Overview

In order to assist library users with questions about governments and about the information the government produces, you will need a fundamental understanding of the type of information available by and about these government entities. Critical information includes a basic working knowledge of:

• The structure of the government
• Government information sources, including government documents
• Online sources of governmental information
• Local and international information

Library users' inquiries will include questions about every level of government—federal, state, local, and international. The amount and variety of government information seems quite overwhelming, and finding answers to some questions may seem downright impossible.

Federal and state agencies produce most of the statistics that we use. For years, libraries have used "statistical abstracts," published annually by federal and state governments, as handy source for data. As you will learn, the statistics included in these "abstracts" represent just a fraction of the total number of statistics produced by government agencies on an endless number of topics. A statistical abstract is meant to provide easy access to those statistics thought to be most in demand.

Today the Internet has made it possible for government agencies to make their statistics available directly to the public at their websites. As a result, we have easier access to much of the data that doesn't make it into widely held publications. Additionally, statistics we get from the source agency via the web are likely to be more current.

This unit will cover the basic organization of the federal government of the United States, along with major sources of information from its agencies and the agencies of state and local governments. We will also briefly cover finding data by and about governments of countries other than the United States. The rest of the unit will be a brief overview of statistical information. A good portion of this kind of data produced in the United States comes from various governmental agencies. A few of the most important sources will be covered in more detail.

U.S. Government Information

You may be asked:

• What is the relationship between the CIA and the FBI?
• How to I file an age discrimination claim in California?
• Who are the current members of the Supreme Court and what are their backgrounds?
• Is the National Library of Medicine a government entity?
• What do the initials "HUD" stand for?
• How can I find out how to join the Peace Corps?
• Who gets to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery?
• Where can I find a history of the United States' involvement in the United Nations?

There are great reference sources to help you answer these questions. Your library's reference collection and online catalog can help you identify what print resources are in your library to answer questions about government. In 2002, the E-Government Act was passed, requiring agencies to "use Internet-based information technology to enhance citizen access to Government information and services, and for other purposes." This means that United States government agencies are now primarily using online formats to disseminate their information. Knowing some basic government websites will be indispensable in your library work. (Remember that the domain .gov indicates that a website is government sponsored.) Most of the documents produced by the federal government, and many produced by other governmental entities, are PDF files. Your library probably has an Adobe Acrobat reader for this sort of document on all of its staff computers. If you are directing a patron to government documents, let them know they can get the reader free at: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Library staff and users should realize that the government publishes information on just about any topic imaginable. Whatever the subject area, government information should not be missed.

One of the first things to decide when you are working with a library user looking for government information is what level of information are they looking for: federal, state, regional, or city. Once that is decided, narrowing the search down to the specific agency or department that may have the answer is the next decision to make. They may not be sure where they need to look, so it may be up to you to figure that out.

Organization of the Federal Government

The federal government consists of three branches, the same branches that you learned about in high school:

• Executive - President, cabinet and agencies. This branch administers the laws.
• Legislative - Congress. This branch writes, discusses, and votes on laws.
• Judicial - The federal court system, headed by the Supreme Court. This branch interprets laws.

These branches are interrelated, and the "checks and balances" system provides oversight by each branch over the other. This is so that no one branch becomes too powerful.

The Executive Branch

This branch of the government consists of the Executive Office of the President and the Executive Agencies. There are 15 Executive Agencies. These Departments constitute the President's Cabinet. The Library of Congress (loc.gov) has a list of all of them at www.loc.gov/global/executive/fed.html.

Also included in the executive branch are the "Independent Agencies." These include: the Environmental Protection Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Peace Corps, and over sixty other agencies. These independent agencies are created by Congress to address concerns that go beyond the scope of ordinary legislation. These agencies are responsible for keeping the government and economy running smoothly.

The Legislative Branch

The legislative branch of the federal government consists of the Congress, which is divided into two chambers—the Senate and the House of Representatives. All members of Congress are elected by the people of their respective states. The House of Representatives, with membership based on state populations, has 435 seats, while the Senate, with two members from each state, has 100 seats.

Congress is responsible for declaring war, maintaining the armed forces, assessing taxes, borrowing money, minting currency, regulating commerce, and making all laws necessary for the operation of the government. Members of Congress represent the wishes of their constituents in their home state.

The Judicial Branch

The judicial branch hears cases that challenge or require interpretation of the legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President. It consists of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts. Justices are appointed by the President and serve for life or until they voluntarily resign or retire. The Courts protect the rights of people against unconstitutional actions and laws.

Government Information Sources

The United States Government Manual

For years, the best source of information concerning the government has been the United States Government Manual. It is published annually in late summer and is called "the official handbook of the Federal Government." In this small paperback book, you can find the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, organizational charts of the government, and information on the three branches of the Federal Government. This manual contains information on public agencies only.

There are two comprehensive indexes in the back of the volume: name and agency/subject. A typical description includes a list of the officials, a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history of the agency, a description of its programs and activities, and a "Sources of Information" section that provides information on consumer activities, contract and grants, employment, and publications. Contact information, such as address, telephone, and Internet web address, is also included.

The current edition of the US Government manual is available online at www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/. From this site there is also a link to search or browse previous editions back to 1995.

If a person would like to contact the United States Mint for information for a school report, a scan of the agency/subject index in the print edition would show on which page this information can be found. Online, either type "united states mint" in the search box, or use the browse function to locate the Department of the Treasury or the Agency/Subject Index. If another person would like to know what the acronym EOUSA stands for, a look at "Appendix A: Commonly Used Abbreviations and Acronyms" would show that EOUSA stands for Executive Office for United States Attorneys. If you use the browse function in the online version of the current Manual, scroll down until you get to the "Commonly Used Abbreviations and Acronyms."

The Washington Information Directory

The Washington Information Directory (also published annually) is another handy source of quick information about agencies, both public and private, in Washington, DC. As the directory states, it provides information on the "key players and organizations in the nation's capital region." Some data in this book not contained in government sources is contact information for non-profits and other organizations that are involved in government but are not part of the government. It is privately published and is not available online.

Much of the information in the United States Government Manual and the Washington Information Directory is also found on the Internet; however, the advantage of both is that they provide all this information in one place.

Government Documents

Any materials published by the government, including reports, maps, statistics, congressional data, tax information, and laws, are considered government documents. This includes anything published in electronic format, online or otherwise. The U.S. Government is the world's largest publisher.

The Government Printing Office (GPO) produces, procures, and disseminates printed and electronic publications of the Federal Government. One goal of this publishing effort is to make these documents available through the Federal Depository Library Program. This program places at least one copy of approximately half of everything published by the government in libraries. You may know of a federal depository library in your area. If you don't know where the nearest one to you is, go to www.gpoaccess.gov/libraries.html, click on California on the U.S. map there, and browse the list. Usually government documents are kept in a separate collection arranged by the issuing agency.

Government Information on the Internet

More and more government information is published solely on the web, with print editions becoming more difficult to find. There is an annually published handbook to help navigate this vast amount of information called the United States Government Internet Manual. The Manual contains more than 2,000 site records that provide descriptions and web addresses (URLs) for each site. The most used sites include an evaluation.

Some Useful Sites

GPO Access (gpoaccess.gov) is a service of the Government Printing Office (GPO) that provides free electronic access to an enormous amount of important information products produced by the Federal Government. The information provided on this site is the official, published version, and the information retrieved from GPO Access can be used without restriction, unless specifically noted.

GPO Access is arranged to make it as easy as possible to find the information you are seeking by browsing. There is access to resources by agency, branch, and subject. There are also featured items and a "what's new" area. These sections are also included:

• A-Z Resource List (gpoaccess.gov/databases.html)
  This list includes links to: Agency Publications Indexes, the 911 Commission Report, the Budget of the United States, Economic Indicators, and the Plum Book.
  
  
• U.S. Government Online Bookstore (bookstore.gpo.gov)
  The section provides search options for browsing topic areas or looking for a specific document by title, stock number, or author.
  
  
• Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government for Kids (bensguide.gpo.gov)
  From the website: "This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works, the use of the primary source materials of GPO Access, and how one can use GPO Access to carry out their civic responsibilities. And, just as GPO Access provides locator services to U.S. Government sites, Ben's Guide provides a similar service to U.S. Government Web sites developed for kids."

Need to find information about buying a used car? Consumer Reports and the Kelly Bluebook (kbb.com) are not the only places to look. Remember that the federal government also publishes consumer information. The A-Z listing includes one for the "Consumer Information Center." Follow this link to the Federal Citizen Information Center (pueblo.gsa.gov) and find information not only about purchasing cars, but also about employment, food, and travel, to name a few.

School report time? Find age appropriate resources on computers, safety, careers, space, and more by checking First Gov for Kids (www.kids.gov).

FirstGov

FirstGov (firstgov.gov) is the starting point for all things government—federal, state, and local. On the FirstGov site, you can search millions of web pages from federal and state governments, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Most of these pages are not available on commercial websites.

The FirstGov homepage provides many entryways to the government:

• Search by organization

  Search for information by:
  A-Z agency list
  Federal branch
  State
  Local municipality
  Tribal government

• Search the Reference Center

  For example, look for:
  Abbreviations and acronyms
  Contacts and directories
  Data and statistics
  Forms and applications
  Maps
  Student and teacher resources

• Contact the government - ask a question

  Links, lists and directories are all provided:
  Phone
  Email
  In person (search by state and find an office near you)

FirstGov also provides specialized information for several specific groups with a link on the main page labeled "By Audience." Here are the audience categories, with a few of the categories under each:

• Kids: Careers, Geography, Health, Science and Math, History
  
  
• Parents: Becoming a parent, parenting links by age group of the child, adoption, child care
  
  
• Seniors: Consumer information, retirement, health, travel and leisure
  
  
• Military and Veterans: Active military personnel, veterans, prospective military and ROTC, military organizations
  
  
• Americans Abroad: Most of the links in this category have been moved to travel.state.gov, where you can browse or use key words in the search box to search the site.
  
  
• More Audiences: Included here are links for citizens (consumer complaints, housing, visas, law enforcement, tourism), businesses and non-profits (exporting, international trade, licensing, minority business, self-employed, veterans in business), governments and government employees (benefits, leave and pay, training and career development, workplace issues).

There are other important links that are worth noting. From FirstGov, information on all branches of the Government is accessible, including the homepage for the White House, from which you can link to the President's page (his appointments, speeches, and other issues), the pages for the Vice-President, the First Lady, and the Vice President's wife.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress (loc.gov) provides a number of useful web collections. One is the Online Catalog (catalog.loc.gov). You can search there to find material for interlibrary loan when your collection is exhausted or to verify the author and title of a book. Another is THOMAS - U.S. Congress on the Internet (thomas.loc.gov), where you can find information on legislation and voting records of Congress, presidential nominations, and treaties. This site will be discussed at more length in the unit on legal resources. Last but not least is Browse Government Resources (loc.gov/rr/news/extgovd.html). It provides general links such as those for consumers, finding military information, or financial management in government. There are also links to the Bureau of the Census, Congress, public papers of the presidents, the Centers for Disease Control, and much more.

Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (gpoaccess.gov/cgp) lists print and electronic material published by the government. Coverage begins with records created in January 1994, but many of these are older titles. Much of what you would find in the catalog is freely available online or at your nearest federal depository library.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

In many libraries, the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (cfda.gov) is one of the most requested publications from the federal government. It is a listing of all financial assistance, whether in loan or grant form, that the federal government gives to institutions, individuals, or companies in the United States. It is cumbersome and not easy to use in its print format. As of 2004, it is no longer available in print for free.

State and Local Governments

States also publish an enormous amount of information, and there are print and Internet sources in which to find it.

State & Local Print Sources

In California, two of the most useful print resources are:

• California Cities, towns & counties: basic data profiles for all municipalities & counties
  Published annually, this title provides one-page descriptions for all incorporated places in California. There are eight categories of information: Demographics, Housing and Construction, General Information, Voters and Government Officials, Public Safety, Public Libraries, Finance, and School Systems. Not all information is completely up to date, however, as the publisher relies on information sent to them by the cities and counties.
  
  
• County and City Extra: annual metro, city and county data book
  Published annually, this book is filled with local statistics of all types - business, education, health, and safety. This is a very useful source for information about all of California.

Your library probably also contains specific information and publications about your county and the cities that are part of it. Perhaps your reference collection has current budget information, demographics, or education and business information. The budget can be particularly useful, especially if it divides the entire local budget by department, indicates how many positions are allotted to them, and describes activities. Just looking at how much is spent in each part of the government can give you a sense of what local priorities are for that fiscal year.

Other books in your collection, along with newspapers and periodicals, will also be of use for questions about state and local governments, especially for California.

State & Local Internet Sources

All states have their own websites; California's can be found at ca.gov. Gateway links to all state homepages are found at the FirstGov website. You can also just type the name of a state into a search engine; this generally pulls up the state's official page within the first few results.

The State of California homepage provides links to anywhere you may want to go within the state government. Prominently displayed on the state homepage are the most popular links, including those to paying taxes, making an appointment with the Department of Motor Vehicles, latest educational test results (STAR), the State Lottery, and a side bar of links by topic, such as Education, Business, and Health.

One of the most useful parts of the state page is the listing of all of the state agencies in its "Quick Hits" links. This is usually not immediately visible on the top half of the state homepage. Scroll down and look on the left. By clicking on the State Agency Index here you will see a long list. For example, if a person would like information on obtaining a license to sell alcohol, you could click on the link for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), which would then lead you to a link on that agency's page to licensing.

Another library user may want to know if there is a contact for information about guide dogs. Again, a search of the state agencies list is a good place to start. In fact, there is an entry in the "G" list of agencies: "Guide Dogs for the Blind, Board of." At this Board's site will be contact information. If you are not sure what agency or department may handle a particular question, try using the search box on the site's homepage. It isn't always obvious which department has jurisdiction over an agency. There is an advanced search option if you wish to use it, that allows you to use phrase marks and operators like AND and OR.

Counties and cities also have their own websites. If you don't know the web address, the State of California's website provides links to county and city homepages, also linked from the "Quick Hits" list.

Just as with federal information, for most questions you are asked there will be a state agency or department or publication that will address the question. Besides the non-government sources, remember to think about checking government sources.

International Government

There are a number of ways to find reliable information about foreign countries and their governments. Books, newspapers, and periodicals are still of value in many cases. And now that so many countries have their own websites, you can generally get up-to-date information there. We'll cover some of the most commonly used tools.

Print Resources

Check your library's catalog, using the name of the country the library user is inquiring about. A keyword search on "Zimbabwe" will produce works about Zimbabwe and also general books on foreign countries, such as:

• Zimbawe, by Sean Sheehan, 1999
• World encyclopedia of political systems and parties, an annual Fact on File publication
• Frommer's South Africa, a travel guide that may include brief information on the government

There are other works that provide current summaries of the nations of the world. One title found in most libraries is:

The Statesman's Yearbook: the politics, culture and economies of the world. This annual, published for 140 years, provides comprehensive information on the current status of every country in the world.

Internet Resources

Current information can be found via many websites devoted to international government information. Some of the more useful are:

• World Bank (www.worldbank.org)
  A lot of information is available through World Bank, much of it statistical data. From the homepage, click on the Countries & Regions link on the left nav bar. Pick a country or a region. You'll see a "homepage" with links to current news. On the left is a link to statistics. Information may vary slightly for various countries or regions, but typical data includes population, key economic indicators, infant mortality rate, access to good water, and more. A link to country (or region) specific World Bank publications is also provided.
  
  
• World Fact Book (cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/)
  From analysts employed by the CIA, this can be a valuable source of information, especially regarding structure of governments, economy, military, and land. There's a lot of statistical information for most countries, as well.
  
  
• Constitution Finder (confinder.richmond.edu/)
  This site provides a compilation of constitutions and other legal information for many nations of the world.
  
  
• Foreign Consular Offices in the United States (state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco)
  Includes a complete listing of consular offices of other countries in the US. These can be useful sources for referral.
  
  
• EuroStat (europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/)
  Statistical information about the countries of the European Union, and about the Union itself.

Many academic institutions also include much international government information at their websites. Check the catalog of a college or university near you. Here are some useful sites:

• University of Texas - International Government Information (www.lib.utexas.edu/government/world.html)
  Lots of information here by country and also for international organizations. Check out the international statistics links, too.
  
  
• Northwestern University's Government Publications and Maps (www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/foreign.html)
  Great list of links to homepages of governments and ministries within them. Lists all countries, and provides a link to "unrepresented peoples," as well.
  
  
• University of Michigan - Foreign Government Resources on the Web (www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/foreign.html)
  Arranged by region, with separate links to statistics, constitutions, embassies, and news.
  
  
• Yahoo's Directory (dir.yahoo.com) is a subject directory that indexes material on the Internet. The topics are listed below the search box and the ads. One of them is "Regional" and includes links to countries of the world. Yahoo provides hundreds of sites for each country and organizes them by subject area. Here is a sampling of subjects:
  • Business and economy
  • Country guides
  • Government
  • News and media
  • Science
  • Travel
  Within these subject areas, information is further broken down into more specific subjects. For example, with the "Government" subject is:
  • Embassies and consulates
  • International organizations
  • Military
  • Politics

  Yahoo is very easy to use and impressive in the extent of its coverage.

The best way to find government information is usually on the web, either by searching, or by identifying the department or agency that might produce it, and "drilling down."

Statistics

Perhaps someone wants to know if the amount of time people spend camping is increasing or decreasing over the years, or what year the number of women attending college surpassed the number of men. You need numbers; you need statistics!

Federal and state agencies produce most of the statistics that we use. For years, libraries have used "statistical abstracts," published annually by federal and state governments, as handy source for data. As you will learn, the statistics included in these "abstracts" represent just a fraction of the total number of statistics produced by government agencies on an endless number of topics. The statistical abstract is meant to provide easy access to those statistics thought to be most in demand.

Statistical Abstract of the United States

The Statistical Abstract of the United States (census.gov/statab/www) contains an amazing variety of information that can answer these questions. If you need numerical facts and data, this website or book is the place to go. It is the most commonly used print source of statistics for the United States, published and updated every year by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. The Statistical Abstract has been published since 1878, and all editions have been put online. Use the table of contents and index to determine quickly whether or not the abstract contains the information you want.

The Statistical Abstract is organized into several basic subject areas. Each includes a valuable preface that gives background information and an explanation of the statistics in that section. This can be very useful if you are unfamiliar with the technical terminology used in the tables of that section or the organizational structure of the various agencies that produced them.

One of the best uses for the Statistical Abstract is as a guide to further information. If you do not find exactly the statistics that you are looking for but do find statistics that are similar in topic, you may use the abstract as a guide to where to look next. There are footnotes with each table that indicate the organization or agency that compiled the figures. Once you know that source, go to their website and look for statistics that specifically match your needs. Use the same strategy if you hope to find more current statistics than those you have found in the Statistical Abstract. Note the terminology used in that table, and look for the same at the website to help you locate the same statistics.

How to Find Things in the Statistical Abstract

Many entries in the index are very specific. "Energy consumption" or "Accidents and fatalities--fires" are examples. No index, however, can anticipate every possible approach to information. In addition to the time-honored "think-of-a-synonym" approach, there are a few other ways to look for something you haven't been able to find in the index:

• Browse the Table of Contents
  There are few enough major sections that you can scan their titles quickly and perhaps find one that looks promising. Consider the following example. A library user is interested in the price of sea scallops. However, there is no entry for "sea scallops" in the index, and you might miss "Fish: Catch, quantity and value." Scanning the table of contents, under "Natural Resources," "Fisheries" looks very promising. Turning to that section in the abstract you find many tables about fish, including "Domestic Fish and Shellfish Catch and Value, by Species," which includes "Scallops, Sea"-- just what you are looking for.
  
  
• Browse the Index
  There are several index headings that are subdivided in great detail. It may take a bit of time, but getting used to the arrangement of the index and some of the more heavily used subdivisions will be worthwhile. Note that the numbers in the index refer to the table numbers, not the page numbers.

Special Features

The Statistical Abstract also has many special sections, including guides to statistics in other publications.

• Guides to the sources of the statistics, to state statistical abstracts, and to foreign statistical abstracts. These guides provide addresses and often phone numbers or web addresses of these sources.
• Information on U.S. metropolitan areas, including county by county population breakdowns.
• Information on the data collection process used in compiling the abstract, as well as tables deleted and added since prior editions were published.

Make sure to check the date of the tables. Statistics appearing in the 2003 Statistical Abstract may have been gathered several years before. If the information you have in your library is not current enough for the library user, check for more recent data on the Internet or at your main library. Keep in mind that there is nearly always some kind of lag in statistical reporting. If a figure is reported annually, first the year has to end, and then the data is collected, analyzed, and put into format for publication. Only after that is it released. The web makes things much faster and makes available data more recent, but "current" information is not always as current as you or the library user would like.

California Statistical Abstract

States also publish their own annual collection of statistical information. Here in California, we have the California Statistical Abstract. It is similar in many ways to the Statistical Abstract of the United States. It has an index and a relatively detailed table of contents. The volumes since 1970 contain data for only the preceding year or two. However, the 1970 volume contains a series of historical tables that are extremely valuable. It's good to know where you can find a copy.

Most of the statistics in the California Statistical Abstract are presented by county. Except for population data for the larger cities, there is very little information presented by city.

The abstract covers many topic areas, including employment, health and welfare, education, manufacturing and construction, transportation and traffic accidents, finance, law enforcement, and economic comparisons to other states.

The information included in the print version of the California Statistical Abstract can be found online (tinyurl.com/6a9yf). The listings can be printed in their entirety or as individual tables. You have a choice of pdf or excel formats. This State of California site was created by the California Department of Finance, Economic Research Unit, and it has been updated yearly since 2000. A print copy of the entire publication can also be requested at this site.

Other publications, such as the California County Fact Book and the State and Metropolitan Area Data Book, also provide data about California.

Online Sources

Often, the process of locating statistics on the web can involve some time and research. There are websites designed to provide quick access to the bewildering number of government statistics on the web. With practice you can use these websites to locate statistics fairly quickly.

• FedStats (www.fedstats.gov)
  A "gateway to over 100 U.S. Federal agencies," by name of agency or by topic. Information available through FedStats includes:
  1. MapStats -- Statistical profiles of States, counties, cities, Congressional Districts, and Federal judicial districts
  2. Statistics by geography from U.S. agencies -- International comparisons, national, state, county, and local
  3. Statistical Reference Shelf -- Published collections of statistics available online including the Statistical Abstract of the United States
  4. Kids' pages on agency websites
     
     
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)
  This bureau, a part of the Department of Labor, creates and maintains files of many, many statistics on employment, prices, occupations, wages, business costs, and much more. Look for the little green dinosaur to indicate data from previous years. There are eight regional offices, too, which also produce numbers for their regions. The Western Region Office is in San Francisco and has its own web page at bls.gov/ro9/home.htm.
  
  
• California's Department of Finance, Demographic Research Unit (www.dof.ca.gov/html/Demograp/druhpar.htm)
  As the "single official source of demographic data for State planning and budgeting," this site provides population estimates and projections for the state, county, and municipal levels. There are also figures for legal immigration and links to a wealth of statistical information by subject area in its Data Source Handbook (in doc format). The last update for this source is July 2002, but it is still useful in determining what agency might publish what statistics. You'll need both the Adobe Acrobat reader and Excel to be able to load all of the tables. If you don't have Excel, there is a link on the DOF page to various free viewers for Microsoft Office products.
  
  
• U.S. Census (census.gov)
  Maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, this site provides census data as well as information about people, business, geography, news, and special topics, such as the Statistical Abstract. There is also another site from the Bureau of the Census called American Factfinder (factfinder.census.gov). Many people find this interface easier to use.

It is definitely worth the time to become familiar with these websites. The amount of material is phenomenal, but fortunately it is arranged clearly and intuitively.

Always point out the date of the source of statistics you provide to the library user. Don't leave them thinking that they have the current year's information when the source was published in 2001, and the statistics cover only through 1999.

If you would like to do further work on finding government information, including statistics, try one of these:

• Online Government (infopeople.org/training/past/2003/online_gov)
  This is an archive of a 2003 Infopeople workshop given by George Carlson, a longtime government documents librarian and instructor. It includes a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, bookmarks, handouts, and the exercises.
• Virtual Chase Government Resources on the Internet (Archived) (virtualchase.com/govdoc)
  This is the outline of an online course sponsored by a law firm and aimed at teaching legal professionals how to do research. It includes links to research guides, databases (indicating where there is a fee), tools, agencies, and other information sources. It is somewhat dated (last copyright 2000), but the information is still useful and most of the links work.

What to Do Next

• On the top left of this page, click the "Assignments" link.
• Take the quiz.
• Do the assignment.