1. You have been asked to make a presentation to a group of library science students on OSTI in nearby Oak Ridge. What does this group do? How large are they? Budget? Major products?
2. A library science student needs an overview on the National Library of Medicine and its services. Provide a profile of NLM and its information dissemination programs. Is this really a national library?
3. A library science student needs information on the National Library of Agriculture and its services. Provide a profile of NLA and its information dissemination programs. Is this really a national library?
4. A student has a reference to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Characterize the information system and evaluate the utility and quality of the data base.
5. At a meeting of the local chapter of the Special Library Association, you have been asked to provide an brief introduction to NOAA Paleoclimatology. Which sources would be most useful in preparation?
6. You have been asked to speak to a group of special librarians, mostly with STM organizations, about the National Laboratories. How many are there? Where are they? Select a National Laboratory of your choice. What types of information resources are available? What audiences are served?
7. You have been asked to speak to a group of public librarians, about federal government STM sites appropriate for children. What is available and how good are they? Profile one site that is an example of excellence.
8. A colleague has mentioned that NASA supports several different websites. How many sites can you identify? How useful might they be for K12 students and ordinary adults interested in space flight images?
9. A A graduate student has asked for help in finding and using the Global Change Master Directory. In particular, she is interested in changes in precipitation. Discuss utility and ease of use.
10. You have been asked to give a presentation on the Smithsonian Institution with some emphasis on its collections on North American Mammals. Prepare a brief, but focused profile with some consideration of audience and utility..
11. Healthfinder is an initiative by the government to provide consumers with authoritative health information. Characterize and evaluate this site with some emphasis on the data bases available and the ease of searching them.
12.Science.gov is the comprehensive website for federal science and technology. Thoughtfully evaluate the utility of this site and comment on the audiences served.
13. An undergraduate student needs to know how much research money is spent on male versus female health problems. You might begin with the NIH home page. Discuss strategy and most useful sources.
14. For a presentation to a upper division class in sociology, you are developing a bibliographic instruction module on the Vital Statistics of the United States, including the Monthly Vital Statistics Report. Prepare a brief profile.
15. An undergraduate student has found a reference to the annual report on the Health Status of the Nation, submitted by the Secretary of HHS. Is this the correct title for this work? Is it available on the web? How useful would this work be for a student doing a report on health care expenditures?
16. You have read about LC Science Tracer Bullets (LC 33.10). What are they? Are they still being issued? How useful might one be for a college audience? For a high school audience? How helpful is the Tracer Bullet website site?
17. A faculty member in sociology is interested in mortality data for Tennessee. In particular, she is interested in public use data files that might be manipulated to test particular hypotheses about Tennesseans dying from lung cancer and alcoholism. What is available in the local library or on the web?
18. The National Agricultural Library has established the Agriculture Network Information Center. Evaluate this service with particular attention to the available databases and likely users.
19. A public librarian has a patron interested in dogwood diseases. Best government sources for this query?
20. A customer wants to know how much it will cost to get a copy of a birth certificate for a relative born in California. Can you locate this item and provide an answer? Which sources are most useful?
21. NTIS is presently the national clearinghouse for unclassified technical reports of government sponsored research.When might you use this service? What is it good for?
22. Soil survey maps are useful for those interested in agriculture and building. What are they? How easy is it to find them? How easy is it to use one?
23.Astronomy is a popular topic. You have been asked to help a high school student find authoritative, but somewhat popular information on the Hubble Space Telescope. Identify a few good government information sources.
24. You have been invited to speak before an undergraduate introductory class on government information. Your charge is to introduce earthquake information with some consideration of U.S. history and present as well as future problems. Can you find interesting information about earthquakes and Tennessee?
25. A business student needs information on standards. He has already found the ANSI www page but also wonders if there is a federal government agency devoted to standards. What can you find?
26. A faculty member in electrical engineering is interested in something called Science and Engineering Indicators. Prepare a profile with some mention of likely utility and audience.
27. Legislation on the Superfund remains controversial in Congress. A student is interested in learning how many Superfund sites are located in Virginia. What can you find?
28. Characterize and evaluate the utility of The Water Science for Schools site for elementary and middle school students.
29. For a report, a college student wants to know about "fire weather" in the West. What can you discover?
Last major revision: August 2006.
