Budget cuts lead to less paper, more Internet use

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Some Missourians may find it a little harder to get information from their government as a result of spending cuts caused by the state's financial struggles.

State government historically has produced dozens, if not hundreds of publications -- most free to the public. They range from health guides to tourism books to listings of government officials.

But because of spending cuts, many of those publications are being scaled back, printed in lesser quantities or eliminated.

And to compensate for the paper cuts, more and more of those publications now are available exclusively on the Internet.

Saved $35,000

For example, the Department of Health and Senior Services used to print 50,000 copies a year of its Missouri Guide for Seniors, a 92-page book full of information on financial aid, health care and home and community services available to senior citizens.

Now it prints none. Instead, the department is saving $35,000 by posting the directory on its Web site.

"It's regrettable," said department spokeswoman Nanci Gonder, but given the budget situation, the Internet "was the next best way to have this information available to seniors."

The department also has quit printing some newsletters. And many other agencies also are opting for electronic, rather than paper, publications.

For example, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education now places on its Web site the monthly newsletters it used to mail to cafeteria workers, as well as the ones geared toward home economics teachers.

The Internet also is the place to look for the Division of Tourism's monthly newsletter, which previously was mailed in paper form to 10,000 people in the tourism industry, the Legislature, the media and others who expressed an interest. The savings are upward of $50,000 annually, said division director John Robinson.

The division also has cut the number of Official Missouri Vacation Planners printed by 10 percent this year and reduced the number of pages in each book by 25 percent. The savings comes to about $220,000, mostly from lower postage rates.

Robinson says the Tourism Division is trying to encourage people to use its Web site -- apparently with some success. In June, the Web site had a record 184,000 visits, a 6 percent growth over the previous record set in May.

Perhaps the best example of the shift from paper to the Internet is at the secretary of state's office, which has quit printing paper copies of its guide to all government publications. That document -- like many of the others it references -- now is available only on the Internet.

Some printed on request

Some agencies still printing publications are making them available only upon request.

The Department of Agriculture, for example, recently sent a notice to people who typically receive their Contacts for Missouri Agriculture publication informing them that this year's version was available on the Internet and would be mailed in paper form only to those who ask for it.

Instead of printing 6,000 copies of the book, the department is printing just 1,000. And mass quantities of the books no longer will be distributed at local fairs, said Dave Dillon, the department's assistant director.

"We're trying to be a little more Internet savvy, or techno-savvy, by utilizing the resources that are free," Dillon said. Yet he acknowledges that "we are forced to become more efficient" by spending cuts.

Although the Internet sometimes is touted as a way to make documents more readily available, it may actually have the opposite effect for a good number of Missourians.

According to a 2000 U.S. Census survey, just 41 percent of American homes have Internet access. Although the study did not provide specific figures for each state, Missouri often tracks national averages. In fact, the Midwest as a whole was right on the 41 percent Internet figure.

The same study showed that people age 65 and older were significantly less likely to have home Internet access. Nationally, just 24 percent had computers and fewer than 18 percent were equipped for Internet access.

Officials at the state Department of Health and Senior Services agonized over that realization when deciding to eliminate paper copies of its seniors guide.

"That's definitely a consideration that we've had. But in tough budget times, you have to make decisions like that," Gonder said.

"It was probably in some ways easier for people when we printed materials," Gonder added. But "we hope that those people who don't have computers at home will have access at their libraries and other places."