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Government Information and
Community Nutrition
The United States Government is
the largest publisher in the world and the largest producer of statistics. For
over one hundred years the federal government has made the information it
publishes available to the public through a system of depository
libraries, clearinghouses, information centers, and archival programs. Though
many have used such facilities, these resources have remained underutilized.
The technological advancements of
recent years have made these rich resources more accessible. Today about half of
all federal government publications can be found in electronic format. The
following is a list of publications in Stapleton Library or on the Web useful to
students and practitioners of Community Nutrition.
Table of Contents
Depository Libraries Background
and Organizational Information on the Federal Government
Knowledge of the organization of the government itself may be the key to
finding relevant information. Material on the organization and personnel of the
government, the mission of specific agencies and how to contact them can be
found through the following books and web sites.
- Government Manual—information
on structure and activities of the federal government. Ask at the reference
desk in Stapleton Library for paper edition.
- Washington Information Directory—contains information on the
structure and activities of the federal government as well as
government-related organizations. Ask at the reference desk in Stapleton
Library.
- Agency web sites--most
government bodies have their own web sites that are valuable sources of
information on their mission, personnel, and services. See following
examples:
US Department of Agriculture
US Department of Health and Human Services
Background and
Organizational Information on Pennsylvania Government
Indexes to Federal Government
Information
The publications of any of the 8,000 federal governmental bodies that
produce publications may be found through the following indexes:
- Marcive
WebDOCS' Monthly Catalog -- bibliographic information
for publications issued by the federal government between 1975 and the
present, consult Marcive WebDOCS, a commercial version of the Monthly
Catalog, the most comprehensive index to the publications of the federal
government. In addition to author, title, subject, and agency access to such
material, it provides links to the electronic equivalent of these sources.
- FirstGov--the first-ever government
web site to provide the public with easy, one-stop access to all online U.S.
Federal Government resources.
-
Google UncleSam--google's guide to government information.
Federal Legislative Activity
The following publications and web sites offer information on U.S.
legislators and the legislative process:
-
Congressional
Directory. Directory of members of Congress. Ask at reference desk for
most recent copy in Stapleton Library.
- House of Representatives Web Page
- Senate Web Page
-
Congressional
Record—proceedings of debates and daily digest of the United State
House and Senate.
- Thomas-- status of federal
legislation
- CIS Index The hearings, documents, and reports of the United States
Senate and House of Representatives provide valuable, authoritative
information on nearly every topic, but can be difficult to locate. The CIS
Index analyzes and reprints in its microfiche collection, the
publications created through the activities of Congress and makes finding
them much easier. To access the bibliographic records, descriptive
annotations, and the actual publication on microfiche:
- Consult the index under subject, title, or name, and record the entry
number.
- Look in the abstract volume under the entry number and read the
abstract.
- If you want to read the publication microfiche, request it in the
Serials Department by the collection name (CIS) entry number, and year
of the index.
- Legislative
Histories Tutorial University of Michigan
- How Our Laws Are
Made--outlines the legislative process
State Legislative Activity
U.S. Laws and Legislation
The statutes enacted into law define much of our personal and professional
activities. To find the laws currently in effect or as they were passed, use the
following books and sites:
Laws and Legislation of
Pennsylvania Government
- Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes Annotated—lists current Pennsylvania
State laws by subject. [REF] KFP30 1930 .A44
- Laws of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-- lists
Pennsylvania laws as they are enacted. [REF] KFP25 .A23
- Pennsylvania History of House and
Senate Bills--information on Pennsylvania legislation.
- Lexis Nexis Academic-provide
access to U.S. legislation currently in effect. Choose Legal Research
and State Codes and Pennsylvania.
Regulations
issued by the Agencies of the Federal Government
Regulations are sometimes known as quasi-legislation or bureaucratic law.
Authorized by presidential executive orders to be written by executive agencies,
they are legally binding. It is their nature to appear, disappear, and reappear
with dizzying frequency. To find them consult the following books and cites:
Regulations issued by the
State of Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Code—lists current
Pennsylvania regulations by subject. [REF] KFP35 1970 .A23348.748023 P3845e
- Pennsylvania Bulletin--lists new
and proposed Pennsylvania regulations. Pennsylvania Documents Area
Statistical Information
To find the statistics produced by the largest publisher in the world,
consult the following books and sites:
Pennsylvania Statistical Information
Sources of Grant Information
Governmental
and Non-Governmental Web Sites for Nutrition Information
Community Health
Assessment and Planning Guides
Hunger
In the United States
Websites for Program Evaluation Information
Reviewed search sites
Citation Styles
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