INSPIRATION

Government repositories of culture have preserved the creativity of past Americans and inspired other Americans to make music.

Creativity Preserved

American Folklife Center

Library of Congress Inspires

Popular music groups such as Rasputina are also inspired by the rich sounds in the Library of Congress' American Memory Collections and Music Archives 

The ad council's campaign for American History urges everyone to use history creatively and impress your friends.

http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/Americas_Library/

ADVICE

FCIC

All the information you need on everything from buying a house to going fishing from the Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) of the U.S. General Services Administration.  http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/ Known for the free consumer information catalogs of yore, the FCIC online is a great place to go for quick information since many of the printed advice is now available in .html and .pdf forms. 

Firstgov.gov

A great place to start when looking for information, particularly government information.  http://www.firstgov.gov After browsing through the A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies, you may find that there is a government agency that specializes in the information you need.  Also, they highlight some of the more interesting government links like free graphics and images http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Graphics.shtml, information especially for kids or the young at heart http://www.kids.gov/, finding local farmer's markets http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/States/Illinois.htm

The government even has a site for consumer information http://www.consumer.gov/

Using government information you can even get advice on how to calculate blood alcohol levels and calories from various drinks http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/students/calculator/

RESEARCH

Huge portions of our tax dollars go to research and development, find Office of Science and Technology Information (OSTI) and National Technical Information Service (NTIS) reports and projects.

A catalog of government science and technology websites http://www.scitech.gov/ Provides the scientist, engineer, and science aware citizen with easy access to key government web sites.

A science portal for technical reports http://www.osti.gov/graylit/about.html the GrayLIT Network is a portal for technical report information generated through federally funded research and development projects.

Information for the Defense Community  http://www.dtic.mil/ The Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC®) is the central facility for the collection and dissemination of scientific and technical information for the Department of Defense (DoD).

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Technology Administration presents:  http://www.fedworld.gov/index.html, FedWorld.gov, a web site gateway to government information. This site is managed by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) as part of it's information management mandate.

Where discovery begins: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/nsf50/start.htm The National Science Foundation (NSF), established in 1950, is the federal government's only agency dedicated to the support of education and fundamental research in all scientific and engineering disciplines. Its purpose is to ensure that the United States maintains leadership in discovery, learning and innovation across science, mathematics and engineering.

CHANGE

Facts about how you can use government information to change the world.

Participate 

Reasons why your participation counts http://www.adcouncil.org/issues/voting/

Encouragement to participate from the people that brought us "Rock the Vote" http://www.registerandvote2004.org/

A mail-in voter registration form, available to register in 49 states (not Wyoming) http://www.fec.gov/votregis/vr.shtml

You can change the government even when its not an election year! The FCIC had been attempting to post some of the newest Federal announcements for requests for public comments, notices of meetings and workshops, and proposed safety legislation that you could get involved in. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/fedreg.htm Regulations.gov is the U.S. Government web site that makes it easier for you to participate in Federal rulemaking - an essential part of the American democratic process. http://www.regulations.gov/

Prevent

Change the way you view social problems through educational programs and campaigns from the Ad Council. Help prevent violence and unhealthy lifestyles and raise awareness to issues like obesity  http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/healthy_lifestyles/ and drunk driving  http://www.adcouncil.org/campaigns/Drunk_Driving_Prevention/