Embassy of the United States Bucharest, Romania

INFORMATION USA, the Information Resource Center of the American Embassy in Bucharest, is Romania's first source of official information about American businesses, government and society. It is an integral part of the Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy in Romania.

The mission of INFORMATION USA is to support the post's program activities within established themes and objectives, to provide timely information on selected topics about the United States to today's Romanian opinion leaders in media, government, business, academia, and NGOs, and to provide information and services to other Mission elements in support of their official needs.

What We Do

The IRC offers reference material and advanced research services to Romanian institutions and professionals on various aspects of U.S. policies, including federal/state legislation and regulations, foreign and domestic policy, international relations, defense and security, social and political processes, economics and trade issues, history and culture, environmental issues, telecommunications issues and policies, and also outreach programs. In addition, a quick reference service is provided to cover addresses, telephone and fax numbers of government and private organizations, simple statistics, biographical information on prominent persons and other matters of general interest. Similar reference services are offered to Mission officers.

Program support activities include providing background and biographical information on potential speakers, preparing information packets for distribution at programs, following-up contacts with program attendees, keeping relevant staff members informed about new program-related information or new sources of information and providing reference services on an ad hoc basis. All reference services are provided by telephone, fax, mail, and e-mail. The IRC's staff of bilingual reference specialists is pleased to assist in using the IRC resources in order to retrieve information from and about the U.S. All users are encouraged to discuss their queries with the reference staff.

Information Resource Center Services

Research/Quick Reference Assistance
Qualified reference specialists will assist with inquiries and research by telephone, mail, fax, e-mail or in person. For complex questions, they can compile bibliographies and detailed reports on desired USA - related topics, using online commercial databases (Lexis Nexis, Factiva, ProQuest, EBSCO).

Referral Service
When the Center is unable to provide the required information from its own resources, it is usually able to identify appropriate sources within Romania or United States, such as national, state and local government agencies, research institutions, and professional associations.

Briefings
The staff can give general or subject-oriented briefings on the resources and services of the Center to inividuals or groups upon request. The "Open House" program offers to potential users of the IRC Power Point presentations of the resources and services of the Center. At the same time, profiles of these guests, highlighting their activities and special needs, are created, in order to send them, when appropriate, materials on the new developments in their field of interest.

Article Alert
This monthly publication, produced by the Embassy's Information Resource Center, is an electronic abstract service, highlighting articles from leading U.S. journals on a variety of subjects, including:

• International Security
• US-EU Issues
• Democracy and Human Rights
• Economic Security and Trade
• Environment and Conservation
• Media, Information and Communication
• Health Issues
• Arts and Culture
• Education

Please note that the views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent U.S. Government policy.

Focus
This electronic update service includes the latest official U.S. statements, press conferences and delivered speeches on topics such as: Foreign Policy and International Security Issues, Iraq, Middle East, Terrorism, Democracy and Civic Education, U.S. Society, Culture and Values, Environment and Climate Change and many others. When available, abstract and Internet links to recent think thank reports are added.

Currently in Congress
This electronic publication informs on the latest floor activity in the U.S. Congress, highlighting the most relevant bills discussed. They are accompanied by links to both the summary and the full text of the legislation or bills. The publication includes also selected hearings before the Congressional Committees with links to witnesses' statements.

Zoom in on America
This is a monthly online publication for both the Enghlish Language teachers, who may find it useful in preparing their classes, and the high school students, who will learn more about the USA while brushing up on their linguistic skills.

Information Resource Center Resources

Among the tools available at INFORMATION USA there are:

• a reference collection of some 2,000 titles, which includes encyclopedias, handbooks, yearbooks, and directories. It covers fields such as U.S. Government and Politics, Federal and State Laws, U.S. Trade and Businesses, Media, Customs, Linguistics, some Architecture, Painting, Music and Sports, Marketing and Management, and American Literature, Geography, and History.
• journals (about 30). Among the available titles, there are: Newsweek, Time, Journal of Democracy, Journal of Politics, ORBIS, Foreign Affairs, International Security, World Politics, Foreign Policy, East European Quarterly, East European Politics and Society, The New Yorker, Columbia Journalism Review, and many others.
• specialized on-line databases such as Factiva, Lexis-Nexis, EBSCO, Gale Net, ProQuest Direct, Stat-USA, and many others. They are used to track American policy and politics, with an impact on U.S. image in Romania.
• a collection of video documentaries and DVDs on American topics with re-broadcasting rights, to be used by broadcasters and cable operators, as well as by various Romanian educational institutions.