Free COVID Tests
September 2024
From FDA.gov: "Now available, U.S. households are eligible to order 4 free COVID-19 tests":
Election 2024
August 2024
We invite you to visit our online guide to learn a little more about voting and the upcoming 2024 election:
COVID Awareness Videos & Resources
December 2023
From
Orange County, NY Department of Health (OCDOH):
OCDOH has partnered with Johns Hopkins University to develop localized, tailored vaccination messaging to improve COVID-19 vaccine informed decision-making, confidence, and acceptance. With the help of trusted and credible community members, we have produced a series of informative videos to help address common questions around COVID-19 vaccines and encourage vaccine uptake.
Video links:
- Video #1 (Spanish) (14:00)- Spanish-speaking Maternal Health Worker, Newburgh NY
- Video #2 (11:46) - Physician, Port Jervis NY
- Video #3 (10:47) - Teacher, Orange County NY
- Video #4 (11:31) - Maternal Health Worker, Newburgh NY
- Video #5 (11:40)- Maternal Health Worker, Newburgh NY
For more information on COVID, you can visit...
SafeLink Wireless Phone Service
November 2023
SafeLink Wireless is part of the U.S. Government's
Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
This program provides free phone service to eligible low-income individuals and families.
To qualify, you must meet certain income requirements and provide proof of eligibility.
To apply for a phone from Safelink Wireless, you may...
Free Harm Reduction Supplies
October 2023
From the New York State Government's
Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASYS):
- "Naloxone and test strips are available free of charge and direct to NYers to help prevent overdose deaths and save lives."
Please
follow their link for more information about this.
Free COVID Tests
September 2023
From the U.S. Government at
COVID.gov:
- "Beginning September 25, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home."
To request free COVID tests,
please follow their link.
A phone number is also available for assistance with requesting tests:
StudentAid.gov & Student Debt Relief
October 2022
- Are You Looking for Student Loan Debt Relief?
- "The Biden-Harris Administration is providing up to $20,000 in student loan debt relief for eligible borrowers. Apply today (but no later than Dec. 31, 2023)."
See also:
- FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most
-
- StudentAid.gov
- "Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation. At the office of Federal Student Aid, our more than 1,400 employees help make college education possible for more than 10 million students each year."
The Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade
June 2022
- Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (19-1392)
- PDF. Decision from the U.S. Supreme Court: "The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe v. Wade, 410 U. S. 113, and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U. S. 833, are overruled; the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives."
The Mueller Report
April 2019
Post: On April 18, 2019, Attorney General William Barr released a redacted version of special counsel
Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference during the 2016 presidential campaign to members of Congress.
The over 400 page redacted document can be found at the
The Department of Justice: Special Counsel's Office website.
You can also access the report directly through the following link:
See also:
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
May 26, 2017
What is the CBO? What exactly do they do?
Since 1975, CBO has produced independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues to support the Congressional budget process. Each year, the agency's economists and budget analysts produce dozens of reports and hundreds of cost estimates for proposed legislation.
The CBO gained much attention 2009-2010, during the debate and eventual implementation of the
Affordable Care Act (AKA "Obamacare").
The CBO was once again recently in the news with its evaluation ("scoring") of the recently proposed
Affordable Health Care Act of 2017.
To learn more about CBO's function and latest findings on healthcare (and
many other topics), please visit
www.cbo.gov.
IRS "Get Ready" Campaign
December 14, 2016
The
IRS has launched a new public awareness campaign in hopes of helping taxpayers prepare for 2017:
"IRS needs your help to get the word out on key information that taxpayers need to know about before the start of the 2017 filing season. The 'Get Ready' outreach campaign focuses on helping taxpayers understand important tax law changes that may affect the processing of their tax returns and the timing of refunds for some filers. Affected taxpayers can take actions this fall that will help them file their tax returns timely and accurately. "
(
source)
Please
follow this link to visit the IRS "Get Ready" website: www.IRS.gov/getready
Happy 100th, NPS!
August 25, 2016
On August 25, 2016, the
National Park Service (NPS) celebrated its 100th birthday.
What does the National Park Service do?
"Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks.
With the help of volunteers and partners, we safeguard these special places and share their
stories with more than 275 million visitors every year. But our work doesn't stop there."
You can learn more about NPS through the links below:
State of the State 2016
January 13, 2016
On Wednesday, January 13, 2016,
New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
presented the annual State of the State address.
A video of his speech is available online:
You can also read about the Governor's speech and agenda via these links:
See also:
State of the Union 2016
January 12, 2016
On Tuesday, January 12, 2016, President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address to the nation.
You can
access the President's speech through this Whitehouse.gov link.
C-SPAN.org also provides a video of the President's speech.
Full Text Transcripts of the President's speech:
Republican
responses to the speech can be found at this link.
For past
State of the Union addresses and other historic Presidential speeches, please visit our Ready Reference guide.
Trans-Pacific Partnership Details
November 5, 2015
The full text of the the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) international trade agreement is now officially available:
For further exploration (official sources):
Related media coverage and websites:
New FEC Website
November 3, 2015
Just in time for the upcoming
2016 U.S. Presidential Election, the
U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) is redesigning its website to "provide the public with easier access to the agency's rich data."
Public feedback is encouraged, and a
Feedback button can be found throughout the
new website.
FEC states, "We're designing this site in phases. This allows us to launch new features faster than releasing a completely redesigned fec.gov."
Currently available features include:
- Explore Campaign Finance Data
- FEC API (Application Programming Interface): "This API allows you to explore the way candidates and committees fund their campaigns."
- A glossary to aid researchers with "unfamiliar words or phrases"
Future developments include:
- Additional resources concerning registration, reporting, and compliance
- Improved campaign data tools, exportable data, and more visualizations
- Improved advisory opinion and enforcement action searching
- Visual refinements to the website
FEC reminds everyone that, until the redesign is complete, the official site for FEC data is still the
Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal.
Please follow this link to explore the FEC's new website in progress.
For further exploration:
- From the FEC:
- Related media coverage:
- Related websites:
- FEC.gov
- From Middletown Thrall Library:
Pope Francis
September 25, 2015
During his historic trip to the United States,
Pope Francis
met with and addressed many groups at various locations, including President Obama at The White House and Congress at the United States Capitol.
Here are some links and trancsripts for further exploration:
From
The White House:
From
The New York Times:
Citizenship
September 18, 2015
In support of the
annually observed Citizenship Day, a new website is available:
"Launched on September 17, 2015 to coincide with the annual Citizenship Day activities, the 'Stand Stronger' campaign
is a project of non-profit Civic Nation that leverages the Obama Administration's efforts to build a multi-year,
nonpartisan, educational, public awareness initiative supported by the public sector (federal, state and local governments),
private sector, philanthropy and media. The goal is to educate and empower the millions of eligible permanent residents
to become new Americans by pursuing the naturalization process in order to access opportunities and to reach their full
potential as U.S. Citizens. (
source - "About" link at bottom of page)
You can access the website via the following link:
Its resources include:
- Citizenship Rights/Responsibilities
- General Eligibility Requirements
- Widgets
- Upcoming USCIS Naturalization Sessions
- Practice Civics Test
- What to Expect
- Reasons to Consider U.S. Citizenship
- Naturalization Test Study Materials
- Information in Other Languages
- Citizenship Class Locator
This website is also
available in Spanish (español).
See also:
Iran Agreement
July 14, 2015
On July 14, 2015, President Obama
announced a historic agreement has been reached with Iran.
You can learn more about this through the following links:
Here are some additional links for further exploration:
About Iran
Inspections
News Coverage
New GPO Mobile App
July 2, 2015
The
Government Printing Office (GPO) has released
a new
Congressional Member Guide App for the 114th Congress:
"The mobile Web app provides the public with quick,
easy access to information on Members of the 114th Congress; the features include
their picture, party affiliation, hometown, home state, and length of service.
The app allows users to browse for Members of Congress by last name, state,
chamber, or party. The public can take advantage of this free mobile Web app
on major mobile device platforms." (
source)
For more information, please see GPO's...
Abraham Lincoln
April 20, 2015
From Our Government Information Librarian, Karen Heil:
The Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
"On the evening of April 14, 1865, while attending a special performance of the comedy, Our American Cousin, President Abraham Lincoln was shot. Accompanying him at Ford's Theater that night were his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, a twenty-eight year-old officer named Major Henry R. Rathbone, and Rathbone's fiancee, Clara Harris. After the play was in progress, a figure with a drawn derringer pistol stepped into the presidential box, aimed, and fired. The president slumped forward." (from
memory.loc.gov)
One hundred and fifty years ago, our nation was changed forever with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The Library of Congress houses over 20,000 documents covering his presidency including a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation and his second Inaugural Address. There are 61,000 images in the collection. The National Park Service
offers a lesson plan entitled "Eulogy of Abraham Lincoln" describing the twelve day funeral train journey of Lincoln and his deceased son, Willie from Washington, DC to Springfield, IL.: "Bells tolled and cannons were fired in honor of the fallen President Black mourning decorations and evergreens adorned homes and businesses alike in the North. Eulogies of Lincoln by politicians, preachers, and newspaper editors began to quickly appear across the North."
Experience history with primary material by reading Broadsides, original correspondence, or viewing photographs taken of events as they unfolded. Plan a summer vacation to the national historic park in Kentucky celebrating Lincoln's birthplace, and see the
newly restored log cabin of his boyhood.
Make history come alive with resources from the Federal Government!
2015 Dietary Guidelines
March 6, 2015
The
Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS)
has posted the newly proposed Dietary Guidelines for 2015 and is welcoming public feedback:
"The 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, a group of prestigious outside experts, submitted its recommendations to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in order to inform the 2015 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Today, the Secretaries have released the advisory committee's recommendations report online, making it available for public review and comment. HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will consider this report, along with input from other federal agencies and comments from the public as they develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to be released later this year.
The public is encouraged to view the independent advisory group's report and provide written comments at
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov for a period of 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. The public will also have an opportunity to offer oral comments at a public meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, on March 24, 2015. Those interested in providing oral comments at the March 24, 2015, public meeting can register at
www.DietaryGuidelines.gov. Capacity is limited, so participants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis."
(source:
2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee)
.
Once there, scroll down their page for the
public comments link.
See also:
Middletown, New York:
State of the City 2015
February 4, 2015
Middletown, New York
Mayor Joseph DeStefano
delivered his State of the City address on Tuesday, February 3, 2015.
You can download his complete speech (PDF format) via the following link:
You might also be interested in...
New York City:
The State of the City
February 4, 2015
On Tuesday, February 3, 2015,
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio
delivered his second State of the City address.
You can catch up on the Mayor's speech via the following link:
You might also be interested in...
State of the State 2015
January 22, 2015
On Wednesday, January 21, 2015,
New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
presented the annual State of the State address.
You can watch a video of his speech, the "2015 Opportunity Agenda," online:
A copy of the Governor's 2015 Opportunity Agenda is available for downloading:
For further exploration...
You might also be interested in...
State of the Union 2015
January 20, 2015
On Tuesday, January 20, 2015, President Obama delivered his
State of the Union address to the nation.
You can
access the President's speech through this Whitehouse.gov link.
C-SPAN.org also provides an online edition of the President's speech.
Full Text Transcripts of the President's speech:
Republican
responses to the speech can be found at this link.
You might also be interested in...
Report on CIA Detention & Interrogation
December 10, 2014
Yesterday,
U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein, Chairman of the
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
released a report on the
CIA detention and interrogation program:
"The release includes redacted versions of the committee's executive summary and findings and conclusions, as well as additional and minority views authored by members of the committee."
(
source)
For more information and related resources:
Trees
From Our Government Information Librarian, Karen Heil
October 10, 2014
Fall has arrived, and, hopefully, its beautiful colors will not be too far behind. Even the government pays careful attention to our trees.
The
Department of Agriculture has produced some interesting, informative and delightful documents centered on trees. One of the newest,
Why Would Anyone Cut a Tree Down?, is a beautifully illustrated book for children.
We are surrounded every day by items produced from the forest: our homes, our books and magazines, that syrup on your morning pancakes. To understand the cambium layer or cellulose fibers and lignin, read
How a Tree Grows or
A Little Acorn.
For the gardeners out there, try
How to Prune Trees
or
Fruitful Legacy: A Historic Context of Orchards in the United States
with Technical Information for Registering Orchards in the National Register of Historic Places
or
How to Recognize Hazardous Defects in Trees.
For the entrepreneur, helpful titles include the
Nursery Manual for Native Plants: A Guide for Tribal Nurseries and
Profitable Farms and Woodlands: A Practical Guide in Agroforestry for Landowners, Farmers and Ranchers.
Trees protect us from the sun, provide homes for animals, nurture the soil, help purify the air, and give us food
and materials that make our lives better. Celebrate them, enjoy them by reading
A Botanic Garden for the Nation.
Come and learn their story!
Orange County Public Hearing
October 1, 2014
"Orange County will hold a public hearing on the proposed FY-2015 Housing and Community Development Action Plan on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at 5:00 PM at the Orange County Emergency Services Center, located at 22 Wells Farm Road, Goshen, NY 10924. The hearing will be held in order that the public may make comments on the draft FY-2015-FY-2019 HCD Plan and FY-2015 Action Plan, proposed activities or the County's programs in general, or suggest other activities that may be carried out under these programs."
Notice of Public Hearing (PDF)
The proposed documents can be found at the links below:
Local Government Update:
State of the City 2014
February 5, 2014
On Tuesday, February 4, 2014, Mayor Joseph M. DeStefano
delivered his annual State of the City address
for Middletown, New York.
You can
download and read the Mayor's presentation via this link
(PDF document).
For even more news and updates concerning the City of Middletown,
please follow this link.
State of the Union 2014
January 28, 2014 (updated)
On Tuesday, January 28, 2014, at 9 PM (EST), President Obama
will deliver his sixth State of the Union address to the nation.
You can
follow the President's speech through this special link to Whitehouse.gov,
which will provide an "enhanced version" complete with "charts, graphs and data."
Further down the Whitehouse page you can preview of the First Lady's guests, who will attend the speech with her.
C-SPAN.org will also air an online edition of the President's speech.
Official Republican
responses to the speech can be found at this link.
This post will be updated with links to full-text transcripts and related information once that becomes available.
UPDATE # 1: Expanded coverage of SOTU 2014...
UPDATE # 2: Full Text Transcripts of the Address:
State of the State Address 2014
January 13, 2014
Did you miss the New York State Governor's "State of the State" Address for 2014?
(Or would you like to watch it again?)
Whatever the reason, here are some links...
Warren Commission Report
November 18, 2013
In observance of the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination,
the
U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has
published the "official digital version" of the Warren Commission Report.
The Warren Commission, which investigated Kennedy's assasination, produced this
historic 900-page report, which also contains photos, maps, and diagrams.
For the report and related information, please see these links:
Some other links to explore:
Two Free eBooks
July 18, 2013
Middletown Thrall Library and other Federal Depository Libraries are participating in a government information ebook trial.
During this very trial period - until August 2, 2013 - you will be able to download either or both of the following free eBooks:
- Getting Back to Work: Returning to the Labor Force after an Absence by Elka Jones - Published by the Department of Labor; reviews over 400 occupational specialties (excluding postal service and military workers) currently employed in the Federal Government.
- How to Get a Job in the Federal Government by Olivia Crosby - Covers re-entry strategies for jobseekers who are seeking skills, have criminal records, have too little or too much work experience, have been fired or laid off, or have disabilities. An extensive page of re-entry resources, including electronic resources, is included.
You can view these titles on any computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone that can display PDF documents.
Unlike our regular
OverDrive/RCLS eBooks, these titles are yours to keep!
If you have any questions, please contact our Government Information Center at (845)341-5464.
State of the Union 2013
February 12, 2013 (updated)
On Tuesday, February 12, 2013, at 9 PM (EST), President Obama
delivered his fifth State of the Union speech to the nation.
You can
view his speech at Whitehouse.gov,
which provides an "enhanced version" complete with "charts, graphs and data."
A video of the speech is also available on
C-SPAN
along with the Republican response (delievered by Senator Marco Rubio)
and the Tea Party response (delivered by Senator Rand Paul).
Full text transcripts of the President's speech are available:
Republican responses are also provided:
Additional in-depth coverage can be explored online:
You can use the links below to catch up on previous State of the Union speeches
and to learn more about Presidents of the United States:
For even further exploration, you can also
click here to browse the library catalog for related items under the topic of Presidents - United States - Messages.
Inauguration 2013
January 21, 2013
Yesterday, President Obama and Vice-President Biden
each took the Oath of Office.
Today, President Obama addressed the nation and delivered the latest in a long history of
Inaugural Day speeches by Presidents of the United States.
You can
watch the Inauguration online at WhiteHouse.gov.
C-SPAN also carried the speech live at their website (
see also this video link).
Full text transcripts of the speech are now available:
Additional information on Inauguration 2013 can be found at:
For further exploration...
Congress.gov (beta)
(Posted September 20, 2012)
The Library of Congress'
Thomas.gov website
was launched in 1995, and that website has since provided legislative
information from the
U.S. House of Representatives and the
Senate,
including bills, amendments, roll call votes, committee reports,
and more.
In the hope of making such information more easily findable,
the
Library of Congress
has created a new website:
Congress.gov.
The new site is currently "in beta" and is a work-in-progress,
but you can already start using it.
Here is some more information from the Library of Congress:
Congress.gov makes federal United States legislative information freely available
to the public. Launched Sept. 19, 2012, this version of the site is an initial
beta release of Congress.gov, created as a successor to THOMAS.gov, the current
public site for legislative information.
The Congress.gov beta site contains legislation from the 107th Congress (2001)
to the present, member of Congress profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to
the present, and selected member profiles from the 80th through the 92nd Congresses
(1947 to 1972).
Over the next two years, Congress.gov will be adding information and features,
eventually incorporating all of the information currently available on THOMAS.gov.
(
source)
For more Congressional and legislative information, please visit...
Register to Vote!
(Posted September 7, 2012)
Your right to vote is the very essence of democracy!
In fact, etymologically speaking, the word "democracy"
means "rule by the people," and this means you - yes
you
- get to decide the future of your local community government
and the leaders of our nation when your time comes to vote.
But, in order to vote, you have to be registered!
If you are a New York State resident but not yet a registered voter,
please click here for information on registering to vote.
Once registered, you can cast your vote! Make it count!
For more information about the upcoming U.S. Presidential
Election, please
click here for our Election 2012 guide.
You can use it to learn more about the candidates, their
positions on various issues, and to learn more about
their respective running mates and political parties.
We also offer an
Election Year Survival Guide (PDF)
to help you get past the hype and focus more objectively
on the facts. Free printed copies of this guide are
also available at the library.
From the Government Information Librarian:
Electronic Payments Transition
(March 1, 2013: A Date to Remember)
(Posted August 29, 2012)
March 1, 2013 is an important date to remember if you are receiving any type of Federal Benefit Payments
such as those from Social Security, Veteran's Benefits, Supplemental Security Income, Railroad Retirement,
Department of Labor or Office of Personnel Management.
"You are required by the U.S. Treasury to switch from paper checks to electronic payments by" that date.
You may choose to have the payments directly deposited into your bank or credit union or have your payments
deposited on a prepaid debit card. Only certain fees may be charged to the card including card replacement,
after one free card per year, receipt of a monthly paper statement or funds transfer.
To learn more about the DirectExpress Debit MasterCard, visit the website
USDirectExpress.com or call 1-800-333-1795.
If you are about to retire or are already receiving payments, check out
GoDirect.org
to sign up, watch a video or have frequently asked questions answered. Don't get caught - make the switch now!
The DREAM Act
June 19, 2012
President Obama announced the following
temporary measures
concerning deferred deportation of young persons (dubbed
"Dreamers") who, in the President's words, "were brought
to this country by their parents - sometimes even as infants
- and often have no idea that they're undocumented":
Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps
to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. Over the next
few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security
or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation
proceedings and apply for work authorization.
Now, let's be clear - this is not amnesty, this is not immunity. This is not
a path to citizenship. It's not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap
measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief
and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people.
(
source)
The DREAM Act can only become law and stay in effect when Congress
(both the
U.S. House of Representatives
and the
Senate) approves the bill
and the President officially signs the law into effect.
The bill had already
passed in the House of Representatives
but was
blocked in the Senate.
For more information on the DREAM act:
1940 Census
February 24, 2012
The
United States Census Bureau announced the following:
On April 2, the National Archives and Records Administration will make individual records
from the 1940 Census available to the public for the first time. The 1940 Census was conducted
during a momentous time in our nation's history, as the Great Depression was winding down
and not long before our entry into World War II (although the war was already raging in Europe).
It marked the only census conducted during the lengthy presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
It was also notable for many other reasons...
(
source)
You can read more about this at
1940census.archives.gov
For related information, please see:
State of the Union 2012
January 25, 2012
Last night, President Barack Obama appeared before the nation
to deliver the State of the Union address.
If you missed it or would like to review the President's
speech and his plan ("The Blueprint for an America Built to Last"),
please see these official links from
The White House:
Additional websites to consider:
From Pyramids to Plates
September 22, 2011
History has had a definite impact on America's eating habits. Since 1894, the
Department of Agriculture
has studied the latest research on diet and nutrition to make sure Americans
maintain proper eating habits to ensure good health.
Back then, eating a balanced diet with many types of food and adequate
calories was important. During the World Wars, recipes and shopping hints
were added to help families who struggled with shortages.
After the Great Depression, with many Americans undernourished, a high calorie,
high protein diet was encouraged. By the 1970's the number one killer was heart
disease, the guidelines changed, calling for restricting calories and limiting
fat and sugar.
From 1980 on, every five years, the USDA began to publish the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
highlighting the five food groups with the Food Wheel.
In 1992, the
Food Pyramid
appeared with grains serving as the base, fruits
and vegetables next with the top of the pyramid showing smaller amounts
of protein and, finally, fats and sugars at the very top.
This year the pyramid is gone, replaced by MyPlate! - "a new generation icon
with the intent to prompt consumers to think about building a healthy plate
at meal times and to seek more information to help them do that by going to
www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. The new MyPlate
icon emphasizes the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and dairy food groups."
It seems like we have cycled back to the 1894 ideas of a balance diet with
lots of choices!
Depository Spotlight
July 14, 2011
Middletown Thrall Library has been a
Federal Depository Library
since 1986, disseminating U.S. Government information to the American public as one of 1,250 such libraries
throughout the United States.
"Since 1813, depository libraries have safeguarded the public's right to know by collecting, organizing, maintaining, preserving, and assisting users with information from the Federal Government."
(
GPO Access).
Each month the
Government Printing Office (GPO) chooses a particular Depository to spotlight, highlighting its unique services. We are very honored to have been chosen for the month of July.
Here is a sampling from the article:
"Providing quality depository services requires the budget, staffing, and other resources of a large research institution, right? Don't tell that to the staff of Thrall Library in the small community of Middletown, New York. They bust that myth every day. By knowing their users, promoting teamwork, being creative, and simply having a passion for government information, the coordinator leads a first-rate depository operation while dealing with the same issues that plague most public libraries. For this reason, Middletown Thrall Library is our Spotlight Library for July."
Please click here for GPO's complete article on Middletown Thrall Library.
For further reading about Federal Depository libraries, please visit the
Depository Library Spotlight website (FDLP Desktop)
as well as
GPO Access: About the Federal Depository Library Program.
State of the Union 2011:
Enhanced Online Edition
January 24, 2011
For the first time ever, the White House will
broadcast an enhanced online edition of the
President's State of the Union address
on January 25, 2011.
You can
view the enhanced edition at this link
once it becomes available on the Internet.
For the
complete text transcript of the President Obama's speech, please click here.
New Report: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
December 1, 2010
The
U.S. Department of Defense
has published its study on the matter of repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
policy regarding non-heterosexuals openly serving in the military.
The DOD's findings can be found at the following links (many are in the
Adobe Reader PDF format):
For more information relating to this topic, please see these links:
- "WESTAT Survey Report - Support to the DOD Comprehensive Review Working Group Analyzing the Impact of Repealing 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'":
- "RAND Report 2010: Sexual Orientation and the U.S. Military Personnel Policy. An Update of RAND's 1993 Study":
- President Obama on the DOD Report on Don't Ask, Don't Tell (November 30, 2010)
Additional
information with the library system can be found at this link.
Free Government Apps
October 27, 2010
Through
USA.gov, the U.S. Government provides
a variety of information and services.
Among the newest items at USA.gov is a
section on "apps"
- as in "computer applications" or "programs" or "software."
These free apps are designed primarily for persons
on the go ("mobile users").
According to the
Apps FAQ,
some apps are designed for iPhone, Blackberry,
Android, Nokia, and other mobile phone or computer users
while other apps are "mobile-friendly" websites.
What kinds of apps are available? Apps include:
There are many other apps as well.
You can
click here to browse all of USA.gov's selections.
If you are new to the concept of apps, you might want to
click here to visit USA.gov's "Learn More about Apps" page.
For even more free government apps and electronic services,
please visit the
Government 2.0 Gateway of our
online
Government Information Center.
Wall Street Reform
July 16, 2010
Now that "Wall Street Reform" legislation has been approved
by both the House of Representatives and the Senate,
what does this mean?
President Obama's
remarks on the reform bill's passage
provide a general overview of the spirit and intent
of this financial legistation as well as its
regulatory implications for consumers and the economy.
For further reading, please see the following sites:
New START Treaty Signed
April 8, 2010
U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev
signed the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
According to the
agreement,
the United States and Russia will be "limited to significantly fewer
strategic arms within seven years from the date the Treaty enters into force."
The full text of the the New START treaty is available online:
For more news and related information concerning START, please see these links:
What Is Reconciliation?
March 16, 2010
Recent legislative efforts to pass health care reform
have generated much discussion and debate concerning,
among other topics, Senate and House procedures
of voting on and enacting laws.
As this process nears a so-called "final vote," chances are you
might have heard of something called
reconciliation in the news.
Apart from what various
media commentators
have to say on the topic, what, objectively speaking, is reconcilation?
The
United States Senate Glossary defines
reconciliation process as follows:
A process established in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by which Congress changes existing laws to conform tax
and spending levels to the levels set in a budget resolution.
That defines the
process, but what about a
reconciliation bill?
The Senate Glossary defines
reconciliation bill as follows:
A bill containing changes in law recommended pursuant to reconciliation instructions in a budget resolution.
If the instructions pertain to only one committee in a chamber, that committee reports the reconciliation bill.
To understand this, we need to know what
reconciliation instructions and
budget resolution mean.
The Glossary defines
reconciliation instruction as:
A provision in a budget resolution directing one or more committees to report (or submit to the Budget Committee)
legislation changing existing law in order to bring spending, revenues, or the debt-limit into conformity with the
budget resolution.
Next, the Glossary defines
budget resolution
as:
Legislation in the form of a concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget.
To understand that, we also need to know how the Senate Glossary defines
concurrent resolution:
A legislative measure, designated "S. Con. Res." and numbered consecutively upon introduction, generally
employed to address the sentiments of both chambers, to deal with issues or matters affecting both houses,
such as a concurrent budget resolution, or to create a temporary joint committee.
What is a
joint committee? There's a definition for that as well:
Committees including membership from both houses of Congress.
If you find this all more than a little confusing, you are definitely not alone!
Congressional rules and procedures are almost always defined
in strictly formal terms and in ways perhaps only legal scholars
and representatives might thoroughly understand.
To be fair, while some words and phrases used to describe
these things could, in theory, be simplified a bit, the procedures
themselves would not necessarily be easier to comprehend
because they usually involve regulations based on other rules,
which further subject to other protocols and procedures,
all of which have their own legislative histories and intricacies.
Thankfully, the
U.S. House of Representatives Committe on Rules
offers some additional clarity on reconciliation at their
"How Congress Works" website,
specifically in the
"The Budget Process" section:
This can be a helpful document, especially in showing how reconciliation
addresses the issue of
filibusters
in the Senate.
If you are interested in learning more about reconciliation
and how all of this relates with current and past
legislative efforts, there are these other links to consider:
From the House and Senate:
From the Republican Leadership (GOP):
From the Speaker of the House's Blog:
Reconciliation elsewhere in the news:
For more on health care reform news, the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
has a website dedicated to the topic:
The State of the Union
January 28, 2010
Last night,
President Barack Obama
delivered the State of the Union Address.
A full text transcript of the President's speech is now available
at
The White House website along with a video and an audio (MP3) file:
There is also this related post from The White House Blog,
which highlights key points of the speech:
For the Republican response to the Address, please see these links:
In the
Speeches section of our
Ready Reference Center
you will find
Presidential Speech archives,
which contain full text transcripts of past State of the Union Addresses.
The
C-SPAN site in that list
also offers videos of Addresses dating back to Harry S. Truman.
In our
library catalog
you can check on related items at Middletown Thrall Library and elsewhere in the library system
under the following subject heading:
If you would like to delve further into the history of the U.S. Presidency,
we invite you to browse the
American Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and First Ladies
section of our
American History guide.
2010 Census
January 27, 2010
Forms for the "Decennial Census" - "Census 2010" (or, if you prefer, "2010 Census") - will soon arrive.
While the Census might appear to be nothing more than paperwork
- a questionnaire to be completed - the information derived
from these forms help sustain one of democracy's most important
principles: representation.
The Census is required by the United States Contitution so that
members of the House of Representatives can be properly apportioned
across our nation based upon population statistics.
Since population numbers change every day, the Census is held
on a "decennial" basis - every ten years - to help keep the
numbers current and regions appropriately represented.
The benefit of information gained from the Census process
does not stop there: there are, as Census.gov reports,
community benefits
as well as
national impacts on funding
vital services, such as hospitals, schools, and job training centers.
There is a
new 2010 Census website
that covers all these topics and much more, from the very basic
ideas behind it to advanced concepts, including:
- What is the Census?
- About the Census Form
- Questions You May Have
- What is a Census Taker?
- Preparing For the Census Taker
- Privacy and Confidentiality
- Key Dates
The
U.S. Census Bureau has also established a new
2010 Census Blog
as well as
some social networking websites including:
If you are interested in working as as a census taker,
click here for the 2010 Census Jobs page.
For even more information on the Census, please see these links:
OpenInternet.gov & Net Neutrality
October 26, 2009
The U.S.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
offers a website on the topic of preserving an open Internet:
OpenInternet.gov
The FCC describes the website as follows:
"OpenInternet.gov is a place to join the discussion about the important issues
facing the future of the Internet. Through this site you can stay connected
to all Federal Communication Commission activities on the issue, and share your
thoughts and ideas on open Internet."
An "open Internet" goes to the heart of the "network neutrality" debate.
If you haven't heard, Internet Services Providers (ISPs),
telecommunications and information technology companies, and other
organizations and individuals, have been weighing in over the past
several years with a variety of perspectives and concerns on attempts
to preserve an accessible-to-all Internet (versus a system that
might, according to some, limit users' connectivity, increase costs,
or generate other issues).
In 2006, as part of its
Special Coverage series of guides,
Thrall created a
Network Neutrality information guide
to help you learn more about these issues and related topics.
Today we updated our guide with links to OpenInternet.gov and
Broadband.gov: The National Broadband Plan.
Topics in our
Network Neutrality guide include:
- Definitions and Issues
- Government Information
- Network Neutrality News
- Neutrality Advocates and Opponents
- library catalog subject headings for further research
As more people than ever use and rely on the Internet daily,
the outcome of this debate stands to impact countless users
in coming years.
At
OpenInternet.gov there is
a "Join the Discussion" button, which you can click to participate
in the debate, voice your concerns, and share your ideas.
What the President Said
October 21, 2009
However you receive news, be it through newspapers,
radio programs, television, e-mail, or websites,
you are often provided a series of terse soundbites
or quick "facts" interspersed with observations,
contradictory statements, or opinions.
Under such circumstances you might never know
what was originally said or, more generally,
what is to be believed, especially if quotes are
provided incompletely or taken out of context.
To limit such confusion and to afford yourself greater
objectivity, you can go straight to official sources,
read (or view) speeches in their entirety, and make
up your own mind accordingly.
For example, President Obama's speeches can be
viewed verbatim at
the White House website.
Here are some links to some major speeches and statements from the President throughout 2009:
- January 21, 2009: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address
- February 24, 2009: Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared for Delivery Address to Joint Session of Congress
- June 4, 2009: The President's Speech in Cairo: A New Beginning
- September 8, 2009: Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama Back to School Event
- September 9, 2009: Remarks by the President to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care
- September 14, 2009: Remarks by the Presidenton Financial Rescue and Reform
- September 19, 2009: President Obama Promotes Tougher Rules on Wall Street to Protect Consumers
- September 23, 2009: Remarks by the President to the United Nations General Assembly
- October 9, 2009: Remarks by the President on Winning the Nobel Peace Prize
- October 9, 2009: Restoring a Sense of Responsibility from Wall Street to Washington
- October 20, 2009: Statement by President Barack Obama on Afghan Elections
You can find more complete speeches and news items by going to
WhiteHouse.gov
and visiting such sections as:
For more on making sense of news in this age of "tweets"
and "real time" information, please check out our
"Real Time News and Analysis" blog post.
Government Information Center 2.0
September 25, 2009
Middletown Thrall Library's Government Information Center has a
new home page!
As a designated
Federal Depository Library serving the
22nd Congressional District, Middletown Thrall Library enables
you to learn about and participate in government by making available
essential documents and other important materials.
And so, as part of our ongoing mission to promote, simplify,
and expedite public access to government information, we
redesigned this area of our website to improve your ability
to search or browse key local, state, and federal government
information sources.
Included in the new page are instant headline links to all major branches
of the U.S. Government (the White House, House of Representatives,
Speaker of the House, Senate) as well as key government agencies
and websites (e.g. FTC, NASA, the Library of Congress).
Under the title of the page you will find convenient
"quick links" and "government topics" you can follow
to visit key websites or browse topics of interest.
Our new
Government 2.0 Gateway
provides links to the latest wave of
social networking
and media from the U.S. Government, including blogs, podcasts,
RSS feeds, Twitter feeds, videos, and webcams.
A search box enables you to explore any of the following
from one convenient location:
- GovSites - Our comprehensive directory of government information
- Government Publications (via GPO Access)
- GovTrack.us
- GPO FDSys (the Government Printing Office's new document search engine, currently in beta)
- Our New York State guide
- The Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS) Catalog, which lists thousands of documents we have either in print at Thrall or electronic form
- USA.gov - the official information portal of the U.S. Government
We encourage you to
visit our new home page
and explore the many informative, interesting, and occasionally surprising or entertaining
items made available to you from the Government!
Constitution Day
September 17, 2009
Two hundred and twenty two years ago on September 17, 1787, the Constitution
was signed by members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
While approval (ratification) of the Constitution would take a bit longer
among the states, the date of the initial signing marks the birth of what
would ultimately become the U.S. Federal Government.
In the interests of promoting awareness and appreciation of this
historic day, a number of agencies and entities within the U.S. Government
offer a variety of resources on the Internet.
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) offers
information, activities,
and educational materials for teachers and students at this link.
Searchable copies of the Constitution along with additional information
and learning materials can be found at the following links:
- Ben's Guide to U.S. Government: The Constitution
- Cornell University Law School: The Constitution (with Annotations)
- Government Printing Office (GPO): Constitution of the United States - Includes analysis and interpretation
- Library of Congress - American Memory Exhibit: The Constitution
- Library of Congress: Constitution Day Resources - Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Federalist Papers, Bill of Rights, 13th Amendment, 14th Amendment, 15th Amendment, and more.
- Library of Congress: Primary Documents in American History - Includes links to: Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, The Bill of Rights, The Federalist Papers, Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789, Guide to American Historical Documents Online, Charters of Freedom from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): The Constitution of the United States
- National Constitution Center - Includes educational resources and an interactive Constitution exhibit online
- U.S. Senate: Constitution
- The White House: The Constitution
- The White House: President Obama's Presidential Proclamation on Constitution Day, Citizenship Day and Constitution Week
For more information, such as books and videos,
please click here to browse related items available in the library system.
Your Government 2.0: Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, and More
June 4, 2009
Various agencies within the United States Government
are trying to make more of their information accessible
through social networking websites such as Twitter,
Youtube, and Facebook.
A recent blog post at the
GovGab, the U.S. Government Blog
announced progress on these efforts:
read their complete blog post.
Three Government "Twitters" mentioned in their post are:
Did you know there is also a
U.S. Government Channel on You Tube?
But wait, there's more!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
offer a
"Social Media Tools for Consumers and Partners" page.
The Library of Congress
is on Youtube
(
see their blog post here).
The LOC is also on Twitter:
"We Tweet, Therefore We Are"
(
click here for their direct Twitter link).
Did you know even NASA's
Mars Rovers are Twittering from Mars?
Some searches at
USA.gov provided even more U.S. Government
social networking feeds and pages:
Add Thrall's
own Government Blog RSS feed
to the mix, and there you have it:
easy and instantaneous 24/7/365 access to your Government!
Enjoy!
NYS Project Sunlight Website
April 24, 2009
The
New York State Attorney General's office has announced
a new website that "enhances the public's ability to access and review state and local government information":
www.SunlightNY.com
You can
read the full press release by clicking here.
There are three main sections: Browse, Search, and Maps:
- The Browse section allows you to view information on "bills, bill jackets, State elected officials, member items, campaign finance, State contracts, State corporations, charities, local elected officials, local government by county."
- The Search function contains information on contracts, member items, corporations, charities, lobbyists, and campaign financing.
- The Map feature allows you to browse, geographically, elected officials, member items, and local governments by county.
Also included are video tutorials, frequently asked questions, and "State Gov 101" (where you can "learn the basics of State Government").
A Spanish edition of the website is available (click the "Español" link at the top of their site).
Please click here to visit the www.SunlightNY.com website.
FinancialStability.gov
April 1, 2009
The White House website blog has announced the creation of another new website:
"The Treasury Department has just launched FinancialStability.gov, a website dedicated
to bringing transparency and clarity to the immensely complex problems in the financial
system and the President's plans to address them."
You can read more about this new website in
the press release from the White House.
If you would like to go to the new site,
please click here for FinancialStability.gov.
MakingHomeAffordable.gov: A New Website
March 20, 2009
The White House has announced a new website for homeowners:
A quote from the White House Blog:
"At midnight last night the Treasury Department took a great step to ensure that everybody who can take advantage of the President housing plan can do so, helping to put the brakes on the foreclosure crisis, launching MakingHomeAffordable.gov - a site where you can find out everything you need to know about the President's plan and whether you qualify."
Please click here to access the MakingHomeAffordable.gov website.
New York State Recovery Guide
March 11, 2009
The New York State Government has a new website
concerning funds and activities relating to the
recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
New York State Guide to the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Sections include: News, Resources and Links (including the "New York American Recovery and Reinvestment Handbook" - PDF format: view with
Adobe Reader),
Certifications, New York's Share, and Submit Proposals.
The website also invites you to sign up to receive updates from the NYS Governor concerning steps the state
is taking to "implement the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act."
You can also find this website in the
New York State Government section of our
Economy information guide on the web.
Recovery.gov
February 19, 2009
A new website has been created by the U.S. Government
to help people learn more about the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The new website is
Recovery.gov,
and it has been described as follows:
"Recovery.gov is a website that lets you, the taxpayer, figure out where the money
from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is going. There are going to be
a few different ways to search for information. The money is being distributed
by Federal agencies, and soon you'll be able to see where it's going -- to
which states, to which congressional districts, even to which Federal contractors."
The website includes a video from President Obama as well as
announcements, contact information, and answers to frequently asked questions
concerning economic recovery plans and activities.
Where Is It Now?
February 9, 2009
From the Government Information Librarian, Karen A. Heil:
A new President, a new Administration and a new look for
the White House website
(
www.whitehouse.gov).
It's fresh, timely (including lots of video and audio) and interactive
(
highlighting a Blog).
Now that digital information is quickly taking the place of paper, what happens to documents
from past administrations? If you missed the
"100 Things Americans May Not Know About the Bush Administration Record,"
featured on the old White House website on January 19th, but not the 20th (on the new website), all is not lost!
The U.S.
National Archives is responsible for keeping
historical information from disappearing. Through
their link to the Presidential Libraries,
one can access historical materials from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush.
The most current entry includes a "snap shot" of the recent past (and the old White House website):
georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov
Living in the moment is all the style, but forgetting our past would be a terrible loss!
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
January 31, 2009
Our
Special Coverage Economy web guide
has been updated to include information concerning the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 of 2009."
Information concerning this, along with the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" (EESA) and TARP (the Troubled Assets Relief Program),
can be found in the
EESA section of our guide
under various government branches, departments, agencies, and committees.
For the full text of H.R.1 ("American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009"), you can
click here to jump to the U.S. House of Representatives section.
News concerning H.R.1. and related economic policy announcements from President Obama and Vice-President Biden
can be found in the
2009 area of The White House category.
Our Economy guide continues to be updated as new information becomes available.
AStrongMiddleClass.gov
January 30, 2009
President Obama and Vice-President Biden announced
the creation of a new task force (and website) focusing
on the economy and the middle class:
The formal name of the new task force is "The White House Task Force on Middle Class Working Families,"
and it is described as follows
at WhiteHouse.gov:
"The Task Force is a major initiative targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America."
The corresponding website is
www.AStrongMiddleClass.gov.
For more on the task force and related information, checke out these other areas at WhiteHouse.gov:
You can learn more about these efforts, as well as the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan of 2009,"
in the
Government Information: U.S. President section of our
Special Coverage: Economy web guide.
President Obama's Inaugural Address
January 21, 2009
In case you missed it, or if you would like to experience it again,
President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address
can now be read online at
The White House (whitehouse.gov) and
at America.gov.
The White House website includes a video of President Obama's Inaugural Address (
Adobe Flash Plugin required).
The
Library of Congress has a blog post with information on and high-resolution
images of the Bible used at the Presidential Inaugural ceremony:
"The Lincoln Inaugural Bible"
If you would like to delve some more into the history of inaugurations, the Library of Congress has
a web page called
"I Do Solemnly Swear"
where you can find inaugural speeches of past U.S. Presidents, all the way back to George Washington.
Poet
Elizabeth Alexander was asked to compose
a poem for the Inauguration.
The New York Times offers a transcript of the poem,
as does
About.com as well.
To read other works by this author, please
click here to browse titles available in the catalog.
For more information on the current Inauguration, please check out
our earlier blog post.
Inauguration 2009
January 15, 2009
If you are one of the many who will attend the 2009 U.S. Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., congratulations!
If not, you can still witness history as it unfolds either at home or in the library by virtually attending the ceremony either through televised coverage or through streaming audio/video clips, blog posts, and relate news articles provided at some of the U.S. Government websites mentioned below:
Our
Election 2008 Special Coverage guide contains a section called
"The Presidential Transition."
There you find links to U.S. Government websites, including
Change.gov (the official President-Elect and Vice-President-Elect website),
PresidentialTransition.gov, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies,
and "Presidential 09 Inauguration."
The "Presidential Inauguration 09" website offers a
Calendar of Events as well as a
"Getting There" section for travelers, a
"Discover DC" section for tourists,
and a
"Fun Facts" section for everyone.
CNN, MSNBC, and other major news providers online are said to be planning to offer live coverage on the web of Inauguration events. You can access these websites through the
"International News" section of our Current Interests Center.
Once the Inauguration concludes, you can follow President Barack Obama and Joe Biden's administration through
Change.gov and
www.WhiteHouse.gov.
New York State Budget
December 18, 2008
Information concerning New York State's 2009-2010
proposed budget has been published at the
New York State government website:
State of New York, Division of the Budget Home Page
A press release from NYS offers this overview of the Governor's budget proposal:
"Governor Paterson's Executive Budget Eliminates Largest Deficit In State History, Reins In Spending"
Change.gov and the Presidential Transition
November 14, 2008
Our
Election 2008 web guide
has a new category covering post-election developments and the transition to the next U.S. Government Administration:
Election 2008: The Presidential Transition
Here you will find links to sites such as Change.gov ("the Official Website of the Office of the United States President-Elect"),
PresidentialTransition.gov, as well as websites prepared by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA),
the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform,
and National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
In addition to news about President-Elect Barack Obama and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden,
you will find biographical entries about them and their spouses, job announcements,
appointments, blogs, details about the upcoming Inauguration, information and laws
concerning presidential transitions, as well as major issues to be addressed
by the new Administration.
EconomicRecovery.gov
October 24, 2008
The U.S.
Department of Commerce
has created "an interagency website" called
EconomicRecovery.gov.
The Department of Commerce states, "The web site will be a resource for the
latest information about important economic issues, and what the U.S. Government
is doing to strengthen the economy and restore prosperity."
The website currently has three sections: Help for Americans, Help for Workers, and Help for Small Businesses and Financial Institutions.
EconomicRecovery.gov's topics currently include: Guide to Avoiding Foreclosure, Securing Your Retirement, Consumer Protection Guide, Is My Account Fully Insured?, Eating Right when Money is Tight, Nutrition Assistance Program,
Jobs and Opportunities in Your State, Work for the Federal Government, Information about Unemployment Insurance in Your State, One-Stop Career Center, Help for People with Disabilities,
Helping Main Street: Loan Programs, Training and Mentoring to Meet Business Challenges, Contracting Opportunities for Minority Businesses,
Grow Your Business Overseas, Strengthening America's Banking System, Protecting Investors, Helping Manufacturers Grow their Businesses and Stay Competitive, and Farm Loan Programs.
You can read more about the new website in the
Commerce Department's press release.
For even more information on what the U.S. Government is doing
in response to the current economic situation, you can also check out the
Government Information section of our
Global Economic Crisis special coverage guide.
Our web guide includes extensive information on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act
(formerly known as "the Bailout Bill") as well as TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program).
Information in this section are arranged chronologically by each U.S. Government agency.
USASpending.gov
October 2, 2008
Citizens wondering how the U.S. Government spends money will be interested in this website:
"USASpending.gov: Where Americans Can See Where Their Money Goes"
Find out where grant awards and federal contracting dollars go or, as the website says, "what the government is really doing with your money."
Data sources include the Federal Procurement Data System and the Federal Assistance Award Data System.
More information about data sources is located at this web page.
More information about the website (and the
Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 "Transparency Act"
requiring the website to exist) can be
viewed at this web page.
Ready to Start a Business?
August 11, 2008
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has an online assessment tool
designed to help people determine whether or not they are ready
to start their own businesses:
Click here to access the SBA's "Are You Ready to Start a Business?" website.
You can also
click here to browse related information (under the heading of "New Business Enterprises") available in the library system.
Homelessness Resource Center
July 25, 2008
The U.S.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) has established a new website:
Homelessness Resource Center
SAMHSA describes this website as "an interactive community of providers, consumers,
policymakers, researchers, and public agencies at federal, state, and local levels."
The website has been added to our
Homelessness Special Coverage Guide
in the
Government section.
Jewish American Heritage Month
May 15, 2008
In April 2008, the President of the United States
proclaimed May as Jewish American Heritage Month,
describing it as "an opportunity to celebrate the history,
culture, and faith of Jewish Americans and their
contributions to our Nation."
You can read more about the President's proclamation in
this official press release from the White House.
To help celebrate this month and to provide information
on its theme, a new website has been created by the U.S. Government:
www.jewishheritage.gov.
On the About page the website is said to be "a collaborative project
of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration,
National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art,
National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum."
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).
Subscribe to this blog! (RSS Feed)
[?]
