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Albany, NY - After a yearlong process of research and development, the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany introduces e-Gov FirstStop, a knowledge-sharing partnership. Located at www.ctg.albany.edu/egovfirststop, e-Gov FirstStop includes a carefully selected collection of e-government materials including executive-level briefings, research and best practices reports, case studies, and Web sites. All resources included in e-Gov FirstStop are reviewed and selected by e-government practitioners and scholars.

e-Gov FirstStop was created in response to the expressed needs of government managers who were frustrated by sorting through vast amounts of information to find useful, high-quality, timely material. They requested a repository that classifies and evaluates e-government resources, and presents them in an organized, intuitive, and usable way.

"Readily accessible and high quality resources on e-government topics are high on the government manager's wish list," notes Sharon Dawes, director of CTG. "We are confident that e-Gov FirstStop will be a valuable resource for individuals at all levels of government. It provides the capability to be one click away from selected and practical advice on e-government issues."

The e-Gov FirstStop concept was born out of the CTG e-Government Roundtable held in March 2001. At that event, representatives from 43 organizations representing state and local government and the private and nonprofit sectors met to discuss the key aspects of e-government development in New York State. They identified 45 topics of concern and selected 17 of them for small group discussions. Eight themes emerged from the roundtable discussions, and covered the full scope of the e-government challenge.

Among the themes developed was the need for ways to tap into the expertise, experience, and knowledge available about e-government. Roundtable participants talked about the creation of a repository of selected knowledge about e-government expertise, tools, projects, and results.

e-Gov FirstStop was launched as part of CTG's "E-Government: Creating Tools of the Trade" research program. "Creating the Tools of the Trade" was designed to support e-government planning and initiatives at all levels of government by offering practical advice, successful models, and well-grounded guides.

The mission of the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany is to foster public sector innovation, enhance capability, generate public value, and support good governance. We carry out this mission through applied research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration at the intersection of policy, management, and technology.