Accessing U S Government Information

This unique guide helps to answer two important questions for researchers planning to use government information sources. First, over which aspects of individual, organizational, national, and international affairs does the U.S. government exert authority or influence? Second, which units of the federal government are empowered to probe and pursue these matters? The contents and format of Jerrold Zwirn's new research aid offer a concise, yet complete, overview of contemporary public affairs and governmental policy agents. In this guide, Zwirn provides the researcher with comprehensive coverage of the issues and topics addressed by all key units of the national executive and legislative branches. He identifies each entity that exercises jurisdiction over a specific subject in order to facilitate optimum access to the entire domain of federal business and the corresponding sources of federal information. By using a tandem subject and author approach, the guide enables users to focus quickly on functions assigned or implied by a legal mandate. This scheme records and reveals the relationships between formal powers and official authors. Zwirn's immediate aim is to assist those who plan to enter and explore the federal information thicket. His ultimate goal is to devise a framework that can be adapted to the dynamic character of national governance and its information output. Access to U.S. Government Information will be an essential tool for political scientists, legal researchers, librarians, and anyone interested in public policy, policymakers, and the links between them.

The United States Federal Government produces a massive trove of valuable information – but these resources are often difficult to locate and utilize, requiring the addition of another layer of cognizance and expertise to the librarian’s traditional skill set. Finding and UsingU.S. Government Information: A Practical Guide will: Serve as a guide to the vast universe of government information, with a special focus on digital methods of delivery Provide librarians with the tools they need to understand how government information is produced, organized, located, and accessed for most effectual use For those new to the government information landscape and government information specialists alike, this volume will also offer an annotated listing by subject which can serve as a ready-reference tool for some of the most widely-useful government information resources While geared primarily towards reference and instruction librarians, acquisitions and collection development librarians may also find this book useful in making purchasing decisions in light of resources freely available from the US Federal Government

The United States government is one of the world's largest publishers, printing and distributing a wealth of information including resources on American history, crime and justice data, contextualized government images, census data, genealogy research and much more. To serve patrons, library personnel must remain knowledgeable about U.S. government resources, agencies, departments, and websites. Aimed at librarians and library personnel from all types of libraries, and at researchers, this practical, hands-on volume is a useful resource for learning how to find and apply information from the wealth of U.S. government resources. It aids in answering various types of patron questions, performing community outreach, engaging in civic activities, serving business patrons, and providing classroom instruction. Readers will learn to discover the government's "hidden" information treasures and how to implement and adapt these resources in any library environment.

A directory of Internet sites maintained by government agencies and others offering federal and state government information. Includes listings for gopher sites, bulletin boards, the SIGCAT CD-ROM Compendium, the National Association of State Information Resource Executives (NASIRE) StateSearch, and a Congressional directory providing e-mail and other addresses.