Government Documents and Bibliographies Amy, Ashley & Carolyn

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.

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.

Selecting a Government Resource Libraries will need to make selections based on community needs as well as deciding which formats are suitable.

Available Government Resources Many resources are listed in Chapter 12—your book is your friend! Local Resources: Microfilm archives at Catawba County Library—Newton Branch, Gardner-Webb, ASU

Online Gov’t Resources www.census.gov www.firstgov.gov (Gov’t agencies) www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ (International) http://thomas.loc.gov/ (Congressional) http://www.gpo.gov/ (Gov’t Printing Office) www.usps.gov (Post Office)

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.

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/

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.

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

Selecting Bibliographic Resources Librarians need to evaluate and then select the resources that best meet their needs.

Bibliographic Resource Examples http://www.loc.gov/ (Library of Congress) www.amazon.com

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

Final Test—What 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?