[United States Government Manual] [May 31, 1996] [Pages 168-171] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]Sources of Information Age and Citizenship Age search and citizenship information is available from the Personal Census Search Unit, Bureau of the Census, Data Preparation Division, P.O. Box 1545, Jeffersonville, IN 47131. Phone, 812-285-5314. Consumer Affairs Information is available to businesses and consumers regarding good business practices and resolving consumer complaints. Tip sheets, in English and Spanish, on how to resolve complaints and consumer bulletins, describing programs in the Department of Commerce, are available through the Office's fax-on-demand system. Information on materials is available on the Internet at http://www.doc.gov/. Phone, 202-482-5001. Fax-on-demand, 202-501-1191. Fax, 202-482-6007. E-mail, caffairs@doc.gov. For further information, contact the Office of Consumer Affairs, U.S. Department of Commerce, Rm. H5718, Washington, DC 20230. Economic Conversion Information The Office of Economic Conversion Information (OECI) is a clearinghouse for communities, businesses, and workers seeking to obtain information regarding defense adjustment and economic development. The Office's database contains descriptions and contact numbers of Federal, State, and local programs; guides and models for economic development; and many other related items. For further information, contact the Office of Economic Conversion Information, Economic Development Administration, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230. Phone, 1-800-345-1222. Internet, http:// ecix.doc.gov/. Electronic bulletin board (by modem), 800-352-2949. Environment The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitors the conditions in the ocean, atmosphere, and Earth-Sun environment; prepares and issues weather warnings and forecasts; provides Federal leadership in managing the living resources of the sea and the Nation's coastal zone; ensures that marine mammals and endangered marine species are protected under the law; and provides worldwide environmental data and information products and services in the atmospheric, marine, solid earth, and solar terrestrial sciences. It also conducts research aimed at remote sensing of the physical environment and provides a variety of environmental quality control services, including those for urban airborne pollution control, estuarine water movement, and water resources management. Write to the Office of Public and Constituent Affairs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC 20230. Phone, 202-482-6090. Program information is also available on the Internet, at http:// www.noaa.gov/. [[Page 169]] The Patent and Trademark Office has priority programs for advancement of examination of certain patent applications such as where the invention could materially enhance the quality of the environment of mankind. For further information, contact the Assistant Commissioner for Patents, Office of Petitions, Washington, DC 20231. Phone, 703-305-9282. Field Employment The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has field employment offices at the Western Administrative Support Center, Bin C15700, 7600 Sand Point Way NE., Seattle, WA 98115 (phone, 206-526-6053); the Mountain Administrative Support Center, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303 (phone, 303-497-6305); the Central Administrative Support Center, 601 East Twelfth Street, Kansas City, MO 64106 (phone, 816-426-2056); and the Eastern Administrative Support Center, 200 World Trade Center, Norfolk, VA 23510-1624 (phone, 804-441-6516). Publications The titles of selected publications are printed below with the operating units responsible for their issuance. These and other publications dealing with a wide range of business, economic, environmental, scientific, and technical matters are announced in the weekly Business Service Checklist, which may be purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Phone, 202-783-3238. The Secretary's Annual Report to Congress and Serving the Nation, two publications which describe the missions, functions, and accomplishments of Commerce agencies and offices, are available by writing the Department of Commerce, Office of Public Affairs, Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW., Room 5610, Washington, DC, or by calling 202-219-3605 for the Annual Report and 202-482-4901 for Serving the Nation. Further information on Commerce publications is available at any of the Department's International Trade Administration district offices. Lists of Other Documents Individuals with access to fax machines can dial 202-501-1191 (Flash Facts) to obtain lists of other publication contacts, Secretarial speeches and biographies, press releases, audiovisuals, Commerce bureau public affairs contacts, and Department programs by subject. Bureau of the Census The following publications are available from the Government Printing Office: Census Catalog and Guide; Statistical Abstract of the U.S.; Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1970; County and City Data Book, 1994; and State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, 1991. Data highlights, large data files, access tools, and other material are available on the World Wide Web. Internet, http://www.census.gov/. E-mail, webmaster@census.gov. Bureau of Economic Analysis Publications available from the Government Printing Office include the following: Survey of Current Business; State Personal Income, 1929-93; Benchmark Input-Output Accounts of the United States, 1987; and Foreign Direct Investment in the United States, 1992 Benchmark. Summary statistics and general information are available on the Internet, at http://www.bea.doc.gov/. To obtain more detailed economic data and press releases, subscribe to the Department of Commerce's Electronic Bulletin Board, by calling 202-482-1986, or by sending E-mail to stat-usa@doc.gov. Additional information on BEA programs, products, and services is available in the User's Guide to BEA Information, which may be obtained through the Internet, or by contacting the Public Information Office, BE-53, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230. Phone, 202-606- 9900. International Trade Administration Business America, which is published biweekly, is available from the Government Printing Office and at ITA District Offices. The Administration maintains an Internet site, at http:// www.ita.doc.gov/, which offers the single best place for [[Page 170]] individuals or firms seeking reports, documents, import case/ regulations, texts of international agreements like NAFTA and GATT, market research, and points of contact for assistance in exporting or obtaining remedies from unfair trading practices. Customers are able to review comprehensive information on how to export, search for trade information by either industry or by country, learn how to petition against unfairly priced imports, and obtain information on a number of useful international trade related products like overseas trade leads and agent distributor reports. The Internet site also features E-mail addresses and locations for trade contacts in Washington, overseas, in major exporting centers in the U.S., and in other parts of the Federal Government. Minority Business Development Agency Minority Business Today, Federal Resource Guide, BDC Directory, MBDA Annual Business Assistance Report (ABAR), and Federal Agency Performance for Minority Business Development are available from MBDA, Communications Division, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230. Phone, 202-482-1936. National Institute of Standards and Technology Journal of Research; Publications of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; Handbook of Mathematical Functions; Experimental Statistics; International System of Units (SI); Standard Reference Materials Catalog; Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices Handbook; and Uniform Laws and Regulations Handbook are available from the Government Printing Office. National Technical Information Service Customer assistance telephone numbers: NTIS Sales Desk, 703-487-4650; Research services for product identification, 703-487-4780; Subscription Section, 703-487-4630; technical support for computer products, 703-487-4763; and Customer services (for help in tracing an order), 703-487-4660. Orders for NTIS products may be sent by fax to 703-321-8547, or through E-mail, at orders@ntis.fedworld.gov. An information center and bookstore is located at NTIS headquarters, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161. The bookstore is open to the public for walk-in service from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., eastern time, Monday through Friday. The NTIS Fax Direct Central Information Service can be reached by dialing 703-487-4142. This fax-on-demand service provides an information center for current NTIS information available by fax. Using this service, guides and descriptions of other NTIS fax information services may be sent to the fax machine of your choice. Current NTIS Fax Direct services include a title list of the most popular titles in various subject categories and NTIS product information. To connect to the FedWorld On-Line Information Network: Set modem parity to none, data bits to 8, and stop bit to 1. Set terminal emulation to ANSI. Set duplex to full. Then set your communications software to dial FedWorld at 703-321-FEDW. To connect to FedWorld on the Internet, either telnet to fedworld.gov or ftp to ftp.fedworld.gov, or point your Web browser to http://www.fedworld.gov/. For more information or technical assistance, please call the FedWorld help desk at 703-487-4608. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Floods, Flash Floods, and Warnings and Tornado Safety are available from the Government Printing Office. Available through NOAA's Office of Public and Constituent Affairs are technical memoranda, technical reports, and monographs, nautical and aeronautical charts, coastal zone maps, magnetic tape, and a wide variety of raw and processed environmental data. Phone, 202-482-6090. Schools should contact the Office of Public and Constituent Affairs, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230. National Telecommunications and Information Administration Several hundred Technical Reports, Technical Memoranda, Special Publications, Contractor Reports, and other [[Page 171]] information products have been published by NTIA or its predecessor agency since 1970. The publications are available from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230 (phone, 202-482-1551); or the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Institute for Telecommunication Sciences, Department of Commerce, Boulder, CO 80302 (phone, 303-497-3572). Electronic information can be obtained from the NTIA General Bulletin Board (modem, 202-482-1199); or the Information Infrastructure Task Force Bulletin Board (modem, 202-501-1920). Patent and Trademark Office General Information Concerning Patents, Basic Facts About Trademarks, Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and Attorneys and Agents Registered To Practice Before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are available from the Government Printing Office. Publications can be accessed through the Internet, at http://www.uspto.gov/. File transfer protocol, ftp.uspto.gov. Electronic bulletin board (by modem), 703-305-8950. Phone, 703-308-HELP, or 800-PTO-9199. Small Business and Minority Business Activities Contact the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (phone, 202-482-1472) or the Office of External Affairs, Minority Business Development Agency, Department of Commerce, Washington, DC 20230 (phone, 202-482-4547). Telephone Directory The Department of Commerce telephone directory is available for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Phone, 202-783-3238. For further information concerning the Department of Commerce, contact the Office of Public Affairs, Department of Commerce, Fourteenth Street between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues NW., Washington, DC 20230. Phone, 202-219-3605.