LIBRARY JOURNAL NAMES TOP GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AND BOOKS FOR 2012

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July 13, 2012 (Washington, D.C.) — Each year, the American Library Association selects what it considers to be the most notable Government documents published by Federal, state, and local governments and publishes the list in the prestigious Library Journal (LJ).  
 
Library Journal evaluates 8000+ reviews annually of books, ebooks, audio books, videos/DVDs, databases, systems and websites. Out of all of the Federal Government documents LJ looked at in the past year, below are some of those it found most notable, and what it said about each.  Many are available through the Government Printing Office's Sales Program at  http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/notable_2012.jsp
 
Publisher: Defense Dept., Army, Center of Military History
Description: In what may be the definitive operational history of black troops in action during the Civil War, Dobak describes the differences in how freedmen and runaway slaves were recruited, how they lived, and how they were trained. Most important, it considers how gallantly these men performed in combat at a time when many of their own leaders questioned whether they would be willing to fight for their own freedom and for that of their families. Much of the documentation comes from the War of the Rebellion series.
 
Publisher: Government Printing Office
Description: Liberally illustrated with historical photographs and facsimiles of famous government documents, this volume will appeal to a wider audience than depository librarians. Historians and history buffs who have an interest in government and how it interacts with both the private sector and public employee unions will find a compelling story that focuses on the federal government's obligation to keep citizens informed about its activities.
 
Publisher: Defense Dept., Army, US Army Medical Department Center and Schoo1, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Public Affairs Office, Borden Institute
Description: In 1862, shortly after the Battle of Antietam, army surgeon general Brigadier Gen. William Hammond ordered the establishment of the Army Medical Museum. Surgeons working on Civil War battlefields were encouraged to preserve anatomical specimens, such as severed limbs and diseased organs, and send them to the museum for further research. From the start, the museum made its displays of specimens and instruments, as well as its medical library, available to the general public. Under the leadership of later curators, such as John Billings and Walter Reed, the museum evolved into the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Readers interested in the history of science, especially medical science or in the devastating effects of Civil War weaponry on the human body, will be fascinated by the hundreds of graphic photographs.
 
Publisher: National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling
Description: The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill was created by President Obama and charged with investigating the root causes of the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. The committee concluded that the cause of the blowout was not mechanical. Instead, a number of poor management decisions, combined with an inadequate regulatory structure and an indifferent regulatory agency, overwhelmed the safeguards designed to prevent such disasters. Plenty of illustrations and photographs offer a glimpse into the technology of offshore oil rigs.
 
Publisher: Commerce Dept., Census Bureau
Description: In addition to being the quintessential statistical resource of all time, Statistical Abstract is a Notable Document for 2011 simply because this edition will be the last produced by the Census Bureau and distributed through FDLP. Future editions will be published commercially, so librarians will still have options for maintaining the continuity of their print collections. A classic reference tool.
 
Publisher: Defense Dept., Army, Center of Military History
Description: In 2011, there were many publications designed to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. In addition to the 59 people aboard the flight that struck the Pentagon, 125 people in the Pentagon were killed. The editors of this memorial volume have collected the stories of eyewitnesses, including the military and civilian personnel who escaped the burning building and first responders and reporters at the scene. It also includes hundreds of photographs.
 

 


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