Government Information and YOU!

Image from The Most Famous Poster, American Treasures of the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm015.html

UCLA Library

Federal, State, Local, International, Foreign, and NGOs in all formats!

Government Information is part of our daily lives…

© ® TM

Government Information is part of our daily lives…

Key Characteristics…

• Primary sources• Authoritative sources• Legal requirements for authenticity and

accuracy • Usually copyright and cost free• Covers every discipline and subject• Major source of research grant funding

and research output • Encourages civic participation (lifelong

learning)

Government Information can answer almost anything…

• How many El Salvadorans live in Los How many El Salvadorans live in Los Angeles?Angeles?

• Is my drinking water safe?Is my drinking water safe?• What is the fine for talking on a cell phone What is the fine for talking on a cell phone

in my car?in my car?• What are Cap-and-trade systems; What are Cap-and-trade systems; are are

they really going to help the they really going to help the environment?environment?

• I want to explore the Cinderella themes in Dorothy Edwards short stories.

Formal Definitions…

44 USC § 1901

“Government publication” as used in this chapter, means informational matter which is published as an individual document at Government expense, or as required by law.”

44 USC § 3301“records” includes all books, papers,

maps, photographs, machine readable materials, or other documentary materials, regardless of physical format or characteristics, made or received by an agency of the United States Government under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business…

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

• 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended, generally provides any person with the statutory right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to Government information in executive branch agency records. This right to access is limited when such information is protected from disclosure by one of FOIA's nine statutory exemptions.

• http://www.archives.gov/foia/

Short exercise

• Google and USA.gov: foia reading room

St. Valentine's Day Massacre

“That’s Classified Information”

• Executive Order 13526

Short exercise: Find EO 13526How long is can material be classified?

4 Approaches to Finding Gov Info

• Known title

• Subject

• Agency

• Special Technique

The Government Information Forest

Legislation: Bills, Acts, Hearings, Debates Laws: Statutes, Codes,

Court decisions

Regulations: Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations(CFR)

Executive Branch: Executive Orders, Proclamations, Speeches

Agencies: Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept. of Public Social Services, Social Security Admin.

Maps: CIA, topographic, geologic, land use

The Government Information Forest

Government Officials: Barbara Boxer, Mukasey, Paulsen

Statistics: Census, Statistical Abstract, Construction Starts

Obvious Publication: 9-11 Report, Starr Report, Governor’s Budget

Technical Reports: DOE, EPA, NASA,

Research/Investigations: NIH, Criminal Justice, FDA

Government Information and Newspapers

• 1813  [3 Stat. 140] Copies of Senate/House Journals, Congressional materials to be deposited to libraries

• 1860 Title 44 and GPO• 1895 Office of the Superintendent of

Documents• 1962 Depository Library Act• 1996 • http://smu.edu/cul/gir/background/fdlp.html

Federal Depository Library Program

• Title 44 USC Sec. 1901-1916

• Administered by GPO

• Collections and Services– FDLP Desktop– GPO Access

Follow the depository bird!

Government Information @ UCLA

UCLA Library Government Information Specialists

are here to help!

• Federal: Maria Jankowska, Kris Kasianovitz

• State, Local, Canadian,NGOs: Kris Kasianovitz

• International: Joseph Yue• British: Maria Jankowska• Foreign: Area Studies Librarians