On Monday, September 18, to mark Constitution Day, Odum Library hosts a special opportunity: you can sign a copy of the U.S. Constitution! Just visit the Reference Desk between 12:00pm and 5:00pm for your chance to sign the Constitution and get a free pocket Constitution, candy, and a special Founding Father surprise!

You can also view the exhibit of books and documents relating to the Constitution in the library Reference area on the second floor, on display through September. If you can’t make our event, be sure to view this online Constitution available from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The Law Library of Congress provides history and legislative materials for Constitution and Citizenship Day, and the National Archives and Records Administration offers Constitution Day resources especially for teachers, as does the U.S. Department of Education.  NARA even provides instructions for a game to help teach students about the Constitution.

Find out more about the Constitution and its signing on September 17th, 1787, with these fun facts about the Constitution and Constitutional Convention.

Learn about the total solar eclipse, to take place on August 21, 2017, with these online government resources!

Start your tour of eclipse resources by visiting NASA’s Total Eclipse website.  There you can learn about the path of the eclipse, the history of eclipses, and more.

NASA also offers an interactive map that you can click on to get more information about how the eclipse will appear at that location.  The view of the eclipse from Valdosta is partial. It starts at 1:11 p.m. EDT, reaches 89.46% coverage at 2:43 p.m., and ends at 4:08 p.m.

How might cloudiness interfere with your eclipse experience? The National Centers for Environmental Education offer this cloudiness map to help forecast your view.

Weather.gov also offers information about what is called the Great Eclipse of 2017, including glimpses backward and forward. For instance, the last time a total eclipse was seen in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia was March 7, 1970. The next time a total eclipse will be seen in Georgia will be August 12, 2045.

Finally, the American Astronomical Society offers these tips for viewing the eclipse safely.  For more information about solar eclipses, come see government and other publications on view at the government documents exhibit case in the second floor reference area of Odum Library.

Each year the Government Documents Round Table (GODORT) of the American Library Association selects what it considers to be the most notable publications of the year. 2016 welcomes a wide variety of government publications on topics ranging from climate change to violence in schools to flora and fauna to foreign relations.

View a selection of these documents on display in the second floor reference area of Odum Library. As a member of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), Odum Library makes available publications from the United States federal government. We also receive a copy of every publication issued by the State of Georgia because we are one of three university Georgia state depository libraries.

Documents on display include Chairmanships of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1949-2016; Covered Bridges and the Birth of American Engineering; Forging the Star: The Official Modern History of the United States Marshals Service; The Green Eyeshades of War: An Examination of Financial Management During War; The National Parks Index 2012-2016; Rare Bryophytes of Oregon; and Toward “Thorough, Accurate, and Reliable”: A History of the Foreign Relations of the United States Series.

Other notable publications available online include:

The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States (U.S. Global Change Research Program)

Treasured Landscapes: National Park Services Art Collections Tell America’s Stories (National Park Service)

Preventing Violent Extremism in Schools (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Hill of Angels: U.S. Marines and the Battle for Con Thien, 1967 to 1968 (History Division, Marine Corps University)

Keeping America Informed, the United States Government Publishing Office: A Legacy of Service to the Nation, 1861-2016 (U.S. Government Publishing Office)

Underestimated: Our Not-So-Peaceful Nuclear Future (U.S. Army War College & Strategic Studies Institute)

For more information about these and other documents selected for this year’s notable publications list, see this article in Library Journal.

In April 1917, the United States became a participant in the First World War. This month Odum Library offers displays and exhibits of books and government documents related to World War I.

Be on the lookout for a front circulation desk display of materials about World War I, ranging from history to fiction to poetry to art to juvenile literature to films.  In the Reference area, the government documents display case features an exhibit of government documents related to World War I.

For more information and artifacts about what was known as the Great War, see this online campaign atlas hosted by the history department of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The U.S. Department of Defense commemorates the U.S. entry into the war with the article World War I: Building the Military.

The Library of Congress offers extensive online materials about World War I, including military diaries and papers, maps, sound recordings, sheet music, posters, photographs, and newspaper archives. For instance, you can hear the voices of Samuel Gompers, Henry Cabot Lodge, and John J. Pershing through preserved recordings. More than 1400 posters published between 1914 and 1920 are available through the World War I Poster Collection. Major American artists documented the war through their paintings, many of which are accessible online through the exhibit World War I: American Artists View the Great War.

Other artifacts related to the Great War are available through the National Archives and the Smithsonian, including this collection of laces made in Belgium during the war. For a first hand account of the war through the eyes of a soldier, you can view the letters of Second Lieutenant Charles Wesley Chapman, Jr., both in print in the library displays and online.

Look to U.S. government web sites and documents for healthy guidelines on diet and nutrition this National Nutrition Month.

ChooseMyPlate.gov has tons of tips for choosing foods wisely, paring down the fat and sugar in your meals, and even redesigning a healthier alternative for your morning coffee drink. Interactive tools from the U.S. government include a Supertracker for looking up and counting your calories and nutritional content.

It’s easy to overeat when you eat on the run, so keep in mind these portion distortion tips and guidelines for healthy takeout food options. There are even videos available for helping you make better eating choices, with stories from families who’ve met with success, whether at home or away.

Need some inspiration for your meals? Find recipes, menus, and cookbooks galore, all courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which recently came out with new dietary guidelines for healthier eating.

Here’s to a healthier 2017!

Federal government web sites provide a number of sources for Presidential documents, including Executive Orders and Memoranda:

The Press Secretary’s Office at Whitehouse.gov provides copies of Presidential Actions including those most recently proclaimed.

The Federal Register publishes official versions of Executive Orders, usually the first business day after they are announced.

Daily and weekly compilations of Presidential documents back to 1992 are available through the federal government’s official publication site, FDSys.

For more historical information, the American Presidency Project, hosted by the University of California at Santa Barbara, offers an archive of a variety of Presidential documents, including State of the Union addresses to Congress, Presidential candidate debates, and Executive Orders.

View these inauguration and Presidential materials to mark the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, including this historical overview of all of the Presidential inaugurations.

“I Do Solemnly Swear” is an online exhibit of photographs, manuscripts, speeches, and other documents from the collections of the Library of Congress. This resource guide offers materials for each of the first 44 Presidents.

If you’d like to remember the First Ladies of the United States, visit Presidential libraries, or perhaps review the salaries and retirement benefits of past Presidents, view this site from the National Archives.

The American Presidency Project, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, has collected texts and word counts for Presidential inaugural addresses. The longest address to date was William Henry Harrison’s, on March 4, 1841.

A number of media outlets offer live coverage of the January 20th, 2017, inauguration of President Donald Trump. You can view a live stream of the event and other events of the week courtesy of Democracy Now!

The United States Government offers many documents and online resources that help observe the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II. This blog will feature many such resources over the coming months.

Read and hear first-person “man on the street” testimonials about the Pearl Harbor attack on the After the Day of Infamy site from the Library of Congress American Memory Project.

View a list by state of World War II Army and Army Air Force Casualties from the Military Records Division of the National Archives and Records Administration. Also from the National Archives are these collections of World War II photographs and of pictures of African Americans serving during World War II.

If you’re heading to the Washington, DC, area, be sure to visit the World War II Memorial to learn more about the service of Americans during the war.

Currently on display in the Government Documents exhibit area in the Reference Department of Odum Library are examples of publications and information about World War II from the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior as well as Congressional documents related to the war.

November marks the observance of Native American Indian Heritage Month in the United States. Read President Obama’s Proclamation of Native American Heritage Month, 2016, where he says, “This month, let us celebrate the traditions, languages, and stories of Native Americans and ensure their rich histories and contributions can thrive with each passing generation.”

To assist us with recognizing and honoring Native American Heritage, the Library of Congress, National Park Service, National Archives, National Endowments for the Arts and the Humanities, and other federal agencies have curated a number of online exhibits and collections about Native American culture. The Bureau of Indian Affairs provides services to approximately 1.9 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives.

Read about the history of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, currently in the news because of protests against a proposed oil pipeline near the reservation. Opponents to the pipeline’s construction assert that the pipeline poses environmental and cultural threats to lands important to tribal heritage, and supporters arguing for the pipeline point to economic benefits and job opportunities the construction could bring the area. Keep informed about this story and other important news of the day by consulting a variety of news sources as well as information resources provided by the government.

To see government publications about Native American culture and current issues, visit the government documents exhibit near the reference desk on Odum Library’s second floor.

If you’re looking forward to fun this Halloween, be sure to trick or treat safely as well.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer tips to stay safe this holiday!  If you’re worried about zombies or other emergencies, be sure to visit the Zombie Preparedness site from the CDC, including the famous Zombie Pandemic graphic novella.

Learn about the fantasy and folklore of All Hallows from the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, which collects artifacts and information about folk life in the Americas.

Some of the scariest creatures are actually good for the environment. See the exhibit about hazards and other Frightful Government Publications in the Government Documents display area near the Odum Library Reference Desk for more information about spiders, bats, abandoned mines, and ghost towns.

You can share your good wishes this season with these Halloween Health E-cards, also from the CDC.