The Foreign Relations of the U.S. Series Marks its 150th Anniversary

December marks the 150th anniversary of the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series. First published in 1861, the series has become a leading example of governmental openness and embodies the U.S. Government's commitment to responsible transparency. Over the past 150 years, Foreign Relations evolved to become the official documentary history of U.S. foreign policy decision-making and major diplomatic activity. Foreign Relations volumes contain documents from Presidential libraries, Departments of State and Defense, National Security Council, Central Intelligence Agency, Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies as well as the private papers of individuals involved in formulating U.S. foreign policy. The most recent releases cover the Nixon era.

Foreign Relations can be accessed in print in the government documents section of the Schwob Library or online at the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian website: http://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments

For additional information, please Ask a Librarian or call 706-562-1492.

Happy Discovery! Happy Holidays!

Georgia 2010 Census Data Released

On Thursday July 21, the Census Bureau made the first major release of Georgia data from the 2010 census. The Summary 1 File is a collection of tables, "including cross-tabulations of age, sex, households, families, relationship to householder, housing units, detailed race and Hispanic or Latino origin groups, and group quarters. The statistics are available for a variety of geographic areas, with most tables available down to the block or census tract level." (Census.gov)

The new data tables can be access by searching American FactFinder. More news on details of the release can be found at Census.gov.

Happy Searching!

Notable Government Documents of 2011

The annual list of Notable Government Documents was released this week. The list is a selection from nominated publications on the state, federal and international level. None from Georgia made the list this year, but the selections on the federal and international lists show diverse themes of climate change, human rights, natural disasters and health. US federal document highlights include:

• Climate Change Indicators in the United States / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling; Report to the President / National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
• Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Role in the Secondary Mortgage Market /Congressional Budget Office
• The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report: Final Report of the National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in the United States / rev. ed. by Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
• A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests / James H. Miller & others. U.S. Forest Svc., Southern Research Station

Many items from the list this year, along with a wealth of other government resources can be found at CSU libraries by searching GIL or by visiting the New Gov Docs page for monthly updates.

Happy Searching!

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence

The U. S. Department of Education maintains the FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence) website, which provides links to K-12 teaching and learning resources from federal agencies. This is one stop shopping for the teacher who is looking for reliable web resources and free educational materials in the subjects of Arts & Music, Health & Physical Education, Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, World Studies, and U.S. History. Let’s look at a small sample of interesting resources:

• The National Institutes of Health, Office of Science Education - The OSE is the coordinator and sponsor of science education projects at the NIH. These programs are developed for elementary, secondary, and college-level students and teachers. The website organizes educational resources by topics, grade levels, and resources formats.

• The National Archives, Teachers Resources - The National Archives has a section devoted to providing teachers with lesson plans for using primary documents in the classroom. For example, one lesson is entitled: Powers of Persuasion - Poster Art of World War II. This lesson includes links to the National Archives’ online gallery of the war posters, standards correlations, teaching activities, and a poster analysis worksheet.

• The Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook - The World Factbook contains “information on the history, people, government, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.” There are also flags and maps - physical maps, political maps, regional maps, and a time zone map. One can also view a country comparison of a variety of economic data, demographics, geography, etc. On the lighter side, there is an entertaining, yet educational Kids Page that offers games, puzzles, and information about the CIA.

Spread a Little Sunshine and Celebrate Sunshine Week.

March 13-20 marks the 10th annual Sunshine Week. Begun in 2002, Sunshine Week celebrates and promotes open and transparent government. Take this week to explore the many resources available at your government depository library and online. Visit the White House's Open Government Initiative to learn more about Open Government on a national level. Or read more about Sunshine Week in Monday's edition of the Ledger-Enquirer.

Hot New Gov Docs!

Over break, the CSU Libraries have kept busy with new projects for the new semester.

The government documents library website has now expanded to include a selection of "Hot New Gov Docs" recently added to the collection.

For those items especially hot off the presses, like the Department of Defense reports on the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, there are links directly to an online copy of the document. Many new items are also available in print in the display by the government documents department.

Information to Help with Your New Years Resolution

It's a new semester and a fresh start to a New Year. CSU libraries welcome you to come in and get ahead of the game with studying and using our resources. While you're here check out our new seasonal display on New Year's resolutions. We took the top resolutions from USA.gov and found materials to help you reach your goals.

• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Save Money
• Take a Trip

USA.gov has links to a wealth of government resources that can assist as well. The display also has fliers with information on giving back this year by volunteering with the local United Way.

Good luck in the new semester!