What should you know?

Starr HoffmanHead, Government Documents Dept.

University of North Texas Libraries

Government Docs / Information Products• Created or compiled by government employees, at

government expense, or as required by law

Published or unpublished Restricted or publicly available Print or electronic

• Different levels: Federal, State, or Local Government

• Determine agency that might be involved• “What group would gather or need this information?”

Common questions answered with gov docs…

I need to find the number of students graduating from public universities in Texas.

I am looking for a report from the Securities and Exchange commission on the October 1987 market crash.

My doctor wants me to eat more protein. What foods are high in protein?

What industry employs the most people in my county?

I want to see section 23-37 of the traffic law. (Ask to determine: local, state, federal?)

Where can I find a form to get my name changed?

• Kids Count Data Book (Annie E. Casey Foundation)• http://www.aecf.org/MajorInitiatives/KIDSCOUNT.aspx

• Health, United States (Health)• http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm

• U.S. Census Bureau• http://www.census.gov/

• Statistical Abstract of the United States • http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

• American FactFinder • http://factfinder2.census.gov

• Historical Statistics of the United States• http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/statab.html

• County City Data Book • http://www.census.gov/statab/www/ccdb.html

• State and Metropolitan Area Data Book • http://www.census.gov/compendia/smadb/

• National Center for Educational Statistics• http://nces.ed.gov/

• Condition of Education • http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/

• Digest of Education Statistics • http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/ • Library Statistics Program

• http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/

• Lexis Nexis Databases• Lexis Nexis Congressional• Congressional and serial set documents dating back to the

1700’s. • Lexis Nexis Statistical• Federal, State, and International statistics.• Lexis Nexis State Capital• State legislative information, including state statutes & bills.

• CQ Press Databases• CQ Researcher• Unbiased research articles on “hot topic” issues, great

bibliographies.• CQ Weekly• Weekly news magazine about activities in the U.S. Congress.• CQ Voting and Elections• Statistics and more on federal elections and voting patterns.

• UNT Government Documents Collections• http://www.library.unt.edu/govinfo/digital-collections• CyberCemetery• CRS (Congressional Research Service) Reports• Federal Newsmaps• Texas Laws & Resolutions• …and more!

• Portal to Texas History• http://texashistory.unt.edu/• photographs, documents, maps, & more!• “Primary Source Adventures” (elementary school)• Services for Educators• Handbook of Texas Online

• Roswell Report

• Roswell Report: Case Closed (executive summary online)

• The Pentagon: The First Fifty Years

• Managing Death Investigation

• Drugs of Abuse (similar data online)

• The FBI Laboratory

• At Cold War’s End

• Cloning Human Beings

http://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/collections/GDCC/

• online archive of websites from U.S. government agencies or commissions that are no longer operating

http://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/collections/GDCC/

• provides permanent public access• archive of “dead” government information

• one version, final “snapshot” of website before it’s taken offline

• freely, globally available• 73 websites and growing• partnership between:

• University of North Texas Libraries• U.S. Government Printing Office• National Archives and Records Administration

• Protect At-Risk Information:• 1990’s: U.S. government information moved online

• much of it born-digital• often edited or removed without warning

• Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)• administered by the U.S. Government Printing Office

(GPO)• mission: to provide free, permanent public access to

government information• online information complicates this mission• University of North Texas is a federal depository library

• web files (HTML, XML)• text documents

(.txt, .pdf, .doc)• spreadsheets & statistics

(.xls)• presentations (.ppt)• media files:

• images & photographs (.jpg, .gif, .png, .tiff)

• audio (.mp3)• video (.wm, .mov, .rp)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

http://www.library.unt.edu/govinfo/ http://digital.library.unt.edu/explore/collections/GDCC/

•Starr HoffmanHead, Government Documents Dept.University of North Texas Librariesgovinfo@unt.edu

starr.hoffman@gmail.com http://geekyartistlibrarian.wordpress.com