The GRB Coordinates Network (GCN) was designed to deliver locations of GRBs to instruments and observers in real-time (a few seconds)—while the burst is still bursting—so that they can make multi-band simultaneous follow-up observations. This goal has been realized with the optical detection of the burst counterpart for GRB990123 by the ROTSE instrument [1]. A brief review of the function and capabilities of the GCN system is given; the types of GRB location information available plus the distribution methods are described. Complementing the real-time location Notices, the GCN Circulars allow follow-up observers to rapidly share the results of their observations with the community. A status report on recent improvements to the GCN system and a list of future improvements is given. One of the key improvements will be the conversion of the semi-manual RBR LOCBURST locations into the fully automated LOCFAST Notices. ©2000 American Institute of Physics.