Mastering United States Government Information

Mastering United States Government Information
Author: Christopher C. Brown
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2020-04-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

This up-to-date guide provides informational professionals and their clients with much-needed assistance in navigating the immense field of government information. When information professionals are asked questions involving government information, they often experience that "deer in the headlights" feeling. Mastering United States Government Information helps them overcome any trepidation about finding and using government documents. Written by Christopher C. Brown, coordinator of government documents at the University of Denver, this approachable book provides an introduction to all major areas of U.S. government information. It references resources in all formats, including print and online. Examples are provided so users will feel comfortable solving government information questions on their own, while exercises at the end of chapters enable users to practice answering questions for themselves. Additionally, several appendixes serve as quick reference sources for such topics as congressional sessions, the most popular government publications, federal statistical databases, and citation of government publications. It serves as a practical and current guide for practitioners as well as a text or supplementary reading for students of library information studies and for in-service trainings.

The Oxford Guide to Library Research

The Oxford Guide to Library Research
Author: Thomas Mann
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 2015-02-27
Genre: Reference
ISBN: 0199394466

The information world has undergone drastic changes since the publication of the 3rd edition of The Oxford Guide to Library Research in 2005, and Thomas Mann, a veteran reference librarian at the Library of Congress, has extensively revised his text to reflect those changes. This book will answer two basic questions: First, what is the extent of the significant research resources you will you miss if you confine your research entirely, or even primarily, to sources available on the open Internet? Second, if you are trying to get a reasonably good overview of the literature on a particular topic, rather than just "something quickly" on it, what are the several alternative methods of subject searching--which are not available on the Web--that are usually much more efficient for that purpose than typing keywords into a blank search box, with the results displayed by relevance-ranking computer algorithms? This book shows researchers how to do comprehensive research on any topic. It explains the variety of search mechanisms available, so that the researcher can have the reasonable confidence that s/he has not overlooked something important. This includes not just lists of resources, but discussions of the ways to search within them: how to find the best search terms, how to combine the terms, and how to make the databases (and other sources) show relevant material even when you don't know how to specify the best search terms in advance. The book's overall structuring by nine methods of searching that are applicable in any subject area, rather than by subjects or by types of literature, is unique among guides to research. Also unique is the range and variety of concrete examples of what to do--and of what not to do. The book is not "about" the Internet: it is about the best alternatives to the Internet--the sources that are not on the open Web to begin with, that can be found only through research libraries and that are more than ever necessary for any kind of substantive scholarly research. More than any other research guide available, this book directly addresses and provides solutions to the serious problems outlined in recent studies documenting the profound lack of research skills possessed by today's "digital natives."

Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook

Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook
Author: Virginia Boucher
Publisher: American Library Association
Total Pages: 270
Release: 1997
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780838906675

In this new edition of the definitive Interlibrary Loan Practices Handbook, edited by CheriT Weible and Karen Janke, expert contributors clearly explain the complexities of getting materials for patrons from outside the library. This collection presents a complete view of the interlibrary loan (ILL) process, with contributions from all areas of the technical services community, providing Guidance on how to do ILL efficiently and effectively, with advice on being a considerate borrower and lender Details of preferred staffing and management techniques, showing how best practices can be implemented at any institution Discussion of important issues that can fall between the cracks, such as hidden copyright issues, and the logistics of lending internationally As consortia and other library partnerships share ever larger fractions of their collections, this book gives library staff the tools necessary for a smoothly functioning ILL system.

The Research Process

The Research Process
Author: Myrtle S. Bolner
Publisher: Kendall Hunt
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2004
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780787294489

Tapping the Government Grapevine

Tapping the Government Grapevine
Author: Judith Robinson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 297
Release: 1998-08-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0313097623

Judith Schiek Robinson has updated and expanded this popular guide, which offers a thorough and sometimes humorous tour of government information sources. Her highly readable text explains the intricacies of government information and how to find sources that meet specific research needs. New features in the third edition include detailed coverage of Internet resources, directories of World Wide Web addresses, and quick tips on which government Web sites to search for different types of information. Helpful guides to government abbreviations and citations are also included, as are numerous new tables, user guides, exercises, and illustrations.