Title: U.S. Department of Agriculture Government Information Locator Service Acronym: USDA GILS Originator: Department/Agency Name: Department of Agriculture Major Organizational Subdivision: Office of the Secretary Minor Organizational Subdivision: Office of the Chief Information Officer Local Subject Index: Local Subject Term: US Federal GILS Abstract: The USDA GILS provides an ordered and well-structured starting point to gain an overview of USDA public information resources. GILS contains standard descriptions of information resources (metadata), including a description of the information resource, where it is located and how the user can gain access. USDA GILS provides locator pointers to three types of information: 1) information dissemination products, 2) automated information systems, and 3) Privacy Act Systems of Records. USDA's GILS descriptions are made available to searchers via the World Wide Web and Z39.50 protocols. In addition to the search capability, GILS includes a phone number and e-mail address for users who have comments or questions about USDA's information or the GILS system. Purpose: USDA GILS, part of the federal GILS program, was established to help the public locate and access information throughout the Department of Agriculture. Agency Program: Fulfill legislative mandates for responsible stewardship of USDA's information resources, including the Farm Bill, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act, the Computer Security Act, the Information Technology Management Reform Act, and the Freedom of Information Act including the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996. In addition, it complies with Executive branch directions such as OMB Bulletin 95-01, OMB Circular A-130, and Federal Information Processing Standard 192. Availability: USDA GILS can be accessed directly via the Internet or through a hot link from the USDA Home Page. Distributor: Distributor Name: Department of Agriculture Distributor Organization: Office of the Chief Information Officer Distributor Street Address: 12th and Independence Avenue SW Distributor City: Washington Distributor State: DC Distributor Zip Code: 20250 Distributor Country: USA Distributor Network Address: howard.baker@usda.gov Distributor Hours of service: Server is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, pending routine downtime for maintenance. Distributor Telephone: none Distributor Order Process: Direct access is available at no cost. No ordering is necessary. Technical Prerequisites: Access to Internet. Available Linkage: http://www.usda.gov/gils/usdagils.htm Sources of Data: GILS records are provided by the USDA agency responsible for the information resource described. Access Constraints: No access constraints. Use Constraints: No use constraints. Point of Contact: (For further information) Contact Name: Department of Agriculture Contact Organization: Office of the Chief Information Officer Contact Street Address: 12th and Independence Avenue SW Contact City: Washington Contact State: DC Contact Zip Code: 20250 Contact Hours of Service: 8:00 - 5:00 ET Contact Telephone: 202-720-8657 Cross-Reference: (Related sources) Cross Reference Title: USDA home page Cross Reference Linkage: http://www.usda.gov Control Identifier: USDA0000 Record Source: Department/Agency Name: Department of Agriculture Major Organizational Subdivision: Office of the Chief Information Officer Minor Organizational Unit: Information Management Division Date of Last Modification: 199612
Questions or comments regarding this service? Contact the GPO Access User Support Team
by Internet e-mail at gpoaccess@gpo.gov; by telephone at 202-512-1530; or by fax at 202-512-1262.
Page #AGP001 December 18, 1996