LIS 502 - Information policy tracking 

306 Main Library

217-333-3804

For LEEP: 800-252-1360 ext.33804

Hours

244 LIS

Monday
Tuesday
Thursday

11:30-12:30

Or by appointment 

This assignment asks you to provide resources for tracking a public policy issue. In order to do so, you must briefly summarize the issue and articulate recent developments. Following your summary of the topic you must recommend a strategy for staying current on the issue, using (but not limited to) electronic resources.  Your strategy should include an explanation of why you chose some resources and not others.  At the end of the paper, you should provide a bibliography of the resources you used to compile your summary and development sections.

For more details on the assignment, such as length and format, consult the syllabus. 

Your topic choices are:

• The concept of "fair use" in library practice.
• Privacy laws related to library patron records.
• The debate over global Internet governance. 

  See the tabs at the top of this page for websites relevant to these topics.

  See the boxes below for hints on finding information, strategies for staying current, and guidance on citing sources. 

  In preparing your briefing and strategy for continued monitoring, consider:

• Who is the reader?  What time and attention constraints does he/she have? 
• How does the reader's situation and organizational context affect his/her access to information resources?

To find current and background information:

·        Search the web using a search engine or directory.

HINT:  Look for organizations, advocacy groups, university research centers, and government agencies that address the issue.  These often have additional links on their sites.  See the tabs above for some recommended websites.

·      Search LegalTrac for citations to articles in law journals and legal newspapers.

HINT:  Search on keywords in a law's name (such as "Digital Millennium Copyright") rather than law numbers.

HINT:  Use Hein Online or the library's Online Research Resources database to locate the full text of articles discovered through LegalTrac.

·        Search LexisNexis Academic for full-text news stories,  scholarly legal writings, and other information.

HINT:  to identify journal articles about legal topics, use LegalTrac rather than LexisNexis for the broadest coverage.  LegalTrac indexes more sources than LexisNexis indexes.  LexisNexis, however, provides the full text of articles.

•  Search Ebsco databases for full-text newspaper and magazine articles.

HINT:  At the first Ebsco menu, choose 'General Full Text Journals and Newspapers.'  At the next menu, check 'Academic Search Premier' and/or other databases.   Ebsco databases with articles relevant to this assignment include:  Academic Search Premier (multidisciplinary); Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts; Newspaper Source; Business Search Premier; ERIC (covering education); Professional Development Collection (also covering education).

•  Search government sites and federal documents via the UIUC Government Documents Library.

HINT:  Under "U.S. Agencies & Gov't Search Tools," you'll find annotated links to sites that provide information by and about the federal government.

HINT:  For help using US and UN documents, consult a librarian in the Government Documents Library, 200 Main Library, 217-244-6445, gdoclib@library.uiuc.edu.

• Locate full text articles in the law literature in Hein Online.

HINT:  Although Hein Online has a search feature, you'll find it easier to search by topic in LegalTrac.

• Search NewsBank / Access World News for U.S. and non-U.S. reporting on global issues.

HINT:  To increase the number of relevant articles retrieved, on the pull-down menu, choose a different option than "in All Text."

To find the full text of a federal law or bill:

• Use Thomas, a service of the Library of Congress.

HINT:  Find the full text of federal laws and associated documents by clicking on 'Public Laws' under 'Find More Legislation.'

HINT:  Find the full text of bills and resolutions in Congress by clicking on 'Bills, Resolutions.'  Then 'Search Bill Text' or 'Search Multiple Congresses.'

HINT:  Find a summary of a current bill and its status by using the 'Legislation in Current Congress' search.

•  Search LexisNexis .

HINT:  To find the full text of federal laws, choose 'Congressional,' then click on the link labeled 'Legislative Histories, Bills and Laws.'   If you know the law's number, click on the tab labeled 'Get a Document,' select 'Public Laws' and enter the number.  If you don't know the law's number, click on the tab labeled tab labeled 'Keyword Search,' choose the radio button for 'Public Laws,' and do a keyword search.

HINT:  Use the 'Legislative Histories, Bills and Laws' link to track House and Senate Bills.  Using the 'Bill Tracking' radio button gives fewer results than using the 'Bills (Full Text)' button.  Using the 'Legislative Histories' radio button gives the highlights of the bill's progress through Congress and links to reports and hearings about the bill.
 

• Use GPO Access, a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office.

  To stay abreast of new developments in policy areas:

• Use Google Web Alerts or a similar service to receive email updates when new information on topics you specify appears on the web.

 HINT:  To avoid information overload, think carefully about the keywords you use.

HINT:  Test your alert to be sure it retrieves the type of information you're seeking.

• Use Watch That Page or a similar service to receive email updates when new information is posted to web pages chosen by you.

HINT:   To avoid information overload, choose web pages carefully for this service. 

HINT:  Test the page watch to be sure it retrieves the type of information you're seeking.

• Monitor relevant blogs.

HINT:  Find links to relevant blogs at dmoz: Open Directory Project, Google's directory of LIS blogs, Technorati, and similar sites.

 HINT:  Use a free blog reader, such as Bloglines or Blogger or Google Reader, or to bring together RSS feeds from your favorite blogs in one spot.

HINT:  Use LibWorm to search across selected library-related RSS feeds from blogs, podcasts, and other web sites.

• Sign up for the email lists and newsletters of advocacy organizations or professional groups with an interest in the topic.

HINT:  On controversial issues, monitor organizations with different perspectives.  For example, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Recording Industry Association of America, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have varying views on copyright and fair use.

• Create an alert in LISA (Library & Information Science Abstracts)

HINT:  To use this feature in the LISA database, you must first create a personal account by clicking on "Please log in to My Research."  

HINT:  Conduct a search in LISA as usual.  Then click on 'Alert Me' in the upper center of the screen and log in.  Choose email or RSS for delivery. Each time the database is updated, information about new records in the database will be sent to you. 

• Create an alert in Library Literature & Information Science Full-Text .

HINT:  To use this feature in the LIbrary Lit database, you must first create a personal account by clicking on "My WilsonWeb."

HINT:  Conduct a search in Library Lit as usual.  Then click on 'Create Alert' and complete the form.  On a regular basis, information about new records in the database will be emailed to you.

HINT:  You can also save alerts as RSS feeds.

• Create an alert in EBSCO to be notified of new material in academic journals, newsstand magazines, and/or newspapers.

HINT:  Conduct a search in EBSCO as usual.  Remember that you can search multiple Ebsco database simultaneously (for example, Academic Search Premier + Newspaper Source + Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts).  Click on the 'Create alert for this search.' 

HINT:  For delivery via RSS, copy and paste the provided feed link into your RSS reader. 

HINT:  For delivery via email or to change other parameters, such as frequency of alerts, create an account and log in. 

To cite sources:

The sources required for this assignment often extend beyond the usual journal articles and books.  They may include electronic documents, newspaper stories, websites, laws, and court decisions. For advice on citation styles, see: