Zach's News

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was enacted into law in 1966. This significant legislation gives the public access to Executive Branch information except under certain pre-defined exemptions, such as: “records which are specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive Order to be kept secret in interest of national defense or foreign policy and are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive Order”; “Trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person that is privileged or confidential”; and “personnel, medical, and similar files (including financial files) the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy”; etc.  This act is enforceable in the court of law, and is used to keep a check on executive powers by concerned individuals and groups.

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Changes might soon be coming to campus as part of a bill that was passed back in 2010.  How these changes will be implemented on campus is hard to tell, but if and when they come they will be evident to everyone. As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, Section 4205 (NUTRITION LABELING OF STANDARD MENU ITEMS AT CHAIN RESTAURANTS)  of the bill requires that “the vending machine operator [who operate 20 or more machines] shall provide a sign in close proximity to each article of food or the selection button that includes a clear and conspicuous statement disclosing the number of calories contained in the article.”  As an effort to help the public in keeping track of everything that is consumed, consumers will now have the option to read the nutritional information of the products being purchased before purchasing them.

Read more about the Requirements for Vending Machine Operators from the Food and Drug Administration at http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm217762.htm.  You can also read Food Labeling: Calorie Labeling of Articles of Food in Vending Machines NPRM at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/LabelingNutrition/UCM249278.pdf to help yourself further understand this legislation and how it will be implemented.

Shared with you by Samuel Russell, Government Documents Deparment

The latest Henderson Library exhibit, entitled Presidential Libraries, was installed in honor of the recent lecture by former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter, as well as in observance of Presidents Day (celebrated the 3rd Monday in February, which is February 18th this year). The exhibit showcases the Public Papers of the Presidents, presidential memorabilia, presidential photographs from famous New York Times presidential photographer George Tames (including the best-known Loneliest Job photograph of John F. Kennedy), a selection of books by Jimmy Carter, and Georgia Southern publications documenting the Carters’ previous visits to Georgia Southern and their momentous work toward social justice. The exhibit will run from February 1-28, 2013 in the Browsing Section of the second floor of the library. A related exhibit honoring Franklin D. Roosevelt for his foresight in initiating the Presidential Library system is located in the Government Documents exhibit area in the Learning Commons, also on the second floor. Special thanks to Janet Burns for her expert assistance with the exhibit and signage, and to Sam Russell for assistance with the LibGuide. You can find more information about the Carters using the Presidential Libraries Exhibit LibGuide available here.

Shared with you by Lori Gwinett, Government Documents Librarian

Tax Season has officially begun! Tax forms are in (sort of)! Although we do not have all forms and instructions, we have printed those we have not yet received which are available online. To see if we have the forms you need, see our display in the Learning Commons between the Access Services and Information Services desks.

See the Congressional Budget Office : Estimate of the Budgetary Effects of H.R. 8, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, as passed by the Senate on January 1, 2013

For more information about ATRA 2012 or tax forms, contact:

Lori Gwinett, Government Documents Librarian

(912) 478-5032 lgwinett@georgiasouthern.edu

Henderson Library is sponsoring a trial and evaluation of the ProQuest Congressional Publications, including the U.S. Serial Sets, through December 19th.  The Congressional Publications are available on the ProQuest Congressional database, which you can access via GALILEO or directly with this link.

Please let us know what you think of this resource by e-mailing jminihan@georgiasouthern.edu or posting a comment here on Zach’s News.  Thanks!

Your Government Documents Librarian is excited about the excellent free resources available from our government and wants you to be, too!

The Federal Trade Commission and the United States Postal Inspection Service have wonderful information on how to get your credit report for free (really!), how to improve your credit score, and useful (and reliable!) information about credit cards, loans, etc. The Commission encourages you to report fraudulent claims of free credit reporting and advises about what you should look for once you get your free annual credit report. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look.

Fun video about truly free credit report!

List of radio broadcasts about avoiding scams in a multitude of industries and scenarios.

Get free credit report here. If you haven’t checked your credit this year, take the time to do so. If there is fraudulent activity in your name, you need to know about it!

We want you…to be an informed citizen! If you are interested in getting free government information about fraud, ID theft, credit reports, pre-texting, and more, ask for the Government Documents Librarian at the Information Desk in the Learning Commons!

Thanks!

Lori Gwinett, Government Documents Librarian

lgwinett@georgiasouthern.edu 912-478-5032

Ask a Librarian

It’s less than two weeks until election day! Are you planning to vote early? Do you still need information on candidates, the voting process, party platforms or fact checking? See our display in the Learning Commons on the top three Presidential Candidates, and also spend some time on our Gov’t Docs: Elections 2012 EagleSource page. You can find information on most local candidates as well as national and state contenders for office, and there are some good unbiased sources such as The League of Women Voters, Project VoteSmart, and Politifact’s Truth-o-meter (complete with a mobile app!) . We’ve also included a sample ballot, and the wording and explanations of referenda from the Georgia House and Georgia Senate so you will know ahead of time what to expect when you go to the polls.

If you have questions, please contact:  Lori Gwinett * Government Documents Librarian

912-478-5032 Office * 912-478-5645 Information Desk

lgwinett@georgiasouthern.edu

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury are partnering on a pilot project to make digitized content from the Treasury library available on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys), a one-stop site to authentic, published government information. Through the pilot project, the Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange, 1956–2005, which list the exchange rates of foreign currencies based on the dollar, are now available on FDsys.

Over the next year, additional historical documents within the Treasury’s library collection will be made available on FDsys, including the Official Register of the United States: 1829–1861; 1879–1959, a publication with information about the federal workforce, including the names of every employee, their job titles, state or country of birth, the location of their posts, and their annual salaries.

GPO authenticates all documents on FDsys, guaranteeing the public that the content is official government information and has not been altered since it was signed and disseminated by GPO. GPO also works with other federal agencies including the National Archives and Records Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Courts to make their content available on FDsys.

Source: U.S. Government Printing Office