GDSIS -- Programs

Government Documents
Special Interest Section

Programs

The section sponsors at least one major program at each AALL Annual Meeting, usually more. Below are the programs sponsored since 2011, and links to programs from prior years.

2012 (July 21-24) Boston, MA

A6: The New FDLP: A Collaborative Future for Government Information
- Learning Outcomes:
  1) Participants will gain a better understanding of the future of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) in a digital world.
  2) Participants will learn what options are available as libraries collaborate to provide regional FDLP sites (services).
  
  This program will examine the future of the Federal Depository Library Program, now that the old print model of distribution is largely a thing of the past. How is the Government Printing Office adjusting to the new world of digital information?
  
  Speakers:
  Mary Alice Baish, Arlene Wieble, Janet Fischer
B3: Digital Content: The What, the How and the Where
- Learning Outcomes:
  1) Participants will be able to create a digitization policy for their libraries.
  2) Participants will learn how to identify sources of costs in projects and in archiving digital content, considering in-house or outsourcing options.
  
  This program will cover the basics of creating digital products, including best practices, specifications, metadata, workflow, quality control and assessment, and vendor relations. Additionally, participants will learn how to manage digital content, including making the content available for users, assessing user needs, ingest of content, access issues for digital content management, preservation options, and digital repositories. This program is co-sponsored by the Legal Information Preservation Alliance (LIPA).
  
  Speakers:
  David Walls, Stephen Chapman, Victoria Trotta

2011 (July 23-26) Philadelphia, PA

W3: Digitizing Government Information: How to Plan and Conduct a Digitization Program in Your Library
- Target Audience: Any library that wants to digitize government information in their collections, but doesn't know how to do it.
  
  Learning Outcomes
  1. Participants will be equipped to plan and manage a digitization project in their library.
  2. Participants will understand digitization methods and techniques.
  
  This program is also co-sponsored by Legal Information Preservation Alliance (LIPA). Government information is a significant element of law library collections. An increasing amount of it is 'born digital'. Many libraries have tangible collections they would like to digitize in order to market, and extend the use of those collections. Other libraries may wish to capture born digital government information that may not be preserved by government agencies. Many law libraries are beginning to think about planning digitization projects, but don't know exactly how to go about it. This workshop will give participants the knowledge that they need to plan and execute a digitization project. This workshop will NOT address intellectual property rights. It will be assumed that the digitizing institution has permission to digitize the collections.
- Speaker Information
  Coordinator/Moderator: Victoria K. Trotta, Arizona State University, Ross-Blakley Law Library; Speakers: Katherine Baer, Maryland State Law Library; Suzanne Butte, OCLC; Janet Fisher, Arizona State Library Archives & Public Records; John Joergensen, Rutgers University Law School Library; Judith Meadows, State Law Library of Montana; Mark Phillips, University of North Texas Libraries, Digital Projects Unit; Rita T. Reusch, University of Utah, S.J. Quinney Law Library; Sarah J. Rhodes, Georgetown University Law Library; David Walls, U.S. Government Printing Office, Library Program Services
  SIS-Sponsored Programs GD-SIS
  Level: Intermediate
  Program Track: Collection Development and Cataloging

B5: Peeping THOMAS: A Little Look at a Big System
3:00 PM - 4:00 P.M.

Target Audience: Law librarians interested in gaining a further understanding of THOMAS

Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to articulate a user-centered design business model.
2. Participants will be able to name several ways that THOMAS can be improved in the near future.

THOMAS.gov, the legislative information database from the Law Library of Congress, was created in 1995. It is regarded as the "go to" place for bills, laws, Congressional Record, etc. This program will focus on the recent changes to THOMAS, many of which stem from user-generated feedback such as permanent links and integrated social media. The program will also cover how these changes better the user experience and make reference transactions using THOMAS easier. A member of the Library of Congress Information Technology Services Division will explain the challenges and requirements of revamping THOMAS around a user-centered design. The Law Library of Congress would like feedback and input from the participants on the next generation of THOMAS.

Speakers:
Coordinator/Speaker: Christine Sellers, Law Library of Congress; Moderator: Robert N. Gee, Law Library of Congress; Speakers: Tammie Nelson, Law Library of Congress; Andrew Weber, Law Library of Congress
SIS-Sponsored Programs RIPS-SIS, GD-SIS
Level: Advanced
Program Track: Reference, Research and Client Services

GD-SIS Program: Contemporary State Constitutional Conventions: Proposals for Pennsylvania and Beyond
8:45 - 9:45 AM

Recently there have been calls in several states for constitutional conventions. A proposal in California was ultimately dropped because of funding, but proposals elsewhere -- including Pennsylvania -- remain under consideration. A state constitutional convention creates many issues, including delegate selection, funding, and possible limitations on the power of the convention. This program will examine the proposed constitutional convention in Pennsylvania, and compare it with proposals in other states.

GD-SIS Program: Mashup the Government's Copyright
10:45 - 11:45 AM

New technologies and the recent availability of bulk downloads of federal government information allow for the creation of new ways to visualize and understand the underlying information. This program looks at technology-based tools used to create new products or "mashups" from government data. Once participants gain an understanding of current and developing mashups, our speakers will explore the copyright questions involved with these products and tools.

Government Documents Special Interest Section
American Association of Law Libraries

Page last updated August 6, 2012