Hello fellow gov’dockers of the Alaska Government Documents Roundtable. I’ve set up this blog to be a meeting place where we can share and discuss ideas and resources to facilitate “Public access, Public awareness, Public participation,” as the tagline says. I invite you to read more under the “About” tab above and to use this blog as a means to serve our mission and our community. For more information about the header, visit:  Homestead and Farm. Matanuska Valley, Alaska.  Ray B. Dame, 1938. State Historical Library Digital Archives.

Cheers, Anastasia Tarmann Lynch, Alaska State Library. Current AKLA GODORT Chair. Email me: anastasia.lynch@alaska.gov

So am I. Here are links to help:

Getting Started with WordPress

Learning Nerd WordPress.com Beginner Resources

Promoting

Recently, I created a wiki of federal sites for state employees for a workshop with state employees, called Federal Sources for State Employees. In the next month or two, I will conduct a follow-up workshop to teach people how to set up wikis for their departments. I hope to create a network of federal and state information wikis. I’ll gladly send you the password and outline for the wiki workshop-just send an e-mail request.

How about tying government documents in as primary sources for civic education in the schools? We can use our own documents, digital repositories like NARA and LC, and free Courseware, such as MOODLE, to offer students a fresh approach to history through government sources, teaching citizen participation in the process? What do you think about working with teachers in a program that highlights Alaskan and U.S. documents in our collections?

Examples of blogs and websites raising awareness about government information:

Open the Government
Free Government Information
The National Security Archive

Preserving

Recommended tutorial on Digital Preservation from Cornell

Reports from the Council on Libraries and Information Resources

A conference to consider attending this summer: Rising to Digital Challenges Best Practices Exchange 2008 May 21-23 in Helena, Montana

Post ideas and resources here!