Investigating Government Information

Where to Begin?

Cheryl Knott Malone (GSLIS)

The U.S. government's information gathering, generating, and distributing activities have created rich resources that can support inquiry-based learning. The federal government has made a strong commitment to providing information on the Web, in order to enhance accessibility and foster an informed citizenry. Government-sponsored Websites offer texts, images, numeric data, and maps on every conceivable topic. Many include special areas featuring resources and activities for children. Although it's possible to find government information sources by using your favorite Web search engine and choosing your keywords carefully, there is another way. It involves making educated guesses about which government agencies and offices might be interested in your topic and then going directly to the source (the agency Website) to discover what's available.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will create inquiry units that explore the many potential uses of government information in K-12, undergraduate and graduate-level classrooms; in library instruction programs; and in your own research projects. The following list of Web-based information resources suggests some promising sites from which to launch your investigations.

Investigating Government Information

Where to Begin?

Suggested Sites

compiled by

Cheryl Knott Malone

Art

American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution

http://www.nmaa.si.edu/

National Gallery of Art

http://www.nga.gov/

National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution

http://www.nmafa.si.edu/

Health and Safety

Centers for Disease Control

http://www.cdc.gov/

Consumer Product Safety Commission

http://www.cpsc.gov/

Food and Drug Administration

http://www.fda.gov/

National Institutes of Health

http://www.nih.gov/

The Economy

Economic Census

http://www.census.gov/epcd/www/econ97.html

Federal Reserve Board

http://www.federalreserve.gov/

History

American Memory, Library of Congress

http://memory.loc.gov/

National Archives and Records Administration

http://www.nara.gov/

National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

http://americanhistory.si.edu/

Links to the Past, National Parks Service

http://www.cr.nps.gov/

Politics

Supreme Court of the United States

http://www.supremecourtus.gov/

Thomas, Legislative Information on the Internet

http://thomas.loc.gov/

The United States House of Representatives

http://www.house.gov/

The United States Senate

http://www.senate.gov/

The White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Population and Housing

Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/

Housing and Urban Development

http://www.hud.gov/

Sciences

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

http://www.nasa.gov/

National Museum of Natural History

http://www.mnh.si.edu/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

http://www.noaa.gov/

U.S. Geological Survey

http://www.usgs.gov

Teachers' and Students' Helps

Department of Education

http://www.ed.gov/

Students.gov: Student Gateway to the U.S. Government

http://www.students.gov/indexa.html

U.S. Government Website Directories and Search Engines

Federal Agency Internet Sites

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/agency/index.html

FedStats: The Gateway to Statistics from Over 100 U.S. Federal Agencies

http://www.fedstats.gov/

FirstGov: Your First Click to the U.S. Government

http://firstgov.gov/

GovBot

http://ciir2.cs.umass.edu/Govbot/

Official Federal Government Information at Your Fingertips, Government Printing Office

http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/index.html