Government Documents
The Mesa Public Library is a Federal Depository Library and
has been since 1983. We’re one of nearly 1,250 Federal
Depository Libraries in the United States. We provide access
to government information from a wide range of agencies and
offer professional assistance to help you find the
information you need. You'll find publications and
information on careers, maps, taxes, consumer information,
health and nutrition, legal and regulatory information,
demographics, military (current and historical), and
numerous other topics. Most of the collection of federal
documents is located on the 2nd floor of the Main Library.
We also feature a wide variety of government magazines in
the Magazine/Newspaper area on the 1st floor, and many
Spanish-language documents, also on the 1st floor.
The collection is available in a variety of formats (books,
pamphlets, DVDs, CDs, maps, etc.) and is accessible during
all open library hours. Come visit and learn about your
government!
Our Collection Development Policy
If you have questions, please contact our Depository
Librarian, Sandy Rizzo,
sandy.rizzo@mesaaz.gov,
480-644-3721.
Be sure to visit Mesa Public Library’s other related
government information sites:
U.S. Federal Government Links
Income Tax Forms – Federal and State
Politics and Elections
For more information about Depository Libraries in Arizona:
Visit the
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
page
For more information about Depository Libraries in the US:
Visit the
Government Printing Office
Census 2010 – It’s important – be counted!
MLK Day of Service at MLKDay.gov – volunteer
Government Databases! Check These Out!
Be counted!
Census 2010 forms will be available in March 2010. Be sure
to complete and return by April 1, 2010! 10 questions – 10
minutes. It means money to your community for the services
you need!
By law, all residents of the United States must be counted
every ten years – people of all ages, races, ethnic groups,
citizens and non-citizens. The population totals determine
each state’s Congressional representation, affect funding in
your community, and help inform decision makers about how
your community is changing. Every household in the country
will receive a questionnaire in 2010. To ensure an accurate
and fair count of all populations at all geographic levels
in the nation, the Census Bureau needs you or someone in
your household to respond to the census questionnaire.
- It’s important. – Census data affect funding for our
community, our community’s representation in Congress and
our community leader’s planning decisions. Census data
directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in
federal and state funding is allocated to communities for
libraries, neighborhood improvements, public health,
education, transportation and much more. That's more than $4
trillion over a 10-year period. Spending just a few minutes
to fill out your census form will help ensure our community
gets its fair share of federal and state funding.
- It’s easy. – The census questionnaire takes only a few
minutes to answer and return by mail.
- It’s confidential. – Your responses are protected by law
(Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). All Census Bureau
employees have taken an oath to protect confidentiality and
are subject to a jail term, a fine – or both – for
disclosing any information that could identify a respondent
or household.
- It’s required by law. – The information you provide is
combined with responses provided by your neighbors and other
households across the country, to provide summary
statistical data that are used by various local, state and
federal agencies.
Get more information about Census 2010 in Mesa at:
http://www.mesaaz.gov/citymgt/mesa-now/issues/census/default.aspx
And information from the US Census Bureau at:
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/
On January, 18, 2010, people of all ages and
backgrounds will come together to improve lives,
bridge social barriers, and to move our nation
closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King
envisioned. Dr. Martin Luther King devoted his
life’s work to causes of equality and social justice
and taught that through nonviolence and service to
one another, problems such as hunger and
homelessness, prejudice and discrimination can be
overcome. Whether planning for 2010, or planning
ahead for 2011, Everything you’ll need is located
here at MLKDay.gov
including tips on getting started, building
partnerships, organizing the day, and fundraising
(PDF). You’ll also find a service-learning guide for
schools and organizations (PDF), project examples,
and marketing tools to help promote your project. If
you want do a project that engages your community
beyond Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, then join the
Service Connection community.
Ready, Willing, and Unable to Serve – Message from
America’s Retired Generals, Admirals, and Civilian
Military Leaders
A new report, Ready, Willing, And Unable to Serve:
75 Percent of Young Adults Cannot Join the Military
– Early Education Across America is Needed to Ensure
National Security has been released by Mission:
Readiness – Military Leaders for Kids. This is a
non-partisan, nonprofit, national security
organization of more than 80 retired generals,
admirals, and other senior military leaders. The
publication cites documents and information from
many government agencies (see endnotes). Their
conclusion: Early education is an investment in
national security. The document can be read at
http://www.missionreadiness.org/reports/NATEE1109.pdf.
There’s a world of information at your fingertips! The
Federal Government produces a number of searchable databases
with facts and information on everything from plants to
substance abuse facilities to fuel economy of cars you might
want to purchase to… you name it! Here’s a sampling. More
will be covered in the future. Go online and try some for
yourself - mark your favorites for a return visit!
FAFSA,
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Starting January 1st of each year, the FAFSA
is a form that can be filled out by current
and anticipating college students (both
undergraduate and graduate) in the US to
determine their eligibility for federal
student financial aid (including Pell
grants, Stafford loans, PLUS loans, and
work-study programs) for an upcoming
academic year. Applicants who have filled
out a FAFSA in previous years are able to
fill out a renewal FAFSA, but information on
taxes and savings, for example, must be
updated annually. In addition, most states
and schools use information from the FAFSA
to award non-federal aid.
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Education Department |
IRS
Forms and Publications
http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/index.html?portlet=3
Filing time’s here! Find the federal forms
and publications you need. Tip: When
searching for a form with numbers and
letters, put a dash between the
numbers/letters. For example, when searching
for 1040A, enter “1040-A.”
|
Treasury Department |
IRS
Cumulative List of Organizations
(Organizations eligible to receive
tax-deductible charitable contributions)
http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78/
Check before you give! Publication 78,
Cumulative List of Organizations, described
in Section 170( c) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, is a list of organizations
eligible to receive tax-deductible
charitable contributions. The online version
is offered to help persons conduct a more
efficient search of these organizations. Use
this with the Better Business Bureau site at
http://maricopa.bbb.org/Find-Business-Reviews/
to investigate charities.
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Treasury Department |
WindPowering America.gov
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/
According to the US Department of Energy,
wind power is the fastest growing energy
source in the country. Find information
about wind power and hydrology: get wind
maps, information on state activities,
publications and photographs (Information
Resources), learn how wind and hydro power
work (Technologies), financial opportunities
in this industry, and career information (http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/schools_training.asp)
|
Department of Energy |
State
Fact Sheets
http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/
Did you know that Arizona’s top agricultural
commodity is dairy, followed by cattle,
greenhouse, lettuce, and hay? And that our
top agricultural export is cotton? Learn
about each state, in terms of the
agriculture produced there. State fact
sheets provide information on population,
employment, income, farm characteristics,
farm financial indicators, and top
commodities, exports, and counties for each
state in the United States.
|
Agriculture Department |
Page updated 12/31/09
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