2006 Edition of the Unified Agenda

is Now Online via GPO Access: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ua/index.html

Google Patent Search

Google lunches Google Patents, full-text US Patent Searching from 1776-present: http://www.google.com/patents. But, the database does NOT include Pre-Granted Publication Applications that are published before a U.S. Patent is awarded. This pre-granted is available via the USPTO. Please take a look.

EPA Closes Its Libraries

This has been a top news for the documents library community this year. "The EPA has begun closing its nationwide network of scientifc librareis. Several libraries have alaready been dismantled, with their contents either destroryed or shipped to repositories where they are uncataloged and inaccessible. Members of Congress have asked the EPA to cease and desist dismantling these libraries" (govdoc-l).
Please call or write EPA Administrator, Stephen Johnson at 202-564-4700 and urge him to immediately halt this action until Congress approves the EPA budget and materials are readily available online. See NY times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/08/opinion/08burger.html?_r=1

"Foreign Relations of the United States" Collection

is available online through UW-Madison Digital Collection: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/FRUS. There are still more volumns to process and digitize, but it is good enough to those who want to access these valuable resources. Please check it out.

US Code & Public Papers of the Presidents of the US

US Code, 2000 Edition, Supplement 4 is available on GPO Access
at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode and Public Papers of the Presidents of the U.S.: George W. Bush Book II (July1-December 31, 2002) on GPO Access at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/pubpapers/gwbush.html

National Library of Medicine Classification 2006

is now available in PDF: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/class/terms_cond.html

Country of Origin Information Service

"Country of Origin Information Service (COI Service) exists to provide accurate, objective, sourced and up-to-date information on asylum seekers' countries of origin, for use by IND officials involved in the asylum determination process."

Useful Bookmarks for accessing government information

**The GPO’s Internet Publications page lets you search only for “records for and links to Federal Government publications that are available online. Records date from July 1976 to the present.”
**The U.S. Department of State FOIA Electronic Reading Room is a particularly well-stocked fishing hole. Among other things, you’ll find directories and databases galore — including phone, fax, country offices, key officers, forms (e.g., passport, visa, etc.), regulations, international local holidays, declassified documents, and much more.
**DefenseLink is the official gateway to U.S. military information, but it’s not the easiest site to use (although the search engine isn’t bad). I much prefer Navigating the Military Internet, an incredibly comprehensive and nicely organized site maintained by the Dudley Knox Library at the Naval Postgraduate School. (Another excellent choice: the Air War College Military Index to the Internet.)
**Most of the photographs and images found on federal government websites are in the public domain and you can download and use them for free. If you drill down into the Reference Center at FirstGov, you’ll find a large, alphabetized list of links to image collections on government agency websites. The fishing is good here. (A possible alternative — the Creative Commons image search engine.(via ResourceShelf)

Election 2006 Result

Looking for the election result? See Congresspedia .

Key Figures on Europe-Statistical Pocketbook 2006

Just released. It contains data 1995-2005. See the complete pocketbook (211 pages, pdf). See also EuroStat if you are looking for European Statistics.

State and Metropolitan Area Data Book: 2006

is now available online at http://www.census.gov/compendia/smadb/. It covers various topical areas including agriculture, births, business establishements, communication, cost of living, crime, death, eduction, employment, marriage and divorces, etc. for individual states, counties, and metroplitan areas. Please check it out.

Statistics: Criminal Victimization 2005

Presents estimates of national levels and rates of personal and property victimization for the year 2005 (New from BJS Online Publication).

New Issue of Global Legal Monitor Now Available

from LC's Global Legal Information Network. "The Global Legal Monitor, an electronic publication of the Law Library of Congress, is intended for those who have an interest in legal developments from around the world. Globalization is a fact with far-reaching implications including an increasing number of international transactions. This online publication will be updated frequently, drawing upon information selected from the Global Legal Information Network, official national legal publications, and reliable press sources." (Via ResourceShelf Newsletter)

Google Digitization Hearings

Are you looking for online congressional hearings in the 1980s? You can now search them in the U-Michigan online catalog where the full-texts are available through the Google digitization project. Go to: http://mirlyn.lib.umich.edu. When you retrieve the bibliographic record, look for Electronic Location and click on U-M Online book. (govdoc-l).

The U.S. Government Manual (2006-2007)

is now available on GPO Access at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/gmanual/index.html. This is
the official handbook of the Federal Government providing comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches (govdoc-l).

Recommended Reading List through GPO

Please check out this reading list at http://www.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/reading.html to update some of the major initiatives that are going on in the Superintendent of Documents Organization through GPO.

109th Congress Conference Reports

109th Congress Conference Reports are available now through GPO Access:http://www.gpoaccess.gov/confrpts/index.html
"A conference report is a compromise on legislation that is negotiated between the House and Senate via conference committees. It is printed and submitted to each chamber for its consideration, such as approval or disapproval." (source: GPO Access)

New Search Engine for Government Information

Google has launched a new search engine for government information: Government Search Engine at http://usgov.google.com (source: govdoc-l).

United States Congressional Biographical Data Series

United States Congressional Biographical Data Series (ICPSR) includes Biographical Characteristics of Members of the United States Congress, 1789-1979 and Roster of United States Congressional Officeholders and Biographical Characteristics of Members of the United States Congress, 1789-1996:Merged Data.
See also Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 - 2005 via GPO Access (from govdoc-l).

Presidential Speech Collection

Miller Center Presidential Speech Collection
"The Scripps Library, through cooperation with various presidential libraries, has been collecting some of the more important presidential speeches of the past 60 years. These speeches are available in their entirety in full audio. When possible, we have also provided transcripts of the speeches. Recently we have expanded our collection to include the full text of some of the more important presidential speeches from the 18th and 19th centuries." Source: Miller Center, University of Virginia

Just Released: Country Reports on Terrorism (2005)

"U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation. This annual report is entitled Country Reports on Terrorism. Beginning with the report for 2004, it replaced the previously published Patterns of Global Terrorism." Download in sections as PDFs:http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/c17689.htm (Source: U.S. Department of State)(via Resourceshelf).

Immigration Enforcement--United States

New report: Immigration Enforcement Within the United States
82 pages; PDF (Source: CRS).

Genealogy: World War II Records- Databases

The World War II Army Enlistment Records File and Access to Archival Databases
"World War II Army Enlistment Records provide a rich source of information for genealogists and other researchers at the National Archives and Records Adminstration interested in Army enlistees in World War II. Since their release through NARA's Access to Archival Databases (AAD) resource in May 2004, they have quickly become the most popular series of electronic records accessible through that resource." (via Resourceshelf)
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Recently Released.....

"The 2006 edition of Unified Agenda" in four volumns is now available on GPO Accesss: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/ua.

"Legislative Histories of Selected U.S. Laws" is available through the Legislative Source Book that is maintained by the Law Librarians' Society of Washington D.C., Inc (LLSCD).

"The 2006 Congressional Pig Book," annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget.

Hurricane Katrina Report

"A performance Review of FEMA's Disaster Management Activities in Response to Hurricane Katrina (pdf; 218 pages)" is released. It's available at http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_06-32_Mar06.pdf
Please also check it out ResourceShelf's DocuTicker.com, which is "a daily update of new reports from government agencies, ngo's, think tanks, and other groups. DocuTicker is compiled by the librarians who bring you ResourceShelf.com," for other newly released information.

GPO Monthly Newsletter Now Available

The March 15-April 15 issue of the GPO Administration Notes has been available at
http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/adnotes/ad03_04_1506.html
It contains the 2005 biennual survey result, CD-Rom Data Migration Project, Annual Item Selection Update, and much more. Please take a look this for GPO update.

Recently Released Statistics:

Health: WHO World Health Report 2006
Internet Crime: 2005 Internet Crime Report
NOAA Weather Data: called NOWdata (for past climate information)

Did you know....

about the LOC.GOV Wise Guide. "The "Wise Guide" will much like a magazine, offering links to the best of the Library's online materials. Each of these "articles" is based on items contained in a collection, database, reading room or other area of the Library's online offerings. You will see that we are "more than a library," and our holdings range from prints, photographs, films, audio recordings, maps, manuscripts, music and digital materials to (of course) books. We are also a place that sponsors concerts, lectures, dance performances, film screenings, and poetry readings. We hope the Guide's monthly "articles" will encourage you to explore the millions of items we make available at www.loc.gov." Update monthly.

Online Searchable Death Indexes & Records

If you are looking for death records, obituaries, and burial records, you should take a look at this website: http://www.deathindexes.com. It has also the Social Security Death Index online.

International Economic Statistics (IES) Database

is available at http://liber8.stlouisfed.org/iesd This site provides a search portal for world wide econonic indicators such as GDP and CPI and other useful international and national information. Designed and managed by
the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis librarians.

Central Foreign Policy Files (1974-1974)

"Central Foreign Policy Files (1974-1974)" is now accessible through NARA's Access to Archival Databases (AAD). See the details at http://aad.archives.gov/aad/

GPO's New Catalog of Government Publibations (CGP)

is now available at http://catalog.gpo.gov This is the online public access catalog of the GPO's new integrated system that will replace MOCAT. It allows you to find both historical and current government publications back to 1976. More functions and features will be added in the next three months. Please explore this new version. Comments, suggestions, or questions about this new CGP can be submitted to askGPO (http://www.gpoaccess.gov/help/index.html) using the instructions located at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/cip/cgp_questions.pdf

Census 2000 CDs by Geolytics Added

Geolytics Census 2000 package, a total of 11 CDs, is NOW available through the Government Documents Department in Fenwick Library. This package includes Census 2000 Long form (STF3), Short form, Short form (blocks), Restricting, and Restricitng (blocks). Also added to the collection is Geolytics Census 1990 long form (blocks). These products allow you to extract Census data and create thematic maps from all census tables.

Canadian Industry Statistics (CIS) Database

This database provides a wonderful resources for Canana Business information. You can access data derived from Annual Survey of Manufactures, Canadian Business Patterns (CBP) database, Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database, GDP by Industry, and Indices of Labour Productivity. Please explore at http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_ecnmy/sio/homepage.html

GPO Update presented at 2006 ALA Midwinter

is now available at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/events/ala_update06.pdf Please take a look at page 6 of the response of the Biennial Survey questions 65 & 66, which was a big discussion topic in San Antonio. The question 66 was whether depository library is willing to try out digital depository site. The resonse was "334 libraries indicated a willingness to locally store and serve at least some electronic documents. 102 libraries are willing to locally store and serve more than a hundred electronic documents per yea meeting." See more details and analyses of the response at http://freegovinfo.info/node/369. Stay tuned for more on electronic deposit of government information.