Professional organizations in the Information Sciences frequently pass resolutions on important relevant policy and social issues, or at other times discuss them in ways that are recorded on their websites.

You can find a list of IS organizations on the IS Virtual Library to track down relevant organizations for your policy concern. Most of these organizations will have ways to search their website for resolutions, discussions, and other documents.

For any issue, you may especially want to look at the ALA Social Responsibilities Roundtable. Notably, this group maintains a separate archive of their resolutions, newsletters, and other documents that you can search for discussions about key policy issues. There may be discussions and resolutions here that did not make their way to the full ALA assembly for a variety of reasons, so be sure to search this separately from the ALA website.

Sign up for the email lists and newsletters of advocacy organizations or professional groups with an interest in the topic.

HINT: On controversial issues, monitor organizations with different perspectives, including organizations outside of IS. For example, the American Library Association, the Association of American Publishers, the Recording Industry Association of America, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have varying views on copyright and fair use. You can find organizations with interests in particular topics in Associations Unlimited. 

For up-to-the-minute information, the Web is a good place to start.  However, Google and other search engines can easily overwhelm you with too much information that isn't relevant. HINT: Look for organizations, advocacy groups, university research centers, and government agencies that address the issue. These often have additional links on their sites.  But be aware of potential bias. Here are some guides that can help you improve your Google searching skills: