US Government on the Web: Getting the Information You Need (2nd ed.)

Citation

Srivastava, S.D. (2003), "US Government on the Web: Getting the Information You Need (2nd ed.)", Collection Building, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 46-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950310457203

With many of the government resources, information and publications now available on the Internet, some may ask why a print resource is necessary. For the novice, going directly to GPO Access without any knowledge of government structure and publications would cause a great deal of confusion considering the volume of choices that can be retrieved from a large hit‐list. The process is also daunting for the expert, because sometimes the publication is not produced by the department that may deal with the issue. A research guide to the way the government is structured then becomes a necessity.

This printed resource guide explains the main structure of government and the types of publications and information produced by each department. The second edition is updated to include information on the new administration and the 107th Congress. It continues to have blue pages after each chapter that highlight the major departments and offices discussed, with current Web addresses. There is an addition of a chapter on analysis of policies on e‐government, increased coverage on the Freedom of Information Act and listing of Web sites that provide coverage, digital reference services information added to chapters, and direction to sites that provide statistics and statistical analysis on specific subject areas. One especially useful chapter is Chapter 13, Web Pages for the Nation’s Youth. This is an excellent guide for teachers wishing to introduce students to activities and services for children provided by different government departments.

The editors state that the content is up to date to May 2001 and that this resource will be updated every two years. This is an important resource for all ages, and for the general user and researcher. It is easy to use as a quick reference tool or for more descriptive information about government departments. It contains an appendix of useful Web sites and a government body index, as well as a selected title index. I recommend this book for public, academic and research libraries. It is by no means comprehensive, but it is an excellent resource for insight into how government is structured.