How the United States government shutdown affects getting your geek on.

The inability of the American Congress to agree on an appropriations bill does have an affect on libraries--although probably not the one in your local neighborhood. The one you (may) visit down the street from where you live? That's largely--usually--funded through your local city or town, and sometimes state.

But what libraries or educational aspects of the government infrastructure are affected by the federal government's shutdown? Well, according to the website Ars Technica, generally an arbitrary mishmash--and it affects their websites, too.

Closed down websites:
[The fairly brainy websites...]

Library of Congress (loc.gov)

The National Archives (archives.gov)
[This includes 13 presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration that are also shuttered.]

NASA (nasa.gov)

National Park System (nps.gov)


[And the sort of lame websites shut down...]

Federal Trade Commision (ftc.gov)

United States Drug Administration (usda.gov)

Census Bureau (census.gov)

International Trade Administration (trade.gov)

Social Security Administration (ssa.gov)

And something called the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, whose link currently goes to the Department of the Interior (osmre.gov). I know OSMRE is my bible website.


But don't worry! The NSA, FBI, and CIA websites are all still operational, so all that shady perusing online at 2am in the dark that'd shame your mother is still being monitored.

HOORAY!