Describes Counting California, a Web-based system providing open access to economic and social data on California produced by federal, state, and local agencies through a single interface. Also explains the DDI (data documentation initiative), a developing metadata standard for describing social and economic data, and gives example of systems that…

Describes various inflationary measures, price indexes, and price deflators. Highlights include Bureau of Labor Statistics price indexes, including the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index; Bureau of Economic Analysis price deflators; the Cost of Living Index; and a comparison of measures of inflation. (27 references) (LRW)

The efforts of the U.S. federal government to develop E-Government services have been the subject of many recent news stories. In February 2002, Arthur Andersen's Office of Government Services released a usability analysis of federal government Web sites. In addition, in February, Vice-President Cheney announced the release of a report detailing…

Examines criteria for the coordination of the administration of government document microform collections, including discussion of bibliographic access, physical access, and collection development. Limitations to the integration of these collections and problems of public access to these less than fully integrated collections are also addressed.…

The United States has taken only piecemeal steps to ensure privacy of personal information. This article examines the U.S. relating to privacy and data protection. It defines privacy and discusses international agreements relating to privacy, federal data protection laws, and narrowly applicable laws. (AEF)

Examines the established data protection policy in the United Kingdom, to provide some context and background against which to judge existing and evolving U.S. policies. The Data Protection Act of 1984, the Council of Europe Convention on Data Protection, and the European Union Data Protection Directive are discussed. Online sources of further…

Discusses developments at the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Includes strategies and changes for Census 2000, new information storage and retrieval systems, a new Internet subscription service offering enhanced access to selected Census Bureau databases, and the transfer of responsibility for the Census of Agriculture to the National Agricultural…