U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services 4118 McKeldin Library College Park, MD 20742 govdocs@umd.edu Need assistance?Help is available at the Information and Research Services desk, 1st Floor, McKeldin Library, or by calling 301-405-9075. |
Exhibits Archive
2009
GovDocs Gone Wild!Art Working for the Government
2008
Soon Everything You See Will Be DTVYou Wouldn't Believe... Our Favorite Government Documents
Federal Oversight: From Root to Plate
American Heart Month
2007
The World in Gov DocsEspionage: Cold War to Present
2006
More Summer Fun on a Tank of Gas!The United States Supreme Court
2005
Constitution DayCamp Uncle Sam
2004
Reel Documents: Government Information and the Silver ScreenDemocracy at Your Door: Elections and More!
Trailblazing Docs: Exploring the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Government Spokes-Characters
Documenting Love Online
2003
A Celebration of 100 Years of FlightInformation on Turkeys and Thanksgiving
American Indian & Alaskan Native Heritage Month
Offbeat Gov Docs
Back to School Daze: Higher Education Documents
Show Me the Money!
Elvis Lives . . . in Gov Docs
The Constitution of the United States
Please visit our Maryland Day 2009 Web page: Art Working for the Government
The U.S. government has a longstanding relationship with artists, both as an employer of artists and as a collector of artwork. In this exhibit, you will find government documents featuring works by a variety of artists, from writers and musicians to photographers and cartoonists. Examples include work by Thomas Moran, who accompanied government surveyors on exhibitions to the West in the 1870's sketching images of the landscape, and Dorothea Lange who photographed migratory workers for the Resettlement Agency and Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression. You will also see work by cartoonists such as the Charles Schultz, whose "Security is an Eye Patch" featuring Charlie Brown was used by the Public Health Service, and illustrators like Norman Rockwell, whose famous "Four Freedom" posters were used by the Office of War Information to promote the U.S. war bond drive during World War II. Additionally, the exhibit includes information about U.S. government collections of artwork at the Smithsonian, National Gallery, and U.S. Capitol. A special thanks to to Kim Detterbeck for her assistance.
Art & Artists
PhotographyEver since Mathew Brady's assistant, Alexander Gardner, captured the dead at Antietam in 1862, photographers have been commissioned to document events in our nation's history. Two such photographers were Ansel Adams and Dorthea Lange, known for their work with the National Park Service, the Farm Security Administration, and the War Relocation Authority.
Works Progress/Projects Administration (WPA)The WPA was the largest agency created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, providing jobs and income to those without jobs during the Great Depression of the 1930's. Along with its public works projects, the WPA also funded artists, musicians, actors, and writers through the Federal Project Number One, specifically the Federal Writer's Project, the Federal Music Project, the Federal Theatre Project, and the Federal Art Project. More Government Websites Related to Art
PhotosClick on images to enlarge
Agency Spotlight:National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) "From daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting marine commerce" the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a division of the Department of Commerce, provides products and support to fulfill its mission "to understand and predict changes in Earth's environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet our Nation's economic, social, and environmental needs." Explore NOAA and all the programs and services it has to offer, from the Commissioned Officer Corps that operates NOAA's fleet of ships and aircraft to fishery conservation efforts to storm tracking and preparedness. NOAA OnlineNOAA Organizations Online
Please stop by our mini-exhibit in the West Wing of the 4th floor of McKeldin Library and check out selections from our collection. Document on view include:
Soon Everything You See Will Be DTV
More Information About Digital Television
Documents on View Included:
PhotosClick on images to enlarge
You Wouldn't Believe...
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Since the end of World War II and the movement to address issues related to disabled veterans, there's been a marked increase in disability rights legislation. This exhibit features an array of educational materials, committee reports, and recommendations for future action that the federal government has produced to promote the rights of people with disabilities and to increase disabilities awareness.
Please stop by our exhibit on the 4th floor of McKeldin Library and check out selections from our collection. This display is part of the October Libraries-wide exhibit, "Whatever Goes Unseen, Goes Unchanged:" Disability Awareness at the UM Libraries.
Online Resources on Disability Rights Legislation and Services
General Resources and Agencies
- Department of Veterans Affairs: VetSuccess.gov
- DisabilityInfo.gov
- Disability Preparedness Resource Center
- National Council on Disability
- President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Legislation-Related Information
- Education and Disability Information
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Disability Discrimination
- Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST
- Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Office of Personnel Management: Federal Employment of People with Disabilities
- Section508.gov
Accessibility Resources
- BuyAccessible.gov
- Federal Interagency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility: United We Ride
- National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS): That All May Read
- United States Access Board
Photograph from NASA
We all know that the U.S. government creates a wealth of information on a myriad of topics, including the history of the American people, the structure and inner-workings of our government, and North American geography, just to name a few. But did you also know that government documents contain a wide range of information about countries, languages, and peoples outside our borders? For decades U.S. governmental agencies--including the State Department, the Library of Congress and many others--have been collecting and distributing information about other nations and our interactions with them.
More and more Americans are traveling outside the United States every year. A decade ago, in 1996, just over 5.5 million passports were issued--that's less than a third of the 17 million predicted to be issued this year! As more Americans travel abroad, the need for timely, accurate information regarding personal safety, health hazards, and security concerns grows. It's also important to keep up on travel regulations since recent changes in passport regulations (requiring passports for travel in Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean) affect millions of travelers.
Please stop by our exhibit on the 4th floor of McKeldin Library and check out these selections from our collection! View information on foreign countries, such as 1940s country profiles from the Department of State's Office of Inter-American Affairs and Department of Defense country studies; track the history of passports in the U.S. and read about current developments, such as e-passports; keep up to date on travel tips and warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of State; and check out a sampling of other documents with a global focus, including gazetteers, foreign roadmaps, and archaeological investigation reports.
Find Out More About Our World From Government Information Online
Americans Abroad: Information for Travelers
- Americans Living and Traveling Abroad
- A Safe Trip Abroad
- CDC Travelers' Health
- International Travel Safety Information for Students
- State Department International Travel Page
About Passports
- Department of State Passport Applications Archive: April 1925-Present
- NARA Passport Applications Archive: 1795-March 1925
- Passport Statistics
- U.S. Passport Office
Education Abroad and Foreign Language Resources
- Office of Post-Secondary Education: International Education Programs
- National Endowment for the Humanities: EDSITEment--Foreign Language Resources
- WorldStudy.gov [Internet Archive]
This is no longer an active website. You can learn more about the government's initiatives for education in foreign cultures for its public servants at the National Security Education Program (NSEP) website, the former sponsor of WorldStudy.gov.
Information About Foreign Countries
- Consular Information Sheets
- Department of State Background Notes
- Library of Congress Global Gateway
- University of Texas Perry-Castañeda Library, Government Foreign Maps Collection
- Southern Methodist University's Historical Government Publications From World War II
U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs
- The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training
- Timeline of U.S. Diplomatic History
- Websites of Embassies, Consulates and Diplomatic Missions
Espionage has been a threat to our national security since the Revolutionary War. When most people think of espionage, the "cloak and dagger" escapades of the Cold War come to mind. The monumental changes to the global balance of power that occurred during the latter part of the 20th century, such as the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ushered in a new era in espionage - an era in which the United States is not always sure of who its enemies are and espionage techniques are constantly evolving due to enormous technological advancements around the globe. What has not changed, however, is the government's ongoing commitment to guarding against the threat of espionage.
Please stop by the 4th Floor of McKeldin Library and learn more about the strategies used by the United States during past and present spy games! Check out our collection of documents from the Cold War and post-Cold War era that detail the myriad ways the United States government has responded to espionage threats over the years. See how, during the height of the Cold War, the government made a concerted effort to educate the American public about espionage and related subversive activities. Learn more about the economic espionage threat facing the United States today and view examples from the government's current campaign to increase public awareness about this threat.
Government information online:
- Espionage Statistics
- Espionage Techniques [Internet Archive]
This is no longer an active website. For more current information, please visit the FBI's Counterintelligence website. - The National Counterintelligence Executive
- Venona Project
Specific espionage cases:
Other online resources:
- The Atom Spies
- Cold War Experience: Espionage
- International Spy Museum
- Rosenbergs' Espionage Case
- The Spy Fi Archives
- Strategic Intelligence
More Summer Fun on a Tank of Gas!
Please visit our Maryland Day 2006 Web page.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/GOV/mdday/marylandday06.html
The United States Supreme Court:
A Brief History of the Appointment Process
Want to find out which Supreme Court nominees sailed through their confirmation hearings and which ones failed disastrously? Visit the new United States Supreme Court exhibit in Government Documents and Maps. Learn about the successful and unsuccessful attempts by the executive and legislative branches to alter the composition and nomination process of the U.S. Supreme Court. Trace the nomination and confirmation of our newest Supreme Court Justice, Samuel A. Alito, from start to finish. All this and more!
White House photo by Shealah Craighead
Related Web Sites
United States Supreme CourtWhite House: Judicial Nominations
United States Senate: Committee on the Judiciary
Federal Judicial Center: History of the Federal Judiciary
OYEZ: Biographies of Supreme Court Justices
OYEZ: Virtual Tour of the Supreme Court
National Archives: The Constitution of the United States
- Constitution Day, September 17, 2005
A Celebration of UM's Eight Decades Providing
Government Information
The University of Maryland joined the Federal Depository Library Program in 1925. Since then, we've received all manner of government publications through the Government Printing Office; our Government Documents & Maps collection now includes more than 2 million documents and 350,000 maps, as well as microfiche, audio/video recordings and electronic resources. To celebrate 80 years of providing government information to the university community and the public at-large, we're showcasing documents that represent each decade of keeping you in the know. To view photos of the exhibit, taken during Maryland Day in April 2005, click here.
We celebrated our aniversary on September 23, 2005. For more information on our history as a depository and for details about the celebration, please visit our 80th anniversary celebration page.
Government information plays a large role in our lives. This is confirmed by the many movies that involve government documents. The documents we highlight may be featured in a film, such as in Saving Private Ryan when a military officer reads from a letter by Abraham Lincoln, or may be related to the topic of the movie, such as the congressional hearings for events depicted in Apollo 13.
Please stop by the 4th floor of McKeldin Library and learn more about how Hollywood has portrayed our documents. We invite you to check out the other movies on display, read about how they depict government information, and learn some interesting facts about the documents and movies themselves. If you've noticed any we've missed, please be sure to share them by writing them on our "Challenge" board.
For more information on this display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
And the list goes on ...
Since we just didn't have room to include all the movies we found, here are a few more:
The machinations of Congress are explored in
- Advise and Consent (1962)
- A Foreign Affair (1948)
- The Godfather: Part II (1974)
- Guilty By Suspicion (1991)
- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Presidential scandals (real and fictional) are the main plots of:
- All the President's Men (1976)
- The American President (1995)
- Dick (1999)
- JFK (1991)
- Nixon (1995)
- Wag the Dog (1997)
- The Werewolf of Washington (1973)
The Declaration of Independence is mentioned in:
- 1776 (1972)
- Back to the Future (1985)
- Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
- National Treasure (2004)
- Philadelphia (1993)
Candidates run for Congressional or Presidential office in:
- The Best Man (1964)
- Bob Roberts (1992)
- Bulworth (1998)
- The Candidate (1972)
- The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
- Primary Colors (1998)
- State of the Union (1948)
- Taxi Driver (1976)
Online Reel Documents
All the President's Men or Nixon- The Watergate Files, from the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum, detail the happenings chronicled in both movies.
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) kept files on outlaws Bonnie & Clyde.
- Congress's McCarthy Hearings, a focus of this movie, have been put online by the Senate Library.
- Mentioned in the movie, the Warren Commission records are accessible from the National Archives.
- The Centers for Disease Control maintains a page on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the focus of the movie.
- The Senate Historian discusses this movie in this "Mr. Smith" Comes to Washington feature from his "Historical Minutes" collection.
- Information on Abraham Lincoln's letter, read in the movie, can be found from the Lincoln Home National Historic Site.
- The Abraham Lincoln Papers are available online from the Library of Congress.
Just for fun...
Maryland at a Glance: FilmsElections and More!
Please note: This exhibit is featured on our Maryland Day 2004 Web page.
"Captain Lewis & Clark holding a council with the Indians"
From A journal of the voyages and travels of a corps of discovery by Patrick Gass, Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-17372
Our latest exhibit celebrates the 200th anniversary of the expedition of Lewis and Clark. This event is being commemorated across the country as President Bush has proclaimed 2003-2006 the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition of volunteers to explore the land recently acquired from France in the Louisiana Purchase, a transaction that almost doubled the size of the United States. The group, called the Corps of Discovery, left in 1804 from present-day Illinois and journeyed west, looking for a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean, mapping the territory, surveying the land, and observing the plants, animals, and people that they encountered. The expedition traveled along the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, covering eleven states during their two-year journey. Their route is recognized today as the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
Come follow Lewis and Clark's journey! View a map of their route, their letters to Jefferson that were shared with Congress, reports of the Lewis and Clark Trail Commission, and documents related to the Bicentennial. Also on display are the text of the treaty of the Cession of Louisiana to the United States and information on Sacajawea, a member of the Shoshone Indian tribe who accompanied Lewis and Clark, as well as other documents related to exploration of the West, including J.W. Powell's surveys of the territories.
For more information on this display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
American Indian Peace Medal
From the Library of Congress'Rivers, Edens, Empires Exhibit
Top 10 Fun Facts about the Lewis & Clark Expedition:
- In January, 1803, Thomas Jefferson secretly asked Congress for $2,500 to fund an expedition to the Pacific Ocean. The total cost of the trip was $40,000.
- Jefferson gave Meriwether Lewis, his personal secretary and appointed leader of the trip, a cipher to encode messages as the Corps traveled through French territory.
- The expedition's supplies included 50 dozen Dr. Rush's patented "Rush's Thunderclapper" pills, 176 pounds of gunpowder, 3 bushels of salt and 4,600 Sewing needles (to be used as gifts to Indians).
- The Corps was accompanied by Lewis's pet Newfoundland, Seaman, and Clark's slave, York.
- There was only one death during the 28-month journey.
- There was also a birth during the expedition: the son of Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian who served as guide to the group.
- This expedition marked the first time the coyote, jackrabbit, bighorn sheep and California condor were recorded.
- The group documented and described over 100 mammals, birds, reptiles and fish and almost 200 plant specimens.
- "Captain" William Clark was, in fact, only a lieutenant at the time of the expedition. He was posthumously promoted to captain in 2000 (P.L. 106-507).
- Lewis became governor of the Louisiana Territory, but committed suicide in 1809.
Find out more about the historic expedition:
- LewisandClark200.gov
Government Web portal to information on historical places related to Lewis and Clark. - Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America
Online exhibit from the Library of Congress. - Lewis & Clark Journey of Discovery
Presented by the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. - The Lewis and Clark Expedition and the USGS
Comprehensive site from the U.S. Geological Survey that includes an area for kids and teachers. - Lewis and Clark: A Brief Account of Their Expedition
Bureau of Land Management brochure. - Lewis and Clark Expedition: A National Register of Historic Place Itinerary
Informative background on the journey from the National Park Service. - Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
National Archives' lesson plan that includes links to significant U.S. documents and photographs. - Jefferson's Secret Message to Congress Regarding the Lewis & Clark Expedition
From Ourdocuments.gov, a site co-sponsored by the National Archives. - The Journals of Lewis and Clark
Made available by the University of Virginia. - The Life of Sacajawea
United States Mint Web page on Sacajawea.
From USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service
This month's exhibit honors the characters that government agencies use to announce their programs and encourage us to stay safe, engage in other behaviors that benefit the public, etc. You all probably know Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl and the advertisements with Vince & Larry, the Crash Test Dummies, so come meet Energy Ant, Sprocket Man, Charlie the Chipmunk, and Metadata Bob. Other 'spokes-characters' include S.K. Worm, who promotes soil conservation, and Thermy™ the thermometer, who tells you when your meat is safe to eat.
Stop by the exhibit on the 4th floor between January 23 and February 23 to learn about how these characters advertise government programs in a creative way. For more information on this display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
"Spokes-Characters" on the Web
- Ann the Mosquito
- Bo Vine
- Charlie the Chipmunk
- Coastie the Safety Dog
- Dewie the e-Turtle
- Dewie is no longer a mascot for the Federal Trade Commission. For the information he used to provide you can visit the FTC's Information Security website.
- Energy Ant
- Metadata Bob
- RUS, the Surfin' Squirrel
- RUS is no longer the mascot for the Rural Utilities Service. For the information he used to provide you can visit the Rural Utilies Service website.
- S.K. Worm
- Smokey Bear
- Thermy™
- Vince & Larry, the Crash Test Dummies
- Woodsy Owl
- America's Library: Valentine's Day
Learn about the origin of Valentine's Day from the Library of Congress. - Art of the Stamp: Love
The Postal Museum looks back at past Love stamps from the U.S. Postal Service. - Chocolate and Confectionary Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
Report from the Economic Census. - Facts for Features: Valentine's Day
Statistics from the Census Bureau on all things related to Valentine's Day. - Floriculture and Nursery Crops Outlook
Report from the Department of Agriculture. - Greeting Card Publishers
Report from the Economic Census. - Long Distance Relationships and Separated Tours: When
Couples Live Apart
Tip sheet from the Department of State. - Looking for a Libido Lift? The Facts About Aphrodisiacs
Article from the Food & Drug Administration. - National Zoo Animals Getin the Mood for Valentine's Day
Press release detailing current animal courtship at the National Zoo. - Task Force on Ritualistic Uses of Mercury Report
Read about the use of mercury in casting love spells in this report from the Environmental Protection Agency. - Wise Guide: Can't Buy Me Love?
A look at love in the early media, from the Library of Congress. - U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
- NASA: Re-living the Wright Way
- Library of Congress: The Wilbur and Orville Wright Papers
- National Air & Space Museum Celebrates 100 Years of Flight
- U.S. Air Force Museum
- National Weather Service: Aviation Weather Center
- Aviation Digital Data Service
- General Accounting Office: Airport Security
- Thanksgiving Eve 1947
Library of Congress discusses Harry S. Truman's original pardon of the Thanksgiving turkey. - The Annual Pardoning of the Thanksgiving Turkey
President Bush's pardoning of the turkey in 2002. - Countdown to the Holiday
Food Safety and Inspection Service tips for cooking a Thanksgiving turkey. - Girl Power!: What is the Thanksgiving Story? [Internet Archive]
History of Thanksgiving from this Health and Human Services page for girls. - American Indian Heritage Month
National Archive's site with details on the evolution of this annual observance. - National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month November 2003 [Internet Archive]
Indian Health Service's page with links to events calendar; local, state, and federal proclamations; and information from past years. - American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2003
Statistics from the Census Bureau. - American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Data and
Links
Census Bureau's links to statistics related to Native Americans. - Tribal Governments and Native Americans
Links to government resources and information for Native Americans from Firstgov.gov. - Astronomical Data Used for Litigation, Forensic Services
The U.S. Naval Observatory provides information on how to obtain astronomical data for use with litigation or forensic needs. - The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It
The Treasury Department's calculation of the Public Debt to the penny. - Facts for Features: Valentine's Day: February 14
Statistics and facts from the Census Bureau related to that special holiday, including information on marriage, flowers, chocolate and romantic-sounding places. - FBI: Freedom of Information Act Reading Room
View the FBI files on such personalities as Al Capone, Mickey Mantle, Marilyn Monroe, and Pablo Picasso. - Star Sleeper Game Pad
The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research brings kids information about sleep and some fun activities, including a build your own Garfield comic strip and a game called "Sheep Shot." - UFOs
The Central Intelligence Agency's online collection of information on UFOs from the 1940s through the early 1990s. - Wacky Patent of the Month
Put together by a patent attorney, this page is "devoted to recognizing selected inventors and their remarkable and unconventional patented inventions." - Back-to-School Resources
- Student Gateway to the U.S. Government
Helpful links include "Plan for Your Education," "Pay for Your Education," "Career Development," "Military Service," and "Government 101" - College Opportunities On-Line (COOL)
The National Center for Education Statistics provides information for online college searches - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Features of interest: New Grant Competitions, Facts & Figures, Issues in Depth, and Jobs. Also includes a link to Arts & Letters Daily
- Student Gateway to the U.S. Government
- The Morrill Act and Land-Grant Colleges
- Backgrounder on The Morrill Act
From the Department of State's Basic Reading in U.S. Democracy - National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges
For current events, resources, and information
- Backgrounder on The Morrill Act
- Higher Education Act
- Department of Treasury
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing
- US Treasury - Fact Sheets on Currency & Coins
- United States Mint - About the United States Mint
- United States Secret Service - Know Your Money
- Where's George?
- Ron Wise's Geographical Directory Of World Paper Money
- Dept. of Justice/FBI Freedom of Information Act: Elvis' FBI file
- The National Archives Exhibit Hall: When Nixon Met Elvis
- National Archives: Elvis in the Military
- Official Elvis Presley
- Semi-official Elvis Presley
- Unofficial Elvis Presley
- Girls' Guide to Elvis
- Was Thomas Jefferson a member of the Constitutional Convention?
No. At the time of the Constitutional Convention, Jefferson was an American minister to France. - The vote of how many states were necessary to ratify the Constitution?
9 - When did the United States government become fully operational under the US Constitution?
1790 - Who is considered to be the "Father of the Constitution?"
James Madison - Name the amendment(s) to the Constitution that have been repealed.
There was one amendment that has been repealed. The Eighteenth Amendment - Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors. - Did the Constitution signed in 1787 contain the Bill of Rights?
No. The Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791.
More "Spokes-Characters"
Kid-Friendly Web Sites
An index of many kids' sites featuring spokescharacters from the Department of Labor's Wirtz Labor Library.
Love is in the air in Government Documents! This mini exhibit comes just in time for Valentine's Day, and to fight off those winter doldrums. Come check out a letter of praise from John Adams to his wife, government resources for married couples, and statistics from the Census Bureau related to that most romantic of holidays.
Library of Congress, LC-W861-35
This month Government Documents & Maps is celebrating the Centennial of Flight. On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first successfully sustained "powered flight in a heavier-than-air machine" near Kitty Hawk, NC. Since then the pace of innovation in the world has accelerated by leaps and bounds. Imagine life without aircraft!
To commemorate this groundbreaking feat, we're featuring items from our collection that highlight achievements in flight over these past 100 years. Topics include: Unusual aircraft like ultralights and balloons; the historic flights of the Wright brothers and Charles Lindbergh; the military's role in the development of aircraft; the advent of space flight; and the ramifications of 9/11 on modern aviation.
For more information on this display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
Related Web Sites
History of Flight & the Wright Brothers
Sites from the Federal Aviation Administration
Safety & Security
To help us get in the mood for the holidays, this month we are featuring government documents related to all things Thanksgiving. To give you a nibble of some of the documents on display, there are recipes for turkey and pumpkin pie, Department of Agriculture publications on turkey performance tests and cranberry and sweet potato production, Thanksgiving presidential proclamations from Washington and Lincoln, and Clinton's Thanksgiving pardon of a turkey, an annual presidential tradition begun by Truman.
Fun Fact About Turkeys
"The name turkey was originally applied to an African bird now known as the guinea fowl, which was believed to be originated in Turkey. When the Europeans came upon the American turkey, they thought it was the same bird as the African guinea fowl, and so gave it the name turkey, although the two species are quite distinct."
--- from FSIS publication"Food Safety of Turkey ... from Farm to Table
Thanksgiving Web Sites
November is American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month. In order to commemorate this national, annual celebration, we are featuring documents related to Native Americans. Examples of items on display include American Indian recipes; a description of Sequoia's alphabet; housing, education, and military information related to Native Americans; a map of Indian Lands; and artwork from the 1890 Census depicting Native Americans.
Websites related to Native Americans
For more information on either of these displays, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
This month, the Government Documents staff has opted to showcase some of our favorite offbeat government documents. The exhibit is a gathering of items we consider humorous, unusual, a part of pop culture, or just plain colorful.
The Roswell Report-Case Closed enjoys popular acclaim. We also have Ann the Mosquito, which is illustrated by the beloved Dr. Seuss. Other odd tidbits on display include information on how spraying your home with DDT can kill those household pests and the Short Guide to Iraq ("You have been ordered to Iraq (i-RAHK) as part of the world-wide offensive to beat Hitler"). Some of the most entertaining items in our collection are comic books that agencies have produced to help teach safety. El Gato the Cat covers fire safety, Sprocket Man teaches bicycle safety, and Bert the Turtle teaches everyone to duck and cover.
For more information on this display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
Interesting Web Sites Related to Government Documents
Higher Education in Government Documents
To kick off the new semester, this month's exhibit focuses on higher education. The exhibit features government documents, website resources, and other items related to higher education issues.
Selected documents highlight legislation such as the Morrill Act, the Higher Education Act of 1965, with related amendments and recent hearings, as well as a sampling of publications from the collection related to statistics and issues in higher education. Presidential papers from John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson and hearings from the 108th Congress concerning the current state of higher education are included. A disclaimer for those struggling with tuition increases: you might want to avoid checking out the student charges documents from the 1960s.
For more information on this display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
Related Web Sites
It's midsummer and, if you've been vacationing, you may find yourself wondering where the money went. Gov Docs may not be able to help with that, but if you're curious about where it comes from and other money matters, visit our August exhibit on the 4th Floor (east wing) of McKeldin Library. This month's exhibit features government documents, website resources and other items related to U.S. coins and currency.
Related Web Sites
Courtesy of NARA
Elvis is in the building. This mini exhibit serves as tribute to The King in recognition of Elvis Week, August 11-16. Stop by and peruse Congressional documents, presidential papers, agency records, and other items related to this American legend. (Blue suede shoes optional.)
Related Web Sites
The Constitution of the United States
Do you know how many words are in our Constitution? Ever wonder how the deputies to the Constitutional Convention were chosen? Or how many there were? Or how many of them were lawyers? Or how many of them actually signed the document? Do you know who's known as the Father of the Constitution? For that matter, have you ever thought about what the term "constitution" means?
Answers to these burning questions "and lots of others" can be found in the latest exhibit in Government Documents & Maps. For the month of July, a display featuring the Constitution of the United States(which, of course, IS a gov doc) will be available for your viewing pleasure on the 4th Floor (east and west) of McKeldin Library.
For more information on the display, please call the Gov Docs desk at x59165.
Constitution Trivia
Related Web Sites
National Archives: The Constitution of the United StatesNational Constitution Center
USConstitution.net
Legal Information Institute
The Constitution Society
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