1. Credible or Incredible?
Sources of government
information
Presented by Ben Chiewphasa & Stephan Licitra

2. Agenda Reference question What are government documents?
How do we evaluate government documents?
Exploring government information sources
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

3. Breaking News: Story Measles vaccine causes the HULK.
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4. Pause
“Hi, welcome to the library, I can see this question is really important to you. We/I would be happy to help you find quality information about [_____]. However, you need to know that I am not a medical professional and I can not provide medical advice. We/I encourage you to talk to a medical professional for advice.”
For more information visit.

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10. So What is a government document?
Fact Sheet
Website
Website
So What is a government document?
Report
Peer reviewed article
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

11. Government documents are…
Any publication produced by or for an: international, national, state, or local government.
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

13. Government documents are…
Any publication produced by or for an: international, national, state, or local government.
These documents may come in any format and can include:
   Agency Brochures        Executive Orders            Regulations      Movies
Reports & Studies        Judicial Opinions            Statistics            Tweets   
Fact Sheets                Cookbooks                    Treaties              Blogs
Catalogs                 Yearbooks                    Forms                Posters
Periodicals                Budgets                    Laws   
                  
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14. Fact Sheet Website Website Report Peer reviewed article
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

15. Reference Response That depends on the results of three questions:
What information is the patron looking for?
How do they want their information? Pictures? Videos?
Which resources will credibly answer the question?

16. Evaluating government documents
Purpose Accuracy
Authority Timeliness
Expertise Objectivity
Audience Scope & Limits
Reliability Source citations
Relevant
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

17. Not all documents are equal
Subject webpage Peer-review article
Blog/Vlog/Tweets Cook Books
landing page Fact Sheets
News bulletins Databases
Pamphlets Reports
FAQs Book
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

18. What makes government documents credibility?
“The credibility of our statistics, however, relies on more than just their technical qualities. We have to be transparent in describing our methods. To be credible we must describe both the strengths and weaknesses of our statistics. In a world filled with advertising that only describes the strengths of products and not their weaknesses, this is an unusual activity. However, this is important for us to do. None of the statistics that we deliver are perfect; we know that. So we tell users about their imperfections so that they can take those into account. By being completely honest about our data products, we hope to win the trust of the users and enhance the credibility of our statistics.”
Robert Groves US Census Director
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19. Let’s explore some “credible” sources!
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20.
Free access to official publications from the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches.
Officially replaced GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) in December, 2018.
Three components
Public access
Content management
Digital preservation
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

21. Great starting point for tracking current legislation.
Goes back to 93rd Congress ( )
Easy to navigate bills, calendars, hot topics, congressional committees, laws, and congressional history.
Good resources for understanding how a bill becomes a law.
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

22. Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Provides authoritative and confidential research and analysis for Congress’ deliberative use.
Members of House and Senate rely on CRS reports for policy-making decisions.
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018
Reports must be made available for the public.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
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23. December 2009: President Obama issued a directive requiring federal agencies to proactively publish government information online in open formats. Pushed for agenda to make progress towards building a culture of open data.
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24. Why repositories, websites, and resources like Data.gov matter…
Managing “endangered data”!

25. Our Sources Vaccines.gov. www.vaccines.gov
Centers for Disease Control and prevention.
Food and drug administration.
National vaccine injury compensation program.
National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Reference and user services association.
Montana Library Association Conference, 2019

26. Other Useful Resources
Reminder: Use “site:.gov” in your Google searches!
Other Useful Resources
U.S. Census Bureau.
Library of Congress.
U.S. Congress.
USA.gov.
Govinfo.gov.
Data.gov.
Grants.gov.
Plainlanguage.gov.
Identitytheft.gov.
Usability.gov.
MedlinePlus.
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27. CONCLUSION & QUESTIONS
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28. THANK YOU!
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