E-Information Management: ASPA’s Experience

1. E-Information Management: ASPA’s Experience Presented by Erik Bergrud Senior Director for e-Organization Development American Society for Public Administration

2. Discussion Topics • ASPA on the Web • UNPAN Document Management System • How ASPA Got Started with UNPAN • Information Gathering and Posting • Suggestions

3. ASPA on the Web • From its first web site in 1996 to its present involvement with UNPAN in 2001, ASPA has made steady progress during the past five years.

4. 1996 - First Web Site • ASPA launched its first web site in 1996. • Hosted by the Logistics Management Institute, the site featured some basic information about the association.

5. 1997/8 - Electronic Communications • In 1997 ASPA hired its first virtual employee on contract and began relying on e-mail for communications with leaders. • In 1998 ASPA’s National Council voted to approve the use of e-mail and the Web as the primary mode of communication with members.

6. 1999 - An Online Community • In September 1999 ASPA established an Information Services Department to consolidate and focus its online efforts. • On December 1 ASPA launched an online community for its members. More than 2,300 individuals have registered ever since.

7. 2000/1 - Electronic Publishing • PAL - chapter and section leaders • Council Chronicle - National leaders • Passing the Torch - Past Presidents • ASPA Monthly Update - monthly ASPA news (available on UNPAN site) • ASPAnet This Week - weekly news about ASPA’s web site

8. 2001 - New Ventures • UN/ASPA E-Gov Survey • 2001 Virtual Conference • UNPAN project • ASPA International • Web site redesign

9. UNPAN Document Management System Checking in new files • Make sure you select your organization’s code (e.g., ASPA) • Select Public as the Security Group unless you want to keep the information private • Complete all the relevant boxes to ensure that the UN can list properly your file on the UNPAN web site and that visitors to the site can find the information they need

10. UNPAN Document Management System Important boxes to complete • Content Type - What kind of file are you posting (e.g., report, database, etc.)? • Physical Medium (e.g., computer file, web page) • Language Availability - Is your file available in one language or more than one?

11. UNPAN Document Management System Important boxes to complete • Geographic keywords - Does the information in your file pertain to one country, one continent or is it universal? • Thematic keywords - What is/are the topic/s of your file (e.g., agricultural policy, development aid)?

12. UNPAN Document Management System Important boxes to complete • UNPAN classification - UNPAN has established six major categories (each has many subcategories) • Public Economic Policies • Governance Systems and Institutions • Management: Improvement and Change • Management: Information Resources • Management: Human Resources • Public Finance and Public Resources

13. UNPAN Document Management System Where UNPAN posts the information • Main page (six geographic regions) • Africa • Arab States • Asia and the Pacific • Europe • Latin America & Caribbean • North America

14. UNPAN Document Management System • Information service (cross-boundary) • Legislation • Case Studies • Country Profiles • Analytical Reports • Statistical Database • Technical Project Highlights • Major Developments/Trends • Serials • Calendar of Events

15. UNPAN Document Management System • Training service (composite list) • Training programme (e.g., this training session) • Training calendar • Training materials/training courses • Training institution directory

16. UNPAN Document Management System • Conference service (composite list) • Meeting programme (e.g., ASPA’s 2001 and 2002 Conferences) • Meeting calendar • Meeting/Interview coverage • Meeting/Interview room

17. UNPAN Document Management System • By completing accurately all the boxes on the document check-in page, you will help to organize the UNPAN site. • This will benefit not only the site visitors but also you when you are searching for files.

18. How ASPA Got Started with UNPAN • UN sent ASPA material from Second Interregional Consultative Meeting (May 2000). • After reviewing the UNPAN guidelines, we decided to gather information in the following categories:

19. How ASPA Got Started with UNPAN Categories • Analytical reports and/or technical advisory reports available online • Best practices • Bibliographies/recommended readings • Case studies available online • Electronic mailing lists • Electronic newsletters/e-mail alerts

20. How ASPA Got Started with UNPAN Categories • Online information resource centers (portal sites) • Online publications • Public administration conferences and related meetings • Legislation relevant to public administrators • Public administration directories • Statistical databases available online

21. Looking for Support Potential resources • ASPA employees (small staff) • Universities (professors and graduate students) • Members who are experts in specific fields (performance measurement, ethics)

22. Information Providers • ASPA staff • Rutgers University-Newark • ASPA’s Center for Accountability and Performance • ASPA’s Section on Ethics • Other members

23. ASPA staff • ASPA has a 13 person staff. • The web coordinator reports to me, but I am responsible for ASPA’s contributions to the UNPAN site. • My major task is to build partnerships so that others develop the information and I simply post it on UNPAN’s site.

24. Rutgers University-Newark • ASPA Past President Marc Holzer is a Rutgers Professor. • Secretariat for ASPA MOU with the United Nations' Division for Public Economics and Public Administration • Doctoral student research

25. Center for Accountability and Performance • Established in 1996 • CAP’s mission is to improve the practice of public service. • Case studies (abstracts available on UNPAN) • Training programs • Workbook (Performance Measurement: Concepts and Techniques)

26. Section on Ethics • Established in 1998 - more than 300 members • Hosts a web site and a listserv • Publishes Ethics Today newsletter, two-time award winner • Working with ASPA to develop an Ethics Knowledge Community

27. Other Members • ASPA 2001 Virtual Conference Presenters • International MOU University Partners

28. Information Contributions ASPA Staff • Serials - ASPA Monthly Update • Public Administration Links • ASPA Conference Dates

29. Information Contributions Rutgers University-Newark • US State Legislative Links • US Case Study Online Resources • US Electronic Publication Resources • US Training and Distance Learning Resources • Has begun work on public productivity and local governance research

30. Information Contributions Center for Accountability and Performance • US Federal, State and Local Performance Management Case Study Abstracts • Summary of an Online Forum on Performance Measurement, Governance, and Sustainability • Will begin work on a best practices database

31. Information Contributions Section on Ethics • Serials - Ethics Today • Has begun work on an ethics knowledge community • Publications • Consultants • Online resources • Recommended links

32. Information Contributions Other Members • 2001 ASPA Virtual Conference Papers and Presentations • University partners, which are implementing our international memoranda of understanding, will submit information

33. Suggestions What should you post? • Review the list of UNPAN classifications not only to determine what is acceptable but also to find categories related to your areas of expertise. • Consider what information you possess might be of interest to those throughout the world. • Look at the work being done by other UNPAN regional centers, especially CLAD.

34. Suggestions What can you accomplish this year? • Set achievable expectations. • Determine whether others in your association can provide assistance, especially if your staff is small.

35. Suggestions Make use of your UNPAN resources • UNPAN staff (technical support) • UNPAN regional centers • UNPAN web site