RE: Distributing info locally & regionally

[Wendy Valle <vallewendy@aol.com>]

good afternoon--My name is Wendy Valle, I am a graduate student in the Environmental Science and Policy Department at the University of South Florida in Tampa. 

I spend a considerable amount of time in libraries and online.  The EPA website IS the best place to find documents (to download and purchase, if need be), compared to libraries, but I was thinking of those who do not access to a University library or the internet.  

The comment you made about the documents and the accessibility of federal documents is so very true--I know I am intimidated about the technical information included in some of these document at times, but I think I can shed some light on an additional reason why people may not utilize document collections. 

The USF library has an extensive document collection, but in accessing them, the researcher is at the mercy of that particular library's search system--key words, authors, etc. are not necessarily tied to the document. It is very frustrating to run a search--especially if the document number is unknown.  

A different issue lies with Tampa's public system.  The documents are there, but are spread between the various branches.
Not every citizen can traipse to all of the branches.

My question/suggestion is this:  Does the EPA have a system (besides the document number) that all libraries could use to simplify research and computer searches and make it easy for the curious citizen to walk in and easily look at a document on a particular issue? 

Perhaps segregated by issue (water, air, etc.), and not by year of the published doc.?  Would some sort of national system be feasible? Personally, I try at all costs to avoid our document collection because of the frustration--and stick to the website. 

On a light note, I think the drinking water 800 hotline (800-426-4791) number is very successful.  As you probably know, we have water issues here, and the e-amil (hotline-swda@epa.gov is linked everywhere--on our county and city websites... I'm curious if folks are calling it.  

thank you--wendy valle