POLI 111-3-4

Governments are one of the largest producers of information. This information includes political debates in Parliament and legislatures, statute legislation, technical reports, scientific reports, statistical data, etc.  Prior to the introduction of the Internet, many governments (including the Canadian government) distributed such information through Library Depository Programs, whereby government information was sent out to Libraries to facilitate public access.

While Library Deposit Programs continue to this day, governments have embraced the Internet as its primary method of disseminating information.

As a result, in order to access government information, you have to become proficient at identifying such information using government websites or Internet search engines such as Google. 

One of the most efficient methods of identifying and accessing such information using an Internet Search Engine is to include domain name parameters in your searches to narrow your searches to government websites. 

One of the things you need to do is to start noting are the domain names of websites where you find useful information. 

The Google Advanced Search Engine is a good tool to use to more effectively search for and retrieve government information. 

The GovernemWhat is a Domain Name?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the Internet. Domain Names are translates by domain name servers into the numerical IP addresses, which are needed for locating and identifying computer services and devices on the Internet.  For example,

https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&setup=1&authtype=ip,guest,cpid&custid=s5672116&profile=eds&groupid=main is the name of the OC Library Catalogue, its IP Address 192.136.114.8

The government of Canada Domain Names

.gc.ca 

The Government of Canada is in the process of implementing a new domain name of  .canada.ca

Provincial and Territorial Domain Names