Training Sessions

The Interior Library offers regular training sessions to introduce Department of the Interior employees and others to its services and to the information sources it makes available, either on employees' desktops or in person. Training sessions are presented via webinar.

Additional training sessions will be posted as they are scheduled. Please check this page regularly for changes or updates.

To register for a future training session, please use our Training Session Registration Form. If the registration form does not work at your location, you may use the Library's contact form. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Interior Library by e-mail at library@ios.doi.gov or by phone at (202) 208-5815

Webinar recordings of recently completed Interior Library programs are available upon request. Please contact the Interior Library by phone at (202) 208-5815 or via the Library's contact form for more information.
 

Upcoming Programs

Legislative History Research on Lexis Plus
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET

Lexis Plus delivers legal and legislative content within a single intuitive interface that includes: pre- and post-filters, folders for storing and sharing, research history, alerts and 24/7 customer support. Lexis Plus includes exclusive tools such as integrated results from the open Web where users can search the open Web along with content from Lexis simultaneously; and a visual and intuitive interface that enables the user to store search history, save recent and favorite filters, access work folders, set up alerts and access customer service. Attendees to this training program will learn how to use the Lexis Plus legal and legislative database to find materials needed to complete a legislative history. Learn how to access publications like the U.S. Statutes at Large, Congressional Record, and House and Senate Reports, to find specific documents used to determine the intent behind a piece of legislation. This class will be taught by a LexisNexis trainer.

Please note: This program is only being offered as a simultaneous online webinar. Please contact the Library to obtain webinar information for this program.
 

Introduction to Westlaw 
Thursday, January 30, 2025, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET

Powered by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence that’s built upon more than 100 years of attorney-edited annotations, the Westlaw legal and legislative research platform brings together a full suite of AI-powered legal research tools. These tools include: 1) WestSearch Plus, which uses Artificial Intelligence to help users quickly access relevant resources, as well as offering suggested answers to many legal questions; 2) Litigation Analytics, which provides data-driven insights on judges, courts, attorneys, law firms, and case types; 3) KeyCite Overruling Risk, which provides a citator warning to caution users when a point of law in a case has been implicitly undermined without being explicitly overruled, a situation that traditional citators do not identify; and 4) Statutes Compare and Regulations Compare, which allows users to compare two versions of a statute or federal regulation to identify changes over time. Please join us as a Westlaw trainer will review these and other features of this online database.

Please note: This program is only being offered as a simultaneous online webinar. Please contact the Library to obtain webinar information for this program.
 

Introduction to ProQuest Congressional
Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

The ProQuest Congressional database provides users with efficient, targeted access to the most comprehensive collection of historic and current congressional information available anywhere online. This collection includes full text copies of congressional publications, finding aids, a bill tracking service, as well as the full text of public laws and other research materials to enable both researchers to complete many types of projects using a single, newly updated interface. Attendees to this class will learn how to navigate ProQuest Congressional’s interface to find and use digitized collections of these materials; featuring searchable access to current and historic Congressional reports, Congressional hearings, Congressional Research Service reports, as well as Congressional Committee Prints. Those in attendance will also learn helpful search techniques that can be used to locate digitized copies of materials essential in conducting thorough legislative history research. This program will be conducted by a Clarivate/ProQuest trainer.

Please note: This program is only being offered as a simultaneous online webinar. Please contact the Library to obtain webinar information for this program.
 

The Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Digital Library
Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Digital Library (fws.gov/images) is a searchable collection of selected images, historical artifacts, and publications most of which are in the public domain. In 2024, the collection is launched on a brand new platform integrated with the Fish and Wildlife Service website. The collection includes digital still images, offering a visual representation Service’s mission and publications including reports, brochures, texts, and oral history transcripts. Coming soon are podcasts and audio files. Fish and Wildlife Service Historian Mark Madison and Fish and Wildlife Service National Librarian Megan Burdi will examine the current holdings of the Fish and Wildlife Service Digital Library, look at plans to expand its holdings and review the best ways to search through this impressive collection.  

Please note: This program is only being offered as a simultaneous online webinar. Please contact the Library to obtain webinar information for this program.