The goals of this assessment of electronic government information products were to: identify medium and format standards that are the most appropriate for permanent public access; assess the cost-effectiveness and usefulness of various alternative medium/format standards; and identify public and private medium/format standards that could be used for products throughout their entire information life cycle. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative data collection activities: a survey of a cross-section of 314 government information products from 24 agencies, site visits to three federal depository libraries, meetings with four federal agencies, and interviews with six experts. Findings were analyzed in the following areas: (1) preferred mediums and format standards; (2) evaluating World Wide Web sites; (3) cost-effectiveness of formats and mediums; (4) depository library needs; and (5) public access, including permanent public access to and permanent retention of electronic government information, perspectives on permanent public access and information life cycle management from information resources management experts, and current initiatives on permanent public access and permanent retention. Appendices include lists of participating agencies, products surveyed, and experts, as well as the product assessment questionnaire and site visits data, an agency meeting agenda, and expert interview questions. (Contains 53 references.) (MES)