With the possibility of an American federal government shutdown looming next week as the result of the debt-ceiling crisis, at least some government websites are going dark, including the Library of Congress and the National Park Service.

It’s not exactly clear why some sites in Washington, DC, would go offline and others would stay online, nor is it clear how shutting down a government website would save any significant amount of money.

“In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government, beginning Tuesday, October 1, all Library of Congress buildings will close to the public and researchers,” the Library of Congress wrote on its website on Friday. “All public events will be cancelled and websites will be inaccessible.”

Gayle Osterberg, director of communications for the Library of Congress, explained that “funds to operate websites in general are not available" and later added that "visitors to the site or those who follow a link to an internal page from a search engine result, for example, would see a simple splash page explaining the current status of the federal government."

“Many of the services offered through our websites, such as reference services and cataloging queries, require staffing,” Osterberg told Ars by e-mail. “Those activities and corresponding expenditures are not allowed in the event of a shutdown.”

Another official for the National Park Service who was not authorized to speak to the press told Ars that in the event of a government shutdown, its site, too, would go dark, and visitors to the site would be redirected to a message explaining the shutdown.

The Federal Trade Commission (PDF) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (PDF) have told their employees to consult their respective websites for information about when the shutdown would be lifted. However, Peter Kaplan, a spokesperson for the FTC, told Ars that his agency's site would be largely shut down except for a splash page.

The Department of Veterans Affairs notes on its site that its homepage (PDF) would be “updated intermittently.”

If you work for an American government institution, let us know if your employer's site is staying online in the event of a shutdown, and why. You know where the comments section is. Thanks!