In my department, we're preparing for Constitution Day on Wednesday--printing stickers and buttons, boxing up pocket Constitutions, creating activity booklets, updating our website. Last year, we handed out hundreds of pocket Constitutions in a matter of hours at the Political Science department, and this year we've already begun receiving requests for them. This year, we're also participating in a community event at the local Barnes and Noble, which is designed to draw grade-school kids and their parents. We’ve even got a giant replica print of the Constitution (with extra blank but “antique-looking” pages) for the kids to sign.

Here are some of the many resources available online:

• Search for great resources from the Constitution Center!
• Peggy Garvin recently posted a great summary of the purpose and origin of Constitution Day on LLRX.com.
• If you're looking for last-minute display ideas, here's a great webpage at the Minnesota State University of Mankato (recommended to me by Shari Laster, Gov Docs librarian at the University of Akron—thanks, Shari!).
• Also, here are some sources for pocket constitutions and related government publications (great giveaways!).
• And we printed our replica based on the gorgeous images on NARA’s Charters of Freedom website.
• See more primary resources at the Library of Congress website.
• The Constitution Day website also has trivia and great resources for making activity booklets, etc.

I'm interested to hear what your library has planned for the event--please comment below and let us know what you're doing, where you found resources, etc. Are you planning events at the library, on a campus, in the community?

In a supreme twist of irony, Newt Gingrich, speaking at the annual Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment award dinner which honors free speech, said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism. So in order to save the Constitution, Gingrich is proposing that it be "reexamined," a poor euphemism for completely gutting it. Here's the story about the speech, and here's a link Keith Olbermann discussing Gingrich's comments with George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley. George Orwell is truly rolling in his grave!

[Thanks Crooks & Liars!]