Reference 030 · Reading Room
Notes from the shelves
Short, practical pieces on reading public documents carefully, drawn from sessions we've held.
Shelf B
All entries
RECORDS · 22 JUL 2026 · 6 MIN
Reading a County Budget Without Getting Lost
A plain walk through the sections of a county budget statement and what each one is actually claiming, for reporters approaching one for the first time.
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PROCUREMENT · 04 AUG 2026 · 5 MIN
What a Procurement Notice Does and Doesn't Tell You
Procurement notices are a starting point, not a conclusion. Here's how to treat one as evidence rather than an answer.
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AUDIT · 11 AUG 2026 · 7 MIN
Following an Audit Query to Its Actual Source
Audit queries are often quoted out of context. A method for tracing a query back to the underlying transaction it concerns.
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