School of Information Sciences
IS 534: U.S. Federal Government Information [General]
Be familiar with the Government Organization Manual [in print or on-line] to gain some sense of the scope of contemporary federal government.
There are several excellent brief tutorials on finding government information. Here is one: at the University of California at San Diego. Can you find another good one?
You need to quickly become familiar with locator tools. Become familiar with the tools on this page especially indexes and bibliographies.
1. What is a government publication? Is a book issued by the University of Tennessee Press a government publication? Why?
2. Bibliographic control of government information products has long been a problem. Why? Who is responsible [and/or should be responsible] for this control?
3. The President's National Mathematics Advisory Panel is a good example of attempting to solve a problem using a group of reasonably objective experts. What can you learn about the Panel? Best sources?
4. Prepare an overview of the Consumer Information Center? Where is it located? What does it do? Also look at the U.S. Consumer Gateway and relate it to the CIC.
5. What does "equity of access" mean when discussing government information?
6. The following legislative acts are important in understanding U.S. government information policy:
Prepare an overview of two of these Acts. Best sources? Where would you find the actual text of each of these acts?
7. The following agencies play or have played an important role in controling the availability of government information:
Prepare a profile of two of these committees or agencies. Best sources?
*8. Federal and state government agencies have increasingly abandoned paper for digital publication. Are these mostly public relations gestures or do they contain genuinely useful information and services? Select a sample state government agency or bureau in a department of your choice for evaluation.
9. GODORT is an organization often associated with government information work in libraries. What can you learn about it? How useful might it be for the librarian working with government information?
10. OMB circular A-130, Management of Federal Information Resources, has been mentioned as a particularly important document. Where might you find a copy? What is the major theme?
11. The Privacy Act and the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act have received some mention in the literature. Can you find the text of these acts? Can you find non-governmental information that explains the meaning and impact of these acts?
12. An foreign student wishes to file a freedom of information request with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to see if her membership in an unpopular political group might be related to denial of her request to remain in the U.S. She needs information on what to do first, second, etc. She also wonders how much it might cost. What can you do for her? What can you tell her? What would be inappropriate to tell her?
13. The following organizations are especially concerned with equitable access to government information. What can you learn about two of them [brief overviews]?
14. Are there discussion lists devoted to government information? How many are there? Which, at first glance, appear to be most useful? Why would you subscribe?
Last major revision: August 2006.
