EPA Update 
Current Activities of EPA Librarians

Richard L. Huffine
Information Access Division, Office of Information Analysis and Access

Libraries and Librarians at EPA
> 28 Libraries - in EPA Regions, Laboratories, and Research Centers
> Primarily contracted through a variety of vehicles
– A federal manager oversees each location
– A long history of staff consistency
– Each library collects and manages materials for the staff at their location
– Resources are shared and access is provided through a central catalog
EPA Online Library System
> A central catalog of the holdings of all EPA libraries
> Online at http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/ols.htm
Libraries at EPA
> Several libraries have moved into new spaces within the last couple of years
– Research Triangle Park, NC
– Headquarters Libraries, Washington, DC
– National Enforcement Investigations Center, Denver, CO
> EPA library space needs are changing as we move more services to the employee desktop
Libraries at EPA (continued)
EPA's Desktop Library
> The EPA has purchased access to a suite of tools for staff to use in their daily work
> Resources include journals, news outlets, and citation databases
Planning for the Future
> EPA Libraries are currently studying their options for the future
> A cost/benefit analysis is being conducted as well as a review of approaches for funding and providing services to EPA staff and the public
> Approaches are being considered to maximize the value of libraries while improving the efficiency of their operation
> Approaches for virtual reference, improved access to electronic publications and enhanced functions of libraries are all being considered
Moving Forward
> An ongoing dialogue has begun between EPA Libraries and the Government Printing Office to:
– Identify opportunities to partner to improve services to the Depository community
– Review the EPA materials on-line and in the GPO Catalog to identify a potential "Web gap"
– Find partners for the future that could work with EPA to improve access to environmental information on-line
> We are looking for Depositories that would like to work with us to improve access to EPA documents and resources.
> Projects for digitization, preservation, and enhanced indexing would enhance the capabilities of all environmental libraries
Managing the Internet
> A staff of EPA Librarians has been developed to manage several aspects of the EPA Web site:
> Arranging and selecting resources for the EPA Home page and associated subordinate pages (e.g. About EPA, Educational Resources)
> Coordinating responses to comments and questions submitted by the public via the EPA Web site.  
– They currently respond to almost 3,000 questions per month
– Each EPA Web site has its own method for responding to comments.  The Internet Librarians handle comments posted from the home page and associated subordinate pages

Managing the Internet (continued)
> Librarians have been improving search results using a metadata catalog that intercedes in search requests
Managing the Internet (continued)
> A controlled vocabulary has been established to improve access by subject in Browse By Topics
Panning for the Future
> We are currently exploring options to expand the controlled vocabulary into a taxonomy or ontology of environmental concepts
> We are participating in conversations on the "semantic Web" and how it could change the way we use vocabularies and keywords
> The EPA is an E-Gov leader on electronic records management and we are exploring the avenues for getting electronic records into public access
> We are beginning to plan for managing Web records after recent draft guidance from NARA
Contacts
> Richard Huffine
– Federal Manager, EPA National Library Network
– U.S. EPA Office of Environmental Information
– 1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (2843T)
– Washington, DC 20460
– (202) 566-0703
– Huffine.richard@epa.gov
– http://www.epa.gov/natlibra/