While Congress has mandated federal support of libraries and information services, no benchmark exists by which service can be measured adequately. Inaddition, the development of new technologies has created the need to raise these services to a higher level on the societal agenda -- a difficult task. Actions that are required in order to improve information services include: 1. establishing a baseline goal for services, 2. refining policies regarding the speed and response of answering a query, and 3. promoting librarians' understanding of the effects of laws and policies on information services. Information professionals should pay close attention to the effect that deregulation of international telecommunications has on access. Librarians have been working to support the principle that the federal government should provide access to federal information in electronic form through the depository library system.