In this post, I wanted to share that the School of Government’s Knapp Library has a new collection for North Carolina’s assessment community. This is a short post because I anticipate most of the reading will occur as you explore the links in this post. In January, IAAO announced the availability of their new collection of informational books on assessment, Apendium.
As you can tell from the link above, Apendium is a collection of 8 books separated by what is referred to as Knowledge Skill Areas. For example, Knowledge Area 1 is one of the shorter books in the series, about 50 pages, on “Working Within the Legal Framework” and covers the skills related to the legal basis of an assessing officer’s work. This publication includes topics we’re familiar with, but maybe could dig deeper into. One such topic discusses tracking proposed legislation as a role of the assessor. Assessors can serve as an information resource; help shape debate; define the administrative requirements of a policy proposal; call attention to problems that might be created by a policy; propose legislative remedies; and participate in the development of statutes, rules, and regulations. Book 1 of Apendium supports the knowledge behind what has been communicated in our NC Assessor’s listserv, assessors should act as an information resource to enable policymakers to understand better the effects of proposed policy changes. The link at Amazon allows you to look inside each of the books.
Apendium is located on reserve in my office until we see how the collection will be utilized. Feel free to communicate directly with me if you’re interested in borrowing one of the books. I hope you’ll read more about Apendium, but also be reintroduced to our amazing library and staff. Maybe a visit to the School of Government is overdue, or you will register for one of our courses on-site. It could be because my career has accidentally been involved closely with state and local government for 27 years, but I am fascinated each time I walk into the Knapp-Sanders building and have an opportunity to explore our library, dedicated to state and local government and public administration. Reference and research services are available to all residents of North Carolina, and additional assistance is available to state and local government personnel.
