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Welcome to McNeese Government Documents 2.0

Greetings! My name is Rebecca and I am the Government Documents Librarian at McNeese State University. I will be using this blog to keep you informed of our new services, updates to our evolving website, and tips for researching Government information.

Many exciting changes are taking place here in the department, including the circulation of monograph government documents to all students, faculty, and staff! We are also busy cataloging the entire Louisiana State Documents collection. The department's Government Information website is in the process of being revamped with many new Web 2.0 features.

The concept of using Web 2.0 tools with the promotion of library resources has been an interest of mine for awhile, and many other librarians have too. The concept of Library 2.0 is the latest hot topic among librarians, in regards to how we can better serve Generation Y patrons. Being a Generation Y "member" myself, I can easily relate.
For a better understanding of Web 2.0, feel free to view this video created by Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Kansas State University:

You may have noticed at the end of Professor Wesch's video, that he mentions Web 2.0 will change our concept of governance. The term Government 2.0 has already been coined in William Eggers' book, Government 2.0: Using Technology to improve Education, Cut Red Tape, Reduce Gridlock, and Enhance Democracy. We have been entering a new era of E-Government ever since the dawn of the Information Age and the creation of the Internet. Heck, the Internet was created by the Government! (U.S. Department of Defense, to be exact. Not Al Gore.) The way we create, process, disseminate, and access government information in the 21st century has been radically altered. The Government Printing Office (GPO) electronically disseminates information and publications via the Internet more than the printed page these days, but the opportunity for more open access to our government has increased. Of course, issues of digital preservation and the transitory nature of government websites are challenges that librarians and information technologists are struggling to deal with. But I'll leave those thoughts for another blog posting in the future.

As I mentioned earlier, Library 2.0 has taken the library world by storm, and I recently became a member of the Library 2.0 group at Ning, a social networking site. Daniel Cornwall, an innovative Government Documents librarian and promoter/contributor of FGI (Free Government Information), formed a gov doc group specific to promoting government information using library 2.0/web 2.0 tools. This group has influenced and supported my endeavors and innovations in promoting government documents to patrons and the community. I am very grateful that Mr. Cornwall praised my recent endeavors in his blog. As he stated, I've been tagging government information websites using the social bookmarking tool, del.icio.us. To learn more about social bookmarking and tags, read this concise explanation. You can explore our department's recommended website links at http://del.icio.us/MSUGovDoc or by viewing and searching our del.icio.us tag cloud at the McNeese Government Information homepage.

Another Web 2.0 feature that can be used by libraries, are wikis. Cringing? Don't worry...librarians are not necessarily using a Wikipedia type wiki where everyone and their Uncle contributes (or vandalizes entries). Librarians are simply taking advantage of the wiki software to create more dynamic, easy to edit, and more Gen-Y friendly research pathfinders. Only the librarian(s) can create and edit wiki entries, but patrons, faculty, and students can certainly email the librarian with suggestions for content. The library wiki can be used as an information portal for subject or research guides with "entries" that list books, links to credible websites, databases, etc. An example of a library subject guide wiki can be found at Ohio University's Biz Wiki created by Chad Boeninger, a reference librarian who created this Business research guide as an experiment to deliver library information in an alternative and more efficient way.

I am currently using PBWiki software to create my own Government Information research guides for the department's website. For example, I wish to include wiki guide entries on how to track legislation, how to use the Federal Register, or government resources on Hurricane Katrina, etc. I am still learning how to use the software, so when the wiki has at least a few entries and "goes live," I will let you know.

Well, I think this first entry has given you enough to chew on until I post again! I welcome your comments, thoughts, and questions.