On Saturday, January 3, 1863, Assistant Secretary of State Frederick W. Seward sent a letter to John D. Defrees, superintendent of Public Printing, asking that 500 copies of a "circular and proclamation" be printed. The letter also gave specific instructions as to what type of paper was to be used, the layout, and when the department wanted the…

This chapter discusses the use of electronic government sources and documents for school media specialists, teachers, and children in K-12 education. Ninety-seven percent of all government information is online, resulting in rich and free source of authoritative material that can enrich the electronic sources of the school media center (GPO,…

In Canada, cultural diversity has always been a contested cornerstone of citizenship and of citizenship education. In the last decade, a number of provinces, including Alberta and Ontario, have published citizenship and character education documents and social studies curricula in which ideas of cultural diversity are central and shape dominant…

For more than 150 years, the United States Government Printing Office (GPO), along with its Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), has supported an informed citizenry and democracy by ensuring access and preservation to a broad swath of federal government information. This collaborative national public information program between local…

The electronic environment has significantly shifted library capabilities and user expectations for the delivery of government information and services. At the same time, many laws of the federal government have pushed for the creation and distribution of government information through electronic channels. However, the Federal Depository Library…

If nothing else, 2008 was an eventful year for government information. People witnessed one of the most dramatic Presidential elections in U.S. history, the largest global economic meltdown since the Great Depression, and fundamental changes in the role of the federal government. As always, government information reflects the times people live in.…

Federal agencies are increasingly using electronic means to create, exchange, and store information, and in doing so, they frequently create federal records: that is, information, in whatever form, that documents government functions, activities, decisions, and other important transactions. As the volume of electronic information grows, so does…

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is the national indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of goods and services available to U.S. residents. Since 1994, it has served as a uniform, cross-industry/government measure of customer satisfaction. A total of 10 groups, composed of eight program offices, EDFacts Coordinators, and…

Research administrators can be assisted in resolving issues with awareness of the critical period of policy formation divulged in the Joseph Warner Papers. He and his colleagues on the Subcommittee on Grants and Contracts Provisions of COGR adopted the philosophy that research administrators needed flexibility and reduced paperwork and costs.…

Security incidents resulting from human error or subversive actions have caused major financial losses, reduced business productivity or efficiency, and threatened national security. Some research suggests that information system security frameworks lack emphasis on human involvement as a significant cause for security problems in a rapidly…

Through a citation analysis of dissertations at Mississippi State University from 2000-2004, the author examines doctoral students' use of federal government publications as bibliographic references in light of the ongoing migration of these sources to the Internet. The study indicates an increase in the use of federal government documents in Web…

Although many government publications become known by popular names, they are usually indexed under institutional names. This catalog lists government reports alphabetically by popular names. Most entries have the Library of Congress record as a bibliographic description. This third edition of the catalog is the first to include citations to the…

Possible reasons for the increase in the number of entries in the Monthly Catalog" of U.S. Government publications designated for Official Use" are explored. (Author/NH)

The potential of government publications to provide a wealth of sociological and historical commentary is explored through specific examples of the types of documents available. (Author/CMV)

The most satisfactory procedure for handling changes is the complete reclassification of old and new publications to conform with newly assigned notations. This insures that the publications for each agency will be located together on the shelves and that closely connected series will not be split. (Author/NH)