Fundamentals of Government Information: Mining, Finding, Evaluating and Using Government Resources

Citation

Osorio, M.A. (2012), "Fundamentals of Government Information: Mining, Finding, Evaluating and Using Government Resources", Collection Building, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 167-167. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604951211274106

Government documents have been collected and stored in large amounts since the founding of the US. Finding the information that a person needs at any given moment can be a challenge for those not acquainted with the system of archiving material that the US government has set in place. This system has evolved over the years, and even for those with library experience it is advantageous to be aware of the numerous changes that have taken place in the last decade. In Fundamentals of Government Information professionals in the field share their expertise in an easy‐to‐understand manner. The aim of the authors is to model techniques for the discovery of government data, give insights into the value of government documents, and help in the attainment of new skills in a simple yet logical manner.

Fundamentals of Government Information is divided into two main parts. Part 1 is titled “Overview of key government information resources” and contains six chapters: The People's Information, How to think like a Government Documents Librarian, Congress, Regulations, Law, and the President. Part 2 is titled “Government information in focus” and has nine chapters: The Executive Branch; Statistical Information; Health Information; Education Information; Scientific and Technical Information; Environment and Energy Information; Business, Economic, and Consumer Information; Census; and Historical and Archival Information. At the end of every chapter are exercises and a list of sources mentioned in the chapter and references, while at the end of the book there is a comprehensive index and a section with more in‐depth coverage of the authors.

This compilation will aid in making searches easier, more effective, more fruitful and more beneficial to the task at hand, whether it is for serious research or popular curiosity. It is recommended for all libraries and those interested in doing research.