Day 3 of the Government Shutdown

Well, it's official: The 2013 Depository Library Council Meeting and Federal Depository Library Conference has been cancelled with hopes of actually holding the Meeting and Conference in the spring of 2014. Read the letter from The Superintendent of Documents, Mary Alice Baish here.


During the shutdown, more than any other time (dare I say), is the perfect opportunity for librarians to show that there is a need for our profession--especially for librarians who work with or specialize in government information. It is also a good reminder that we must always keep our skills sharp. I confess, I'm guilty of relying too much on our electronic overlords (aka, computers). But we rely on the Internet as though it were a mighty river. It may change course over time, but it is always there, waiting to serve. A great example of this is the cautionary tales of teenagers and young adults posting pictures that can come back to haunt them because "once it's out there, there is no erasing it." Yet...here we are. Without some of the very resources that we rely on every day. This shows us that nothing is certain. While the Internet may still be there, that doesn't mean that all the things we need will be as stable. So...this is why it is important to know how to answer questions using the old-fashioned way--going to the physical documents themselves. So let's take this opportunity, especially the younger generation of documents librarians, to turn to the wise sages in our field and ask them to help us learn how to answer questions when our digital documents and sites fail us.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents and Microforms
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism; Legal Research;
Management; Marketing

Day 2 of the Government Shutdown

We have officially finished day 2 of the Government Shutdown of 2013. Several resources are not available to the public via the Internet. Entire sites have been shut down with the government. Here is a list of some of the sites that are down. Keep in mind that sites that are still up may not be getting updated regularly (or at all) during the shutdown.


U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Census Bureau
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal Trade Commission
Federal Communications Commission
Department of Energy
Library of Congress
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology
U.S. Copyright Office
U.S. Geological Survey


As I mentioned before, this is NOT a comprehensive list of down government sites. As I discover more sites that are down, I will post updated lists. If you know of a site that is down (and not mentioned on here), please feel free to comment and let us know.


Finally, for more information on what the shutdown means, visit http://www.usa.gov/shutdown.shtml.


Thank you.


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents and Microforms
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism; Legal Research;
Management; Marketing

50 Years as a Depository--marked by a government shutdown

Today marks the beginning of our year-long celebration of our 50th anniversary in the Federal Depository Library Program. It's an exciting day, and we looked forward to all the programs that we will have throughout the year. However, today is also a solemn day. Congress has been unable to reach an agreement, so the government has shutdown.


But, I'm going to take this opportunity to focus on the positive. As you may have noticed, I, Sonnet Ireland, am writing in a first-person voice, which is something I try to avoid in this blog. This blog is dedicated to connecting its readers to government information. Today, I'm taking a side-trip to tell you just how important depositories are.


The government shutdown means furloughs for many people. It also means that many resources are, and will be, unavailable to the public. It means that certain government sites won't be updated, like GPO, or, worse, will be shut down, like Library of Congress and the Census. So now you're thinking, "how is this focusing on the positive?" Well, the depository libraries are still open. Now, more than ever, depository libraries are vital to the people. The information that used to be at the finger tips of every human being on the good side of the digital divide has vanished. There is no magic IT person who can fix it. We are at the mercy of Congress, void of certain resources until a solution is reached and a bill is passed. Except...for those who choose to utilize their local depository. Need to know how many people were in your area in 1920? We got that. Need to know why Pluto is no longer a planet? We got that, too. Any information you need, we either have it or have access to a vast network of other libraries that do. Remember, the Internet isn't down. If you need a government document that your library only accesses online, and if that document has disappeared, we can call up another depository and do our darnedest to get a fax or a scan of that information.


So, to our users, we are here for you! You can't find what you need during this information blackout, we will help you. To my fellow depository librarians, I put a call out that we work together across the country to help our patrons. I ask that we unite to do what we do best: finding government information even when the government makes it difficult.



PS: Keep an eye out for our tweets about the government shutdown. #govshutdown2013


Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents and Microforms
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Liaison Librarian:

Accounting; Economics and Finance;
Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism; Legal Research;
Management; Marketing