University Libraries

By Scott N. West

This latest hand-selected array of documents from the U.S. Government Publishing Office covers a range of topics historical, practical, medical and controversial. Read with abandon.

Budget of the U.S. Government, Fiscal Year 2021

• Office of Management & Budget
• PREX 2.8:2021

When you see this particular item, you will likely be underwhelmed. No matter the political circumstances, most people probably expect a massive volume with minuscule type and highly technical language. This budget, ambitiously titled A Budget for America’s Future, is a svelte 132 pages. Honestly, this volume is more of an executive summary and, as such, is easily accessible to the general public. The supporting volumes — Appendix, Major Savings and Reforms, and Analytical Perspectives — provide the intimidating content we expect. You can also find those in the Roesch collection.

Available in print and online.

Eisenhower Farm National Historic Site

• National Park Service, Department of the Interior
• I 29.6/6:EI 8/2019

The National Park Service maintains more than 500 parks and related areas. Someday when we can travel again, I intend to visit a few. The site featured in this particular pamphlet is the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It provides a map and information about the farm and highlights the illustrious career of Dwight D. Eisenhower — popularly known as “Ike” — as a general and as president. This seems an excellent day when paired with the Gettysburg battle site.

Available in print. Also worth a look: The site’s virtual museum exhibit.

Emergency War Surgery

• Borden Institute at the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School (2018)
• D 104.2:W 19/2018

This remarkable collection, now in its fifth revision, devotes 600 pages to the most up-to-date methods in performing surgery in the extreme conditions of active combat. It is definitely not an introductory volume, as illustrations are few and the language highly technical. The assumption is that the reader already has an extensive medical background. However, it is extraordinarily interesting to see how medical professionals in the armed forces keep military personnel alive.  

This is an excellent book for any medical professional or student — but as a U.S. and military history buff, I found it very interesting, too.

Available in print and online.

Investigating Iwo: The Flag Raisings in Myth, Memory, and Esprit de Corps

• Breanne Robertson (contributing editor), Marine Corps History Division (2019)
• D 214.511:IW 9

There is probably no more iconic image of World War II than the raising of the American flag at Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima. The original photograph has been reproduced in practically every medium. In fact, Clint Eastwood even made a film surrounding the event. However — and I had no idea of this reality — many aspects of this fundamental event are not fully understood or even validated (including the participants). For example, did you know there was more than one flag raising? This is an excellent resource for students of military history as well as those interested in how historical events can be transformed into powerful myths.

Available in print and online.

Proceedings of the United States Senate in the Impeachment of President Donald John Trump

• Y 1.1/3:116-12

This is an interesting document.  It starts with the Writ of Summons. In fact, it is a physical reproduction of the actual writ. What follows is the president’s response and the memoranda between the Executive Office and the House of Representatives. The document is often dry and formulaic but provides detail into the House’s case against the president as well as the arguments for the defense. Excellent resource for those interested in the processes of our government.

Available in print and online.

Report on Voting Rights and Election Administration in the United States of America

• Prepared by Chairperson Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio), Subcommittee on Elections of the Committee on House Administration
• Y 4.H 81/3:V 94/44

This report is the culmination of an extraordinary study on voting rights and the maintenance of elections in the United States. It is based on reports from each U.S. state or area, all of which are available in the government documents collection. This particular edition amounts to an executive summary as well as sections covering the state of voting rights before and after the landmark case Shelby County v. Holder. Another section focuses on challenges faced by indigenous voters, and another addresses barriers to the effective administration of elections.

Available in print and online. Note: Individual reports for each state also available.

The Russian Expeditions, 1917-1920

• By John M. House & Daniel P. Curzon, U.S. Army Campaigns of World War 1 commemorative series 
• D 114.7/6:R 92

One of the least-known aspects of World War I was the commitment of U.S. armed forces to fight in Russia from 1917 to 1920. In fact, the United States sent 14,000 troops from the North Russia Forces and the American Expeditionary Forces-Siberia to fight there. Savvy readers will recognize that the Great War ended in 1918. Why the delay in withdrawal? The answer is communism. While the forces were initially sent to prop up the provisional government established as the czarist monarchy collapsed, the emergence of the new Soviet state and its cease-fire with Germany made it necessary for these forces to stay behind and fight this new threat. It didn’t work.

Available in print.

School Safety Program

• National Threat Assessment Center, United States Secret Service
• HS 9.2:SCH 6/3

This publication is an intimidating series of reports focused on school safety in the United States. It is divided into five sections:

1. Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: an Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence.
2. Campus Attacks: Targeted Violence Affecting Institutions of Higher Education.
3. Prior Knowledge of Potential School-Based Violence: Information Students Learn May Prevent a Targeted Attack.
4. The Final Report and the Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States.
5. Threat Assessment in Schools: a Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates.

Violence in schools is not a pleasant topic, but it is an unfortunate reality. These reports provide vital information for teachers, administrators, law enforcement, parents and students.

Available in print.

Targeted Violence Program

• National Threat Assessment Center, United States Secret Service
• HS 9.2:V 81

This collection is another version of the NTAC report described above. This time, however, it focuses on attacks in public spaces. In short, it deals with terrorism, domestic or otherwise, in five sections:

1. Mass Attacks in Public Spaces 2018.
2. Mass Attacks in Public Spaces 2017.
3. The Congressional Shooter.
4. Attacks on Federal Government.
5. Protective Intelligence Threat Assessment Investigations.

Again, this is not a pleasant topic but it is a serious issue. These reports are an exhaustive source of information.

Available in print.

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace

• National Park Service, Department of the Interior
• I 29.6/6:R 67/2019

When the National Parks are mentioned, I bet no one thinks of New York City. Parks tend to be big, open-air sites. However, just a few blocks from Union Square and off Broadway on East 20th Street is the birthplace of Teddy Roosevelt. The original home was replaced by a commercial building in 1916, but the current site has been restored to reflect the early life of the president.

Available in print.

— Scott N. West is an information resources specialist in the University of Dayton Libraries.