Maybe more than you ever wanted to know about Election 2000

ANN ARBOR &#8212The website of the University of Michigan’s Documents Center, part of U-M’s Libraries, has been labeled by USA Today as the site that “dishes out everything you possibly have ever wanted to know about Election 2000 but were afraid to ask your librarian. And we mean everything!”

The site, designed by Grace York, a librarian at U-M’s Graduate Library, offers links to books, candidate resources, conventions, congressional candidates, the election process, lobby groups and their ratings, platforms, policy issues, historical presidential elections, public opinion polls and voter registration, for starters.

“We monitor current news stories about the elections to address the issues being raised,” says York. “For instance, we added the Chemical Scorecard when a campaign advertisement charged Texas with the worst toxic air pollution in the country. The ad was correct, but people are more likely to die of the air pollution in Washington, D.C.”

From this single page, just a mouse click can take users to “Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids,” a site that describes the workings of the federal government for K-12 students as well as teachers and parents. “Ben Franklin” describes historic documents, national vs. state authority, how laws are made, elections and citizenship, all with vivid graphics, a glossary and games and activities.

If a think tank is more appropriate to satisfy the viewer, U-M’s site provides a link to the Center for Voting and Democracy.” More interested in “games”? A click of the mouse will transport you to “Election Day Simulation,” a game to teach the electoral process. Beware! The game could take from 10 minutes to six hours.

For more than you