- Email: [email protected]
Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources
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Book Review / Government Information Quarterly 19 (2002) 343–347
American History programs would especially benefit from this volume as well. In addition, this material would position depository libraries to field questions regarding constitution development by the states, and its importance within our federal framework. Charles D. Bernholz, Collections Librarian SUNY College at Cortland Cortland, NY 13045 E-mail address: [email protected] PII: S0740-624X(02)00114-4
Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources. 2nd edition. Edward Herman; Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 1997. 580 pp. $68.00 (includes 2001 supplement). (hardcover). ISBN: 1-57588-203-5. Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources. 2nd edition. Internet Supplement. Edward Herman; Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 2001. 195 pp. $40.00. (paper). ISBN: 1-57588-683-9. Edward Herman undertook an immense project when he decided to write a new edition of Locating United States Government Information. The first edition was published in 1983 when the Monthly Catalog was one of the only online government information databases available to the public. While a few government agencies and research universities were jointly developing a computer network that would eventually become what is referred to as the Internet, few other researchers knew about it as early as 1983. However, between the first edition of Herman’s book and the second, published in 1997, a radical change took place in the way government information is published and identified. In many instances, government agencies took the lead in this transformation as leaders from both the Administration and Congress encouraged agencies to make full text information available online as well as to provide better access to information. As with printed information, the government is a prolific online publisher, but to say that indexing was adequate in the early years of the Internet would be a vast misstatement. Finding government information had never been a particularly easy task. Finding information on an unfamiliar computer system complicated the situation for many people including librarians. Herman’s objective was to bring some order to the chaos. He accomplished his task admirably, and with periodic updates on specific Internet resources – in 1997, 1999, and 2001, Herman continues to make a major positive contribution to the field of government information librarianship. Both experienced librarians and inexperienced researchers can benefit from the book. In the preface, Herman states, “the purpose of this book is to provide a practical how-to-guide for locating United States government publications.”1 He begins each chapter with a few
Book Review / Government Information Quarterly 19 (2002) 343–347
345
questions about which the reader should think while reading the chapter. Herman uses what he calls a workbook format with questions and answers at the end of each chapter. In each chapter, after giving an overview of an information problem, Herman then gives details with specific examples of research needs and illustrations from many of the sources that should be consulted. Not all agencies are specifically included, but more than one chapter is devoted to Congress because of the complexity of researching that source of government information. While some Internet resources are included, Herman’s focus is more on similarities in searching from one agency to another as well as the differences in approach. He explains major print and cd-rom indexes and other resources, such as those of the Congressional Information Service (CIS), in detail. Herman clearly recognizes the importance of historical research using print resources and indexes as well as those that are available on the Internet. He is well aware that while information, even that of a historical nature, is increasingly available on the Internet, there is still a definite need for librarians and other researchers to have a firm grasp of both print and online resources. Herman begins with basic information on depository libraries, their history and the classification and organization of government information. This introduces his next major chapter on comprehensive indexes which segues well into a chapter on indexes to historical documents. The next several chapters are devoted to Congressional information, both current and historical. The chapters on legislative research resources are followed naturally by a chapter on federal regulatory information. Several well-organized chapters on statistical research are followed by one on technical report literature. The final chapters focus on acquiring government publications from agencies using the Freedom of Information Act as well as through the Government Printing Offices sales program, the Consumer Information Center, and commercial vendors. The second edition of Locating United States Government Information was accompanied by an Internet Supplement. Two other supplements have followed, one in 1999 and one in 2001. They all provide information on Internet sites that assist the user in finding information. In addition to government sites, URLs are included for commercial and educational sites of notable interest to librarians and researchers. For example, while there are numerous entries for the various components of the Government Printing Office’s GPO Access (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/), there are also entries for sites maintained by government depositories such as Louisiana States University’s U.S. Federal Government Agencies site (http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html.) Each entry in the supplements is numbered with numbers referenced in the three indexes—Agency and Author, Title, and Keyword. The entry for each site has seven components: section, agency, title, URL, chapter (from the 1997 edition), and abstract. The entries are arranged in the register according to the section in which they are placed and then alphabetically by agency. Part 1 of each supplement covers comprehensive topics while Part 2 includes sites for more specific topics. One feature missing in the third supplement is a note that the entry is new. This should be added to any future editions of the supplement. On the plus side, Herman does include a discussion at the beginning of the most recent supplement on the importance of archiving online government information and the precarious situation for those archives at the beginning of the 21st century. Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, there are no doubt several dead links in the
346
Book Review / Government Information Quarterly 19 (2002) 343–347
three supplements. However, despite the ever-changing discipline of government information research, Herman’s second edition of Locating United States Government Information is by no means obsolete. For librarians and other researchers working with historical material, they provide a wealth of information about the way in which government information has been organized and published in previous years as well as the current status. Combine both editions with the three supplements to the second edition, and you have a veritable treasure trove of information. Diane Bradley Reference and User Services Librarian/Documents Coordinator James Earl Carter Library Georgia Southwestern State University 800 Wheatley Street Americus, GA 31709-4693 E-mail address: [email protected] PII: S0740-624X(02)00113-2
Notes and References Herman, Edward. Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources. 2nd edition. Buffalo, New York, 1997. p. v.
Social Responsibility in the Information Age: Issues and Controversies. Gurpreet Dhillion, editor; Hershey, PA: Idea Publishing Group, 2001. 272 pp. $74.95 (hardcover). ISBN:1-930708-11-4. Gurpreet Dhillion, MIS professor at UNLV tackles the issues of ethical behavior in the cyber world in his book, Social Responsibility in the Information Age. The book brings together eighteen essays, complete with bibliographies and an index, from a variety of authors both in the United States and abroad. These essays explore issues of morality and ethical behavior that both businesses and individuals need to address in an increasing daily electronic atmosphere. Five key areas of social responsibility are addressed: privacy, property rights, quality of information systems, freedom of speech, and equal access to technology. Privacy remains the biggest concern individuals express when dealing with online transactions. The book explores what the average individual thinks of the security of personal information and examines case studies where businesses have betrayed customer confidentiality. While privacy concerns individuals, property rights for information technology remain businesses’ greatest challenge. Software piracy costs companies billions of dollars a year, and most people have large gray areas concerning the morality of electronic theft. Any entity with an online presence also faces concerns about hacking and corporate sabotage.
Book Review / Government Information Quarterly 19 (2002) 343–347
American History programs would especially benefit from this volume as well. In addition, this material would position depository libraries to field questions regarding constitution development by the states, and its importance within our federal framework. Charles D. Bernholz, Collections Librarian SUNY College at Cortland Cortland, NY 13045 E-mail address: [email protected] PII: S0740-624X(02)00114-4
Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources. 2nd edition. Edward Herman; Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 1997. 580 pp. $68.00 (includes 2001 supplement). (hardcover). ISBN: 1-57588-203-5. Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources. 2nd edition. Internet Supplement. Edward Herman; Buffalo, N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co., Inc., 2001. 195 pp. $40.00. (paper). ISBN: 1-57588-683-9. Edward Herman undertook an immense project when he decided to write a new edition of Locating United States Government Information. The first edition was published in 1983 when the Monthly Catalog was one of the only online government information databases available to the public. While a few government agencies and research universities were jointly developing a computer network that would eventually become what is referred to as the Internet, few other researchers knew about it as early as 1983. However, between the first edition of Herman’s book and the second, published in 1997, a radical change took place in the way government information is published and identified. In many instances, government agencies took the lead in this transformation as leaders from both the Administration and Congress encouraged agencies to make full text information available online as well as to provide better access to information. As with printed information, the government is a prolific online publisher, but to say that indexing was adequate in the early years of the Internet would be a vast misstatement. Finding government information had never been a particularly easy task. Finding information on an unfamiliar computer system complicated the situation for many people including librarians. Herman’s objective was to bring some order to the chaos. He accomplished his task admirably, and with periodic updates on specific Internet resources – in 1997, 1999, and 2001, Herman continues to make a major positive contribution to the field of government information librarianship. Both experienced librarians and inexperienced researchers can benefit from the book. In the preface, Herman states, “the purpose of this book is to provide a practical how-to-guide for locating United States government publications.”1 He begins each chapter with a few
Book Review / Government Information Quarterly 19 (2002) 343–347
345
questions about which the reader should think while reading the chapter. Herman uses what he calls a workbook format with questions and answers at the end of each chapter. In each chapter, after giving an overview of an information problem, Herman then gives details with specific examples of research needs and illustrations from many of the sources that should be consulted. Not all agencies are specifically included, but more than one chapter is devoted to Congress because of the complexity of researching that source of government information. While some Internet resources are included, Herman’s focus is more on similarities in searching from one agency to another as well as the differences in approach. He explains major print and cd-rom indexes and other resources, such as those of the Congressional Information Service (CIS), in detail. Herman clearly recognizes the importance of historical research using print resources and indexes as well as those that are available on the Internet. He is well aware that while information, even that of a historical nature, is increasingly available on the Internet, there is still a definite need for librarians and other researchers to have a firm grasp of both print and online resources. Herman begins with basic information on depository libraries, their history and the classification and organization of government information. This introduces his next major chapter on comprehensive indexes which segues well into a chapter on indexes to historical documents. The next several chapters are devoted to Congressional information, both current and historical. The chapters on legislative research resources are followed naturally by a chapter on federal regulatory information. Several well-organized chapters on statistical research are followed by one on technical report literature. The final chapters focus on acquiring government publications from agencies using the Freedom of Information Act as well as through the Government Printing Offices sales program, the Consumer Information Center, and commercial vendors. The second edition of Locating United States Government Information was accompanied by an Internet Supplement. Two other supplements have followed, one in 1999 and one in 2001. They all provide information on Internet sites that assist the user in finding information. In addition to government sites, URLs are included for commercial and educational sites of notable interest to librarians and researchers. For example, while there are numerous entries for the various components of the Government Printing Office’s GPO Access (http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/), there are also entries for sites maintained by government depositories such as Louisiana States University’s U.S. Federal Government Agencies site (http://www.lib.lsu.edu/gov/fedgov.html.) Each entry in the supplements is numbered with numbers referenced in the three indexes—Agency and Author, Title, and Keyword. The entry for each site has seven components: section, agency, title, URL, chapter (from the 1997 edition), and abstract. The entries are arranged in the register according to the section in which they are placed and then alphabetically by agency. Part 1 of each supplement covers comprehensive topics while Part 2 includes sites for more specific topics. One feature missing in the third supplement is a note that the entry is new. This should be added to any future editions of the supplement. On the plus side, Herman does include a discussion at the beginning of the most recent supplement on the importance of archiving online government information and the precarious situation for those archives at the beginning of the 21st century. Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, there are no doubt several dead links in the
346
Book Review / Government Information Quarterly 19 (2002) 343–347
three supplements. However, despite the ever-changing discipline of government information research, Herman’s second edition of Locating United States Government Information is by no means obsolete. For librarians and other researchers working with historical material, they provide a wealth of information about the way in which government information has been organized and published in previous years as well as the current status. Combine both editions with the three supplements to the second edition, and you have a veritable treasure trove of information. Diane Bradley Reference and User Services Librarian/Documents Coordinator James Earl Carter Library Georgia Southwestern State University 800 Wheatley Street Americus, GA 31709-4693 E-mail address: [email protected] PII: S0740-624X(02)00113-2
Notes and References Herman, Edward. Locating United States Government Information: A Guide to Sources. 2nd edition. Buffalo, New York, 1997. p. v.
Social Responsibility in the Information Age: Issues and Controversies. Gurpreet Dhillion, editor; Hershey, PA: Idea Publishing Group, 2001. 272 pp. $74.95 (hardcover). ISBN:1-930708-11-4. Gurpreet Dhillion, MIS professor at UNLV tackles the issues of ethical behavior in the cyber world in his book, Social Responsibility in the Information Age. The book brings together eighteen essays, complete with bibliographies and an index, from a variety of authors both in the United States and abroad. These essays explore issues of morality and ethical behavior that both businesses and individuals need to address in an increasing daily electronic atmosphere. Five key areas of social responsibility are addressed: privacy, property rights, quality of information systems, freedom of speech, and equal access to technology. Privacy remains the biggest concern individuals express when dealing with online transactions. The book explores what the average individual thinks of the security of personal information and examines case studies where businesses have betrayed customer confidentiality. While privacy concerns individuals, property rights for information technology remain businesses’ greatest challenge. Software piracy costs companies billions of dollars a year, and most people have large gray areas concerning the morality of electronic theft. Any entity with an online presence also faces concerns about hacking and corporate sabotage.