Take a Hike in Arkansas, part 2

In the previous post, I promised some guidebook suggestions for camping and canoeing, so here we go.

Devil's Den State Park, Butterfield Trail

If you are a car camper who prefers to sleep in a tent, you may want to check out The Best in Tent Camping: The Ozarks by Steve Henry. He covers campgrounds in both Arkansas and Missouri, rating each for beauty, noise, privacy, security, spaciousness, and cleanliness. Each description also has a short description of activities at the park and the surrounding area.

Mount Nebo, from the trail, looking up

If you want to include some fishing along with your hike, Arkansas is a good place to be. In Ozark Highways: Twenty-Seven Day Trips for Hiking and Fishing, Louis C. White covers some of the lesser-known streams in Arkansas and Missouri. Each entry includes directions to the trails and descriptions of the streams or rivers.

Arkansas also boasts many opportunities for canoers and kayakers. A Canoeing & Kayaking Guide to the Ozarks by Tom Kennon is a good place to start for boaters. The entries contain descriptions of the rivers, possible conditions, the best time of year for runs, shuttle information, and difficulty levels.

Take a Hike in Arkansas, part 1

View of the Ouachita Mountains from Petit Jean State Park

Arkansas's state nickname is the Natural State, and is it ever appropriate. According to the Department of Parks and Tourism website, Arkansas has 52 state parks, 6 national parks, and 2.9 million acres of national forest. Spring is a great time to get out and explore the state - it isn't too hot yet, and the bugs are at a minimum. Here at the State Library, we have many books that you can use to plan a trip, whether you want to go for a day, or a weekend, or something longer.

Bloodroot flowers

Spring is prime waterfall time here in Arkansas, and Tim Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls Guidebook will help you find some of the best. Ernst is the foremost authority on hiking in Arkansas, and his guidebooks are wonderful resources, no matter your level of hiking ability. For each waterfall hike in the book, he includes the length, difficulty, descriptions of the trail, a beauty rating, and a photograph of the waterfall looking its best.

If you aren't up for strenuous hiking, but still want to get outside and enjoy Arkansas, Arkansas Dayhikes for Kids & Families by Pam and Tim Ernst may be the right guidebook for you. These hikes are all 3 miles or less, and, according to the authors, "kid-tested and Granny-approved." As with all the other Tim Ernst guidebooks, each trail includes a map, description, and difficulty rating.

For more information about any of the State Parks, check out the Arkansas Tourism website.

Up next, books for tent campers and canoers.

Get ready for disaster

Image from http://www.meteorologynews.com/2008/06/08/june-8th-national-tornado-day/ Credit: Fred Smith

Do you live in an earthquake zone? Tornado Alley? Blizzard-ville? On the Hurricane Coast? Do you live on the planet Earth?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should be prepared for a disaster. Mostly, we don't like to think about the bad things that could happen, because they scare us, shake us out of our comfortable lives and remove any pretense we might have that we are safe.

But when disasters strike, we are better able to survive and adjust if we have a plan. The government has put together a comprehensive web site to help you put together a plan and an emergency kit that could just save your life.

For example, you should have enough water and food for every person in the household for 3 days. If that food is in cans, don't forget the can opener! Also, if you have pets, you should also make sure you have enough food and water for them as well. If you take medications, try to have a supply of those stored or handy.

What else should you have? Check it out at Ready.gov.

Employment Resources at ASL

Times are tough right now, and many people are looking for work, or looking for a stable career. There have been many stories in the news lately about how public libraries can provide help to these people. Well, I am here to tell you that the public libraries aren't the only ones who have job-hunting resources - we here at the Arkansas State Library also have many ways to help. Here are just a few of the new books we have received recently.

• 150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs by Laurence Shatkin and Best Jobs for the 21st Century by Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin. The lists of jobs in these books come primarily from the U.S. Department of Labor and statistical projections. Each job has a summary of the education or training required, potential annual earnings, beginning wage, earnings growth potential, amount of growth, approximate number of annual job openings, the percentage of self-employed in the field, and percentage of part-time positions. Each job is further analyzed to include information such as the geographical areas of the country where these jobs are in highest demand, the work environment, and so forth. The top five recession-proof jobs according to Shatkin? Computer systems analyst; Network systems and data communications analusts; Network and computer systems administrators; Registered nurses; and Teachers, postsecondary.

• The Big Book of Jobs from McGraw Hill Publishers and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. A comprehensive look at jobs and occupations available today, covering most industries. This book also includes a section of job searching advice such as how to write a cover letter, how to look for a job, and interview tips.

• Job-Hunting Online by Mark Emery Bolles & Richard Nelson Bolles. Once you have found a career or field you are interested in, how can you find one of those jobs? Today, there are more ways of searching for jobs than ever before. This book provides pathways and tips for searching, working on your resume with web tools, and much else.

• The Career Chronicles: An Insider's Guide to What Jobs are Really Like by Michael Gregory. Gregory provides insider information of a wide range of professions, based in interviews with people in those positions. Aimed primarily at college students, The Career Chronicles could also be useful for anyone considering a change of jobs or careers.

• The Book of U.S. Postal Exams & Post Office Jobs by Veltisezar B. Bautista. The comprehensive guide to getting a job at the U.S. Post Office, this book covers mail carriers, mail sorters, and other positions. The majority of the book is practice exams and tips for each type of exam.

These are only 6 of the many titles that we have about jobs and careers. We also have access to databases, online resources and much more.

Welcome to ASL Ref Dogs!

Welcome to our new blog! We hope to sniff out lots of interesting tid bits and dig up lots of new and old information to share with you. Hang around the yard and maybe we can help fetch a bone or two for you.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide

Are you interested in astronomy? Do you want to set up a telescope in your backyard, but don't know where to begin? If so, The Backyard Astronomer's Guide by Terence Dickinson & Alan Dyer may be the book for you. It is arranged into three sections: Choosing Equipment for Backyard Astronomy; Observing the Celestial Panorama; and Advanced Tips and Techniques.

Part I: Choosing Equipment for Backyard Astronomy covers your various options for viewing the night sky, including what you can see with binoculars and how to choose the right telescope and accessories. The telescope section is extensive, and includes options for all ranges of experience.

Part II: Observing the Celestial Panorama is an introduction to the various phenomena that can be observed in the day and night sky, including eclipses, planets, and meteors. It also has a chapter on how to choose a viewing location, and how to evaluate that sight for light pollution.

Part III: Advanced Tips and Techniques delves into the world of digital astrophotography using digital single-lens-reflex (DSLR) cameras, camera and telescope alignment, and cleaning the optics. The book also has an atlas of the Milky Way at the back, as well as several pages of additional resources.

This book is aimed primarily at astronomers who already have some experience with sky-gazing. The most useful sections will undoubtedly be those about selecting and setting up your own telescope.

The Backyard Astronomer's Guide is available to Arkansas State Library cardholders for borrowing.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Arkansas State Library Reference Blog! This will be a place for the reference librarians of the Arkansas State Library to post about new books here at the library, interesting and useful reference materials, patent and trademark tutorials, and anything else Arkansas Library related. We hope you check in often to see what we have in store for you.

The Arkansas State Library is here to serve as the information resource center for state agencies, legislators and legislative staffs, to provide guidance and support for the development of local public libraries and library services, and to provide the resources, services, and leadership necessary to meet the educational, informational and cultural needs of the citizens of Arkansas. As reference librarians, we are here to answer your questions.