Government Documents and Bibliographies

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Government Documents and Bibliographies

• Amy, Ashley Carolyn

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Government Documents

• A government document is anything published by
  the government including statistics,
  informational resources, budgets, congressional
  records, CD ROMs, periodicals, films or maps.
  Numerous resources are available online and many
  others are going paperless.

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Evaluating a Government Reference

• Resources published by the government are
  expected to be accurate and reliable. Therefore,
  evaluation of the format is the most important
  criteria. Some information is published by trade
  publishers and should be compared with the
  government published to find the best resource
  for your patrons. Many resources are now
  available online, making these cost efficient,
  but if access becomes difficult, a librarian may
  need to advocate for renewed access.

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Selecting a Government Resource

• Libraries will need to make selections based on
  community needs as well as deciding which formats
  are suitable.

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Available Government Resources

• Many resources are listed in Chapter 12your book
  is your friend!
  
• Local Resources
• Microfilm archives at Catawba County
  LibraryNewton Branch, Gardner-Webb, ASU

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Online Govt Resources

• www.census.gov
• www.firstgov.gov (Govt agencies)
• www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factboo
  k/ (International)
  
• http//thomas.loc.gov/ (Congressional)
• http//www.gpo.gov/ (Govt Printing Office)
• www.usps.gov (Post Office)

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Sample Government Question

• What was the tonnage fee change in the North
  Carolina 2000 Hazardous Waste Management Plan?
  
• Where should we start looking?
• Can be found on microfilm at local depositories
  for government archives.

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Sample Government Question

• What is the literacy rate in Saint Lucia?
• Where should we start looking?
• https//www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world
  -factbook/

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Bibliographic References

• A bibliographic reference can have several
  variations, the most basic being a list of
  bibliographic entries relating to a topic.
  
• Knowledge of bibliographies is essential for
  librarians because they enable readers to quickly
  access a variety of resources about a particular
  topic.

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Evaluating a Bibliographic

• When evaluating bibliographies consider these
  points
  
• Scope should adhere to its purpose and be
  complete
  
• A variety of formats and resources should be
  listed for the selected topic
  
• Should be organized and easy to use with a good
  index
  
• Descriptions are clear and informative

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Selecting Bibliographic Resources

• Librarians need to evaluate and then select the
  resources that best meet their needs.
  

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Bibliographic Resource Examples

• http//www.loc.gov/ (Library of Congress)
• www.amazon.com

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Sample Bibliographic Questions

• According to Nancy Pearl, what is the best
  two-volume biography of Elvis Presley?
  
• Where should we start looking?
• Answer

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Final TestWhat source should you use

• to find a bill passed by the House?
• to locate alternative formats about ghost
  stories?
  
• to find the population of New Zealand?
• to find medical reports from 1980?
• to build a collection of preschool books?