ALA Unconference Discussion on Gov Info & Libraries

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Library's role in current & emerging trends of civic engagement, transparency, preservation and access to Government information. Resource guide and these slides will be linked on the Unconference Schedule wiki soon.

With the new Presidential Administration, we are witnessing a historical transformation of civic engagement due to technological innovations that are changing both politics and the documentation that results.
On his second day in office, President Obama issued a "Transparency and Open Government" memorandum, in which he laid out his vision of what government should be:

Transparent
Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Open the box!

State governments are following suit.

Government should be participatory

Public engagement enhances the Government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions.

Government should be collaborative

Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government.

Access to government information is also extremely important, as well as accessibility to our congressmen. They are on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc.

...thanks to our new techie & transparent administration, government information has never looked better.

This vision of government wholeheartedly embraces Web 2.0 practices that encourage knowledge sharing, transparency, open standards, multiple approaches to problem solving, championing new ideas and innovations, and encouraging everyone to participate, share, and collaborate.
Obama's promise to have a more transparent and open government by using web technology and embracing web 2.0 tools is evident if you look at Whitehouse.gov...

or how the CDC Web 2.0 tools were a success during the swine flu crisis...

and in a recent government initiative called Data.gov, where government data is free for the taking and re-mixing.

Several organizations, such as The Sunlight Foundation and its Sunlight Labs, have taken advantage of social media tools and the increasing accessibility of government data online by creating APIs and Mashups to engage, educate, and empower citizens.

Makes gov data useful!

Mashup example of available gov data to show the relations b/w legislators, interest groups/lobbyists/$ and the resulting support of legislation.

Call it what you will, whether it be Government 2.0, Gov Info 2.0, or Geek Gov, but you have to admit that Government information has never looked cooler!

Check out my in progress Gov Docs 2.0 and Government 2.0 Wiki for more examples or contribute examples you find!

Another issue is E-government. How will our current administration improve E-government services and will we be prepared to guide and/or assist our patrons with these tools? As government goes online, libraries, especially public libraries, feel the impact. ALA released an “Issues Brief” on “U.S. Public Libraries and E-government Services”.

The other big questions for our society and our profession will be what we preserve, what medium we preserve it in, and why. Do we preserve the Presidential Addresses on the White House YouTube Channel? Or just the paper version? Who is archiving and preserving .gov webpage revisions? LOC and some Universities have archived the LOC and some Universities have archived the previous administration's .gov websites but what about NARA?

So all of these initiatives seem sincere and the enthusiasm is inspiring, but we still need to make sure government information remains truly open, transparent, accessible, usable, and preserved. These are exciting times so keep your eyes peeled for new initiatives and tools from the government and non-profits and librarians.!

So I want to hear your thoughts....

Questions based on discussion meeting from this morning, “Government Information: A Topic for All Librarians, sponsored by ALA GODORT and the ALA Legislation Committee.
What do you consider to be government information?
How do you help users find government information (from all levels)?What ways do you provide and/or organize your government information for your users?What training do you have/need in government information?
How could your library help foster civic engagement and interest in government information?

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ALA Unconference Discussion on Gov Info & Libraries - Presentation Transcript

Government Information Issues for Librarianship Rebecca Blakeley Government Documents Librarian McNeese State University
Government is now...sexy
• How do you help patrons ﬁnd government information (federal, state, etc)?
• How do you help patrons ﬁnd government information (federal, state, etc)? • What ways do you provide and/or organize your government information for your users?
• How do you help patrons ﬁnd government information (federal, state, etc)? • What ways do you provide and/or organize your government information for your users? • What training do you have/need in government information?
• How do you help patrons ﬁnd government information (federal, state, etc)? • What ways do you provide and/or organize your government information for your users? • What training do you have/need in government information? • How could your library help foster civic engagement and interest in government?

+ Rebecca Blakeley, 4 months ago