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Tag Archives: Government documents
What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commission
New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for September and October, 2025. Included are reports from the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts, the Nebraska Foster Care Review Board, the Nebraska Department of Veterans’ Affairs, and titles from University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.
With a few exceptions, such as the University of Nebraska Press titles, items are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking directly in the PDF below. The University of Nebraska Press titles can be checked out by librarians for their patrons here: Online Catalog.
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972 as a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies. By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse. For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Aimee Owen, Government Information Services Librarian; or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.
Happy Constitution Day!
September 17 is Constitution Day, celebrating the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on this date in 1787.
How well do you know our nation’s founding documents? Check out these “10 most surprising facts” about the Constitution, from the National Archives:
- 10: The Speaker is the second in line to the Presidency, after the Vice President, under the Presidential Succession Act of 1947.
- 9: Two Founding Fathers and future Presidents were not at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and did not sign the Constitution. John Adams was ambassador to Great Britain, and Thomas Jefferson was ambassador to France.
- 8: The Constitution provides for two senators from each state, but it does not set the size of the House. That is set by law. It has been 435 since 1912. The original first amendment to the Constitution sought to deal with this issue, but it was never ratified by enough states to become part of the Constitution.
- 7: The Constitution was placed with the Department of State in 1789 and stayed in its custody until 1921, when it was transferred to the Library of Congress. It was exhibited there from 1924 until 1954, when it came to the National Archives.
- 6: Amendments to the Constitution are repealed by adding another amendment.
- 5: Only one Amendment to the Constitution has been repealed—the 18th (Prohibition); repealed by the passing of the 21st in 1933.
- 4: The last time the Constitution was moved (to return it after preservation treatment to the renovated Rotunda in 2003), it was transported by a convey of guarded trucks. In 1921, however, ”Librarian of Congress Herbert Putnam went to the State Department, signed a receipt, placed the Declaration and Constitution on a pile of leather U.S. mail sacks and a cushion in a Model-T Ford truck, returned with them to the Library of Congress, and placed them in a safe in his office.”
- 3: Six men signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution: George Read, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and James Wilson.
- 2: The Constitution does not require that the Speaker of the House of Representatives be a member of the House, although a nonmember has never been chosen Speaker.
- 1: The four pages of the Constitution are on permanent display at the National Archives. But there is a fifth page. It is the Letter of Transmittal of the newly written Constitution to the Congress that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The letter, which briefly describes the Constitution, is signed by George Washington, president of the Constitutional Convention. It is dated September 17, 1787, the anniversary of which we celebrate each year as Constitution Day.
Explore so much more on the National Archives website: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution. If you happen to be in Washington, D.C. this month, you can even view the entire Constitution in person. It will be on display for the first time in history from September 16-October 1, 2025: https://visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/constitution-day-full-us-constitution. Can’t make it? Check out the National Archives’ virtual exhibit: https://visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/constitution-day-full-us-constitution-virtual-exhibit#main
What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commission
New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for July and August, 2025. Included are reports from the Nebraska Department of Education, the Nebraska Public Service Commission, the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, the Legislative Research Office, and titles from University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.
With a few exceptions, such as the University of Nebraska Press titles, items are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking directly in the PDF below. The University of Nebraska Press titles can be checked out by librarians for their patrons here: Online Catalog.
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972 as a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies. By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse. For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Aimee Owen, Government Information Services Librarian; or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.
What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commission
New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for May and June, 2025. Included are reports from the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services, the Nebraska State Historical Society, the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, various Nebraska Legislative Committees, and titles from University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.
With a few exceptions, such as the University of Nebraska Press titles, items are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking directly in the PDF below. The University of Nebraska Press titles can be checked out by librarians for their patrons here: Online Catalog.
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972 as a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies. By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse. For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Aimee Owen, Government Information Services Librarian; or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.
What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commission
New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for March and April, 2025. Included are reports from the Nebraska Auditor of Public Accounts, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, the Nebraska State Electrical Board, various Nebraska Legislative Committees, and titles from University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.
With a few exceptions, such as the University of Nebraska Press titles, items are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking directly in the PDF below. The University of Nebraska Press titles can be checked out by librarians for their patrons here: Online Catalog.
The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972 as a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies. By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse. For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Aimee Owen, Government Information Services Librarian; or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.
Discovering State Docs: “There Once Was a Man from Nebraska…”
Happy National Poetry Month! When you hear “state government documents” do you immediately think of poetry? Me neither! The Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse receives documents every month from all Nebraska state agencies, including the University of Nebraska Press, which recently sent us Ted Kooser’s “The Windflower Home Almanac of Poetry.” It is a reprint of his original 1980 book, and one of many of his titles we have in this collection.
“The Windflower Home Almanac of Poetry is an anthology of poems originally selected by Ted Kooser in 1980 and published by his Windflower Press, a small, independent publisher that specialized in poetry from the Great Plains. The collection contains almost two hundred poems from dozens of poets and was designed to resemble a commonplace farmer’s almanac.
The Windflower Press was the sole operation of Kooser, who was later named the first U.S. poet laureate from the Great Plains. His press gained national recognition for highlighting the work of the region’s young poets, and its Windflower Home Almanac of Poetry earned notice from the Library Journal as one of its era’s best small press books.”
In the Editor’s Note, Kooser talks about the process of typesetting and pasting the poems together with illustrations he’d collected from old almanacs, long before the advent of software to ease these tasks.
One of the most prestigious academic presses in the country, the University of Nebraska Press sends us around 75 select titles per year, which are added to the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse, also known as the Nebraska State Documents Collection. This collection is comprised of publications issued by Nebraska state agencies, ensuring that state government information is available to a wide audience and that those valuable publications are preserved for future generations. University of Nebraska Press books, as well as all state documents, are available for checkout by libraries and librarians for their patrons.
Kooser, Ted (Ed.). The Windflower Home Almanac of Poetry. University of Nebraska Press, 2024.
Discovering State Docs: “Take Up the Apple”
“At the annual meeting of the Society, held in January, 1893, the Secretary recommended that the plan of issuing the reports of the Society as monographs be adopted. This contemplated issuing a series of four or five volumes, each of which should be devoted, largely, to one topic. The Society accepted the suggestion, and instructed the officers to prepare a program for the next annual meeting which should take up the apple and treat it as fully as available material would allow. This volume is the result.
At the meeting of which this is a record a resolution was adopted taking the grape, and such other of the small fruits as can be treated
in the same volume, as the topic for the next winter’s meeting.
With no precedent for guidance it was no easy matter to get together just what would make the best sort of a report on a single fruit, and the result is by no means perfect. No one realizes this more than those who have had the work in hand.” (Excerpt from the preface of the Annual Report of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society for the year 1894.)
This document is just one of the thousands of historical annual reports (1870s through 1956) from Nebraska state government agencies that are available in the Nebraska Public Documents database. This free and publicly-accessible collection is result of a collaborative digitization effort between the Nebraska Library Commission, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the Nebraska State Historical Society. (Read more about the project here!)
Historical government documents provide a glimpse into how our Nebraska forebears lived, worked, and governed. Primary sources such as the ones found in the Nebraska Public Documents database help researchers, students, and the general public understand the important issues and events of the day, and what motivated our elected officials to make decisions and the impacts those choices made. Take a look – what will you discover?
Posted in General, Information Resources, Preservation, What's Up Doc / Govdocs
Tagged annual reports, apples, digitization, Government documents, historical documents, Horticultural Society, Nebraska Public Documents, Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse, primary sources, state documents
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#BookFaceFriday “Might Kindred” by Mónica Gomery
An ode to #BookFaceFriday!
April is National Poetry Month, and we wanted to celebrate by highlighting some of the amazing poetry NLC has in its collection. Like this week’s #BookFaceFriday, “Might Kindred” (University of Nebraska Press, 2022) is a winner of the Raz/Shumaker Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry.
One of the most prestigious academic presses in the country, the University of Nebraska Press sends us around 75 select titles per year, which are added to the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse, also known as the Nebraska State Documents Collection. This collection is comprised of publications issued by Nebraska state agencies, ensuring that state government information is available to a wide audience and that those valuable publications are preserved for future generations. University of Nebraska Press books, as well as all state documents, are available for checkout by libraries and librarians for their patrons.
“These generous and sensitive meditations on belonging and the first-generation experience cast intimate light on shared human experiences.”Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!—Publishers Weekly
#BookFaceFriday “Private Way” by Ladette Randolph
We’re all wrapped up in this week’s #BookFaceFriday!
We like everything about this week’s #BookFaceFriday, the book, the author, the publisher, and the model! “Private Way: A Novel“ is the latest book by famed Nebraska author, Ladette Randolph (University of Nebraska Press, 2022). One of the most prestigious academic presses in the country, the University of Nebraska Press sends us around 75 select titles per year, which are added to the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse, also known as the Nebraska State Documents Collection. This collection is comprised of publications issued by Nebraska state agencies, ensuring that state government information is available to a wide audience and that those valuable publications are preserved for future generations. University of Nebraska Press books, as well as all state documents, are available for checkout by libraries and librarians for their patrons. Our model this week is a new addition to the Nebraska Library Commission! Welcome to Mackenzie Marrow, our new Information Services Technician. They completed their Masters in Library and Information Science from Simmons University last August. When asked about what they like to read, Mackenzie says, “I love any book that has an ensemble cast that is really fleshed out, especially if it’s sci-fi or fantasy.” Mackenzie’s two favorite series right now are “The Locked Tomb” by Tamsyn Muir and “Wayfarers” by Becky Chambers, “I could talk for ages about either one!” Outside of reading, their hobbies include playing DND, and trivia nights at The Happy Raven. They also recently adopted an 11-year-old cat named Mittens! “She’s my first cat, I grew up with dogs, and I love her to death.” So if you get the chance, say hello to Mackenzie!
“A wonderfully wise, vividly written, and deeply absorbing novel that delves into Willa Cather’s question about what is required of ‘a civilized society.’ By turns funny, reflective, and harrowing . . . Private Way is that rare novel that acknowledges the real hazards of civic life while also celebrating its transformative power.”
—Suzanne Berne, author of The Dogs of Littlefield: A Novel
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “Moving Out: A Nebraska Woman’s Life” by Polly Spence
This #BookFace is all about the good life!
Honor the rich history of women in our state with this week’s #BookFaceFriday, “Moving Out: A Nebraska Woman’s Life (Women in the West)“ by Polly Spence, edited by Karl Spence Richardson (Bison Books, 2002). This book is one of the hidden treasures of our collection, it’s “an intimate portrait of small-town life in the mid-twentieth century,” written by a native Nebraskan about her own life. Bison Books is an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, they send us around 75 select titles per year, which are added to the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse, also known as the Nebraska State Documents Collection. This collection is comprised of publications issued by Nebraska state agencies, ensuring that state government information is available to a wide audience and that those valuable publications are preserved for future generations. University of Nebraska Press books, as well as all state documents, are available for checkout by libraries and librarians for their patrons.
“Not only does Spence relate her own story, but also the stories of people around her, making Moving Out a collection of humorous and touching narratives.”
—Utah Historical Society
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “Women Made Visible” by Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda
#BookFaceFriday, we see you!
Start your Women’s History Month with this week’s #BookFaceFriday, “Women Made Visible: Feminist Art and Media in Post-1968 Mexico City“ by Gabriela Aceves Sepúlveda (University of Nebraska Press, 2019). One of the most prestigious academic presses in the country, the University of Nebraska Press sends us around 75 select titles per year, which are added to the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse, also known as the Nebraska State Documents Collection. This collection is comprised of publications issued by Nebraska state agencies, ensuring that state government information is available to a wide audience and that those valuable publications are preserved for future generations. University of Nebraska Press books, as well as all state documents, are available for checkout by libraries and librarians for their patrons.
“Timely and necessary, Women Made Visible advances the field of Latin American, Chicanx, and Latinx art history.”
—Teresa Eckmann, Woman’s Art Journal
This week’s #BookFace was shot on location at the Nebraska Library Association‘s annual Library Advocacy Day. This event gives Nebraska librarians an opportunity to meet with their state legislators to showcase the outstanding work done in Nebraska libraries!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
