In addition to our federal documents collection, Odum Library also is a Georgia State Depository Library and houses at least one copy of all Georgia documents received as a depository. You can view a selection of recent Georgia government publications in the Odum Library Reference display area. Come learn more about Georgia by viewing recent documents about historic streetcar systems in Georgia, famous Georgia eateries, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and more. Plus, you can pick up a free copy of the 2017 map of Georgia or the official Georgia travel guide (while supplies last).

Through the Digital Library of Georgia, we also have access to thousands of Georgia government publications online. Some recent publications include:

• articles about African American heritage in Augusta, Gordon County, and Jekyll Island in a recent issue of Reflections: Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network
• Telling time by the tides: an archaeological history of the Cathead Creek Historic District, McIntosh County, Georgia
• numerous Press Releases and Executive Orders from the Governor about appointments, funds distributions, special events, and more
• Georgia Department of Corrections reports, including Inmate statistical profile: juveniles in adult prison system, 2017 July
• the August 2017 issue of Georgia Public Libraries News

You can search for and access much more Georgia government information through the Georgia Government Publications catalog.

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!

Brady bookmarks

Brady Book Club

This week Odum Library kicks off their reading contest, Brady Book Club, to celebrate National Library Week and literacy. 

From February 11^th until April 11^th, check out a book from Odum Library and enter to win* a Kindle Fire.

To enter the drawing:

1. Check out a book from Odum Library.

2. Tell the person at the Circulation Desk that you want to participate. They will give you the Brady bookmark (see picture above).

3. Enjoy your book. When you’re done, take a picture of your book with the Brady bookmark and post to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram tagging VSUOdumLibrary and including the hashtag #BradyBookClub**

Example: @VSUOdumLibrary This book was great #BradyBookClub

4. Return the book and bookmark to the library.***

*Everyone can participate, but only students are eligible to win.

** If VSUOdumLibrary likes your post, we’ve received your entry – Make sure your privacy settings allow for us to find and like your post.

***Multiple entries are allowed

A winner will be selected via a Random Number generator on April 12^th

The winner will be contacted via direct message via the social media platform through which the entry was received on April 12^th.

The winner has until April 14^th to collect their prize. If the prize is not collected during that time, a second number or winner will be selected.

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.