Miriam A. Drake - Public Knowledge: Access and Benefits

Edited by

Miriam A. Drake

and

Donald T. Hawkins

Foreword by

Judith Coffey Russell

First Printing, 2016

Public Knowledge: Access and Benefits

Copyright 2016 by Information Today, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Information Today, Inc., 143 Old Marlton Pike, Medford, New Jersey 08055.

are works of the U.S. government and are not subject to copyright protection in the U.S. (U.S. Code Title 17, Section 105). Foreign copyrights may apply.

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Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Information Today, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hawkins, Donald T., editor. | Drake, Miriam A., editor.

Public knowledge : access and benefits / edited by Donald T. Hawkins and Miriam A. Drake.

Medford, New Jersey : Information Today, Inc., [2016] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

LCCN 2015025910 | ISBN 9781573875158

Electronic government informationUnited States. | Government information agenciesUnited States. | Government Web sitesUnited States. | Government informationUnited States. | Government publicationsUnited States. | Information policyUnited States.

LCC ZA5075 .P83 2016 | DDC 025.04dc23

Printed and bound in the United States of America

President and CEO: Thomas H. Hogan, Sr.

Editor-in-Chief and Publisher: John B. Bryans

Project Editor: Brandi Scardilli

Production Manager: Tiffany Chamenko

Indexer: Kathleen Rocheleau

Interior Design by Amnet Systems

Cover Design by Dana Stevenson

infotoday.com

To the memory of Miriam A. Drake

And to Pat,
Michael and Lisa,
and Sean, Rebecca, Ethan, and Emma,
for their constant love and unfailing support

Advance Praise for Public Knowledge

Donald Hawkins and Miriam A. Drake, along with various knowledgeable contributors, present a comprehensive view of government information and access to this information through key agencies and libraries. Public Knowledge is a useful resource for librarians, information professionals, and the general publicwe all need government information.

Eileen G. Abels
dean and professor, School of Library
and Information Science, Simmons College

In todays wired world amid the explosion of technology and the internet, [Public Knowledge] is a must read for anyone interested in or who wants to access government information. Coverage includes multiple aspects and characteristics of government publishing sources, what they are, how to find them, and, perhaps most importantly, what the future portends for open government.

Corilee Christou
president, C2 Consulting

Public Knowledge reaffirms the value of public information in serving a democracy well and the vital role that libraries of all types play in disseminating that information. The authors provide clear explanations of the history of public information from the founding of the United States, and discussions of the modern day challenges of management, access, and preservation in the digital environment. A great introduction for librarians seeking to learn how and where to find public information online to serve their communities better.

Cherilyn P. Fiory
director, Upper Dublin (Pa.) Public Library

Public Knowledge highlights some excellent examples of how government information becomes public for the benefit of specific communities of use and describes the role institutions and librarians play in making better use of public information. This book is a call for private citizens, educational institutions, and government employees to diligently advocate for the timely and efficient release of government information into the public domain. The examples provided offer us hope that the investment we make in our federal government will continue to return dividends to society for decades to come.

Richard Huffine
independent consultant
and former president, Federal and Armed Forces
Libraries Round Table, American Library Association

As a government documents librarian I have a special appreciation for the coverage in this book of agencies that make research and policy information available to the public. Public Knowledge describes the breadth and scope of information provided by the federal government, from the many documents and increasing volume of data produced by agencies to the incredible wealth of research in science, space, health, energy, and agriculture that are freely available to a global audience. A wonderful book and an excellent tribute to Mimi Drakes lifelong interests and work.

Judy Luther
president, Informed Strategies, LLC

Contents

Judith Coffey Russell

Donald T. Hawkins

Forest Woody Horton Jr.

James A. Jacobs, University of CaliforniaSan Diego Library, and James R. Jacobs, Stanford University Libraries

Susanne Caro, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana

Miriam A. Drake and Donald T. Hawkins

Miriam A. Drake

Katherine B. Majewski, MEDLARS Management Section, and Wanda Whitney, Reference and Web Services Section, National Library of Medicine

Brian A. Hitson and Peter M. Lincoln, Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Brian A. Hitson and Peter M. Lincoln, Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Lynn Heimerl, NASA STI Program

Gail Hodge, IIa (Information International Associates)

Mark Anderson, Michener Library, University of Northern Colorado

Marianne Stowell Bracke, Purdue University Libraries

Miriam A. Drake

Barbie E. Keiser, Barbie E. Keiser, Inc.

I am fortunate to have friends who have supported my efforts and who have supplied names of potential authors. I owe them a big thank you. Blane Dessy, executive director of FEDLINK (Federal Library and Information Network), sent a notice to his network about the book, which generated several responses. Bonnie Carroll, chairman and CEO of IIa (Information International Associates), followed up by sending a note to her network and contacts. Donald Hagen, associate director at the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), offered good advice and support. Mary Alice Baish, superintendent of documents at the U.S. Government Publishing Office, made author suggestions and gave advice and support.