Tapping the Government Grapevine: The User-Friendly Guide to U.S. Government Information Sources / Edition 3

by Judith Robinson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781573560245
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/11/1998
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.62(d)

About the Author

JUDITH SCHIEK ROBINSON is associate professor, School of Information and Library Studies, State University of New York at Buffalo. She is the author of three books on reference librarianship and government sources and has conducted workshops for the Office of the Federal Registrar.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction to Government Information Resources
Access to Government Information
GPO, The Mother Lode
Depository Libraries: Federal Information Safety Net
Bibliographies and Indexes
Scientific Information
Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights
Legislative Information Sources
Regulations
Executive Branch Information Sources
Judicial Information Sources
Statistics
Primary and Nonprint Sources
Docs Populi: A Documents Toolkit
Foreign and International Documents
Appendix 1: Publisher's Addresses and Web Sites
Appendix 2: Citation Signposts
Appendix 3: Answers to Exercises
Appendix 4: Abbreviations and Popular Names
Appendix 5: Internet Addresses
Appendix 6: Tips for Seaching Old GRA & I Issues
Index

Editorial Reviews

provides basic information on these important and frequently used library materials. But who would think that this illustrated work is also fun to browse? Lucidly and elegantly written, it features a wonderful selection of unusual patents (an application for a combined toilet tank and aquarium) and amusing quotations (including suggestions for questions rejected by the U.S. Census, e.g., "Do you dream in color?"). Although it may lack the folksy charm of The Old Farmer's Almanac, the one-volume World Almanac (the new edition is reviewed on p. 126) still retains a unique appeal owing to its eclectic contents and unrivaled authoritativeness. Published continuously since 1886, this venerable and inexpensive resource offers such diverse tidbits as a list of the most-visited web sites and a chart of the most notable roller coasters in the world. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Robinson (information and library studies, State U. of New York- Buffalo) updates her guide both to sources themselves and to methods and strategies for accessing information. Web sites, of course are the sexiest addition; other resources include publications, databases, CD-ROMS, audiovisual material, microfiche, agency experts, clearinghouses, and research laboratories. She also surveys primary resources in the collections of the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the presidential libraries. Illustrations and sample pages are sometimes provided. No dates are noted for previous editions. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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