Government Information
A Middletown Thrall Library Blog
In this blog ("weB Log") you'll find news and other information we think readers and researchers might find interesting.
DTV Transition and Coupon Program
April 3, 2008
Are you ready for the digital television (DTV) transition?
If your answer is "no" or "I'm not sure," the U.S. government has created
a website to answer your questions and to inform you of a coupon
that will become available to help you (and your television) move
into the digital age in the event you need to purchase a new converter.
Here's a quote from their website explaining what will happen in 2009:
"At midnight on February 17, 2009, all full-power television stations in the
United States will stop broadcasting in analog and switch to 100% digital
broadcasting. Digital broadcasting promises to provide a clearer picture
and more programming options and will free up airwaves for use by
emergency responders."
Click here to visit the DTV2009.gov website.
The website is also
available in Spanish.
You can also check out these two earlier blog posts of ours for more on digital television and HDTV:
FBI Advisory: House Stealing Scams
March 26, 2008
Amidst the current challenges faced by home owners and the housing market,
there are also scams out there that could make an already difficult
situation even more dangerous.
To educate you on some of these scams, the
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
has just issued the following advisory:
"House Stealing: The Latest Scam on the Block"
Click on the "House Stealing" link to educate yourself on the potential problems,
or
click here to read about other known scams
or
here for information about "E-scams" (electronic scams, usually on the Internet or in e-mail).
Women's History Month Facts
February 25, 2008
The
United States Census Bureau
has published a "Facts for Features" guide highlighting various
statistics relating to this month. Categories include Businesses,
Motherhood, Earnings, Jobs, Voting, and Education.
Click here to access the Census Bureau's "Women's History Month: March 2008" guide.
Goverment Information Center Update
February 14, 2008
Middletown Thrall Library's Government Information index (also known as "GovSites")
has been updated and expanded. In addition to a new menu and newly incorporated
and annotated resources, the overall appearance has evolved to make for easier
reading and to accommodate widescreen monitors.
Click here to check out our new Government Information on the Web section.
Aviation Safety Report from NASA
January 2, 2008
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
has published some information concerning its study
of airline and air travel safety on the
National Aviation Operational Monitoring Service (NAOMS) website.
NASA's description for this publication states, "This Web site contains responses collected from the air carrier and general aviation pilot surveys as part of the NASA National Aviation Operational Monitoring Service (NAOMS) project from April 2001 through December 2004."
NASA also states, "Efforts will be made in 2008 to release additional NAOMS information that was redacted for this release."
Most of the documents at the NAOMS website have been published in the PDF format. To view them
you will need the
free Adobe Reader software.
Happy Holidays
December 3, 2007
USA.gov
has published
a "Happy Holidays" information guide
offering related advice, resources, and services
from various government agencies that include
the following topics:
- Charities
- Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa: Background and Symbols
- Decorating Safely
- Food for the Holidays
- Holiday Fire Prevention
- Holiday Season Safety
- Holiday Shopping Tips
- Holidays at the White House
- Military Troop Support: E-mail a Message
- News Year's Resolutions – Most Popular
- Support U.S. Troops
- Track Santa Claus
- Travel Safely
- White House Christmas Trees
You'll also find related websites on meat and poultry safety,
holiday recipes, government stores (including holiday ornaments
and gifts), and volunteering.
National American Indian Heritage Resources
November 29, 2007
In honor of National American Indian Heritage Month,
USA.gov has
published a collection of links to websites
realting to American Indians.
Sections include: Cultural Resources, Legal Resources Tribal law, Education, Jobs,
Economic Development, Housing, Family and Health, and Tribal Land and the Environment.
Some of the many U.S. Government and educational websites USA.gov highlights include:
Hot Docs
October 11, 2007
"Hot Doc" is a nickname those of us involved in Government information
use to describe new or popular Government documents, especially those
that may relate to current events or conditions throughout the world.
At Thrall.org, in our
GovSites web guide,
we have established links to a number of such "hot docs" over the years
that were published on the web.
Some recent additions to this section include:
- Benchmark Assessment Report: Assessment of the Situation in Iraq
- Government Secrecy: Decisions without Democracy
- Hearing on Private Security Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan: House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform
- Hearing on Private Security Firms Standards: Cooperation and Coordination in the Battlefield
- National Intelligence Estimate: Prospects for Iraq's Stability: Some Security Progress but Political Reconciliation Elusive
- National Intelligence Estimate: The Terrorist Threat to the US Homeland
- North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza
- Report Card on American Education: State-By State Analysis 1983-1984 to 2004-2005
- The Report of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq
- The United Nations Secretary General's "World Report on Violence Against Children," 2007
Most of these documents have been published in the PDF format, which means you will need the
free Adobe Reader software
to be able to view them on your computer. If you're at the library, all our computers have the Adobe Reader already installed.
You can click here to see even more current and past "hot docs."
Government Blogs
October 10, 2007
USA.gov is featuring a
list of currently active Government blogs.
These include the "Big Read Blog" (National Endowment for the Arts),
"Flow of the River" (EPA), "Health and Human Services Department Blog," "Peace Corps Volunteer Journals,"
among many others.
There's also the
Gov Gab blog right at USA.gov.
Each of these blogs explore a variety of topics and offer new and personal insight
(and even some humor) concerning goverment happenings and projects as well as some
of the people involved in those endeavors.
Thrall Librarian Awarded
October 2, 2007
We are delighted and honored to announce Karen Heil, our Government Information Librarian, has been recognized by the New York Library Association (NYLA) for her ongoing efforts to make government information, in all its forms, available and accessible to the public. Here is the official press release we have received from NYLA:
Jesse Daly, President of the New York Library Association Government Information Roundtable (NYLA/GIRT), has announced that Karen Heil, Government Documents Librarian for the Middletown Thrall Library since 1993, is the 2007 recipient of the NYLA/GIRT Mildred Lowe Award for outstanding contributions to government information librarianship.
Ms. Heil has developed an extensive, attractive, user friendly collection of government information links and materials available at the library's website at www.thrall.org which averages several thousand accesses each month. She is also being recognized for her proaction in making the wide variety of government documents available, easy to use, and better known to borrowers and researchers.
She actively shares information with government documents colleagues and beyond. In addition, she conducts workshops on the use of federal and state documents in the classroom for teachers from area school districts.
The Mildred Lowe Award honors librarians who have made significant contributions to government documents librarianship, access to government information, and/or the encouragement of the use of documents in New York State libraries. It is given in memory of Mildred Lowe, Dean of the Library School at St. John's University and a tireless advocate for public access to government information.
We are most thankful to NYLA/GIRT for this significant recognition. Middletown Thrall Library, a designated Federal Depository Library, houses tens of thousands of past and current local/state and federal government documents in print, microform, and electronic format. We encourage you to explore these collections and take advantage of the wealth of information available at our library.
And the Winners Are...
October 1, 2007
Each year the Government Documents Round Table section of the American Library Association chooses the year's
Notable Government Documents. The choices this year, some of which are on display near the Government Documents
collection, are as varied and vital as the critical issues that face us everyday.
A Failure of Initiative: Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for
and Response to Hurricane Katrina, a must for those who hope to be better prepared for future disasters;
The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General,
"In 2005, it was estimated that exposure to secondhand smoke kills more than 3,000 adult nonsmokers
from lung cancer, approximately 46,000 from coronary heart disease, and an estimated 430 newborns
from sudden infant death syndrome." National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan,
a look at responses needed from an international to a local level; Al-Qaeda: The Many Faces of
an Islamist Extremist Threat: Report of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,
a brief but very readable summary of the ongoing threat. On the lighter side, Research-Based Web Design
& Usability Guidelines, a great book for anyone involved in Web site design;
Library of Congress Law Library: An Illustrated Guide offering a fascinating history of the law
and the United States Senate Catalogue of Graphic Art, a beautiful compilation and history of art
work in the Senate. Come and see our display!
More Hidden Treasures
June 27, 2007
The hidden treasures of our history live in the pages of documents found tucked away on our library shelves. They seem like plain little books, lined up in boxes, labeled with long complicated numbers showing to which Congress they belong. Here are some samples:
- "In the hotel where Joseph Edwards works he is classified as a vacuum man, which means that he cleans the rugs and halls. He has worked here steadily for 3 years without any interruption, earning a yearly income of $1,800.53". This quote comes from a Joint Committee Print entitled "Making Ends Meet On less Than $2,000 A Year", 1951.
- In 1998, a hearing entitled "American Worker Project: Innovative workplaces for the future" highlights ENRON, "named America's most innovative company in Fortune Magazine". "At ENRON, everyone feels the freedom to pursue new ideas. In fact, our President, Jeff Skilling, recently told all employees that he believes the best ideas at ENRON are directly proportionate to their distance from the executive floor". (Statement of Elizabeth A. Tilney, Senior VP)
- "If you will go up on a deck, you will see the ice on the fore part of the ship." So I did so. I went up there. I suppose the ice had fallen inside the rail, probably 4 to 41/2 feet. It looked like shell ice, soft ice. But you could see it quite plainly along the bow of the boat. I stood on deck for a few minutes, talking to other friends, and then I went to see my friend, Mr. Hugo Ross. To tell him that it was not serious; that we had only struck an iceberg". - quoted from Senate hearings - "Titanic" Disaster, 1912
Interested in more? Come to the library's Government Document collection and dig for your treasures!
Family Jewels and Other Declassifed Documents
June 27, 2007
The U.S.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
has
announced the publication of two historic collections of declassified documents.
Hostedt at the CIA's
FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Electronic Reading Room,
the two new collections are:
- "Family Jewels," which is described as "almost 700 pages of responses from CIA employees to a 1973 directive from Director of Central Intelligence James Schlesinger asking them to report activities they thought might be inconsistent with the Agency's charter."
- The "CAESAR-POLO-ESAU papers," which "studied Soviet and Chinese leadership hierarchies, respectively, and the ESAU papers were developed by analysts to inform CIA assessments on Sino-Soviet relations."
For more links to declassified historic documents from the CIA and other U.S. government agencies,
check out our GovSites web guide, including the
Hot Documents,
Historic Documents,
and
UFOs categories.
Also come in to the library and browse our extensive Government Documents collection, which contain many
"hidden" truths and treasures. Many of these documents can be checked out.
Independence Day
June 22, 2007
July 4th, "Independence Day," is fast approaching.
To help you understand and safely celebrate this historic holiday,
USA.gov
has assembled a variety of links to "Fourth of July" web pages.
You can access their web guide here.
If you're interested in learning more about the signing of the Declaration of Independence
and Independence Day in general,
try these links:
To learn more about the history of the United States, check out
our American History web guide.
For current information about the U.S. Government (local/state/federal), visit our
Government Information
home page and our
GovSites web guide.
Flag Day
June 5, 2007
Flag Day is June 14. Here are some websites to help you learn more about the U.S. Flag:
- Federal Citizen Information Center: Our Flag. Sections include: History of the Stars and Stripes, An Early Stars and Stripes, The Grand Union Flag, Fifteen Stars and Stripes, Early American Flags, Historical Flags, The Flag Today, Flag Laws and Regulations, Flag Presentation, Folding the Flag, Care of your Flag, Sizes of Flags, Flags at the United States Capitol, How to Obtain a Flag Flown Over the Capitol, American War Mothers Flag, How to Obtain a Burial Flag For a Veteran, Flags of States and Territories, Flag Day, The Great Seal of the United States, Fort McHenry, The Flag House, Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, The American's Creed, and School Projects.
- Library of Congress - Today in History: June 14th
- The Department of Veterans Affairs: The Origins of Flag Day
- The Department of Veterans Affairs: Guidelines for Display of the Flag
- Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids: Symbols of U.S. Government: The Flag
There are some items in the library catalog that might also interest you:
Popular Baby Names
May 22, 2007
The
Social Security Administration has published
a list of the most popular baby names for last year
as well as a database of popular names for previous years back to 1879.
There are items in the library catalog for more information about baby (and adult) first and last names, including what they mean and their respective histories.
Our
Ready Reference Guide also has a section of
websites about names and baby names.
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
May 18, 2007
Library of Congress has published
a resource guide to help commemorate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month.
Included at their website are highlights from the Library of Congress collection, including
texts,
photographs,
audio and video,
illustrations,
country studies,
and related
Internet resources.
To learn more about this region, its culture, history, and more,
consider using our databases, including
CountryWatch and
Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations.
Memorial Day
May 17, 2007
USA.gov has published
a page of links to information about Memorial Day,
including facts as well as tips for activities you might be planning to attend that day.
Some of the many categories of information at their websites include:
Origins of Memorial Day, Facts about U.S. Military Who Served in WWII,
Korean War Veterans Memorial, National Moment of Remembrance,
Patriotic Melodies, Recipes from and for Americans, Soldier's Memorial Day,
Barbecue/Boating/Swimming Safety, Veterans Stories, Vietnam Veterans Memorial,
and World War II Memorial.
For more informationabout Memorial Day, you can try these links:
Library of Congress Blog
April 25, 2007
The
Library of Congress has launched
its very own blog! In the words of LOC blogger
Matt Raymond,
the spirit of the blog will be to "make resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations,"
words which come from the LOC's
mission statement.
Please click here to access the Library of Congress blog.
IDTheft.gov
April 25, 2007
The U.S. government has launched a new centralized website to promote the awareness and prevention of identity theft:
View the press release from FDIC.gov here
or
follow this link to go to www.IDTheft.gov.
Some other links for your consideration:
IRS Issues Warning about Fake E-mail Messages
April 3, 2007
The
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a new advisory:
"IRS Warns of Phony e-Mails Claiming to Come from the IRS"
Included in their advisory is an e-mail address where you can direct suspicious e-mail to their attention.
New York State Budget
April 2, 2007
Details concerning the 2007-2008 budget for New York State
have been
published at the New York State government website.
United States Postal Service Announces STAR WARS stamps
March 30, 2007
To mark the 30th anniversary of the original
Star Wars
trilogy, the
United States Postal Service (USPS.gov) is
making available
Star Wars stamps and express mailers
and has set up an animated website in support of their latest offering.
At their site you can vote for your favorite stamp. The most popularly selected stamp
will be produced on its own sheet in the future.
If this has you curious about stamp collecting and want to learn more,
there are some books
in the library catalog that might interest you as well.
Recreation.gov
March 30, 2007
This just in from
USDA.gov:
"Federal Leaders Launch New One-Stop, Interagency Website For Recreation Reservations."
The new website is
Recreation.gov.
As the USDA explains in the above press release:
"This interagency web site allows the public to view photos and information on thousands of recreation sites and activities from sightseeing at the Washington monument to canoeing in a Minnesota forest. The public can also use the recreation.gov site to make reservations and payments online."
MyMoney.gov
March 30, 2007
MyMoney.gov is described as "the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education."
The website goes on to say, "Whether you are planning to buy a home, balancing your checkbook, or investing in your 401k, the resources on MyMoney.gov can help you do it better. Throughout the site, you will find important information from 20 federal agencies government wide."
Subjects covered include: Budgeting and Taxes, Credit, Financial Planning, Home Ownership, Kids, Paying for Education, Privacy, Fraud and Scams, Responding to Life Events, Retirement Planning, Saving and Investing, and Starting a Small Business.
There is also
a Spanish version of MyMoney.gov.
Copyright Resource Guide
March 15, 2007
"Copyright Resources on the Web: Sites to Keep you Current"
offers an annotated list of informative websites that can help you catch up with copyright law, including such topics as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and Fair Use.
This guide was compiled by David Hodgins of the
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of the
American Library Association (ALA).
