The Electoral College: A Message from the Dean

Be sure to read this fascinating article by Michael White before election day. For more information about the Electoral College, check out NARA's website.

Documents of the Week: Halloween

Here's a collection of creepy & scary documents:

• Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences
• Cloning Human Beings, vols 1 & 2
• U.S. International Response to HIV/AIDS, 1999
• AIDS, An Expanding Tragedy
• Significiant Incidents of Political Violence Against Americans
• Murder in Families
• MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
• The Roswell Report: Fact vs Fiction in the New Mexico Desert
• Report on Search for Human Radiation Experiment Records, 1944-1994
• The Brown Tree Snake: A Harmful Pest Species
• Variation in Reproductive Parameters of Three Neotropical Snakes, Coniophanes fissidens, Dipsas catesbyi, and Imantodes cenchoa
• A Revision and Cladistic Analysis of the Spider Family Pimoidae
• Higher Level Phylogenetics of Erigonine Spiders
• Search USA.gov for Halloween

Documents of the Week: U.S. Department of Transportation

Our focus for the week of fall break is the U.S. Department of Transportation.

• Planning a vacation? Be sure to check America's Byways: National Scenic Byways Online for ideas, a podcast & more!
• Highway Statistics, 1958
• Public Roads, Sept/Oct 2000
• Have you heard the rumbling about drowsy drivers?
• Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division
• The Double-Nickel Challenge: Race to the Fuel Pump (has anyone tried driving double-nickels lately?)
• National Civilian GPS Services
• Bicycling for Everyone
• Estimating Auto Emissions of Alternative Transportation Systems, April 1972
• Department of Transportation, Second Annual Report, Fiscal Year 1968
• What you need to know about Air Bags
• Approaching Alternative Fueled Vehicle Crashes
• You're Not a Kid Anymore
• What happens if I'm stopped by an officer of the law?
• Getting to School Safely
• Driving Safely While Aging Gracefully
• Traffic Safety & Crime, Keeping Pace
• Pedestrian Safety Toolkit

Hope you enjoyed fall break!

FBI's Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room

We know have links to individual reports from the FBI's Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room in our catalog. You will find reports on Albert Einstein, Lucille Ball and other famous folks when searching by name. If you'd rather see the categories, go to Electronic Reading Room. From the website:

What do Jackie Kennedy, the Beatles, Albert Einstein, Gracie Allen, Thurgood Marshall, and Walter Winchell have in common?

Give up? They are all part of historical FBI records... though for a variety of different reasons. One had a background investigation for government service. One received extortionate threats. One had open communist affiliations. One needed security for a family trip abroad. One actively helped FBI investigations. One tried to smuggle jewelry into the U.S. And not necessarily in that order.

Documents of the Week: Department of the Treasury

This week, our focus is on the Department of the Treasury:

• U.S. Savings Bonds: 1994 Day Book
• The Series G United States Savings Bond: An Ideal Purchase for Current Income
  
• The Teacher of English and the War Savings Program
• The Problem is Dead Serious
• ATF Arson Investigative Guide
• Identification of Firearms
• Songs from "Figure it Out": A War Bond Musical Show
• Women's Work in War Finance, 1941-1945
• Regulations No. 5, Regulatory Taxes on Narcotic Drugs, Opium, Coca Leaves, Isonipecaine or Opiates (revised 1964)
• List of Merchant Vessels of the United States, 1901
• Financial Investigations: A Financial Approach to Detecting and Resolving Crimes
• History of the Treasury
  

The Debates: Can't Get Enough?

C-SPAN has created the Debate Hub. It includes video, a timeline, twitter & blog coverage, keywords used during the debates, AND the opportunity to order C-SPAN '08 Gear!

Documents of the Week: Veterans Administration

Veterans Day is November 11, 2008!

• Medical Research in the Veterans Administration, Annual Report, July 1960-June 1961
• PTSD Research Quarterly, The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Winter 1993
  
• Agent Orange Review, February 1997
• Medical Care of the Veteran in the United States, 1870-1960, a Bibliography
  
• Review of Literature on Herbicides, Including Phenoxy Herbicides and Associated Dioxins, volume III, Analysis of Recent Literature on Health Effects
• Annual Report of the Administrator of the Veterans' Affairs for the Year 1932
• West Side VA Medical Center Formulary, 1985
• The American Veteran (tells the stories of service and sacrifice made by America's men and women in uniform and discusses some of the benefits they have earned)

Image from Veterans Day Poster Gallery

Fivemile Creek & water-quality conditions

Assessment of water-quality conditions in Fivemile Creek in the vicinity of the Fivemile Creek Greenway, Jefferson County, Alabama, 2003-2005

This fairly new document will certainly be appreciated by our students that target this creek for their research papers.