Tax Season!

Yes, it's that time again. Tax season is here! Go visit irs.gov to file your taxes online or print out forms and directions. They even have a page for finding a tax professional if you need help filing your taxes.

Louisiana tax forms are also available online at the Louisiana Dept. of Revenue website.

LSU Library created a nice guide on taxes and how to find tax forms from other states (scroll down the page a bit to get to a list of states).

We have a bunch of federal and state tax forms and direction booklets on the first floor of the library lobby too!

Connect Online with the Obama Administration

Besides Whitehouse.gov, there are also other websites for interacting with "President 2.0". Mashable.com lists the "Top 10 Online Tools to Connect with the Obama Adminisration". You can also follow Obama and the White House via their White House Twitter feed for news and updates.

First Presidential Proclamation

Yesterday, just after taking his oath of office, President Barack Obama issued his first proclamation, "calling on Americans to serve one another and our common purpose on this National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation".

NATIONAL DAY OF RENEWAL AND RECONCILIATION, 2009
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As I take the sacred oath of the highest office in the land, I am humbled by the responsibility placed upon my shoulders, renewed by the courage and decency of the American people, and fortified by my faith in an awesome God.

We are in the midst of a season of trial. Our Nation is being tested, and our people know great uncertainty. Yet the story of America is one of renewal in the face of adversity, reconciliation in a time of discord, and we know that there is a purpose for everything under heaven.

On this Inauguration Day, we are reminded that we are heirs to over two centuries of American democracy, and that this legacy is not simply a birthright -- it is a glorious burden. Now it falls to us to come together as a people to carry it forward once more.

So in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, let us remember that: "The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 20, 2009, a National Day of Renewal and Reconciliation, and call upon all of our citizens to serve one another and the common purpose of remaking this Nation for our new century.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

You can find more Presidential Proclamations at the American Presidency Project's Presidential Proclamations page going back to George Washington. The FDSys "Browse Compilation of Presidential Documents" database contains Proclamations from 1993 to the present.

Our New President

Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president as Michele Obama holds the Lincoln Bible. Photo from AFP/Getty Images.

We now have a new President! And the Whitehouse.gov website has already transformed to reflect this. It states "WhiteHouse.gov will be a central part of President Obama's pledge to make his the most transparent and accountable administration in American history". Check it out! There are all kinds of cool features, including a blog, read about his agendas, his weekly video addresses (every Saturday!) which will also be on YouTube, Slideshows, and learn all about our Government.

You can also participate in a dialogue and inform the work of the President at the Office of Public Liaison & Intergovernmental Affairs (OPL-IGA). "OPL-IGA will bring new voices to the table, build relationships with constituents and seeks to embody the essence of the President's movement for change through the meaningful engagement of citizens and their elected officials by the federal government". They will be adding new content soon!

If you missed Obama taking the oath of office and give his inaugural speech, or would like to listen/read it again, NPR also has it all on their website, here.

Today is Inauguration Day!

Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President of the United States today. Visit the official Inauguration Day 2009 website and USA.gov's Presidential Inauguration guide for details about today's inaugural ceremonies.

You can follow what's happening at the Inauguration over at the Inauguration, Obama Inaugural, and the USAgov Twitter feeds. The Presidential Inaugural Committee has a YouTube channel for the event, as well as a Flickr photostream.

Hulu has a great video set of past Inaugural Speeches or read the text of all past Inaugural Speeches since George Washington.

FDSys Beta Release

From the GPO Official Release:


GPO is pleased to announce that FDsys is now available as a public beta. The system may be accessed through http://fdsys.gpo.gov. The information on GPO Access is in the process of being migrated to GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys), a process that will be complete in mid-2009. The migration is occurring on a collection-by-collection basis. The information on GPO Access will remain current and continue to be available until migration is complete. Users will continue to be able to access all GPO Access content as described in the A-Z Resource List.

Collections currently available for search in FDsys are:

* Congressional Bills (1993-)
* Congressional Documents (1995-)
* Congressional Hearings (1995-)
* Congressional Record (1994-)
* Congressional Reports (1995-)
* Federal Register (1994-)
* Public and Private Laws (1995-)
* Compilation of Presidential Documents (1993-)

GPO is requesting your feedback on the system. All questions and comments should be directed to pmo@gpo.gov. For more information on the capabilities of FDsys by release, visit http://www.gpo.gov/projects/fdsys_capabilities.htm.

MLK Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on January 19th this year, but today, January 15th, is the actual day he was born.

The National Park Service has a National Historic Site at his birth home in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can learn more about MLK at the Library of Congress Today in History MLK page, and visit the MLKDay.gov website, which encourages "a day of volunteer service".

Congress on YouTube

The 111th Congress has begun! On January 6th, 2009, the 111th Congress kicked off the first session by swearing in new Senators during the Senate session and voting Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House and swearing in the Congressmen during the House session.

To learn more about the new (and old) Senators and Congressmen, check out this CRS Report - Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile and the New Member Pictorial Directory.

What makes this new Congress extra special, is that they are now on YouTube! The YouTube channels are: youtube.com/senatehub and youtube.com/househub.

Inauguration Day

15 more days till Inauguration Day! Visit the official Inauguration Day 2009 website for details about the January 20, 2009 inaugural ceremonies. Read up on how to get tickets, events, history, photos, and more.