Help! I’m an Accidental Government Information Librarian presents...United Nations Statistics and Data Resources

The Government Resources Section of the North Carolina Library Association runs a series of webinars designed to improve reference work by increasing familiarity with government information resources, and by discovering the best strategies for navigating them.

The United Nations gathers and produces a wealth of data on health, development, education, industry, and more--but given the complex structure of the United Nations and all of its publishing and research activities, it can be difficult to know where to begin the search for UN statistics and data. With UNdata from the United Nations Statistics Division, researchers can search many UN statistical databases through a single interface.

This session will explore the benefits of starting a data search in UNdata, with a focus on gaining familiarity with the content that's available there as well as the ins and outs of the search interface. The contents and user experience of UNdata will also be compared to several of the UN's other statistical resources.

Melanie Maksin is the Librarian for Political Science, International Affairs, Public Policy, and Government Information at Yale University.

Session #20, online on November 14 from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (Eastern). Please RSVP for the Session by November 13 at 5:00 pm using this link:  http://tinyurl.com/grs-session20

Technical requirements: The collaborative software called Blackboard Collaborate requires a Java download, but no special software. On registration a link will be sent to test the software. Any questions, please contact Lynda Kellam (lmkellam@uncg.edu).

The session will be recorded and made available after the live session, linked from the NCLA GRS web page (http://www.nclaonline.org/government-resources).

RSS Meeting: The International Crime Drop

15th May 2012 at 5pm with tea/coffee from 4.30pm.
Royal Statistical Society,12 Errol Street, London, EC1Y 8LX, London

The presentations will focus on important findings from a forthcoming edited book on the crime drop and will draw on data from the International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS) and other international data sources include the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on homicide rates and the European Sourcebook on police recorded rates. Observed and estimated crime rate trends will be presented and their implications discussed. Dramatic changes in routine activities in society that opened up crime opportunities and reduced risks explained the crime increases since the Second World War. The same perspective can also be applied to help explain the recent crime drops as well as the variations in trend and their timing across different crime types.

Speakers are:

Nick Tilley, University College London

Andromachi Tseloni, Nottingham Trent University

Jan Van Dijk, Tilburg University, Netherlands

The session will be chaired by Chris Kershaw from the Home Office who will also discuss some specific findings from England and Wales due to be published in the book that may help to explain the divergence between crime trends and some public attitudes. Allan  Brimicombe from East London University, who is also chair of the Crime and Justice Statistics Network, will act as the discussant.

Attendance is free and open to all, but pre-registration is recommended. You can register by email meetings@rss.org.uk or by phone (020) 7638 8998.  For further information about the meeting contact Chris Kershaw (chris.kershaw@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk). For directions see www.rss.org.uk/findus.