PandemicFlu.gov and More on the Swine Flu

Check out the new website created by our government: PandemicFlu.gov, a "one-stop access to U.S. Government swine, avian, and pandemic flu information". They have a clickable map to find your state's local planning response/activities, so check out Louisiana's.

Hey, did you know that we had a swine flu scare back in the mid 1970s? I wasn't born till 1980, so I had no idea. I'll be posting about a display I'm working on for the library on government documents and books about swine flu, bird flu, epidemics, pandemics, etc. so keep an eye out for that. You could always use the info for a research paper topic next semester. My colleague created a list of the 1970s gov docs on the swine flu over at the Free Government Information website.

Here's an old PSA video about the swine flu from the 1970s:

Follow us on Twitter!

Do you use Twitter? Follow the MSUGovDocs Twitter account to get instant updates on government information at the international, federal, state, and local level!

Swine Flu

Swine Flu, Swine Flu, everyone's talkin' 'bout Swine Flu! There are many government resources about the current Swine Flu outbreak listed below. You may also want to make use of this widget from the Dept. of Health & Human Services on your own blog or website:

Swine Influenza Information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). You can also follow the CDC on Twitter for more updates! They also provide RSS updates, and videos/podcasts.

White House Press Briefing on Swine Influenza.

The Louisiana Dept. of Health and Hospitals (DHH) encourages "Aggressive Prevention" Against Swine Flu.

Mashable.com has a guide to tracking swine flu, including some government resources such as the World Health Organization's (WHO) Disease Outbreak Center and HealthMap, which pulls in information from WHO, among others. They also have a Twitter feed.

Google Reader Shared Items

Please take a look or subscribe to my Google Reader Shared Items (various Government Blog postings and articles I find interesting).

Try using Google Reader to subscribe to blog and website RSS feeds. It's easy and convenient!

STD Awareness Month

April is STD Awareness Month, an annual observance to raise public awareness about the impact of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) on the lives of Americans and the importance of preventing, testing for and treating STDs.

For more information, check out the government info research guide I just created on STDs & HIV/AIDS at the GovGuides Wiki.

Happy Earth Day!

Today is the 39th observance of Earth Day. The earthday.gov website has a lot of great tips for living in an environmentally concious way, as well as a list of volunteer opportunities in your area.

Learn about the history of Earth Day, which began in 1970, and check out EPA's Earth Day website for more information on ways to celebrate.


Find more photos like this one of our beautiful planet from NASA's Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website, which hosts "the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth from 1961 through the present".

Cold War Gov Docs of the Atomic Age

Check out the presentation I created for the Popular Culture Association Conference! The handout and bibliography can be found here (look under the heading "Popular Culture Association Conference").

Duck 'n Cover: How U.S. Government Documents Helped Shape a Cold War Culture of Doom!

View more presentations from Rebecca Blakeley.

Interested in Government Information?

I started a Government Information Interest Group at ALA Connect. If you are a member of the American Library Association (ALA), please consider joining this community. It is pretty bare bones right now and I could use some help in developing it and making it grow. It is a great way to connect with all types of librarians who share an interest in government information, but may or may not be part of a depository library or a member of GODORT. It is another way to provide outreach and educate our fellow librarians about the world of government information!

And if you are a student who is thinking about becoming a librarian, join ALA (they have a student membership rate) so you can also be a part of ALAConnect and the Gov Info Interest Group! ;-)

The Gov Info Interest Group is for those interested in government information (federal, state, local, and international). Various topics of interest include depository libraries, government information collections, open access, transparency, and preservation of government information, E-government, Government 2.0, and using social networks to collect and disseminate government information (”Gov Docs 2.0″) and more!


Speaking of groups, whether you are a librarian or not, please become a member of these Facebook Groups or become "fans of" the following Facebook Fan Pages about government information:

Free Government Information Group
Free Government Information Fan Page
Government Information: From Local to Global
State Agency Databases Across the 50 States

Money Matters Website

Money Matters is a new website launched by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency. It was created in order to help you tackle some money issues and tips and resources on money matters. Learn about dealing with debt, credit cards, scams, and managing your money.