1) Gobbledygook has Gotta Go. This Bureau of Land Management title about the problems with Government writing is a classic, and a precursor to the “Plain Language” initiative today to simplify the wording in communications. It has been cited in several collected lists of funny titles, and it’s the only time I cheated and included it in my list anyway. Gobbledygook is just such a great word to say, and the alliteration makes the title even funnier. You can read a scanned copy of this book here. 2) Preparedness 101: Zombie Pandemic. All of my office mates agree: this comic has got to be the most fun Federal government document to date. The CDC was smart and exploited the current interest in zombies, and made an emergency preparedness checklist into a comic on preparing for the “zombie pandemic”. In this comic, the scientists of the CDC are the superheroes, isolating the virus “Z5N1” and developing a vaccine in record time, while the locals develop a checklist of emergency supplies so they can stay inside their home. Just the title alone is enough to make you smile—and it gets its point across. You can read the entire publication online here. cdc-preparedness-101-zombie-pandemic 3) This is a Dumb Bunny. I love the idea of the Federal government calling someone a “dumb bunny”. Even if the document it is quite literally the image of a rabbit, which spoils some of the fun, I am still tickled by the idea of a snarky Uncle Sam. The poster’s actually about smoking cessation. This is a dumb bunny! anti-smoking 1970s poster from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 4) Safety is as Stupid Does!! I know what the goal was with this title. The poster (seen on the University of Iowa Digital Library) makes it clear to the intended audience of military personnel that not thinking hurts safety on the job. However, I think the title missed the mark. It’s funny in its own right. Safety-is-as-stupid-does_DOD-poster 5) Do Mandrakes Really Scream? A colleague of mine is a huge Harry Potter fan. She said cataloging this title was the pinnacle of her career. It’s the online exhibition catalog of an National Library of Medicine (NLM) History of Medicine exhibit relating NLM’s historical holdings and the magic and medicine of Harry Potter. If you read the Harry Potter series, you’ll know what the title is referring to. If you haven’t read the series, check out this free exhibit first; you might find yourself diving into the book series afterwards. 6) USDA Saves French Donkey. The title of this mid-1980s US Department of Agriculture publication just speaks for itself. [Editors note: Probably the publication refers to this 1985 story reported in the Los Angeles Times about a rare 7-month-old curly haired French Poitou donkey named Sonette at the San Diego Zoo: Rare Donkey Passes Test, Can Stay Here] While this photo has nothing to do with the USDA publication, its appropriate, dont you think? Here, Patty the Painter-- a rescue donkey who paints pictures in 10 minutes for charity-- poses for the camera with her paintbrush and jaunty red French beret (Caters News Agency) While this photo has nothing to do with the USDA French Donkey publication, it’s appropriate, don’t you think? Here, Patty the Painting Rescue Donkey– who paints pictures in 10 minutes for charity– poses for the camera with her paintbrush and jaunty red French beret. (Caters News Agency) 7) Self-Motion Perception and Motion Sickness: Final Report for the Project NASA’s report on a motion sickness project makes me want to just… stop… moving! Read about it on NASA’s website. NASA-astronauts-with-motion-sicknessAbove: NASA astronauts in zero gravity try to fend off the effects of motion sickness. To learn more about motion sickness, watch this 3-minute TED Talk animated video about “The Mystery of Motion Sickness.” America the Beautiful: A Collection of the Nations Trashiest Humor with comic strips about solid waste or trash8) America the Beautiful: Collection of the Nation’s Trashiest Humor. Not only is the title funny, but the book’s content promises humor as well. This is publication number 2048 of The U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, originally published in 1970. The book consists of thirty comics, from the funny pages like B.C., and some from the editorial pages of publications from the New Yorker to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, all focusing on the problem of waste disposal. You can read the publication in its entirety online at the EPA’s website. 9) French Meadows: Hell Hole Recreation Areas. Although the area is really quite lovely, there’s a problem with image marketing in this U.S. Forest Service tourism brochure. French-Meadows-Hell-Hole-Reservoir Poster for The Vampire Bat movie starring Fay Wray10) Controlling Vampire Bats. This serious US Agency for International Development publication about controlling the spread of rabies through these creatures nevertheless evokes shades of Tippi Hedren… Don’t you get a mental picture of people running down the street away from the bats, waving their arms over their heads and screaming, à la The Birds? Or Fay Wray being controlled by an evil vampire in bat form in the movie “The Vampire Bat” (movie poster image at the right)? Maybe I’ve read too many zombie comics. How can I find these funny-titled Federal publications? In addition to clicking on the links in the article above to find the publications, you may find these publications from the following: o Visit a Federal Depository Library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. o Librarians: You can find the records for most titles in the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), or search for published U.S. Government eBooks in GPO’s Federal Depository Library Program’s special eBooks at GPO page. o Visit a Public Library: Ask your local public librarian about Federal Government books available to check out as well as Federal eBooks that may be available for library patrons to digitally download through the library’s Overdrive subscription. And to find popular current Federal publications, you may: o Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks as well as print publications (with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide) from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore website at bookstore.gpo.gov o Order by Phone: You may also Order print editions by calling GPO’s Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800. o Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:40:02 +0000
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