Immigration Issues and the Land of Opportunity 2.0

April 22, 2013

Americans are proud of their country being known as “the land of opportunity” and a wonderful place to live. Thus it is not surprising that so many want to move to the United States, making immigration a topic of extreme interest to citizens, lawmakers and immigrants alike.

United States map with faces of immigrants - the Land of Opportunity?

Image: U.S. map made up of immigrant faces. Image credit: Imerito blog

The introduction of a major border security and immigration reform bill in the Senate last week brings the topic to the forefront… and left many scrambling to research the issues affecting the “Land of Opportunity 2.0″ in the twenty-first century.

The Government Printing Office has assembled a collection of both print and digital publications that run the gamut from proposed and existing border protection legislation to immigration reports and statistics, civics and English education for immigrants, and more to help all better comprehend the complex issues of immigration.

Here are a few notable publications from our U.S. Government Online Bookstore Immigration Collection:

  •  The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 (Print)

2013 Border Security and immigration reform bill Gang of Eight SenatorsImage: “Gang of Eight” U.S. Senators who worked on the immigration reform bill of 2013. Image Credit:  NPR blog.

The “Gang of Eight” senators who worked on this bipartisan bill includes four Democrats and four Republicans: Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).

Immigration-Reform-Act-2013The goal of this bill is “to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes” including bolstering border security, overhauling the legal immigration system, legalizing many of America’s 11 million undocumented immigrants and put them on a path to citizenship, and increasing enforcement and penalties against employers who hire unauthorized workers.

> Click here for information on how to order a printed copy of this bill

  • Yearbook of Immigration Statistics (Paperback)

2011-Yearbook-of-Immigration-StatisticsThe Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, 2011 is a compendium of tables that provides data on foreign nationals who, during a fiscal year, were granted lawful permanent residence (i.e., admitted as immigrants or became legal permanent residents), were admitted into the United States on a temporary basis (e.g., tourists, students, or workers), applied for asylum or refugee status, or were naturalized. The Yearbook also presents data on immigration enforcement actions, including alien apprehensions, removals, and returns.

> Click here for information on how to order this publication 

  • Customs and Border Protection Regulations of the United States (Print Subscription)

Customs-and-Border-Protection-Regulations-USPublished by the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of International Trade Regulation and Rulings, the Customs and Border Protection Regulations of the United States, 2011 is a print subscription which contains regulations made and published for the purpose of carrying out customs and border protection laws administered by the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. Former title: Regulations of United States Customs and Border Protection.

> Click here for information on how to order this print subscription

  • Expanding ESL, Civics, and Citizenship Education in Your Community: A Start-Up Guide (Paperback or ePub eBook)

Expanding-ESL-Civics-EducationFor groups and individuals whose goal it is to prepare the immigrant to assimilate into the Nation and to learn our language, this publication– both in print and ePub eBook format — from the Office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is very useful. It outlines a start-up process of gathering relevant information and resources to develop and sustain community ESL (English as a Second Language), civics, and citizenship education program, recruit and train volunteers, and recruit students. It also includes basic recommendations and sample forms and materials.

> Click here for information on how to order this print publication

> Click here for information on how to order this eBook

For more information on all the immigration publications from the Federal Government,

About the author:

Government Book Talk Editor Michele Bartram is Promotions Manager for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales Division in Washington, DC, and is responsible for online and offline marketing of the US Government Online Bookstore (http://bookstore.gpo.gov) and promoting Federal government content to the public.

2 Comments | Civics and Citizenship, Congress, Department of Homeland Security, International, Senate, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by GPOBookstore

March Madness: New GPO Bookstore Website and Historic Anniversaries

March 22, 2013

March is traditionally a month of change and national excitement in the United States. Together with the change of seasons and college basketball frenzy, some important national milestones were reached this month that we should acknowledge, from new achievements to key anniversaries.

New U.S. Government Bookstore Website

First, last week we launched our upgraded U.S. Government Bookstore ecommerce site, http://bookstore.gpo.gov/.  Our ecommerce website has gone through several iterations since its first version in 1999, each time adding functionality to keep up with the changing needs.  Today, GPO has over 4,000 Federal print publications and more than 150 eBooks available through our online bookstore.

New-US-Government-Online-Bookstore-website

Our new website includes the following user-friendly features:

Browse-ALL-Topics-on-GPO-BookstoreClick on the dark blue Browse All Topics button on the site to see and browse by a list of all the topical categories.

These last two features—eBooks and new Categories—are particularly important in light of three other important milestones this month.

National Women’s History Month

March is National Women’s History Month in the United States, and we have a new main “Browse by Topic” category, Minorities, Cultures & Languages, where you can find books for and about African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, Cultural Awareness, Disabled, Hispanics, LGBT, Minority Issues, Non-English Government Publications, Seniors & Elderly and Women, including dozens of books and eBooks about Women’s History.

Womens_History_Books_Slide

Harriet Tubman Centennial

One of the famous American heroines in the Women’s History collection is Harriet Tubman, who died 100 years ago this month making it her Centennial. Tubman escaped from slavery and returned to lead dozens of others to freedom in the mid-1800s. In addition to being the most well-known of Underground Railroad “conductors,” she was also a nurse, spy, suffragist, and more.

With all these roles, it is appropriate that we have created so many new “Browse by Topic” categories. One is Slavery & Underground Railroad (under US & Military History), where great books featuring Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad can be found.  Other new topics include Nursing under Health & Benefits and Intelligence & Espionage under Security, Defense & Law Enforcement.

Additional publications about National Parks can be found under the main category of Art, Maps & Travel, along with Posters & Prints and Maps, Almanacs & Navigation Guides.

BROWSE BY AGENCY: You can also find National Park Service (NPS) publications under Department of the Interior (DOI) in the Browse by Agency categories on the menu at the lower left side of the site, where publications are categorized by the Federal agency that published them. For example, our own Government Printing Office (GPO) publications are under Congress & Legislative Agencies.

Iraq War 10th Anniversary

Finally, this week is the tenth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, which began on March 19, 2003, as Operation Iraqi Liberation, later renamed Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Iraq-War-10th-Anniversary_Books_Slide

President Obama, in an address about the Iraq war 10th anniversary this week said:

“As we mark the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war, Michelle and I join our fellow Americans in paying tribute to all who served and sacrificed in one of our nation’s longest wars. We salute the courage and resolve of more than 1.5 million service members and civilians who during multiple tours wrote one of the most extraordinary chapters in military service. We honor the memory of the nearly 4,500 Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice to give the Iraqi people an opportunity to forge their own future after many years of hardship.”

Since the beginning of the war, the Defense Department has published dozens of excellent publications about the war, the strategies, Saddam Hussein, Iraq, reconstruction and the achievements and sacrifices made by our Armed Forces. You can find these publications featured under Iraq & Persian Gulf Wars which can be found under US & Military History > Battles & Wars categories.

It’s a Launch, Not a Landing

So, our new site marks the completion of over a year of hard work by our team here at the Government Printing Office, all aimed to make sure “we the people” can discover more about our Nation through excellent publications by our Federal Government. But there’s a good reason we call it a website launch and not a landing. This is only the beginning, with more great content and features to come! Enjoy!

So, please visit GPO’s new online bookstore website at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ and tell us what you think!

About the Author:  Michele Bartram is Promotions Manager for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales Division in Washington, DC, and is responsible for online and offline marketing of the US Government Online Bookstore (http://bookstore.gpo.gov) and promoting Federal government content to the public. She was also in charge of the online bookstore relaunch!

3 Comments | African Americans, Agriculture, Award Winning Books, Business, Civics and Citizenship, Congress, Department of Defense, Department of the Interior, Foreign Relations, Government Printing Office (GPO), International, Libraries, Military History, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by GPOBookstore

Exporting Made Simple

October 2, 2012

Guest blogger, GPO Public Relations Specialist Emma Wojtowicz, reviews the newly revised edition of the best-selling publication on exporting for U.S. businesses.

The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) entered the eBook market through an agreement with Google in December of 2010. Since that time, GPO has expanded its eBook distribution partnerships to include Apple, Google, Barnes & Noble, OverDrive, Ingram, Zinio digital magazines, and other online vendors to make Federal titles available in digital magazine or eBook format.

One popular title that is available in eBook format through many of our vendors as well as in print format is the 10th Edition Revised “A Basic Guide to Exporting”, a publication by the Department of Commerce. This publication supports President Obama’s National Export Initiative (NEI), which brings together the efforts of the public and private sector to increase U.S. exports. According to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, 95 percent of the world’s consumers exist outside of the United States, and only 1 percent of the U.S.’s 30 million companies export their goods to these other markets.

A Basic Guide to Exporting is a how-to guide for small and medium-sized business to export their products. The publication is broken down into 17 chapters with each chapter focusing on one step of the exporting process from determining if exporting is right for your business to placing your products in foreign markets. The book defines export-related terminology so each topic is clear. Many questions are asked forcing the reader to assess each topic and thoroughly evaluate if exporting will work for them.

The book is also motivational; each chapter ends with a case study or profile of a successful company reflecting on their export experience identifying challenges, solutions, and lessons learned.

The book does not provide all of the answers, but serves as a central resource for how to export. There are many Government agencies, trade centers and associations, financial institutions, and seminars that exist and are available to give advice and guide companies. The publication lists each of these resources, explains their services and how they can be helpful, and provides website links and phone numbers for contacting each resource.

Forms are often a complicated part of any process – including exporting – and this publication is very helpful with forms. When referencing forms that may need to be filled out, the book includes a picture of the form and explains how to fill it out item by item. This book is the Government’s version of “Exporting Made Simple.”

A Basic Guide to Exporting is usable in eBook format because the information is broken down and well-organized making it easy to navigate on any mobile device or eReader. The eBook format is helpful because there are websites listed for outside resources and the reader can click on the websites and directly access the resource’s web page.

Regardless of what format is used to read this publication, A Basic Guide to Exporting is excellent guide for small and medium sized companies interested in learning how to export their products.

Other popular export-related Federal publications including a subscription to the latest regulations concerning import/ export can be found on our Essential Publications about Exporting collection.

HOW DO I OBTAIN “A Basic Guide to Exporting”?

  • Buy it at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday-Friday, 9am to 4pm, except Federal holidays, (202) 512-0132.
  • Find it in a library.

2 Comments | Business, Department of Commerce, International | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by GPOBookstore

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,022 other followers

%d bloggers like this: