Where to look for electronic information

Journalists struggle to locate government databases, but a University of Minnesota doctoral candidate is creating a comprehensive directory of Minnesota's 2,000+ state government databases to serve as a reference tool for reporters. The article suggests other states could benefit from similar initiatives.

Journalists frequently call MICAR to ask: "How do I know what databases are out there?" While the government spends a lot of money maintaining its databases, it makes little effort to tell the public what's available. Two places to start looking are the Federal Database Finder and the State Database Finder by Mathew Lesko. These sources scratch the surface. However, once you understand the philosophy behind CAR - that every government agency, from the federal to the local level, which maintains computer records has, in essence, an obtainable electronic database - you get an appreciation for how difficult it is to come up with a comprehensive listing.

But it looks like reporters in Minnesota might get lucky. Andris Straumanis, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota's school of journalism, has been cataloguing some of the more than 2,000 databases located in state government agencies throughout Minnesota. The Minnesota Database Directory, tentatively set for publication in the spring of 1993, is designed specifically to be a reference tool for journalists.

The idea for the directory arose out of two conferences on the use of electronic public records hosted by the Minnesota Journalism Center. Maybe journalism professionals and students in the other 49 states could get together and do the same.