Return to Article: Internet-based system for federal documents previewed
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34997
I think it's important to make the distinction between the concept of electronic access of documents and the process of document review. Electronic/online access allows individuals to locate pertinent information efficiently and quickly and that's always a good thing. However, many large online documents do not lend themselves to review and analysis on a small computer monitor, such as the 15" CRT that my colleagues and I are compelled to use by our agency. Such limitations require me to print out relevant aspects of online documents for more effective review/reading/analysis. Hard copies allow me to highlight and make notes. I don't think the goal of electronic access can realistically expect most individuals to do away with printing out hard copies unless better/more effective human interface methods/equipment, for large electronic documents in particular, are put in place.
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34976
The concept is a great and should simplify access to information. It could save a lot of paper if people will use the system without printing documents. Government officials, especially the older bureaucrats, continue to resist a paperless system. They print everything, glance over it and then either file it or throw it away. This has been a problem for many years. Hopefully, libraries will be able to burn documents to CD or load them on mobile data storage devices.
It probably cost a small fortune to get this system running. We need to pressure our federal officials to use it efficiently.
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