Labor Day

Just a reminder - the Library will be closed for Labor Day on Monday, September 5th. Any reference questions sent after 4 PM on Friday will not be answered until Tuesday.

Here are some facts about Labor Day, taken from the U.S. Census Bureau website:

• The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing “Labor Day” on one day or another, and Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.
 

• 153.2 million: Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in July 2011. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf>  

• 26.2 million: Number of female workers 16 and older in management, professional and related occupations. Among male workers, 16 and older, 24.0 million were employed in management, professional and related occupations. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, Table C24010 <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>

•  $47,127 and $36,278: The 2009 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, respectively. Source: Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2009 <http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p60-238.pdf>

Test Prep Guides at ASL

Students are returning to school here in Arkansas, and although this school year is just starting, many are already thinking about next year, and the tests they have to take to get where they want to be. From AP exams and SAT tests to the GRE and LSAT, we have exam study guides and other test prep resources here at the Arkansas State Library. We also have study guides and information for the post office jobs exam, as well as many career advice books.

If you are interested in checking out any of these books, please contact our reference librarians for help.  They can be reached by phone (501-682-2053) or through our Ask a Librarian form, or in person, of course. If you need a library card, we can help with that too. When you come to pick up the books, just bring your driver's license or other state issued picture ID, and a utility bill or voter registration card (something with your current address on it) and our circulation staff will issue you a card.

Genealogy Resources in Little Rock

One set of questions we get asked a lot are genealogical questions - a request for an obituary, a birth or death record, any other information about a particular person or family history. Sadly, we cannot answer most of these questions, because we do not have many of the genealogical resources needed to do so.  We can do obituary searches, but only in the Arkansas Gazette/Democrat-Gazette and only if we are provided with an exact date of death. Unfortunately, in many cases the chances of us finding a very old obituary are fairly low, especially if the deceased was outside of the Little Rock area, was not a well-known state figure, or was poor or African-American.

So who should you contact for more information?

• For birth and death records after 1914, the Vital Records and Statistics office of the Arkansas Department of Health should be on your list. Prior to 1914, you may be able to get information from the local county courthouse where the birth or death took place, but that is not always the case. It may take more digging on your part.
• If you are looking for Civil War records, some county records, newspapers from around the state, and other state government-related genealogical materials, the Arkansas History Commission and State Archives is a good place to start.
• Another genealogical resource that also has a wide range of Arkansas-related historical material is the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Part of the Arkansas Studies Institute and a department of the Central Arkansas Library System, the Butler Center was created " for the purpose of promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of Arkansas history, literature, art, and culture" and has "more than 10 million documents and photographs on Arkansas history available for public use."

Reminder: Ask a Librarian

Every so often I like to remind readers about the reference services available at the Arkansas State Library.  While our primary mission is to serve state agencies and state employees, we are ready and willing to answer questions from the general public, public librarians, school teachers, college students, high school students, and everyone in between. If we can't find the answer in our databases and collections, we will do our best to find someone who does have the answer.  You can contact us by phone during office hours at (501) 682-2053, or any time by using our handy Ask a Librarian form, or by writing us at:

Arkansas State Library, Attn. Reference
900 West Capitol, Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72201

If you are feeling really ambitious, or just want to visit (we have strong air conditioning, which is a big plus in this heat), you can also come to the library and speak to us in person.  Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM. 

We generally answer questions within 24 hours, except during weekends and holidays.