SI-ASB-2009: U.S. Department of State Ralph J. Bunche Library


U.S. Department of State Ralph J. Bunche Library Room 3239, HST, U. S. Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520-3239 www.state.gov/m/a/ls/	Projects 1
The Ralph J. Bunche Library of the U.S. Department of State is the oldest Federal Government library. It was founded by the first Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson in 1789. It was dedicated to and renamed the Ralph J. Bunche Library on May 5, 1997. The Library has a large and important collection of unclassified and published information sources on foreign relations. Foreign Relations is defined broadly to include books about foreign countries; world history, especially since the American Revolution; international organizations, such as the United States and the Organization of American States; wars and international conflicts, particularly those involving the United States; espionage: treaties, treaty-making, and legal agreements between nations; American history especially as it relates to the Department of State and the conduct of diplomacy; trade relationships around the world; foreign assistance and development; information on the American government and foreign governments. The Ralph J. Bunche Library is a Federal Depository Library. The mission of the Library is to support the research needs of personnel of the Department of State. The Library is not open to the public and does not lend books directly to members of the public
Photos and Comments

My ASB project was to work on cleaning up initial information imported to an internal wiki. This included editing information and changing its format to better capitalize on the wiki platform. I enjoyed getting to see more than just my specific project. I was able to sit in on meetings and tours, do informational interviews with several staff members, and spend part of a day at NARA.

Projects

ReferenceDesk - Portal Page (Wiki project)

Intern: Sharon Knieper

Code: BUNCHE-01

Interns
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The Ralph J. Bunche Library serving the U.S. Department of State located near the National Mall in Washington DC would like to sponsor a student participating in the SI-ASB Program. We need someone who would be willing to help us edit organize and expand our internal library knowledge management database (ReferenceDesk Portal Page) which is using WikiMedia software. ReferenceDesk Portal Page stores information that we have culled and organized over a period of four years. The information is currently organized into 24 different categories and entries are in various stages of the editing, or 'cleaning up' phase. The wiki entries serve a dual purpose. They allow the reference staff to manage and share the answers to commonly asked or hard-to-answer questions. It is also our goal to move appropriate entries from the internal sandbox wiki format into the readily available and popular Diplopedia which is accessed by approximately 40 000 State Department staff members all over the world. The entries will need significant editing for both Library and Department-wide use including the checking and updating of websites phone numbers and other resources cited. This project offers the opportunity to work closely with library staff and resources master the wiki format and gain an in-depth understanding of the kinds of information dealt with here in the Bunche Library.

The ideal candidate would be interested in a public services career and would have some familiarty with WikiMedia.

The SI Alternative Spring Break is open to graduate students of the University of Michigan's School of Information. Undergraduates looking for Alternative Spring Break opportunities should look into the University of Michigan Alternative Spring Break program administered by U-M's Ginsberg Center.