Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Face the Nation (2/26/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

President Obama's Weekly Address (2/25/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Monday, February 27, 2012

Washington Week (2/24/2012)

Watch February 24, 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Aruba

Aruba is located In the Caribbean near Central America. Originally claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands in 1986 and is now a country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With an area of 180 sq km, it is slightly larger than Washington, D.C. Aruba is a flat island with few hills and scant vegetation.





People who live in Aruba are called Arubans, which is the adjective used to describe items from this country. As of July 2011, there are 106,113 people in Aruba. Though Dutch is the official language of Aruba, only 5.8% of the population speak it. Several other languages are spoken in Aruba, including Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect, 66.3%), Spanish (12.6%), and English (7.7%). Roman Catholics make up 80.8% of the population, followed by Protestants (7.8%), Jehovah's Witnesses (1.5%), and Jewish citizens (.2%).


The capital of Aruba is Oranjestad. Its leaders include Gov. Fredis Refenjol and Prime Minister Michiel Godfried Eman. Information about the leaders of Aruba's government can be found here. The currency is the Aruban guilder/florin (abbreviated AWG), though euros and U.S. dollars are widely accepted.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Aruba, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Aruba, U.S. Department of State


You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Friday, February 24, 2012

60 Minutes (2/19/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Meet the Press (2/19/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Face the Nation (2/19/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

February 22, 1862: President Jefferson Davis is inaugurated for a six-year term as the President of the CSA

Today is the 150th anniversary of President Jefferson Davis' inauguration for a six-year term as President of the Confederate States of America. This may be confusing to some, since President Davis was originally elected on February 9, 1861 and inaugurated on February 18, 1861. That election, however, was held by the Provisional Congress of the CSA, choosing him to serve as Temporary President. His election to serve a six-year term as President was not held until the following year, meaning that his true inauguration was on February 22, 1862.

Here is a picture of President Jefferson Davis from the National Archives


This map of the Union and Confederate geographic divisions is from the Library of Congress



To learn more about Jefferson Davis or the Confederate States of America, check out these resources...

Jefferson Davis (1808-1889), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Jefferson Davis, Architect of the Capitol

Pictorial Americana: Confederate States of America, Library of Congress

American Memory: Timeline of the Civil War, Library of Congress

Confederate States of America Records: a Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress




Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

President Obama's Weekly Address (2/18/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Monday, February 20, 2012

Washington Week (2/17/2012)

Watch February 17, 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

February 20, 1792: The Postal Service Act is signed by President George Washington

Today is the 220th anniversary of President George Washington signing the Postal Service Act, defining the character of the young Post Office Department. For more information about this very important government entity (that we often take for granted), check out these resources...


U.S. Postal Service


U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission


National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Institution


Records of the Post Office Department, National Archives


1792 Postal Act, National Postal Museum


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Armenia

Armenia is located in the Middle East. Armenia, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, prides itself as being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (sometime early in the 4th century). With an area of 29,743 sq km, Armenia is slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Maryland.

Armenia shares a border with Azerbaijan-proper, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan, Georgia, Iran, and Turkey. It is mostly mountainous with a little forest land and fast flowing rivers. The Aras River valley provides Armenia with rich soil.





People who live in Armenia are called Armenians, which is also the adjective used to describe any items from this country. As of July 2011, there are about 2.97 million people in Armenia. 97.9% of the population is Armenian, but Yezidi and Russian peoples also inhabit the area. The official language of Armenia is Armenian, though there are some speakers of Yezidi and Russian. The main religion is Armenian Apostolic (94.7%), with some other forms of Christianity (4%) and Yezidi (a monotheistic religions with elements of nature worship - 1.3%).

The country's official name is Republic of Armenia. The capital is Yerevan, and the country is made up of 11 provinces. Though Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in September of 1991, a constitution did not come into effect until July 1995. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current president is Serzh Sargsian. Information about the leaders of Armenia can be found here. The currency is drams (abbreviated AMD), which stands at 374.29 AMD per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

The Government of the Republic of Armenia Site

Armenia, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Armenia, U.S. Department of State

Armenia 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Friday, February 17, 2012

60 Minutes (2/12/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Meet the Press (2/12/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Face the Nation (2/12/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

February 15, 1972: Sound Recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection

Today is the 40th anniversary of sound recordings being granted federal copyright protection. It is funny that in just 40 years we've gone from starting to protect sound recordings to actually having copyright center around recordings.

For more information, check out these resources...

U.S. Copyright Office

Federal Copyright Protection for Pre-1972 Sound Recordings, U.S. Copyright Office

Copyright Basics, U.S. Copyright Office

Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright, Library of Congress

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

President Obama's Weekly Address (2/11/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

February 14, 1912: Arizona is admitted as the 28th U.S. state

Today is the 100th anniversary of Arizona becoming the 48th state in the Union. For more information, here are some resources...

Explore the States, America's Story

Arizona's Official Web Site

Arizona State Legislature

Arizona Secretary of State



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Monday, February 13, 2012

Washington Week (2/10/2012)

Watch February 10, 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Argentina

Argentina is located in South America. Argentina was originally part of the United Provinces of the Rio Plata. After the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared independence from Spain in 1816, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay separated. What was left became Argentina. With an area of 2,780,400 sq km, Argentina is slightly less than three-tenths the size of the U.S.

Argentina shares a border with Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It has rich plains of the Pampas in the northern half and flat rolling plateau of the Patagonia in the south. The Andes lie on the western border.





People who live in Argentina are called Argentines, which is also the adjective used to describe items from this country. The official language is Spanish, though Italian, English, German, and French are also spoken. Most Argentines are Roman Catholic (92%), though there are some Protestant (2%) and Jewish (2%) believers.

The country's official name is Argentine Republic. The capital is Buenos Aires, and the country is made up of 23 provinces and 1 autonomous city. Though they gained independence from Spain in July 1816, the constitution was not created until May 1853. Information about the constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The president is Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Information about the leaders of Argentina's government can be found here. The currency is the Argentine peso (abbreviated ARS), which stands at 3.8983 ARS per USD as of 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...


Official Website of the Argentine Republic


Argentina, CIA World Factbook


Background Note: Argentina, U.S. Department of State


Argentina 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Friday, February 10, 2012

60 Minutes (2/5/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Meet the Press (2/5/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Face the Nation (2/5/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

February 8, 1837: Richard Johnson becomes the first VPOTUS chosen by the U.S. Senate

Today is the 175th anniversary of Richard Johnson becoming the ninth Vice President of the U.S. This is an important anniversary because it marks the first and only time the U.S. Senate chose a VP. In the early years of this nation, the president and vice president were elected separately, and each required a certain number of electoral votes. With 147 votes, Richard Johnson was one vote shy and thus not elected to the office. Since Martin Van Buren could not serve without a vice president, the Senate, using the 12 Amendment, elected Johnson as vice president.

For more information, check out these resources...

Richard Mentor Johnson, 9th Vice President, U.S. Senate Art and History

Richard Mentor Johnson, Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress

Electoral Votes for President and Vice President 1837-1853, NARA

The Electoral College by William C. Kimberling, Deputy Director, FEC Office of Election Administration



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

President Obama's Weekly Address (2/4/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Monday, February 6, 2012

Washington Week (2/3/2012)

Watch February 3 2012 on PBS. See more from Washington Week.



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Country Profiles: Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda are in the Caribbean and are considered part of Central America. The Siboney were the first to inhabit these islands in 2400BC; by the time Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493, the island was inhabited by Arawak Indians. The islands belonged to the U.K. until 1981. now they are an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations. With a combined area of 442.6 sq km, they are about 2.5 times the size of Washington, D.C.


Antigua and Barbuda share no borders with other countries--instead, they are surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas.





People who live on Antigua are called Antiguans; those who live on Barbuda are likewise known as Barbudans. These are also the adjectives used to describe items from these islands. As of July 2011, there are 87,884 people in Antigua and Barbuda.
English is the official language, though some local dialects are also spoken. Those on the islands are mostly Protestant (76.4%) with some Roman Catholics (10.4%).

The country's official name is Antigua and Barbuda. The capital is St. John's, and the country is made up of 6 parishes and 2 dependencies. The constitution can be found here through Constitution Finder. The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda is Baldwin Spencer. Information about the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda's government can be found here. The currency is East Caribbean dollars (abbreviated XCD), which has stood at 2.7 XCD per USD from 2007 to 2010.





All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...

Official Website for the Government of Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbadu, CIA World Factbook

Background Note: Antigua and Barbadu, U.S. Department of State

Antigua and Barbadu 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.

You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.

Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Super Bowl XLVI (46)

Today is the 46th Super Bowl. Though you are probably busy watching the Giants and the Patriots face off, here are some resources that you might find interesting...

Have a Safe and Healthy Super Bowl Celebration, Men's Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Super Bowl, Slow Cookers, and Food Safety: an Unbeatable Team, FoodSafety.gov

Truth in Advertising? Super Bowl Alcohol Commercials, National Institute on Drug Abuse

Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Friday, February 3, 2012

60 Minutes (1/29/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Meet the Press (1/29/2012)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

February 2, 1887: The first Groundhog Day is observed in Punxsutawney, PA

Today is the 125th anniversary of the first official observation of Groundhog's Day. For more information about the day, Groundhogs, and Punxsutawney, check out these resources...

The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club

Groundhog Day, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Woodchuck (Groundhog), Indiana Dept of Natural Resources

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau State and County QuickFacts


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Face the Nation (1/29/2012)



Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering