While most of the course emphasis will focuses on information produced by government, we also need to be aware of the importance of information about government, especially since the latter is especially likely to influence public opinion and often asnswers reference questions. Many information seekers are interested in information about their government, including description, interpretation, and evaluation. Many reference questions are driven by current events.
Note that the * exercise is required of all students. Please complete three exercises for this topic.
1. What are the major pro and con arguments on opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas drilling. Which print sources were most useful? Which web sources? If you could use but one source, what would that be?
2. A college student [freshman] has asked you for a quick and easy but authoritative introduction to the basics of U.S. government. What would you recommend a hard copy or a web source? Why? Which ones or one?
3. A high school student [junior] has asked you for a popular introduction to Virginia government and politics. What would you recommend and why?
4. A college student [sophomore] has asked you for an introduction to government and politics in Canada. Would you begin with the traditional encyclopedias? The more specialized ones like Statesman's Yearbook? Or simply Google?
5. An adult has asked you for a popular, easily understood introduction to the United Nations and its specialized agencies. Would the UN web site be objective enough to be a useful response? When would you recommend using a government source for information about government?
6. A client wants information on the new Secretary of the Treasury. Best sources?
7. A student needs background information on the financial problems of California state government. Discuss your search strategy with some rationale for each step.
8. A public library user wants to know which daily newspaper has the best coverage of federal government activity in Washington, D.C. How would you respond? How would you know which one is best?
9. An elementary school librarian wants to know which of the popular periodical or website provides coverage of national government suitable for a middle school.
*12. Review the front page of your favorite daily newspaper. How many of the stories found include some reference to federal, state, and local government? Provide a brief description and some evaluation of which topics seem to occupy public attention. If these stories are typical, what might they mean for government information services?
Last major revision: August 2005.
