On December 3, 1776, George Washington arrived at the banks of the Delaware. In a letter, General George Washington writes to Congress from his headquarters in Trenton, New Jersey, to report that he had transported much of the Continental Army’s stores and baggage across the Delaware River to Pennsylvania. His famous crossing of the Delaware would come less than one month later. Washington wrote, "Immediately on my arrival here, I ordered the removal of all the military and other stores and baggage over the Delaware, a great quantity are already got over, and as soon as the boats come up from Philadelphia, we shall load them, by which means I hope to have every thing secured this night and tomorrow if we are not disturbed." Washington then made the critical strategic move of confiscating and burning all the boats along the Delaware to prevent British troops from pursuing his beleaguered forces across the river. The British strategy of chasing Washington across New Jersey, rather than capturing his entire army in Manhattan, seemed to be a stroke of genius. As New Jersey was devastated at the hands of British forces and Washington’s men cowered in Pennsylvania, even staunch Patriots, including Thomas Jefferson, considered surrender to the crown.

• History of prisoner of war utilization by the United States Army, 1776-1945
• Calendar of correspondence of George Washington, commander in chief of Continental Army, with officers, from original manuscripts
• Washington’s farewell address : the proclamation of Jackson against nullification; and the Declaration of independence

November 30th is National Mississippi Day. Check out these resources from the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications:

• The Civil War in the trans-Mississippi theater, 1861-1865
• The 3D Elevation Program : summary for Mississippi
• Forests of Mississippi
• Movements of wild pigs in Louisiana and Mississippi, 2011-13

Need to research proposed rules from the 1940s, or want to review executive orders from the 1937? The Federal Register collection on govinfo is your source. Published daily since March 1936, it is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. All the issues of the FR have been available on govinfo since April 2018.

On December 2, 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency opened its doors. Created in response to the dawning realization that human activity can have major effects on the planet, the EPA heralded a new age of Government action on behalf of the environment. It opened with 5,800 employees and a budget of $1.4 billion, led by former Justice Department lawyer William Ruckelshaus. Ruckelshaus acted aggressively to enforce the Clean Water Act, secure a ban on the pesticide DDT, and prosecute the corporations responsible for polluting the Cuyahoga. Check out these resources from the CGP:

• Transfer of PHS commissioned officers to Environmental Protection Agency : hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Health and Welfare of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, Ninety-first Congress, second session, on H.R. 19009, a bill to provide for employment within the Environmental Protection Agency of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service, and for other purposes, September 18, 1970
• Annual report of the Environmental Protection Agency to the Congress of the United States
• A Program for clean water
• Reorganization plan no. 3 of 1970 (Environmental Protection Agency). Hearings before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-first Congress, second session. July 22, 23, and August 4, 1970
• Environmental Protection Agency : a progress report, December 1970-June 1972
• Nomination of William D. Ruckelshaus

On November 30, 1993, the Brady handgun-control bill was signed into law. The law requires a prospective handgun buyer to wait 5 business days while the authorities check on his or her background, during which time the sale is approved or prohibited. In 1981, James Brady, who served as press secretary for President Ronald Reagan, was shot in the head by John Hinckley, Jr., during an attempt on President Reagan’s life. Reagan was shot in his left lung but recovered and returned to the White House within two weeks. Brady, the most seriously injured in the attack, was momentarily pronounced dead but survived and began an impressive recovery from his debilitating brain injury. Check out these related resources from the CGP:

• ATF Youth Handgun Safety Act notice
• Firearms-control legislation policy
• Background checks for firearm transfers
• Gun control [microform] : implementation of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act : report to the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S.
• Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act : conference report
• Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act : report together with additional and dissenting views (to accompany H.R. 1025) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office)

College and Research Libraries News recently featured the article, “What is in those compact Shelves?,” written by Depository Coordinator Jen Kirk of Utah State University’s Merrill-Cazier Library. Jen also presented the recent FDLP Academy webinar, How to Inventory Your Collection: Using SuDoc as a Starting Point. Check out these resources to learn how Jen and her colleagues got a better grasp on their physical collection.

The Law Library of Congress published two amazing story maps using content from the U.S. Congressional Serial Set.

• The City of Washington: From the Serial Set by Elina Lee
• City Sketches and the Census by Bailey DeSimone

GPO and the Law Library are collaborating on a multi-year project to make the Serial Set accessible online back to the first volume, published in 1817.

Access resources for patrons and administrative information for library staff, as well as infographics and images for your library website.