Government Policy Resources for Science and Technology Topics: A Case Study.

Abstract

Research librarians should be literate in locating government resources at both federal and state levels. Although assistance with policy research may not be as frequently requested as other subjects, librarians need to be knowledgeable in this subject area. Policy resources produced by federal and state legislative and executive agencies can be challenging to locate and interpret. This article examines congressional and other governmental sources of policy information using an environmental catastrophe, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Coal Ash Spill in Kingston, Tennessee, as a case study to illustrate an approach to researching environmental policy information. Information on the Coal Ash Spill is an example of a request that might be received at any research assistance desk employing a cadre of librarians with specialization in various disciplines, including science and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]