9. Your Patrons are using
government information
If they can do it, so can you!
10. Frequency of use by position
800
Staff
700
600
Faculty
500
400
Graduate Students
300
200
Undergraduate
Students
100
0
Daily
Weekly
…
Quarterly
Rarely
Never
11. Pew Internet & American Life: Government Online
In the 12 months before this 2010 survey:
82% looked for information or completed a transaction on a government website.
46% looked for information about a public policy or issue.
35% researched official government documents or statistics.
25% got advice or information about a health or safety issue.
Note: these statistics reflect internet users, rather than all Americans.
Smith, Aaron. “Government Online: The Internet Gives Citizens New Paths to Government Services and
Information.” Pew Internet & American Life Project. Accessed September 26, 2013.
http://www.Pewinternet.org/reports/2010/government-online
18. We’re here to help.
Government documents specialists
love to help. Seriously. Don’t be
afraid to ask.
19. It gets easier.
The more you answer, the easier it
gets. Here’s a starter list of resources.
20. There is no separate statistics section in
this presentation. Why?
(a) some of you wouldn’t find it useful
(b) many of these sources have statistics
(c) I could talk for WEEKS about statistics
(d) government information is SO MUCH
MORE than just statistics
Librarians sometimes feel like we have to prepare for battle whenever we get a question about government documents. It’s a little like slaying the dragon, right?Photo by me!
Or maybe you aren’t comfortable admitting they’re scary, but they’re boring right?Jess Ruby (.Ruby Tuesday.) “Untitled” www.flickr.com/photos/ihearaviolin/8353750949/ (CC BY-NC 2.0)
“Wrong Answer” Karl Baron (Kalleboo) http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalleboo/2240834096/ (CC BY 2.0) Librarians have been taught that govdocs are scary and different and not to be trifled with.
Government documents are not just for experts. And I’m certainly not going to turn you all into experts in [length of time]. But that’s totally ok!“How to be an expert” by Alan Cleaver http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/2453107414/ (CC BY 2.0)
The goal is to take you from being grumpy whenever you have to use government information:http://cdn.grumpycats.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/08.19.2013-1.jpg
To being SUPER EXCITEDhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/cgandolfo/355390899/sizes/l/in/photostream/
And anyway, don’t you want to be ready to answer when they show up with these questions? Or at least have a mental plan in place to work with them?
So, while there are some people who say they never use government information (which I think is a lie! Who doesn’t file their taxes?) Look at everyone who does!EVERYBODY ACTS THE SAMEBecause this means probably we aren’t going to change behavior.Also – probably this is as frequently as those people need this kind of information.
