College of Communication & Information
University of Tennessee
SIS 534: Government Information Sources
9.30 - 12.10 Saturday
The primary purpose of this course is to introduce United States federal government information sources. Students may have an opportunity to become somewhat familiar with foreign, international, and state government information.
Items of interest to an academic and professional audience will receive most attention. Most sources examined will be available on the web. Government information is available in digital formats, but some standard print sources, including retrospective ones, will also receive attention.
The following is a tentative schedule of
topics to be covered in the course. The nature of the topic, the amount
of class discussion, and the discovery of new material may result in
changes. We may not be able to cover all of the topics listed below.
The semester will provide about 40 hours of class room time. The
limited time frame means that some important aspects of government
information will not be covered in class.
Robinson below refers to Tapping the Government Grapevine [3d ed,] by Judith Robinson. This is recommended [but not required] for students who would like to have a text. While dated, the text provides a good overview of functions and traditional hard copy sources. Suggested readings are included below, but are not required. More information about the other readings may be found below.
Class room time will focus on teacher lectures and some student discussion. Please be prepared. It is likely that you will be called upon. You may be asked to discuss the required exercise for the week. If called upon, please briefly review your strategy and then comment on the most useful sources and lessons learned. Ordinarily, your report on a particular exercise should take no more than a few minutes. We are interested in highlights, specifically lessons learned.
Class attendance is not required.
The teacher will post a note on UTKSIS-L if he is unable to meet with the class.
The University, because of its residential nature, rarely closes even when the weather is dreadful The School does not have a dangerous weather policy, but leaves these decisions to individual faculty members. If the University is open, but road conditions are dangerous where you live or you are anxious about future road conditions, stay at home. The teacher will not come to the University to meet with the class if roads are dangerous where he lives or in Knoxville.
If we are unable to meet because of bad weather or whatever, please do this alternative assignment. Go the website of a government agency of your choice and spend time equivalent to one class meeting becoming familiar with its purpose, likely audience, and utility of the information presented. After you are finished, you should be an "expert" on this site. Prepare a brief, but critical report on your experience. One or two pages would be fine.
When you successfully complete this course, you should be able to:
All written work must be word processed using .doc or .rtf formats. Your name, and email address should be on the first page.
While the teacher would prefer work to be in the Dropbox by the end of class, the actual "deadline" is midnight. Late work without prior arrangement will be accepted within one week of the due date. Late work will receive a grade penalty so that satisfactory to superior work will earn a B. With an appropriate reason stated before the due date, students may be allowed additional time without penalty.
In addition to assignment specifics, all written work will be evaluated in terms of these criteria:
The following convention is used in evaluating student work:
A competent, professional response earns a grade of B. In order to earn a grade higher than B, extra effort and evaluation must be visible. Normally, that extra effort would be seen in helpful evaluative comments and in comparisons between similar sources. A mostly descriptive characterization of a resource, even if exactly correct, or simply reporting the correct answer will not earn a grade higher than B.
1. Please prepare a memorandum to the teacher that answers these questions:
I am looking for:
(This assignment will not be graded.)
2. An essay on what government information means to you in an immediate, personal anecdotal sense. This assignment should encourage you to think thoughtfully about the role of government information in your current day-to-day life. Worth 5 points.
I am looking for:
3. Responses from the exercise sets. Please note specific directions on the exercises themselves. Exercises on a topic of your choice may be substituted after discussion with the teacher. Complete three exercises for each topic. The * exercise is required of all students. Each completed exercise may earn up to ten points. You may be asked to comment on your exercise experience in class.
I am looking for
4. With a colleague or by yourself, create an annotated path finder on government information sources associated with a particular topic or agency. Please review the pathfinder help sheets on the 534 page for additional particulars. Any topic and any level of government is suitable, but U.S. Federal agencies are often easier to work with. The finished path finder may be designed for ink on paper or server distribution (but you don't have to do the coding). Worth 20 points.
I am looking for:
5. The final examination will consist of a brief [ five to ten minutes], zippy oral presentation based upon the content found in your path finder or guide. This will be a brief overview aimed at informing other information professionals. Worth 5 points. [Not done in distance mode]
I am looking for:
If a team presentation, you will need to decide how to incorporate both team members into a seamless presentation. The same grade will be given to both team members.
Tapping the Government Grapevine, by Judith Robinson [3d ed.] is suggested for students wishing a print text. It is not required. This is the most recent text available, but does not include much of the present webcentric environment. Morehead's Introduction to United States Government Information Sources [J 83 .M67 1999] is an excellent standard text favored by many who work with government information. It is much more detailed in its treatment than Robinson. It would be a better choice if you are likely to work with older government publications and documents. Another excellent source, but too expensive and dated to use as a text is Using Government Information Sources by Sears and Moody [Ref J 83 .S43 1994]. The teacher will be responsible for background information on government information. Students will be responsible for information on specific resources.
Anyone interested in government information should subscribe to the govdoc-l discussion list [also available as a Usenet news group]. Although aimed at full-time docs librarians, it does a good job of giving you a flavor of what is involved in this type of library work in depository libraries. It is also the best way to keep up with current issues and problems in federal government information.
Government Publications Review [Z 1223.27
.G684], the leading periodical for this topic merged with Government Information Quarterly [Z
688 .G6G69]. Includes U.S., foreign and international government
information policies and resources. Evidently, the field can only
support one professional periodical. GIQ
is a Pergamon title and is relatively expensive. Many libraries do not
hold it. GIQ content may
be found via LISA, Library Literature and PAIS.
There are so many government websites and other sites about government information that it is impossible to keep up with them. It is best to be flexible with search terms and use your favorite web search engines. It is likely that some of the websites mentioned in course materials will not be available when you attempt to use them although all were checked at the beginning of the course. Do break away from Google and use specialized search engines such as FirstGov.
This is an introductory survey course which is intended to present basic information about government information. The course is not comprehensive. Rather, you should leave the course with the feeling that your foot is in the door, and that you know enough to continue your education on your own. Obviously, one short course cannot give you the background or competences necessary for a professional lifetime spent working with U.S.federal government information.
Please see the teacher if you have special needs,
objectives or problems.
Last major revision: May 2006
