Finding and Using U.S Government Information PRACTICAL GUIDES FOR LIBRARIANS About the Series This innovative series written and edited for librarians by librarians provides authoritative, practical information and guidance on a wide spectrum of library processes and operations Books in the series are focused, describing practical solutions to problems facing today’s librarian and delivering step-by-step guides for planning, creating, implementing, managing, and evaluating a wide range of services and programs The books are aimed at beginning and intermediate librarians that need basic instruction and guidance in specific subjects and also at experienced librarians who need to gain knowledge in a new area or guidance in implementing a new program or service About the Series Editors The Practical Guides for Librarians series was conceived and edited by M Sandra Wood, MLS, MBA, AHIP, FMLA, Librarian Emerita, Penn State University Libraries from 2014 to 2017 Ms Wood was a librarian at the George T Harrell Library, the Milton S Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, in Hershey, PA, for over thirty-five years, specializing in reference, educational, and database services Ms Wood received an MLS from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Maryland She is a fellow of the Medical Library Association and served as a member of the MLA’s Board of Directors from 1991 to 1995 Ellyssa Kroski assumed editorial responsibilities for the series beginning in 2017 She is the director of Information Technology at the New York Law Institute and an award-winning editor and author of thirty-six books, including Law Librarianship in the Digital Age for which she won the American Association of Law Libraries 2014 Joseph L Andrews Legal Literature Award Her ten-book technology series, The Tech Set, won the American Library Association’s Best Book in Library Literature Award in 2011 Ms Kroski is a librarian, an adjunct faculty member at Drexel and San Jose State University, and an international conference speaker She has recently been named the winner of the 2017 Library Hi Tech Award from the ALA/LITA for her long-term contributions in the area of library and information science technology and its application Titles in the Series edited by M Sandra Wood How to Teach: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Beverley E Crane Implementing an Inclusive Staffing Model for Today’s Reference Services 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 by Julia K Nims, Paula Storm, and Robert Stevens Managing Digital Audiovisual Resources: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew C Mariner Outsourcing Technology: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Robin Hastings Making the Library Accessible for All: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Jane Vincent Discovering and Using Historical Geographic Resources on the Web: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Eva H Dodsworth and L W Laliberté Digitization and Digital Archiving: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Elizabeth R Leggett Makerspaces: A Practical Guide for Librarians by John J Burke Implementing Web-Scale Discovery Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians by JoLinda Thompson Using iPhones and iPads: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew Connolly and Tony Cosgrave Usability Testing: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Rebecca Blakiston Mobile Devices: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Ben Rawlins Going Beyond Loaning Books to Loaning Technologies: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Janelle Sander, Lori S Mestre, and Eric Kurt Children’s Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Jeanette Larson Genealogy: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Katherine Pennavaria Collection Evaluation in Academic Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Karen C Kohn Creating Online Tutorials: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Hannah Gascho Rempel and Maribeth Slebodnik Using Google Earth in Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Eva Dodsworth and Andrew Nicholson Integrating the Web into Everyday Library Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Elizabeth R Leggett Infographics: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Beverley E Crane Meeting Community Needs: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Pamela H MacKellar 3D Printing: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Sara Russell Gonzalez and Denise Beaubien Bennett Patron-Driven Acquisitions in Academic and Special Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Steven Carrico, Michelle Leonard, and Erin Gallagher Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Bess G de Farber Story-Time Success: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Katie Fitzgerald Teaching Google Scholar: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Paige 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Alfonzo Teen Services Today: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Sara K Joiner and Geri Swanzy Data Management: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Margaret E Henderson Online Teaching and Learning: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Beverley E Crane Writing Effectively in Print and on the Web: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Rebecca Blakiston Gamification: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Elizabeth McMunnTetangco Providing Reference Services: A Practical Guide for Librarians by John Gottfried and Katherine Pennavaria Video Marketing for Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Heather A Dalal, Robin O’Hanlan, and Karen Yacobucci Understanding How Students Develop: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Hannah Gascho Rempel, Laurie M Bridges, and Kelly McElroy How to Teach: A Practical Guide for Librarians, Second Edition by Beverley E Crane Managing and Improving Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Programs: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew C Mariner User Privacy: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew Connolly Makerspaces: A Practical Guide for Librarians, Second Edition by John J Burke, revised by Ellyssa Kroski Summer Reading Programs for All Ages: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Katie Fitzgerald Implementing the Information Literacy Framework: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Dave Harmeyer and Janice J Baskin Titles in the Series edited by Ellyssa Kroski 41 Finding and Using U.S Government Information: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Bethany Latham 42 Instructional Design Essentials: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Sean Cordes 43 Making Library Web Sites Accessible: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Laura Francabandera 44 Serving LGBTQ Teens: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Lisa Houde 45 Coding Programs for Children and Young Adults in Libraries: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Wendy Harrop 46 Teen Fandom and Geek Programming: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Carrie Rogers-Whitehead Finding and Using U.S Government Information A Practical Guide for Librarians Bethany Latham PRACTICAL GUIDES FOR LIBRARIANS, NO 41 ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Published by Rowman & Littlefield An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB Copyright © 2018 by The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available ISBN 978-1-5381-0715-7 (pbk : alk paper) | ISBN 978-1-5381-0716-4 (e-book) ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 Printed in the United States of America Unless otherwise specified, all figures are from the U.S federal government and are public domain Contents Contents Preface Part I: Background and Context Introduction to Government Information Types of Government Information Approaches to the Research Process Part II: How to Find and Use Government Information General Resources, Search Engines, and Tools for Locating Government Information Business, Economics, and Labor Census and Housing Data Education Environment Geographical Information Systems, Maps, and Other Cartographic Materials 10 Health, Medical, and Consumer Information 11 Intellectual Property 12 Legislation, Law, Jurisprudence, and Criminal Justice 13 Scientific, Technical, and Statistical Information Part III: Collection Management and Professional Development 14 Tips for Collection Development 15 Professional Development and Continuing Education About the Author Preface Librarians are information professionals, and the U.S federal government produces a massive trove of valuable information Yet due to how federal government information is produced and organized, these resources can be more difficult to locate and effectively use than traditional information sources Additional layers of understanding must be added to the librarian’s core skill set in order to make the most of these unique resources This book introduces the field of federal government information and provides a subject-based guide for government information reference sources and other issues related to government information management The approach is one of simplicity—government information can be complicated, and it can also be intimidating for librarians who possess little experience with it Think of this work as the sort of guidebook you would take to a foreign country when unacquainted with the culture and language Guidebooks will not turn you into a native, but they will help you communicate, get around, and essentially get the job done That is the goal of this book This work is written in plain language for practicing and new librarians in the areas of reference and other user services, as well as anyone interested in gleaning a basic understanding of how federal government information is created, acquired, organized, searched, and used It is also written with the “inadvertent” depository coordinator in mind—those librarians who find themselves responsible for government information at their institutions but have had no background or training in this area Those in charge of collection development will also find this book beneficial, since government information resources are often freely available, authoritative primary sources repackaged and sold by vendors to libraries at premium prices Knowing what is freely available from the government allows libraries to be more efficient in the allocation of financial resources, which furthers collection development and management goals Scope Both tangible and digital government information is covered in this book The focus skews more toward the digital simply because this is the U.S government’s focus for the current information it releases, in addition to the retrospective digitization projects it has begun Many library users now prefer digital government information, though there are notable exceptions (e.g., cartographic materials) I have made every effort to provide easy access to digital resources when possible, with the caveat that this method is notoriously impermanent since it involves the use of URLs that change quite frequently This work is not a textbook for library and information science students (though they can certainly benefit from it, especially if they not have the opportunity to take a government information course), and it is not intended to be an exhaustive examination of every single government information resource; such an endeavor would require multiple volumes and would not serve the audience for this book Instead, the goal is to cover major resources and provide a ready reference for the types of sources that can answer many of the questions commonly encountered at the reference desk Sources that will already be familiar to most practicing librarians (e.g., historical, archival, and library-related materials from the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services) are eschewed in favor of less familiar sources that can be used to answer government information questions from library users The scope of this book is information produced and disseminated by the U.S federal government or under its auspices Since the federal government aggregates state-level data in many of its sources and reaches outside our country’s borders in others (e.g., trade data), information at these levels can be found in this book However, international/intergovernmental, state, and local government–created information is outside its scope A few selected commercial resources are included to illustrate the ways vendors repackage government information and how those commercial resources can be weighed against freely available government information to determine which sources are best for certain applications But the vendor resources listed are not comprehensive, nor should the inclusion of any particular commercial resource be taken as an endorsement of that product They are provided simply to inform users about additional methods to access some types of government information Organization The first three chapters of this book provide the background necessary to give those new to government information a foundation for further examination of the subject Chapter elucidates why government information is valuable and provides a brief history of government information in this country—how it grew into our present-day government information environment Since it is the primary organ for disseminating U.S government information, the Government Publishing Office and the legislative foundations in which it is grounded are also examined, along with its and other federal agencies’ role in the organization of government information The majority of libraries that have substantial ... Thesis and Dissertation Programs: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew C Mariner User Privacy: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew Connolly Makerspaces: A Practical Guide for Librarians, ... A Practical Guide for Librarians by JoLinda Thompson Using iPhones and iPads: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Matthew Connolly and Tony Cosgrave Usability Testing: A Practical Guide for Librarians. .. Practical Guide for Librarians by Bethany Latham 42 Instructional Design Essentials: A Practical Guide for Librarians by Sean Cordes 43 Making Library Web Sites Accessible: A Practical Guide for Librarians