Electronic Prospecting: Techniques and Tools for Mining Government Information

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Electronic Prospecting Techniques and Tools for
Mining Government Information

• University Forum Lecture
• Wednesday, December 6, 2006
• Lied Library, Amargosa Room
• Sidney Lowe Susie Skarl, Co-presenters

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Introduction Navigating the Maze of Online
Government Information

• Government information is not always easy to find
  
• Over the last decade, government information
  available on the Internet has EXPLODED!
• Federal, state, local agencies provide a wealth
  of information right at your fingertips

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What Well Be Covering This Evening

• A brief introduction to the GPO the Federal
  Depository Library Program
• Searching tools to help you find government
  information
• Some informative and useful websites on finding
  statistics, environmental resources, consumer
  health, business, and more
• What would YOU like to find?

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Government Printing Office http//www.gpo.gov/

• Established by Congress in 1860
• GPO is the Federal Governments primary
  centralized resource for gathering, cataloging,
  producing, providing and preserving published
  information in all its forms
• Current Public Printer Bruce James is from Nevada

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Depository Libraries 101
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Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)

• The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was
  established by Congress to ensure that the
  American public has access to government
  information
• Regional and selective depository libraries
• UNLV Libraries A selective depository since 1959

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Government Information Searching Tools

• UNLV Libraries Gateway to Government Information
  
• http//www.library.unlv.edu/govpub/index.html
• State of Nevada
• MyNevada.gov
• Google U.S. Government Search http//www.google.c
  om/ig/usgov
• Google Advanced Search .gov sites

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Finding Statistics
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Finding Statistics

• Fedstats http//www.fedstats.gov/
• U.S. Census Bureau http//www.census.gov/
• American Factfinder http//factfinder.census.gov/
  

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FedStats http//fedstats.gov

• One-stop shopping statistical gateway, linking
  to data from more than 100 Federal agencies
• No need to know which agency produces the
  statistics
• Information can be found using various search
  techniques

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Example Whats the most recent U.S. divorce rate?

• From Fedstats.gov, click on D
• Then click on Divorce
• Whats our answer?

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Click on D
Then click on Divorce
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U.S. Census Bureau http//www.census.gov/

• The Nations leading statistical source.
• Includes detailed statistical info on
• People
• Business
• Geography

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Facts About American FactFinder
http//factfinder.census.gov/

• An interactive, searchable database on the
  Internet that allows users to view, print, or
  download Census 2000 statistics about population,
  housing, industry, and business
• Has the most current complete information down
  to the Census block level

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Start Here Click on Street Address
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Enter your address and click Go
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Select a geography type and click Go
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Environmental Government Resources
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Environmental Government Resources

• National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
  (NOAA) http//www.noaa.gov
• Environmental Protection Agency
  http//www.epa.gov

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NOAA - National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration http//www.noaa.gov

• NOAA is a federal agency focused on the condition
  of the oceans and the atmosphere. It is a source
  of scientific information in four areas of
  national and global importance
• Ecosystems
• Climate
• Weather Water
• Commerce Transportation

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
http//www.epa.gov/

• The mission of the EPA is to protect human health
  and the environment.
• Since 1970, it has been working for a cleaner,
  healthier environment for the American people
• The EPA leads the nation's environmental science,
  research, education and assessment efforts

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Federal Consumer Health Information
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Federal Consumer Health Websites

• MEDLINEPlus http//medlineplus.gov
• Healthfinder http//www.healthfinder.gov

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MEDLINEPlus

• A web site created and maintained by the National
  Library of Medicine to assist consumers in
  locating authoritative health information.
• MEDLINEPlus contains extensive links to health
  topics, drug information, medical encyclopedias
  dictionaries, and interactive health tutorials.

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Lets Find Something About Diabetes

• From the MedlinePlus homepage, click on Health
  Topics
• Then click on D

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Click on Health Topics
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Click on D, then Click on Diabetes
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Healthfinder.gov

• Healthfinder.gov is a free guide to reliable
  health information, developed by the U.S.
  Department of Health and Human Services
• The site provides an easy-to-use, searchable
  index of carefully reviewed health information
  from over 1,700 government agencies, nonprofit
  organizations, and universities

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Click on Health Library
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Click on Drug Database
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Click on I
Click on Ibuprofen
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Government Resources for Business
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Government Resources for Business

• Small Business Administration
  http//www.sba.gov
• Mymoney.gov http//www.mymoney.gov

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Government Resources for Seniors
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Government Resources for Seniors

• The Federal Government has an abundance of
  resources focusing on various populations and age
  groups

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Government Resources for Seniors

• Lets check out a couple of resources focusing on
  the senior population!
• Firstgov.gov Senior Citizens Resources
  http//www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml
• Administration on AgingElders and Families
  http//www.aoa.gov/eldfam/eldfam.asp

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Firstgov.gov Senior Citizens Resources

• Contains information and resources on retirement,
  travel, and volunteerism for seniors
• Also includes links about money taxes, housing,
  health, and much more!

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Administration on AgingElders and Families

• Designed to assist older persons and their
  caregivers quickly obtain information and
  resources on a variety of aging-related topics
• Includes resources on Alzheimers Disease,
  nutrition, healthy lifestyles, information for
  caregivers, and more

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Questions, Ideas, Suggestions
What would you like to find?
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Thank You Good Night!