Program
ALA Unit/Subunit: ALCTS
Meeting Type: Program
Cost: Included with full conference registration.
Open/Closed: Open
Government agencies world-wide produce statistical data, research studies, technical reports and other public information. The distribution and accessibility of government content (both internal agency records and publications for public consumption) is especially important in a democratic society. Libraries rely on these entities to release research reports and data, in order to support the workings of tax-payer funded activities of their government. The Government of Canada has changed information policies and used the rise of digital collections as a rationale for cost savings and closing government libraries. During this session, panel experts will address the following questions: How did policy changes and the closing of Canadian government libraries, archives, and research collections impact the flow of government information? What lessons can we learn from Canadian librarians? What is the current U.S. government information landscape? How can Canadian and U.S. librarians collaborate and support each other?
Panelists include James R. Jacobs (Stanford University Library), Susan Paterson (University of British Columbia), and Amanda Wakaruk (University of Alberta). Jim Church (University of California, Berkeley) will act as moderator. They will suggest scalable strategies for libraries of any size or type to participate in the process of ensuring government collections are accessible and discoverable for future generations.
Co-sponsored by GODORT
James Church
Librarian for Economics and International Government Information
University of California, Berkeley
Susan Paterson
Librarian, Humanities and Social Sciences Division
University of British Columbia
Amanda Wakaruk
Copyright Librarian
University of Alberta
James R. Jacobs
US Government Information Librarian
Stanford University
Denise Pan
Associate Dean, Collections & Content
University of Washington