Library & Information Services » government information resources

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

Hans Raum — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 14:45:12 +0000

Children who survived the mass shooting in Connecticut last Friday may be traumatized by the event and a federally funded online resource, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network , may provide helpful information to parents, caregivers and others who might be concerned about the long-term implications for children who survived the tragic event and similar events elsewhere.

Contributions to the Candidates: How much money are they raising and who are the donors?

Hans Raum — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:29:28 +0000

The Federal Election Commission has created a Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal which provides detailed financial information on how much money has been raised by the presidential candidates and candidates for the House and Senate in all 50 states. The database includes the names of individual donors and political action committees and how much money they have given. Most of the money contributed to Vermont candidates for the U. S. House and Senate seats comes from out of state and the list of PAC contributions is both fascinating and surprising.

The Vermont Campaign Finance Disclosure Reports website provides data on contributions to the campaigns of Vermont House and Senate candidates and other elected state officials.

Feds plan to close 1,200 Data Centers

Hans Raum — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:31:08 +0000

The U. S. government is increasing its effort to consolidate its data centers and now expects to close at least 1,200 data centers, or about 40% of federal government IT facilities, as part of an effort to streamline its IT infrastructure. According to Steven VanRoekel, the federal CIO, the data centers being closed or consolidated “represent billions in wasted capital that could be better used to improve upon critical services for American taxpayers.”

It is too soon to tell what impact, if any, these closures will have on the availability of government information resources that are relevant to our curriculum and student research interests. A list of data centers targeted for closure is available at Data.gov

New federated search engine: MetaLib

Hans Raum — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:40:05 +0000

The U. S. Government Printing Office is hosting a new federated search engine, called MetaLib, that searches more than 50 government databases covering a broad range of subjects, including energy, the environment, health, defense, geodata and statistics. The database retrieves reports, articles, and citations while providing direct links to selected resources available online. Three search modes are available: basic, advanced and expert.

Liaison Discussion Section: Congressional Information Resources

Carrie Macfarlane — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:56:42 +0000

Topic: Congressional Information Resources
When: Friday, October 28, 2011, 10-11 am
Where: Davis Family Library 105
Who’s Invited: All liaisons and Circulation Desk staff, and anyone who might be interested

Almost every day the federal government is in the news, and quite often the coverage is front page news that can impact our lives in many ways. This session will delve into the full range of Congressional information resources, from the earliest reports of American expeditions around the world to the latest information on Congressional “pork barrel” expenditures and how members of our Vermont Congressional delegation have voted on various issues. A future session will be devoted to information resources from various agencies within the Executive branch of the federal government.

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“Liaison Discussion Sections” address topics of interest to liaisons: research and/or technology. They can be conversations, or presentations, or both. They will take place most often on the 3rd week of the month, but in order to allow people who work different hours to attend, they’ll occasionally be scheduled for different days/times.

Income tax forms available

Hans Raum — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:52:19 +0000

Copies of various state and federal income tax forms and booklets are now available in the display racks at the Information Desk in the Davis Family Library. Many additional forms can be found online at the website of the Internal Revenue Service, at http://www.irs.gov/. If your adjusted gross income was $58,000 or less in 2010, you can use new Free File software to prepare and e-mail your taxes online. The software can be accessed at the IRS website.

Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling

Hans Raum — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:50:25 +0000

The final report of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling is now available online at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?packageId=GPO-OILCOMMISSION. The spill disrupted an entire region’s economy, damaged fisheries and critical habitats, and brought vividly to light the risks of deepwater drilling for oil and gas.

Our library will be receiving the print version of the report in about 2-3 weeks through the Federal Depository Library Program.

Sites worth seeing

Hans Raum — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:06:46 +0000

Among the many useful websites from U. S. government agencies there are several that seem particularly relevant to the current economic situation in the United States:

Beige Book
Provides a summary of commentary on current economic conditions by Federal Reserve District. It is published eight times a year.
Stopfraud.gov
Dedicated to helping find and report suspected cases of financial fraud.
USAspending.gov
Provides a state-by-state listing of where federal tax dollars are spent and what they are spent for. Vermont ranks 51st among the states for 2009.

Online access to the Health Care Reform law.

Hans Raum — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:34:25 +0000

The Health Care Reform legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law by President Obama is available on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys). To view the electronic versions of the legislation, debate and vote click here … Continue reading →

Income Tax forms available

Hans Raum — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:30:52 +0000

Copies of various state and federal income tax forms and booklets are now available in the display racks at the Information Desk in the library. Many additional forms can be found online at the website of the Internal Revenue Service, at http://www.irs.gov/. If your adjusted gross income was $57,000 or less in 2009, you can use new Free File software to prepare and e-mail your taxes online. The software can be accessed at the IRS website.