GODORT Update
Saturday, July 11, 2009
10:30 – 12:00 p.m. – PALM Crystal Room
Need Data – but don’t know where to go?
Librarians are always helping patrons with questions that require statistics and data on the population, agriculture, international issue, health and the list goes on. There are so many sources for data it can be overwhelming. We’ve gathered three organizations together to highlight how they gather data and statistical information in such a way that public can use it (and librarians can find it for them) and why it is important for patrons’ research.
Amy West, a librarian from University of Minnesota, will set the stage for why data and government information are integral components. Kathleen Murphy, a librarian from Northwestern University Library, will discuss the sudden trendiness of government data in tech circles and the implications for the kinds of documentation we might see going forward. Paul LaPorte, an economist with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, will discuss the surveys behind the numbers for employment, unemployment and inflation. He will also mention Google’s site and the BLS data that is available on it.
Hope to see you there!