Government Information Essentials edited by Susanne Caro

Wow. This book has been immensely helpful as a new government documents professional. I loved reading about the experiences of other librarians in the profession, and several of the authors I already knew from online discussion lists. It's given me tons of ideas and resources that I've already started using and plan to use in the future.

A must read for new gov doc librarians, but good for anyone interested in government information

256 pages

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

This covers U.S. history over the years against Native Americans with destruction of whole societies and misuse of Indian funds. In the 50s and 60s there were relocation centers. In 1972, a meeting of 75 nations was locked in a fed building with all the information about the years of extermination of Indian tribes by the U.S. government.  They read it and published it.

Audio:  11 hrs. 22 min.

Print:  312 pages

Citizenville: How to take the town square digital and reinvent government by Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom, former mayor of San Francisco and current California Lieutenant Governor, would like to make citizen participation in government easier and more effective.  If millions of people play Farmville, why not make citizen participation in government more like a game?  Voting via smartphone, town hall meetings online, crime statistics in real time, are just a few of the ways Newsom suggests making participation in governing easier and more game-like. Of course, making government data more easily available to the public poses enormous security risks.  And then there is the perception that government hosted technology is outdated and even not functional-cue the healthcare.gov website! But anyone interested in improving how government functions will find some interesting ideas here.  272 pages.