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Archive: 2013 (240 Posts)

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The Plum Book

Posted by: Robert Brammer

Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (alternately) release a compilation called The United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, better known as the “Plum Book.” This compilation features a list of over 7,000 civil service leadership and …

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Israel’s 2013 Elections: The Making of a Coalition Government

Posted by: Ruth Levush

Israeli voters are going to the polls today (January 22, 2013) to cast their ballots for the 19th Knesset (Israel’s parliament). Unlike in the U.S., where after the ballots are counted the presidential winner can go ahead with selecting his cabinet, the winner of the Israeli elections is not necessarily going to head the upcoming …

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Presidents, the Other National Pastime

Posted by: Kurt Carroll

The following is a guest post is by Betty Lupinacci, Lead Technician for Legal Processing Workflow Resolution in our Collection Services Division.  It is part travelogue which includes a visit to an inaugural site for a US President outside Washington, DC. What does a trip to Cooperstown, NY have to do with this week’s Inaugural theme?  Well, …

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The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Posted by: Margaret Wood

I had an interesting query a few months ago from a patron about a proposed constitutional amendment which the patron believed President Lincoln had signed.  This was unusual in itself since Article V of the U.S. Constitution does not require presidents to sign constitutional amendments passed by Congress.  The key to this query was the date …

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On Despising English Liberties and Other Wisdom from the Founders

Posted by: Nathan Dorn

Today is the anniversary of the ratification of the first written constitution in American history, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which took place on January 14, 1639. The Fundamental Orders outlined the form of government that would be established over the Connecticut River Towns, enumerating its powers and describing the duties of citizens active in government. A fascinating document …

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Card Catalog Storage – Pic of the Week

Posted by: Jeanine Cali

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my hometown library, the Albright Memorial Library, in Scranton, Pennsylvania and its participation in the Federal Depository Library Program.  As described in the post, I have a card catalog from the library in our home.     My colleague, Elizabeth Moore, stopped by my office last week to ask whether …

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Employment and Labor Law: A Beginner’s Guide

Posted by: Barbara Bavis

This post is co-authored by Barbara Bavis and Robert Brammer, Legal Reference Librarians. Continuing with our Beginner’s Guide series, we turn next to labor and employment law.  This area of the law has been prominent in the news over the past several months, particularly in light of the union stronghold of the Midwest, Michigan, becoming …