Newsletter No. 119
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Free Pint
"Helping 51,000 people use the Web for their work"
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ISSN 1460-7239 22nd August 2002 No.119
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IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
From Marylaine Block
FREE PINT BAR
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JOBS
Research Manager
Subscriptions and Publications Assistant
Legal Librarian
TIPS ARTICLE
"Joining the Dots : Developing a Resource to
Support Changing Roles in Health Libraries"
By Alison Turner
BOOKSHELF
"Super Searcher, Author, Scribe"
Reviewed by Helen Clegg
FEATURE ARTICLE
"UK Government Information on the Web"
By Sarah Dillingham
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Free Pint is an online community of information researchers. Members
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EDITORIAL
I don't know about you, but I find August a bit of dichotomy. I mean,
you expect it to be quiet, with everyone on holiday. You think
about all the things you're going to achieve, and dream of giving
yourself the luxury of perhaps leaving work early one day to take
advantage of the good weather.
The reality is, of course, quite different. Colleagues on holiday
means more work for everyone else. Unusual companies, like
Free Pint, also seem to work on a different cycle to others. Authors
appear to be more willing to write at this time of year. Indeed, in this
month alone we've lined up enough content for the Free Pint Newsletter
to take us almost to the end of the year.
Of course, August also means summer sales. Our '2 for 1' offers have
gone down a storm, but of course that's also kept us busy. Thank
goodness there are only a few days left <http://www.freepint.com/shop>.
We've also been busy developing the Autumn 'Exchange' events program,
and have added an afternoon on researching private equity information.
Billing this alongside the existing workshops on data protection,
electronic copyright and competitive intelligence, should mean that
post-August will be equally hectic <http://www.freepint.com/exchange>.
Perhaps it would be good to take some time out and enjoy today's
edition of Free Pint. It's an all-female issue, with tips, reviews
and articles all coincidentally coming from female contributors.
So, why not print off the formatted version and take it out into the
sun <http://www.freepint.com/issues/220802.pdf>. If you'd like that
edition emailed to you regularly, simply modify your subscription
online at <http://www.freepint.com/member>.
Whether you're finding August busy or boring, sunny or stormy, you
can rely on Free Pint to douse the dichotomy.
Cheers
William
William Hann BSc(Hons) MCLIP, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044
Free Pint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2002
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
From Marylaine Block
* Lycos 50 with Aaron Schatz <http://50.lycos.com/> - An early warning
system for what's hot. This combines statistics for the most popular
searches each day with a daily commentary by Schatz on what's moving
up and why.
* New Pages Weblog <http://www.newpages.com/weblog/default.htm> -
"The Alternative Guide to New Books, Magazines & Music along with
News & Views from the Net of Interest to Booksellers, Publishers,
Librarians, Writers & Readers".
* Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
<http://www.aldaily.com/> - Editor Denis Dutton scans through
hundreds of online magazines and newspapers to choose the six or so
interesting stories, intellectual controversies, and book reviews he
links in each day. In these days of information glut, everybody
needs a filter, and he's one of the best. He has companion sites as
well, SciTech Review and Business Daily Review.
* Engines of Our Ingenuity <http://www.uh.edu/engines/> - A complete
archive of over 1700 transcripts of the radio program from the
University of Houston where engineering professor John Lienhard
muses about technology, its social impact, and "the way inventive
minds work".
* Word Play <http://www.wolinskyweb.com/word.htm> - Librarian Judi
Wolinsky has catalogued most of the great sites on the web devoted
to puns, slanguage, anagrams, puzzles, MadLibs, and lots more.
Marylaine Block is a writer and Internet librarian, creator
of Neat New Stuff I Found This Week on the Net
<http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html> and ExLibris, an e-zine
for librarians and other information junkies
<http://marylaine.com/exlibris/>.
Email your top five favourite Web sites to <penny@freepint.com> or
see the guidelines at <http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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MANY MORE SESSIONS ADDED TO FACTIVA'S LEARNING SCHEDULE
Factiva Learning Programs has organised many more Factiva.com
introductory and advanced learning sessions both online via the
Web and as face-to-face seminars. To learn how to search our
unmatched collection of sources more effectively register today at
http://www.factiva.com/learningschedule
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>>> Free Pint Private Equity Exchange <<<
Tuesday 8th October 2002, West London, UK
"An afternoon workshop giving an understanding and awareness
of the key sources of information on private equity and
an ability to research it efficiently"
Find out more and book your place:
<http://www.freepint.com/exchange>
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>>> FREE PINT'S AUTUMN SERIES OF 'EXCHANGE' WORKSHOPS <<<
* Data Protection * Competitor Intelligence *
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Free Pint's Autumn events are already filling up fast.
If you're interested in one of these topics then book your place soon:
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FREE PINT JOBS
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SUMMER SALE: All job listings placed before the end of August are
half price. Find out more at <http://www.freepint.com/shop/>.
As well as the selected listings below, check out the weekly Bar
postings which list the latest additions to Free Pint Jobs.
This week's can be found at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b19433>
and last week's at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b19276>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
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Long term temp role, pubs & subs; use your journal/subs management
& communication skills in investment bank environment
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
Legal Librarian <http://www.freepint.com/go/j1975>
Legal top 50 qualified librarian. 6 month contract then reviewed.
Must have experience working for similar, hit the ground running.
Recruiter: Recruit Media
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TIPS ARTICLE
"Joining the Dots : Developing a Resource to
Support Changing Roles in Health Libraries"
By Alison Turner
Earlier in the year, the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH)
launched a new resource for health librarians. The Librarian Portal
<http://www.nelh.nhs.uk/librarian> was developed from a collaboration
with key groups in the health library world and is specifically
designed to support health librarians in their new and changing roles.
This article gives a brief overview of the rationale behind this
development, which although, concentrating on the health arena, may
ring some bells with librarians in other sectors. The development of
the portal has been a learning experience for myself and for my
colleagues; this article will share some of our approaches and ideas.
In the spirit of collaboration and co-operation, I would be interested
to learn of similar developments in other sectors.
Rationale
---------
You don't have to work in the health service to appreciate the massive
changes underway - stories feature in the media every day. What is
less documented is the impact this has on health librarians.
Recent developments within the National Health Service (NHS) emphasise
the importance of information and knowledge management - examples
include:
* The development of National Service Frameworks for key priority areas,
such as coronary heart disease;
* The move towards a culture where lessons are learned from mistakes
and service failures;
* A trend towards greater patient and public involvement in health care;
* The fact that health is a particularly knowledge-rich sector;
* The reorganisation of health care services;
* The launch of a strategic programme for IT;
* A move towards "joining up" health and social care;
* A focus on the quality of health care.
Health librarians work in a variety of settings: in NHS organisations;
government bodies; universities and colleges; voluntary organisations;
charities; professional associations such as the Royal Colleges;
national libraries; public libraries; and in the private sector. But
wherever they are based, health librarians are facing new demands and
it seems, less and less protected time to pursue professional
development activities. Many librarians now find it difficult with the
demands of their job to get away to study days and meetings where they
can exchange ideas, learn new skills or at the very least network with
colleagues.
Add to this the vast changes in the library and information
profession: the librarian of the 21st Century has quite a different
role to the librarian of twenty, ten or even five years ago. We're all
aware of the huge effect the growth of the Internet has had on our
work and we are experiencing first-hand the new opportunities
presented by the growth of Knowledge Management (KM). So how are
health librarians coping with their new roles and responsibilities?
Well, in true librarian fashion, they support one another. This may be
formally, through professional bodies and groups, such as the
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)
and its sub-group, the Health Libraries Group (HLG). Or it may be via
formal channels, such as the NHS Regional Librarians Group (RLG) or
the University Medical Schools Librarians Group (UMSLG), to name just
two examples. More informally, librarians communicate through
discussion lists and face to face contact. Despite the range of
support mechanisms in place, there needed to be some co-ordination to
keep it simple for busy librarians. This all led to the development of
the Librarian Portal on the NeLH.
Development
-----------
The portal was developed in partnership with the HLG, the
RLG and the NHS Libraries Advisor (who is based with the Department of
Health's Information Policy Unit), with the aim of supporting
librarians in the development of skills and knowledge to support their
new roles.
The objectives were to:
* Facilitate online discussion and sharing of experience
* Point to key sources on best practice
* Support skills development in new areas such as knowledge management
* Provide a one-stop shop on current topical issues
* Provide a mechanism for librarians to participate in the development
of the NeLH
Much of these resources are already in place, developed by groups such
as HLG. So rather than duplicate, the portal simply brings together
what is already available and supplements this with new content. A
number of exciting library-based projects are underway throughout the
UK; a key role for the portal will be to highlight this work. This
brings to mind the "Dot-to-Dot" books for children, where by joining
the dots in the order given, you are presented with the big picture,
hence the title of this article.
Developed by and for librarians, the portal is very much focused on
partnership working. The idea of a portal specifically to support
librarians was first made by a health librarian. And many librarians
have volunteered to join an editorial e-group to take forward some of
the ideas suggested to date. The e-group is hosted on Yahoo and
consists of representatives of key groups and communities within
health libraries. Members contribute when they are able to spare time,
suggesting and discussing ideas, with development support from the
NeLH team.
Next steps Current plans are to develop interactive content on the
portal - one resource in development focuses on the training role of
librarians. Initially, this stemmed from requests for materials to
help train healthcare workers to use the NeLH but it quickly became
obvious that librarians are spending more time on training and have
little time to develop resources from scratch. The portal now features
a training resource of materials which librarians have been willing to
share and the plan is to develop this into an online "swap shop" of
materials produced by health librarians. This helps avoid reinventing
the wheel and enables sharing of experiences (good and bad).
The portal was promoted heavily at the recent HLG conference
<http://www.cilip.org.uk/groups/hlg/conf.html> with a new publicity
flyer and a workshop generating suggestions from delegates for future
content. At the time of writing, a quick search on Google shows 78 web
pages which link to the portal - although, admittedly, some of these
are NeLH pages so can't really be counted! The portal is still
developmental but with the huge list of suggestions from colleagues,
there is plenty to do. There are opportunities for health librarians
to get involved in this development and it would be interesting to
share ideas with any similar initiatives in other sectors and in other
countries.
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Alison Turner, Library Partnership Co-ordinator, National electronic
Library for Health, NHS Information Authority
Alison joined the National electronic Library for Health
<http://www.nelh.nhs.uk> in 2001, having previously managed the library
service at Gloucestershire Royal NHS Trust. Alison has worked in the
field of health information for 8 years. In her current role, Alison
liaises with health librarians to keep them informed of developments
within NeLH and to identify opportunities for partnership working. The
overall aim of the NeLH is to make information about effectiveness of
care readily available to NHS staff, using Internet and associated
technologies.
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Related Free Pint links:
* "Information and Libraries" resources in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p69>
* Post a message to the author, Alison Turner, or suggest further
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FREE PINT BOOKSHELF
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"Super Searcher, Author, Scribe:
Successful Writers Share Their Internet Research Secrets"
Written by Loraine Page
Reviewed by Helen Clegg
Writers can be super searchers too and have a wealth of tips and
tricks to share, according to this book by Loraine Page.
Like other titles in this Super Searchers series, the book takes the
form of interviews - a format which works well, making the material
easy to read and absorb. Page has chosen writers with a diverse range
of backgrounds, including a romance writer, a non-fiction specialist,
a crime writer, and a medical writer. However, bear in mind that this
book has been written primarily for the American market, so some of
the writers interviewed will not be familiar to non-US readers. In
fact, the only one I recognized was Elmore Leonard and that's because
last week I saw his most recent book advertised in an in-flight
magazine.
Writers use the Internet for many reasons, such as finding people to
interview, marketing their work, keeping in touch with colleagues and
editors, finding literary agents, carrying out background research,
getting visual information, finding inspiration, submitting chapters
by email, participating in newsgroups and building relationships with
their readers. David Fryxell, a writer with an interest in genealogy,
is of the opinion that the Internet has even contributed to writers'
"cycle time reduction", enabling many writers to produce better
articles in a shorter amount of time.
The Internet has given writers easier access to much more material and
many more potential contacts. Novelist Jodi Picoult tells how she used
the Internet to post a query on a message board regarding the Amish,
while researching her book "Plain Truth" and ended up going to stay a
week with an Amish family. And then there's Gregg Sutter, Elmore
Leonard's researcher. He once needed some anecdotal material on Harlan
in the state of Kentucky and by surfing the Internet found Kentucky
recipes for Baked Possum and Fried Squirrel - perhaps not the sort of
thing that immediately springs to mind when you're looking for useful
anecdotal information, but that's why the Internet can be such a great
tool - it can lead you to things you'd never thought of and spark off
your imagination.
Through the interviews you'll find out about the writers' preferred
search engines, their sources for newspapers and magazines, their
views on newsgroups and e-publishing, how they approach their research
and their advice for other writers, as well as their attitude to more
traditional information resources such as print, libraries and
commercial online databases.
To sum up, much of the information in this book will already be
familiar to many Internet researchers, so if you're a savvy
researcher, this probably isn't a book for you. If you're a writer,
however, it's definitely worth a read, if only to benchmark your
Internet skills against those of the writers profiled here.
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Helen Clegg is Marketing Analyst with RR Donnelley Europe, based in
Amsterdam. She holds a B.A. Hons in French & German and an M.Sc. in
Library and Information Studies from Loughborough University. Helen
is a Board Member of the European Chapter of the Special Libraries
Association of America. Helen can be contacted at Helen.Clegg@rrd.com
She writes here in a personal capacity.
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Related Free Pint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/scribe.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965587/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965587/freepint00>
* "Super Searcher, Author, Scribe: Successful Writers Share Their
Internet Research Secrets" ISBN 0910965587 published by Cyberage
Books written by Loraine Page, Reva Basch (Editor)
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Searching books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/searching.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/220802.htm#feature>
"UK Government Information on the Web"
By Sarah Dillingham
The UK government produces a wealth of material each week - press
releases, command papers, reports, parliamentary documents. With the
advent of the web and the Office of the e-envoy
<http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/> more of this information is publicly
available than ever before. Yet it can be difficult to locate. The
majority of government information (although not all) is published
through The Stationary office (TSO)
<http://www.tso.co.uk/site.asp?FO=43335>. This was formerly known as
Her Majesty's Stationary Office (HMSO) <http://www.hmso.gov.uk/>. HMSO
also hold the Information Assets register - a list of information held
by the UK Government, concentrating on unpublished resources. If you
are willing to pay for your information, then a subscription to UKOP
obtains full access to the official catalogue of official publications
spanning twenty years <http://www.ukop.co.uk/info/index.html>.
For general information, a good starting point is UK online. This
portal has been designed for the public. Information is divided up
into key 'life events' (e.g. 'having a baby')
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/Home/HOHome/1,1031,~801b22~fs~en,00.html>.
There is an emphasis on communication with current developments
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/WhatsNew/WNGov/0,1057,~801b22~fs~en,00.html>
and consultation papers
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/CitizenSpace/CSConsultationList/0,1142,~801b22~fs~en,00.html>.
While a substantial amount of government material is available to
order from the above sources this article will concentrate on what is
available freely on the web and likely to be of use to a professional
researcher. Finding a relevant document is not necessarily
straightforward - the various government departments maintain their
own websites and have their own timetables for document publication.
This means a sprawling range of sites without an obvious overall
structure or consistent look and feel. Search engines tend to use
relevance ranking and are often imprecise. Indexes may go by number or
publication date rather than title or keyword. The documents available
are usually the most recent - late 1990s onwards - and it can be
tricky to find previous editions of publications. The Office of the
e-envoy is currently addressing these inconsistencies but it is a
mammoth task.
Lists/directories
-----------------
These are extremely useful for finding contact details and deciphering
acronyms.
Find your representative (MPs, MEPs,MSPs, MLAs)
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/CitizenSpace/CSFindRepresentative/0,1145,~801b22~fs~en,00.html>.
A- Z of central government
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/Quickfind/QFCenGov/0,1588,1001~801b22~fs~en,00.html>.
A-Z local government
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/Quickfind/QFLocGov/0,1587,1101~801b22~fs~en,00.html>.
A- Z of benefits and services
<http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/index.htm>.
Directory of MPs, peers, offices and departments
<http://www.parliament.uk/directories/directories21.cfm>.
List of cabinet members and state departments - complete with contact
details <http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/hmg.htm>.
The London Diplomatic List - contact details for foreign embassies/
High commissions in London
<http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?
pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029396086>.
Press releases and ministerial announcements
--------------------------------------------
The majority of departmental websites contain press releases, however
the links below enable searching from one central point. On occasion,
when ringing government communication offices, I have been told that
they only deal with journalists. It may be worth bearing this in mind
when making enquiries.
Government news network
Press releases from 1998+ updated hourly. Searchable by department/
organisation <http://www.nds.coi.gov.uk/>.
UK online recent press releases
<http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/NewsRoom/NRHome/0,1162,~801b22~fs~en,00.html>.
Reuters Business Briefing have a (charged) database of government
announcements <http://www.business.reuters.com/rbb/base/en/login.htm>.
Parliamentary documents
-----------------------
The parliamentary homepage provides access to information from the
Lords and Commons <http://www.parliament.uk/index.cfm>.
The search engine for parliamentary documents may not always be
precise but it does cover a wide range of useful documents. One can
search across all documents or within specific categories, e.g.
Commons or Lords Hansard; written answers; minutes
<http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/cgi-bin/empower?DB=ukparl>.
HANSARD - debates in the Lords and Commons. 1988+.
<http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm/cmhansrd.htm>.
Official documents
Command Papers ('white' or 'green' papers) and House of Commons papers
<http://www.official-documents.co.uk/> - 2002+;
<http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/> - 1994 - 2002.
Bills before parliament - includes status of bill
<http://www.parliament.uk/bills/bills.cfm>.
Legal Information
-----------------
There is a substantial amount of legal information
available - legislation; judgements; procedure; administrative.
The Court Service: court listings; jury service; wills and probate;
contact details; fees <http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/>.
The Lord Chancellors department <http://www.lcd.gov.uk/lcdhome.htm>.
Civil procedure rules
<http://www.lcd.gov.uk/civil/procrules_fin/index.htm>.
Human rights and Freedom of Information
<http://www.lcd.gov.uk/foi/rights.htm>.
Legislation - <http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/>.
Statutes 1998+ - Acts of the UK parliament; 1991+ local acts.
Indexed by year or searchable
<http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts.htm>.
Statutory Instruments (Sis) 1987+. Draft SI's 1997+. Indexed by year
or searchable <http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm>.
The Court Service judgements database
<http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/judgments/judg_frame.htm?OpenDocument>.
House of Lords judgements 1996+
<http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld199697/ldjudgmt/ldjudgmt.htm?>.
Court of Appeal judgements (1996+), High Court judgements (1997+);
Privy Council judgements (1996+) House of Lords judgements (1996+)
<http://www.bailii.org/>.
Company/business information
----------------------------
The DTI website has a comprehensive range of business information much
of which can be found at their excellent library in Victoria.
Companies House - all companies are required to file documents with
companies house and it is an excellent starting point for basic
company information. In addition to company filings there is a
database of disqualified directors <http://www.companies-house.gov.uk/>.
Trade partners - extremely useful collection of material for
exporters <http://www.tradepartners.gov.uk/>.
Serious Fraud Office <http://www.sfo.gov.uk/>.
The Patent office <http://www.patent.gov.uk/>.
Current product Standards <http://www.dti.gov.uk/strd/strdpubs.htm>.
EU product directives <http://www.dti.gov.uk/strd/ecdirect.htm>.
Consumer gateway
<http://www.consumer.gov.uk/consumer_web/index_v4.htm>.
Procurement
-----------
When engaging in business, the government require suppliers
to follow certain processes. Many departments have their own
procedures. The controversial private public partnerships (PPP) and
private finance initiative (PFI) come under this subject.
DTI procurement guidance
<http://www.dti.gov.uk/about_dti_procurement.html>.
TSO e-procurement
<http://www.tso.co.uk/site.asp?FO=39593&UDI=500760>.
Office of Government commerce <http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.html>.
Best practice and publications <http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=640>.
Central Unit on Procurement (CUP) Guidance
<http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=94>.
Government Construction Procurement Guidance - documents held here may
supersede those held in the CUP guidance series. It is worth checking
in both locations.
<http://porch.ccta.gov.uk/treasury/reports.nsf/
ed1e7ff5aa6def30802566360045bf4d/ac60fe87b620f6128025682e00534b57?OpenDocument>.
HM Treasury procurement guidance (left hand menu)
<http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=396>.
MOD Defcons/Deforms/Standards
<http://www.ams.mod.uk/ams/content/docs/toolkit/ams/admin/navigation/frames.htm>.
For previous editions or defcons not held on the website contact the
MOD on 01554 822323. In addition, the request must be faxed to 01554
822402. Turnaround time is 7 - 10 days.
Private Finance Initiative - PFI Network Register for access
<http://pfi.ogc.gov.uk/>.
Treasury Taskforce Guidance on PFI including signed deals list
<http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Documents/Enterprise_and_Productivity/
Public_Enterprise_Partnerships/ent_pep_index.cfm?>.
Partnerships UK - <http://www.partnershipsuk.org.uk/>.
Summary of departmental websites
--------------------------------
The Cabinet Office <http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/>
Covers: Ministers and organisations; public sector standards; issues
across government; the government machine; the civil service.
Publications: Consultation register and code of practice; guidance and
best practice
<http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/index/guidcons.htm#Guidance>;
research reports; public sector standards (egg charter marks)
Department of culture, media and sport (DCMS)
<http://www.culture.gov.uk/>
Covers: Museums, galleries, libraries, conservation, the national
lottery; tourism; sport; gambling; alcohol and entertainment
licensing; censorship; Commonwealth games.
Publications: strategy papers; review documents.
Ministry of Defence <http://www.mod.uk/>
Covers: Agencies and organisations; consultations; freedom of
information; defence issues; doing business; key facts
Publications: Consultation papers; select committee reports;
factsheets; 'The Green Book' - Defence and media in times of
emergency; defence reports and policy papers (1988+)
<http://www.mod.uk/publications/index.htm>; Defcons, Deforms and
defence standards <http://www.dgcom.mod.uk/dgcom/dss/foreword.htm>
Department of Education and skills (DFES)
<http://www.dfes.gov.uk/index.htm>
Covers: Adult learners, employers, HE students, job seekers, learning
and skills, parents, school governors, teachers and young people.
Publications: - statistics, speeches, strategy, consultations,
research papers, key documents - white and green papers and guidance
<http://www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/key.shtml>
Department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA)
<http://www.defra.gov.uk/>
Covers: Animal health and welfare; environmental protection; exports
and trade; farming; fisheries; food and drink; horticulture; plants
and seeds; rural development; sustainable development; water; wildlife
and countryside.
Publications (indexed by title and searchable):
<http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/publications/pubcat/index.htm>
press releases; statistics; DEFRA journal (2002+) agencies and non
departmental public bodies (NDPB) sponsored by DEFRA; current research
initiatives; forms and regulations; foot and mouth crisis inquiry
reports. <http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/inquiries/index.asp>
Foreign and Commonwealth office (FCO) <http://www.fco.gov.uk>
Covers: travel; trade and investment; foreign policy.
Publications: The Documents Database - access to documents 1997+.
<http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=
OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029395375>
Department of Health (DOH) <http://www.doh.gov.uk/index.htm>
Covers: Communications from the Chief Medical officer; executive
agencies, 'Shifting the balance of power' programme, international
issues; health advice for travellers,
Publications: Wide range of documents indexed and searchable via the
Publications Library (POINT) database
<http://tap.ukwebhost.eds.com/doh/point.nsf/Publications?ReadForm>;
the Circulars Library database
<http://tap.ukwebhost.eds.com/doh/coin4.nsf/Circulars?ReadForm>;
The Home Office <http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/>
Covers: Community policy, crime reduction, drug prevention,
immigration and nationality, passports, race equality and diversity.
Publications: <http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsintro1.html>
Command papers (1999+); Statistical bulletins (1979+); Research
reports and findings; development and practice reports; Police
research series papers (1992+); policing and reducing crime briefing
notes (1995 +); Crime reduction research series (1999+) and misc.
Parliament <http://www.parliament.uk/index.cfm>
Covers: Business of the house; Hansard; bills; committees; the Lords;
the Commons.
Publications: Judgements; parliament live; archives.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) <http://www.dti.gov.uk/>
Covers: business; employment; consumers; science and technology;
energy.
Publications: press releases; ministerial speeches; consultations;
publications; regulatory guidance. Searchable database of all DTI
publications available to the general public
<http://www.dti.gov.uk/publications/> along with links to a huge
selection of DTI web pages - many of which contain documents.
Searchable by industry area or page name, e.g. 'exporting' or
'statistics'.
Department for Transport (DFT) <http://www.dft.gov.uk/>
Covers: Aviation, health and safety, local transport, railways, roads
and vehicles, shipping, travel advice.
Publications: Speeches, statistics, research, Transport 2010
documents; press releases, statements, reports, a substantial number
of white papers and guidance under the various headings; the Highway
code <http://www.roads.dft.gov.uk/roadsafety/hc/index.shtml>
HM Treasury <http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/>
Covers: Enterprise and productivity, financial services, international
issues, public spending and services, tax, work and welfare, the Euro,
and the UK economy.
Publications: press releases: budget documents; Consultation documents
and code of practice, index of legislation, Public Finances Databank
(a compilation of published data covering the main aspects of the
Government Finances including receipts, expenditure, borrowing and
debt. 1960s+)
<http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/Economic_Data_and_Tools/
pubfinance/data_pubfinance_index.cfm?>.
Department for Work and pensions (DWP) <http://www.dwp.gov.uk/>
Covers: families and children, working age, pensions and retirement.
Publications (1997+): Claim forms
<http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms.htm>; best practice
guidance; circulars; minutes and speeches; model documents,
regulations; statistics.
This article has given an overview of the broad range of government
information available on the web. Hopefully it has provided a useful
starting point for further research. It is worth remembering that many
government documents, especially older ones, are not available
electronically. In this case the traditional method of picking up the
phone and ordering a hard copy from the appropriate department is the
method to choose. Be prepared to be persistent and to have to speak
with several people until you reach the right person - it can be a
frustrating process, especially when documents are not delivered
immediately. But usually the combination of web based material, The
Stationary Office bookshop and direct order should cover most
government information needs.
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Bruckhaus Deringer, a leading global lawfirm.
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