Featured Government Website in July

Grant.gov - Find.Apply.Succeed.


Grants.gov is a comprehensive resources that allows organizations to electronically find and apply for competitive grant opportunities from all Federal grant-making agencies.

"Grants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for federal grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community. Learn more about Grants.gov and determine if you are eligible for grant opportunities offered on this site.

Grants.gov does not provide personal financial assistance. To learn where you may find personal help, check Government Benefits, Student Loans and Small Business Start-up Loans."

Today, Grants.gov is a central storehouse for information on over 1,000 grant programs and provides access to approximately $500 billion in annual awards.

The website provides information about:
What is a Grant?
Who is Eligible for a Grant?
Program Highlights
Grants.gov in the News
Program Status

Source: www.grants.gov

Featured Government Website in June

Nutrition.gov
providing nutrition information for a healthier life

Nutrition.gov is a service of the National Agricultural Library, USDA. This website provides easy
online access to government information on food and human nutrition for consumers. It serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety. Users can also find practical information on hdietary supplements, fitness and how to keep food safe. The site is regularly updated. It features latest news and links to other relevant government sites.

Nutrition.gov is browseable by several subject categories: What's in Food, Smart Nutrition 101, Life Stages, Weight Management, Nutrition and Health Issues, Shopping, Cooking, and Meal Planning, Dietary Supplements, and Food Assistance Programs. A Spanish version of the site is also available. For more information on different aspects of human nutrition, please visit the FAQ section.

Featured Government Website in May

FoodSafety.gov - A gateway to federal food safety information

FoodSafety.gov is a gateway to selected government food safety-related information provided by such government agencies as Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN).

The information provided by the site includes the sections of Food Recalls & Alerts, Food Poisoning, Inspections & Compliance, News & Features, Videos, Podcasts, More, as well as Blog.

The website uses social media to expand public communications. Please take a look at these new spring videos: How to prepare ham and brisket safely which were posted recently.

Featured Government Website in February

ScienceCinema: the Source for Department of Energy (DOE) Multimedia

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched ScienceCinema, a new search engine for videos from the national laboratories and other DOE research facilities. ScienceCinema searches audio in DOE's research and development lectures and presentations and links directly to the video files. The videos in ScienceCinema highlight DOE's most exciting scientific research. You can also check out this DOE press release to learn more about this search tool.

Simply enter a term in the search box and start exploring DOE's multimedia! You can search for specific words and phrases spoken by the presenter in these video files.

Several search options are available:
1) Auto search, which requires placing your keywords in "double quotes" and

2) Bibliographic search, which allows searching by Bibliographic Data, Creator/Author, Title, Description/Abstract, and Identifier Numbers.

For more helpful ScienceCinema search tips, please visit ScienceCinema Help.

Featured Government Website in January

IRS. gov is the official web site of the Internal Revenue Service, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury. The IRS is organized to carry out the responsibilities of the secretary of the Treasury under the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS mission is to provide "America's taxpayers top quality service by helping them understand and meet their tax responsibilities and enforce the law with integrity and fairness to all."

IRS.gov contains useful information on tax filing for individuals, businesses, charities and non-profits, as well as several government entities. Other IRS resources listed on the web site include information on compliance and enforcement, contacting your local IRS office, e-filing, forms & publications, latest news, FAQs, and more.

IRS.gov also features links to other Federal government resources and agencies, such as USA.gov and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. A Spanish version with basic and advanced search functions is also available.

Featured Government Website in December

TSA.gov (The Transportation Security Administration)

With the holiday season already in full swing, travel safety and security is on everybody's mind. The Transportation Security Administration, a US government agency, addresses all your travel concerns by protecting the Nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

The TSA web site provides detailed information for travelers, including the 3-1-1 liquid policy, acceptable forms of identification, traveling with special items, prohibited items, new security measures for international travel, and information on pat-downs (what triggers a pat-down, what happens during a pat-down and what you can do to prevent a pat-down).

Recently TSA has released Helpful Hints for Holiday Travelers, which includes a video address by TSA Administrator John Pistole.

You may also be interested in TSA Latest News, Media Room, and Research Center. The most commonly requested TSA information is now accessible 24/7 via passengers' mobile devices through MyTSA Mobile Application. You can subscribe to TSA RSS feeds and also follow TSA updates on Blogger, Twitter, and Youtube.

Featured Government Website in November

EAC.gov (U.S. Election Assistance Commission)

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). EAC is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as audits the use of HAVA funds.

Other responsibilities include maintaining the national mail voter registration form developed in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. The commission also holds public meetings and hearings to inform the public about its progress and activities.

The site provides extensive coverage of such key areas as

• Resources for Voters

• Voting System Testing & Certification

• Election Management Resources

• Payments & Grants

• Research & Data

• Calendar of Events

• News & Updates, and more.

Featured Government Website in October

GobalHealth.gov is a health information resource sponsored by the HHS (Health and Human Services Department) Office of Global Health Affairs. This site provides links and resources that assist with the department's goal to promote the health of the world’s population. GlobalHealth.gov covers many global health topics such as:

• Influenza


• HIV/AIDS


• Bioterrorism


• Malaria


• Tuberculosis


• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)


• Animal Health and Global Zoonotic Diseases

This site also provides related links to numerous U.S. agencies and worldwide organizations that work with the Office of Global Health Affairs to further global health.

Featured Government Website in September

USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state, and local government web resources and services. As the catalyst for a growing electronic government, USA.gov helps citizens navigate through government red tape. At USA.gov, you can apply for benefits online, contact a government agency, or use the Internet's most comprehensive search of government websites — all from one easy location.

Whatever you want or need from the U.S. government, it's here on USA.gov. You'll find a rich treasure of online information, services, and resources.

Please use the Help link page to learn how to accomplish government tasks and access government information and services through USA.gov.

Please check out GobiernoUSA.gov, the official Spanish language web portal of the U.S. government.

View USA.gov Tutorials – Help Finding Government Information Online


The image of the USA.gov Word Cloud was generated with the 73 most popular words on USA.gov.

In addition, please check them out at at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Featured Government Website in August

HealthCare.gov is a federal government Website managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Through HealthCare.gov, you will have more control over your health care as informed and empowered consumers.

This new consumer website is "simple and easy to use, and provides one-stop shopping access to a wealth of information, including your new consumer rights and benefits under the Affordable Care Act, a timeline of when new programs under the new law will come online between now and 2014 and a new insurance finder that will make it easy to find both private and public health insurance option that works for you." (Source: White House Blog)

Here are what you can find from the website:

Find Insurance Options -- See which public, private and community programs meet your needs

Learn About Prevention -- Start here to learn how to stay healthy

Compare Care Quality -- Help users compare the quality of care that hospitals provide

Understand the New Law -- Know about the Affordable Care Act

Information for You -- Provide information to families with children, individuals, people with disabilities, seniors, young adults, employers

Please take a video tour to know more about the website of HealthCare.gov.

Featured Government Website in July

DATA.gov is a resource designed to increase public access to valuable, machine readable datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Data are values or sets of values representing a specific concept or concepts. Data.gov includes searchable catalogs that provide access to "raw" datasets and various tools. In the "raw" data catalog, you may access data in XML, Text/CSV, KML/KMZ, Feeds, XLS, or ESRI Shapefile formats. Datasets and tools available on Data.gov are searchable by category, agency, keyword, and/or data format.

Data.gov offers data in three ways: through the "raw" data catalog, using tools, and through the geodata catalog. The "Raw" Data Catalog provides an instant download of machine readable, platform-independent datasets while the Tools Catalog provides hyperlinks which may lead to agency tools or agency web pages that allow you to mine datasets.

For more information on how to use Data.gov, please view the tutorial.

Source: Data.gov

Featured Government Website in June

Whether it is Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, there will always be individuals seeking disaster relief and assistance.

No matter how dire the circumstances are, DisasterAssistance.gov is a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate, and reliable information source. Currently, 17 U.S. Government agencies, which sponsor more than 50 forms of disaster assistance, contribute to this website. It is a secure resource because individual disaster assistance applications are shared only with those agencies that you identify and are protected by the highest levels of security.

This web site features such useful sections as disaster categories, information on disaster victims' immediate needs, community resources, and information for U.S. citizens affected by disasters abroad ("Foreign Disasters").

A search feature and a Spanish language version of the site are also available for added convenience.

Featured Government Website in May

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) http://www.nimh.nih.gov

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This month, the featured government site is National Institute of Mental Health. The mission of NIMH is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure. Notable sections of the site include: Health Topics (Depression, Eating Disorders, Social Phobias, and more) with clinical trials, statistical reports, and publications; Research and Funding where one can learn about major NIMH research areas and funding opportunities; and Science News archive dating back to 2002. The site provides plenty of opportunities for social networking, with links to NIMH accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.

Featured Government Website in April

healthfinder.gov -- your source for reliable health information

healthfinder.gov is sponsored by the National Health Information Center. This government web site has resources on a wide range of health topics selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations to bring you the best, most reliable health information on the Internet. The topics include: a Quick Guide to Healthy Living, Health A to Z, Health News, and Personal Health Tools, which provide free interactive tools to check your health, get personalized advice, and keep track of your progress. You can even locate a doctor, health center, organization or public library through the Find Services & Information link.

Featured Government Website in March

Women's History Month - site hosted by Library of Congress

March is Women’s History Month. The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society. This website of the Women's History Month is brought to you by all these government agencies.

About Women’s History Month

"Before the 1970’s, the topic of women’s history was largely missing from general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978 and chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Women’s Day.

The celebration was met with positive response, and schools began to host their own Women’s History Week programs. The next year, leaders from the California group shared their project at a Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Other participants not only became determined to begin their own local Women’s History Week projects but also agreed to support an effort to have Congress declare a national Women’s History Week.

In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) cosponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming a “Women’s History Week.”

In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women’s History Month Resolution has been approved every year with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate."

Information from the National Women’s History Projec

Featured Government Website in February

FedStats.gov - a gateway to federal statistics


FedStats provides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic. With convenient searching and linking capabilities to more than 100 agencies that provide data and trend information on such topics as economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more, FedStats is your one location for access to the full breadth of Federal statistical information.

FedStats provides information for Federal agencies that are listed in Statistical Programs of The United States Government and reporting expenditures of at least $500,000 per year in one or more statistical activities.

How do you find information on FedStats?

• Topics A to Z: Direct access to statistical data on topics of your choice.
  


• Program/Subject Areas: Link to summaries of the major statistical programs including agriculture, education, energy, environment, health, income, labor, national accounts, safety, and transportation.
  


• Agencies: If you know the name of the agency, you can select it from the agency list, browse key statistics, and look up contact information.
  


• Search: Enter your key words or phrases. FedStats searches all of the linked agencies. Here are some useful search tips.
  


• Press Releases: The latest news and announcements from individual agencies.
  


• Data Access Tools: Selected agency online databases.

How do you find information for your county or State on FedStats?

Use MapStats to profile your State, county, Federal judicial district, or congressional district. Just select the name from the menu or use the map provided for your State.

If you want to know more about federal statistical information, please contact Liya Deng, Government Documents Librarian, via email @ deng_l@mercer.edu.

Featured Government Website in January

Science.gov – a search engine just for science

Are you aware that federal agencies across the United States generate a wealth of scientific information ranging from materials geared for the general public to highly technical research reports?

“Science.gov is a gateway to government science information and research results. Currently in its fifth generation, Science.gov provides a search of over 40 scientific databases and 200 million pages of science information with just one query, and is a gateway to over 2000 scientific Websites” (see Science.gov fact sheet).

This wonderful science website represents a collaborative effort by a group of government agencies to select and share the best of their online science information. Science.gov is an interagency initiative of 18 U.S. government science organizations within 14 Federal Agencies. These agencies form the voluntary Science.gov Alliance which governs Science.gov.

Topics include:

• Agriculture & Food
• Applied Science & Technologies
• Astronomy & Space
• Biology & Nature
• Computers & Communication & Mathematics
• Earth & Ocean Sciences
• Energy & Energy Conservation
• Environment & Environmental Quality
• Health & Medicine
• Physics & Chemistry
• Natural Resources & Conservation
• Science Education

If you are interested in learning more about this website, please feel free to contact Liya Deng, Government Documents Librarian at Tarver Library. She is happy to help you with researching government produced science resources.

Government Information All in One Place -- USA.gov

Are you looking for one place to get fast answers to your questions about government benefits and services? From Social Security benefits to government jobs to tips on cutting energy costs, USA.gov has you covered. USA.gov is the official portal for all federal, state, and local government information -- all in one easy location.

This official source arranges Government information by topic. Topics cover: Benefits and Grants; Consumer Guides; Defense and International; Environment, Energy, and Agriculture; Family, Home, and Community; Health and Nutrition; History, Arts, and Culture; Jobs and Education; Money and Taxes; Public Safety and Law; Reference and General Government; Science and Technology; Travel and Recreation; and Voting and Elections.

This official web portal also provides direct access to government information by organization, such as A-Z Agency Index, Federal Government, State Government, Local Government, and Tribal Government.

You can easily locate the answers to more than 2500 questions in the FAQs. In addition, you may want to check out some news through links of Today's Government News and What's FREE This Month.

Ready to take advantage of this valuable resource? Please watch USA.gov Tutorials.

Today is Columbus Day

Columbus Day is the annual U.S. commemoration of Christopher Columbus's landing in the New World (at San Salvador Island, also known as Waitling Island, today part of the British Bahamas) on October 12, 1492.

This Day in History on Britannica Online, which Tarver library has access to (Encyclopædia Britannica Online), describes Columbus Day as "the New World was “discovered” this day in 1492 when land (most likely San Salvador) was sighted in the Caribbean from the Pinta, one of the three ships that participated in Christopher Columbus's historic first voyage. "

For more information about Columbus Day, please visit Today in History on Library of Congress American Memory website.

Hot Document in October

Deschler-Brown Precedents Volume 17 (Chapter 34 and 35)

Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives, Volume 17 (Chapter 34 and 35) is now available on GPO Access. Chapter 34 contains Constitutional Amendments and Chapter 35 covers Presidential messages and executive communications.

The early parliamentary precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives were published by Asher Hinds (1907) and Clarence Cannon (1936). The Deschler and Deschler-Brown Precedents of the U.S. House of Representatives document the parliamentary precedents and procedural practices of the House from 1936 forward. Please view this page for more information about Deschler's Precedents.

Volume 17 of the Deschler-Brown Precedents incorporates an eclectic mix of chapters not logically placed in earlier volumes: constitutional amendments (ch. 34); presidential messages and executive communications (ch. 35); ceremonies and awards (ch. 36); resignations (ch. 37); deaths (ch. 38); recesses (ch. 39); and adjournments (ch. 40). As chapters 36-40 are completed with indices, each will be made available on the web through the GPO.

Please browse Deschler's Precedents on GPO Access.