Tuesdays @ APA: Data Mining on Federal Websites
John A. Shuler, University at Illinois, ChicagoRana Salzmann, American Planning Association
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 • 5:00 p.m
Discovery, Organization, Knowledge: a guide to planning information
Three paths to discover (and use) planning information from the federal government
Discovery
Understanding the six interdependent spheres of government information resources Proposals Legislation Rules/Regulations Implementation Resources and Revenue Data and Information
Discovery II
The discovery tools www.usa.gov www.google.com/unclesam/ www.data.gov www.opencrs.com thomas.loc.gov www.gpoaccess.gov www.fedstats.gov
Organization
Understand the relationship between the government’s organization structure and the kinds of information sources produced Which public agencies deal with issues of most
interest to planners? How do public agencies share information? How do public agencies share information with the
public?
Organization II
The organization tools The U.S. Government Manual Budget of the United States Government Brose Topics: Your Pathway to Government
Information
Knowledge
Use the collaborative and integrative tools of professional associations, universities, and other groups. Government action demands community reaction
and response Navigating the myriad sources of non-government
information Building a relationship with a library
Knowledge II
Examples of how Knowledge Tools expand our grasp of government policy and programs
www.planetizen.com http://capitolcircle.com/ http://forums.e-democracy.org/
John A. Shuler, Associate Professor
• Bibliographer for Urban Planning and Government Information/Documents Librarian 312.996.2730
The APA Library & Municipal Info
• Joint Reference Library (1932) @ 1313 E. 60th Street • Shared by…
• International City Management Association• Public Administration Clearing House• American Municipal Association• American Legislators' Association• American Public Welfare Association• Municipal Finance Officers' Association
ASPO became a library supporter @ 1313 in 1938.APA inherited the Merriam Center Library in 1995.
APA Library Resources• Online catalog http://www.planning.org/library/index.htm
APA Library Resources
• Publications Abstracts Database
APA Library Resources
• New Books RSS Feedhttp://www.planning.org/news/rss/
APA Library Resources
• The Planners Bibliography Web Tool • Coming in April 2010!
Planning Information Online (beyond Google)
• Municode.com
• Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library
• Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington
• Hillsborough County (FL) Planning Commission Library
Resources @ your public or university library
• Reference services • Database access to journals• Federal Depository Library Program resources• Specialized collections
• ex: Transportation Library @ Northwestern• Collections of ordinances and other municipal info
Planning @ your library…
• Planners & librarians can work together• If they don’t exist….
• Create user-friendly guides to zoning ordinances, processes, policies, etc.
• Think about digital initiatives (online portals to citizen resources)
Ask a Librarian!
Make an appointment to use the APA Library. email: [email protected] phone: 312-786-6354