Abstract
Government documents have long been perceived as valuable resources containing unique information content. But documents are also sources of deep, rich numeric and textual data that are available nowhere else. Identifying the specific sources that contain these data, tapping it, and manipulating it can be confusing, at best. But once discovered, the unique data within government publications can contribute to research and teaching in a wide variety of academic disciplines.
By working together, librarians and vendors can suggest ways to derive greater value from government information resources, explore new ways of thinking about text and data patterns, and assess some of the challenges and opportunities facing faculty, researchers, and library and information professionals as the expectations and possibilities regarding use of such digital content changes.
It Is Not Just a Document: Using Government Data in Teaching and Research
Government documents have long been perceived as valuable resources containing unique information content. But documents are also sources of deep, rich numeric and textual data that are available nowhere else. Identifying the specific sources that contain these data, tapping it, and manipulating it can be confusing, at best. But once discovered, the unique data within government publications can contribute to research and teaching in a wide variety of academic disciplines.
By working together, librarians and vendors can suggest ways to derive greater value from government information resources, explore new ways of thinking about text and data patterns, and assess some of the challenges and opportunities facing faculty, researchers, and library and information professionals as the expectations and possibilities regarding use of such digital content changes.