Life cycle of govt. information

• Information creation and gathering• Production, processing and publication• Transmittal (access, dissemination,

distribution)• Retrieval and use• Retention

Life cycle decisions

• Budgetary• Security (national or privacy)• Program/service• Political• Feasibility

Use an “agency” search when…

• You want a particular perspective• You want an acknowledged authority• There is a known (or suspected)

information program you want to exploit

Organizational perspectives

• Brookings vs AEI• ULI vs Lincoln Institute of Land

Policy• ONRC vs WWPA (Warner Creek)• USTR vs Labor vs EPA (NAFTA)• Corps of Eng vs FWS (Hyundai site)• Corps vs NMFS (Snake River Dams)

Acknowledged authority

Examples• Congress: legislative histories• Policy-setting authority: Wrangell Island• Authority to regulate: endangered

species• Designated responsibility for programs:

election data

Known information program

• Examples:

• FBI: Uniform Crime Reports• EPA: Toxic Chemical Release Inventory• NCHS/CDC: Vital statistics data• ODOT: Oregon traffic accident data

How to perform “agency” search

• Identify appropriate agency • locate phone numbers, addresses, names• identify specific programs, follow up • read regulations• browse publications

Identifying right agency

• Directories (US Government Manual, Federal Staff Directory, Oregon Bluebook)

• Search by program: CFDA• Regulations: who writes the relevant ones?• Statutes: who is charged with responsibility?• Subject search, then see who’s putting out

publications•  Firstgov.gov, Oregon.gov• Advanced Google: limit by internet domain

(.gov)