Government Info Pro

Like the LexisNexis for Government Facebook Page Today!

Maybe you haven't had a chance to get those New Year's Resolution's together yet but here's one resolution you can make that's easy to keep. LIKE the LexisNexis for Government Facebook page today.

The LexisNexis for Government Facebook page is maintained by a team of LexisNexis Government Consultants and will provide you with current, targeted information especially for those in government or with an interest in government information. 

The LexisNexis for Government Facebook page can help make you more efficient and productive every day. You’ll be kept up-to-date on what’s new with LexisNexis products and solutions that can help you accomplish mission critical tasks. You’ll learn about upcoming government e-learning webinars to help you enhance your research skills. You’ll be provided with handy research tips to heighten your efficiency. And you'll get timely information on hot topics so you’ll stay in the know.

LIKE the LexisNexis for Government Facebook page and stay informed in 2013!

Congratulations to the Newly Elected SLA Division of Government Information Executive Board Members

Congratulations to the SLA Government Information Division’s newly elected Executive Board members:

• Chair-Elect - George Franchois
• Director of Membership – Jennifer Klang
• Director of Planning - Hannah Gladfelter Rubin
• Secretary – Lisa Foster

Read their bios here. 

They will join the rest of the 2013 DGI Board Members:

• Chair - Aileen M J Marshall
• Immediate Past Chair – Kim Shultz
• Treasurer - Kari Anderson

If you are a government librarian or have an interest in government information check out SLA's Government Information Division. You can follow them on Twitter.  DGI also has a blog.

Government Blog Spotlight: PEO Soldier Live

Interested in military blogs? Check out the PEO Soldier Live blog. The blog covers topics such as warrior systems, weapons, sensors and lasers, protection and individual equipment. "Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier is the Army acquisition agency responsible for everything a Soldier wears or carries." (About, PEO Soldier Live) Visit the Program Executive Office Soldier website to learn more. 

Recent PEO Soldier Live blog posts include:

• Equipment Piece of the Week: Air Warrior (AW)
• Equipment Piece of the Week: Non-Maneuverable Canopy (T-11) Personnel Parachute System
• Equipment Piece of the Week: Tactical Communication and Protective System (TCAPS)
• Equipment Piece of the Week: Soldier Power
• Equipment Piece of the Week: Interceptor Body Armor (IBA)

You can subscribe to the PEO Soldier Live blog via RSS feed and follow @PEOSoldier on Twitter.

Call for Grey Literature from the FedGrey Working Group

The FedGrey Working Group is conducting an online survey to assess:

The scope of existing grey lit collections in the federal government and what steps organizations are now taking to maintain and provide access to their grey literature collections.

Here's the link to the survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MXZ6JJD.

"The mission of the FLICC FedGrey Working Group is to promote federal library and information center interest, expertise and utilization of grey literature and to advance its discussion, research and access within the federal information community." (from the FEDGREY Working Group Mission Statement)

If you have an interest in learning more about the FedGrey Working Group or would like to join the Group contact Holly Kerwin.

Best Practices for Government Libraries 2012 - Preview - Part Four

Best Practices for Government Libraries 2012:  Pushing Boundaries:  Mobility, Community, Accessibility is scheduled to be released shortly in both e-book and PDF versions. I want to share the list of articles that will be included in the 2012 edition in a series of quick posts before the release. The submissions are broken into four sections. This post covers Section Four: Something Extra. 

Best Practices is a collaborative document that is put out annually on a specific topic of interest to government libraries and includes content submitted by government librarians and community leaders with an interest in government libraries. The 2012 edition includes over 70 articles and other submissions provided by more than 75 contributors including librarians in government agencies, courts, and the military, as well as from professional association leaders, LexisNexis Consultants, and more. 

These are the articles and submissions that you can look forward to seeing in the last section:

PUSHING BOUNDARIES: SOMETHING EXTRA

• Library Benchmarking Toolkit: A Practical Guide
  Karen Krugman, Chief, Research Library & Archives, Export-Import Bank of the United State; Karen White, Senior Librarian & Team Lead, USAID Knowledge Services Center, LAC Group on assignment at USAID; and Kristin Vajs, Chief Librarian, Research Library, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
• The Unquiet Sea: Solo Librarians in Government Organisations
  Penelope Campbell, Library Manager, Department of Family and Community Services, Housing NSW
• Records Management for the Librarian: Part One
  Ellen Ensel, Knowledge Manager, Information Services, United States Institute of Peace
• Records Management for the Librarian: Part Two
  Ellen Ensel, Knowledge Manager – Information Services, United States Institute of Peace
• Thinking about Work-Life Balance
  Carol Barra, Senior Librarian Relations Consultant, LexisNexis
• Follow Up to 2012 FEDLINK EXPO
  Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis
• Follow Up to the 2012 Federal Law Librarians' Conference
  Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis
• 2012 ALA Conference Tweets from Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis (@libraryfocus) 
• 2012 SLA Conference Tweets from Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis (@libraryfocus)
• 2012 AALL Conference Tweets from Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis (@libraryfocus)
• SLA 2011: Government and Military Unconference
  Deborah E. B. Keller, MLIS; Director of Strategic Planning, SLA Knowledge Management Division
• SLA 2011: ROI and Beyond
  Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis
• SLA 2011: Government Information Professionals Now and into the Future
  Marie Kaddell
• SLA 2011: Creating Groupies - Info-Pro Guerrilla Marketing
  Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis
• SLA 2011: Using Social Media in the Workplace
  Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis
• SLA 2011: SPOTLIGHT SESSION – Stephen Abram Looks to the Future: Getting Out In Front of the Curve
  Marie Kaddell, Senior Information Professional Consultant, LexisNexis
• SLA Division of Government Information Brochure
• ALA FAFLRT Brochure 
• AALL Federal Law Librarians Caucus Brochure

You can download the complete 2011 Best Practices for Government Libraries as well as samples of LexisNexis e-books here:  http://www.lexisnexis.com/ebooks/sample/. 

Veterans Day 2011

Today is Veterans Day in the U.S. Originally called Armistice Day, it was established to honor veterans of World War I but now honors all American veterans. Because the specific date, November 11, 1918 is considered the end of World War I, the holiday is celebrated on the actual day of the week upon which November 11th falls each year to preserve the historic significance of the date.

Here's a little more background on this holiday:

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…" [History of Veterans Day, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.]

For Veterans Day resources including historical background, Presidental Proclamations, information on national and regional observances, a poster gallery, and more, visit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Day page.

Also check out: The Veterans History Project (Library of Congress).

Follow Science in the News on Twitter

Thanks to Valerie Allen, MSLIS, Sr. Technical Information Specialist, U.S. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), for this article on Science.gov and the new Sciencegov Twitter feed.

Read on...

Headlines from 11 of the federal agencies participating in Science.gov can now be followed on Twitter @Sciencegov. In addition, news about additions and changes to the Science.gov website will be announced via the Twitter feed.

Science.gov is a collaborative effort between 18 separate organizations within 14 federal agencies. These organizations came together with the intent of making government science information available in one location. Now in its 9th year, Science.gov provides a search of over 42 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to over 2000 scientific websites.

Some of the features on Science.gov include:

• A deep web search of the databases, searching the full-text of each record or document when available
• A real time search of the databases for up-to-the-minute information
• Clustering of results by subtopic or date
• Wikipedia and EurekAlerts provided as auxiliary information
• A weekly Alert service

Science.gov is hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and supported by CENDI, an interagency working group of senior scientific and technical information (STI) managers.

Government Blog Spotlight: USAID IMPACTblog

The USAID IMPACTblog covers topics relating to USAID's role in providing assistance to countries suffering from the after-effects of disaster, struggling with poverty, or striving towards democratic reforms.  Here's some basic information about the blog:

USAID finds itself at a unique moment of opportunity. A powerful consensus has formed at the highest levels of the US government that development is vital to the shared interests of an interconnected world. The scale and complexity of the challenges we face are daunting—a billion people live in hunger and the threats posed by climate change are growing–but the tools, resources and capacity to solve these big problems have never been greater. Our success lies in the hands of the talented, dedicated men and women who serve at USAID. Their stories of success, failure, and mid-course corrections to help the world’s poor will be the focus of IMPACTblog. (About This Blog, USAID IMPACTblog)

 Recent posts include:

• New Partnership to Support Child Welfare Reform Launched in Russia
• U.S. Pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• Food Security Month @ USAID: Expanding Our Toolkit in the Fight Against Global Hunger
• USAID Assistance in Pakistan



E-Gov Resources on Native Americans and Tribal Issues

Thanks to Kathy Kelly, MSLS, C.A. for this guest post: E-Gov Resources on Native Americans and Tribal Issues.

Read on...

Numerous government agencies at all levels and citizens need information to handle issues related to the rights and needs of Native Americans and tribes. Below are some federal government web sites which can serve as starting points for research on these issues.

USA.gov

USA.gov is a portal to official information and services of the U.S. government. Perhaps lesser known is the fact that this site serves as a great index to subjects of interest via topic or audience type, as well as pointers to state and local government resources on subjects of interest. In terms of Native American and tribal resources, USA.gov's option to browse by audience type (http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Audiences.shtml) allows you to access this information tailored for specific audience groups: for Citizens; for Businesses and Nonprofits; and for Governments.

The "Citizens" audience group page is enhanced by two major sections: 1. Get It Done Online (for job applications, tracing Indian ancestry, etc.); and 2. a thematic cluster to explore issues such as Cultural Resources, Legal Resources, Tribal Lands and the Environment, and more. The "Businesses and Nonprofits" audience group page goes straight to the Small Business Administration's Office of Native American Affairs web site, which hosts a variety of information on business development and expansion tools for American Indians, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians.

DOI Library's Native Americans Site

The Department of the Interior (DOI) Library offers a comprehensive page of Native American information, organized by a number of helpful frameworks. First, it offers E-Books from the Gale Virtual Reference Library, broken down by American Indian Biographies, Culture, History, Tribes, and relevant special encyclopedias. While these E-Books are accessible from DOI locations only, the Native Americans site goes on to offer links to web sites accessible to all, organized by categories of News, Tribal Governments, Non-Federal Organizations, U.S. Government Organizations, Guides to Federal Records, Legal Resources, Bibliographies, Digital Libraries, and Directories of Internet Sites on Native Americans.

Check out the USA.gov Native American audience group pages, and the DOI Library's Native Americans site for excellent gateways to Native American and tribal info for many audiences, subjects, and services.

***Kathy Kelly is a librarian and certified archivist with environmental expertise and project management experience in the federal contracting sector.

Like a Challenge?

Challenge.gov gives citizens an opportunity to do some problem solving for the nation by bringing their ideas to the table for specific national challenges presented on the Challenge.gov site. You can browse by challenge or departments & agencies.

Recent featured challenges

• Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize (EPA)
• Recipes for Healthy KIds (Department of Agriculture)
• Progressive Automative X Prize (Department of Energy)
• Challenge to Innovate (C2i) (Department of Education)
• Career Videos for America's Job Seekers (Department of Labor)
• Green Flight Challenge (NASA)
• Two-Second Turnoff Distracted Driving Video Challenge (Department of Transportation)

Here's some information about Challenge.gov:

Challenge.gov is an online challenge platform administered by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in partnership with ChallengePost that empowers the U.S. Government and the public to bring the best ideas and top talent to bear on our nation’s most pressing challenges. This platform is the latest milestone in the Administration’s committment to use prizes and challenges to promote innovation. (http://challenge.gov/about)

Categories include:

• Defense
• Economy
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• International Affairs
• Jobs
• Science and Technology
• Personal and Public Safety

Federal employees can learn about posting a challenge for their agency: Post a Challenge on Challenge.gov.