Budget issued its Circular A-130, "Management of Federal Information Resources" in December 1985. The Circular marked a continuation of the Reagan Administration's effort to systematically reduce the flow of information from the federal government. The impact of thc Circular is discussed both in terms of its effect on federal government information gathering and reporting programs, and the reference service offered by libraries.     

Does the Federal government need an A-130 for STI?

The article argues that the Federal government needs to develop special government-wide policies, similar to OMB Circular No. A-130, which would be applicable to scientific and technical information (STI). After exploring the relation between government information and government STI, the author points out that Federal statistics has its own special set of policies known as Statistical Policy Directives. STI's situation is different from other government information because it is carried out in the culture of science and academia, in the culture of classified information and export controls, and in the international arena. A policy circular for STI would touch on Federal research and development, technology transfer, classified and export control information, international considerations, interagency sharing, and several existing areas of policy. The Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, or the National Science and Technology Council could issue the policy.     

Rhetoric versus reality: a reexamination of access to U.S. government information during the presidency of Ronald Reagan

This article examines information policies implemented during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. Of special interest is an analysis of OMB Circular A-130 and the assumptions that underlay its mandates. In addition, a rhetorical analysis of articles from the period is undertaken to examine the assumptions authors used in their defense of or arguments against U.S. federal information policy of the time. Finally, an analysis of the budget of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the number of items distributed to depository libraries, and the sales of the Government Printing Office (GPO) is made to determine changes as a result of the implemented policies.     

The effect of U.S. policies on the economics of libraries

The decline in federal support of educational programs has made it difficult for libraries to apply new technologies to improve practices and services. While federal support has declined in constant dollars, there has been a modest increase in grants from private foundations. Current U.S. policies require federal agencies to recover full costs of rendering services (Circular A-25) and require the transfer of many federal service-oriented activities to the commercial sector (Circular A-76). Additionally, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 is inhibiting the production and dissemination of federal publications. Government pursuit of these policies adds a heavy economic burden to libraries and threatens to reduce access to the scholarly and scientific record.     

Information under siege: The reagan administration's federal information policy

In this article, Congressman Owens assesses OMB's Circular No. A-130 on the management of Federal information resources. He finds the Circular highly deficient and a potential threat to the public's access to information that the government collects, produces, and maintains.     

The Paperwork Reduction Act: Benefits,costs and directions for reform

Congress passed the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) in 1980. Intended to ensure that the federal government carefully managed information and to reduce the burden of information collection on the American public, it has arguably failed to do either. This article uses a simple analysis of the benefits and costs of the Act to evaluate possible directions for reform. The implementation of the PRA has resulted in the misallocation of government resources. Far too much time is spent at the Office of Management and Budget and at agencies reviewing collections and soliciting input on thousands of information collections that are routine and unchanging. If this time was cut back, both OMB and agencies could devote more time to new information collections that have methodological issues and significant policy impacts. Agencies and OMB could also devote more time to tying information collection to information management as the authors of the PRA initially intended.     

“Freedom of information concerns”

With varying degrees of perception and awareness, members of Congress have long had concerns about freedom of information values and the FOI Act. Indeed, congressional diligence and independence has sustained the FOIA and supported its extension and refinement. Among the challenges of late to both these values and the statute are new electronic collection and dissemination of information practices within the Federal agencies and a new OMB circular on information resources management. In both of these developments, practice will have to assure congressional overseers that there is no resulting significant limitation of agency information holdings.     

Assessing U.S. federal government websites

The exponential growth of federal Websites is outpacing federal information management policy guidelines. Federal Websites are potentially rich information resources, and the Web may well become the preeminent channel for disseminating federal information. Legitimate policy issues associated with the use of this new information dissemination channel should be assessed. This article provides an overview of information policy issues which affect federal Websites and introduces assessment techniques which federal Website designers and administrators could use to evaluate the design and management of their Web-based information resources.     

Paperwork reduction act reauthorization and government information management issues

Replacing the ineffective Federal Reports Act of 1942, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (PRA) was enacted largely to relieve the public of the mounting information collection and reporting requirements of the federal government. It also promoted coordinated information management activities on a governmentwide basis by the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and prescribed information management responsibilities for the executive agencies. The management focus of the PRA was sharpened with the 1986 amendments which refined the concept of “information resources management” (IRM), defined as “the planning, budgeting, organizing, directing, training, promoting, controlling, and management activities associated with the burden, collection, creation, use, and dissemination of information by agencies, and includes the management of information and related resources such as automatic data processing equipment.” This key term and its subset concepts received further definition and explanation in the PRA of 1995, making IRM a tool for managing the contribution of information activities to program performance, and for managing related resources, such as personnel, equipment, funds, and technology. The PRA currently authorizes appropriations for its administration by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), located within OMB, through FY2001 (44 U.S.C. 3520). Reauthorization of OIRA appropriations provides an opportunity to upgrade the PRA’s provisions and to address prevailing government information management issues.     

Trends in information technology and private sector activities

As the largest single producer, consumer, and disseminator of information in the United States, the Federal government has enormous power to influence the development and diffusion of new information technologies. Through the use of electronic information systems, it also has the opportunity to make more government information readily available to more public users. Defining the appropriate uses of, and controls on, this power are of critical importance in determining whether the government will be a positive or a negative force, particularly with respect to the private sector. Although there has always been, and probably always will be, some competition between government and private sector information products and services, there is agreement that the laws and policies regulating government information practices do not, and should not, require or permit a Federal agency to provide information products and services in the same manner as a private company. Federal agencies must be careful not to exploit the power inherent in electronic data systems by providing nonessential services to the public simply because the capability to provide such services exists. Instead the government should assume an affirmative obligation to review each electronic information activity carefully in order to avoid unnecessary government interference in the marketplace for information products and services. Further, as the government becomes increasingly involved in the use of electronic collection and dissemination, it must also learn to differentiate among levels of service and requirements of various user communities. Positions of the Association of Research Libraries, the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the Information Industry Association are presented and are shown to be in surprising harmony with the policies of OMB Circular A-130 and the views of the House Committee on Government Operations. The Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR system and recent development in distribution og government information on CD-ROM are reviewed as examples of the implementation of these policies.     

The management of United States government information resources: An assessment of OMB circular A-130

In late 1985, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued its controversial circular on the “Management of Federal Information Resources. ”This article assesses that circular in four areas relating to public access to government information: information resources management, economy and efficiency in that management, the adequacy of selected definitions, and implications for the depository library program. The conclusion emphasizes that the circular is severely deficient and requires public scrutiny and modification, as well as congressional review.     

Managing information technology in the federal government: Assessing the development and application of agency-wide policies

Growing interest in Federal agencies' management of information technology (IT) has prompted an examination of possible causes for problems in managing information technology. Members of both the Executive and Legislative Branches believe the problems result from ineffective OMB policies. Recent research shows, though, that agency management problems have resulted, in part, from the ineffectual application of OMB policy by agencies. This article examines what factors support or impede agency application and enforcement of IT management policy.     

信息资源管理研究的多重视角及其共同体的形成（Ⅰ）——政府IRM研究图景

多领域介入和多视角展开是信息资源管理研究的特点之一。政府、企业和情报学界分别代表了其三种主要研究视角。在政府研究领域,美国《文书削减法》及A-130号通报相辅相成,贯穿于美国政府信息资源管理发展之中。政府战略IRM和电子政府是政府IRM演化的两大方向。政府IBM具有三方面的特点。     

Federal publications cutbacks: Implications for libraries

Since President Reagan's April 1981 moratorium on new government publications and audiovisual products, the restrictions this administration has imposed on executive agency data collection and publishing activities have provoked considerable controversy both in Congress and in the media. This article attempts to characterize the impact on libraries of the restrictions. An examination of the Office of Management and Budget's List of Government Publications Terminated and Consolidated by Agency as compared with depository distribution patterns, agency publication policies established by the President's Task Force on Management Reform, and reductions in data collection activities directed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs are reported. A pattern of neglect in federal information collection and dissemination is shown to increase libraries' dependence on private sector publishing of government information, and to reduce the availability and comparability of certain federal statistical documentation collected by libraries.     

基于自组织理论的Web2.0信息交流与传播分析

Web2.0的兴起改变了传统互联网信息交流与传播的模式。无论是用户管理还是信息资源组织,Web2.0都体现出自组织的特征。文章从自组织理论的视角,分析了Web2.0信息交流与传播的动力、条件,论述了基于自组织理论的Web2.0信息交流与传播的主要特征及其局限性。     

The U.S. Government Printing Office's initiatives for the Federal Depository Library Program to set the stage for the 21st century

It is estimated that the majority of federal information is born digital. To that end, the U.S. Government Printing Office is transforming into a 21st century electronic information agency. As part of this effort, the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) has been investigating new options for the dissemination of Federal information that incorporate digitization, preservation, electronic metadata, and information retrieval. The FDLP's efforts to find new solutions will improve acquisitions, information access, and collection development for depository libraries. This article describes just a few of the initiatives GPO has undertaken to increase access to electronic U.S. Government information.     

Introducing the North American industry classification system

Since the 1930s, Economic Census data have been published based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, developed and maintained by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The decision by OMB to replace the SIC with the new North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) has had a profound effect on planning, data collection, data processing, and publication activities of the Economic Census. It was necessary to design new and different forms, expand the kinds of questions included on the forms, canvass a larger number of companies to request classification information, and develop a process for recoding over five million business establishments to a NAICS basis.