GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government

John A. Shuler

alfred@uic.edu

Documents Librarian

University of Illinois at Chicago

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

Course Ground Rules (and expectations)o Participation is crucialo Attendance is necessaryo Flexibility and Nuance are essentialo Completion of assignments is requiredo Resistance is futileo Asking (and challenging) questions a musto Understanding the web and understanding a library

are one and the same thing

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

Some of the underlying principles we will learn in class

Government Information Lifecycle (GIL) Four basic processes that dominate GIL Evolution of bibliographic structures Revolution of electronic access and distribution The ability to work in new forms of organizations Seekers of Information, not keepers of Information

In today’s world, government information is no longer the province of a particular library perspective. The Web, E-Government Services, Homeland Security, and economic necessity – all demand a certain level of Government Information expertise from all librarians

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

Structures of Governmento Understanding the geographic perspective (local,

state, regional, national, regional international, non-government organizations (NGOs)

o Understanding the formal foundations of a government (i.e. constitutions)

o Understanding how government information is simply a byproduct of process and policy formation

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

Geographic Perspectives The act of governance is really a complicated web of local,

regional and national authorities. In some cases there are clear legal relationships that bind these authorities together; in others, they are independent on one another and cooperate in ways that serve their own self-interests.

Do not underestimate the power of geography (i.e. the span of control) and how it influences the development of information byproducts

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

The Constitutional Foundations Of Governmento How “enabling” constitutional documents

create a government structureo The unique features of American governmento Other government structures around the worldo The connection between structure and

information

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

Policy formations of Government Informationo You can’t have government information without

understanding the policy and process that creates the information

o In some cases, understanding the process is more important than understanding the bibliographic qualities of the information

o Linking the concepts of “information lifecycle”

GSLIS 744 Summer 2003The Nerves of Government July 7, 2003

Government Information Practice in Librarieso Historic relationships, or why librarianship is

the oldest profession in the worldo The Depository Library traditiono Beyond the Depository Libraryo Government Information Everywhere