Federal Government's System for Distributing Its Unclassified R & D Reports

Book excerpt: A study was conducted to determine the present degree of effectiveness and possible improvements in disseminating, within the entire Government R + D str cture, newly generated technical reports of Government sponsored research. Primary consideration is given to the expeditious furnishing of new reports to Government R + D activities and their contractors and grantees who have a need for the information at the time it is documented. The study involved 31 Government inf rmation activities; an appraisal of informati n distribution systems, including the development of an analytical model for effective dissemination; an analysis of currently-produced technical information; and research involving environmental factors affecting the distribution process. Conclusions reveal that the present degree f effectiveness is unsatisfactory, and improvements to the Federal technical information distribution system are possible in several areas. (Author).