Upcoming Patent and Trademark program at the Arkansas State Library

The Arkansas State Library and Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) are teaming up to host a free all-day program PATENTS and TRADEMARKS: GET THE INFORMATION YOU NEED TO PROTECT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY on August 7 at the Arkansas State Library.

Speakers from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will provide an introduction to intellectual property protection and explain how to effectively conduct preliminary patent and trademark searches. The program will also cover how to avoid invention promotion scams and how to conduct patent searching on PubWEST, a time-saving patent database portal.

The workshop will provide a basic level introduction to patents and trademarks for inventors, entrepreneurs, legal professionals and anyone else interested in knowing more about the vital world of intellectual property protection.

The program will be held at the Arkansas State Library's Bessie Moore Conference Room on 2nd floor of 900 W. Capitol in Little Rock from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Seating is limited and pre-registration is required. Register online at the ASBTDC's web site, http://tinyurl.com/3rggxvb.

The Arkansas State Library is one of a network of select libraries nationwide that are designed by the USPTO as Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRC). The Arkansas State Library is the only PTRC in Arkansas. For more information, contact Michael Strickland at 501-682-2053.

The Arkansas State Library provides the resources, services, and leadership necessary to meet the educational, informational, and cultural needs of the citizens of Arkansas, and provides guidance and support for the development of local public libraries and library services. For more information on the Arkansas State Library, visit www.library.arkansas.gov

The ASBTDC is a university-based economic development program which provides assistance to small businesses throughout Arkansas via a statewide network. The ASBTDC offers a variety of services to assist entrepreneurs at various stages of business development and growth.

Fourth of July!

Here are some interesting facts about the July 4th holiday from the Census Bureau's Facts for Features.

• In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation was 2.5 million.
• The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth is 313.9 million!
• $232.3 million: The value of fireworks imported from China in 2011, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($223.4 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $15.8 million in 2011, with Australia purchasing more than any other country ($4.5 million). Source: Foreign Trade Statistics <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/www> <http://www.usatradeonline.gov>
• 6: Number of states in which the value of broiler chicken production was estimated at $1 billion or greater between December 2010 and November 2011. There is a good chance that one of these states — Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas — is the source of your barbecued chicken. Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service <http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/PoulProdVa/PoulProdVa-04-26-2012.pdf>

Although most of Arkansas is under burn restrictions and fireworks bans due to the extremely dry conditions, many cities around the state are still holding Fourth of July fireworks displays. For more information about cities near you, check out this list.

The Arkansas State Library will be closed on July 4th in celebration of the holiday. Normal hours will resume on Thursday July 5th. Any reference questions sent after the close of business on July 3rd will be answered as soon as possible on the 5th.

Stay cool out there!

Summer has truly arrived in Central Arkansas, with temperatures predicted to be about 100 for the next few days. Extreme heat can be deadly, especially for vulnerable members of the population, such as the elderly, disabled and young children; according to the National Weather Service, it is the number one weather-related killer in the country. For tips on how to cope with the heat and how to recognize the various forms of heat distress, check out the CDC Extreme Heat guide.

If you are in Little Rock and the surrounding areas, the city will be opening cooling centers for citizens to come in and cool off. The Salvation Army is also opening a cooling center at 1111 Markham in downtown Little Rock.

Libraries are also a good place to go to escape the heat, and find something to read while you rest inside. To find a public library location near you, check out the Central Arkansas Library's web page. The Arkansas State Library is open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM, we are air conditioned, and we have books about cold places to help you think cool thoughts.

Job-seeking resources at ASL

The Arkansas State Library has developed several online resource lists on the RAISE section of the website to help job-seekers. RAISE stands for Resource Assistance in Seeking Employment. The two pages that I would like to highlight here are the Job Links page and the ASL Resources page.

The Job Links page lists websites of recruitment websites for state and national jobs, many of which also include other resources for job seekers. It includes several links specifically for veterans, as well as two for librarians.

The ASL Resources page contains lists of print and electronic resources available through the library to help job seekers improve their resumes, prepare for tests, and conduct efficient job searches. It is only a partial list, so be sure to check our catalog or contact our reference staff for more information.

Reference! Services!

Time once again for your semi-regular reminder 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 print 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

Please include a reliable way to reach you; if you have email but only check it once a month, make sure we also have a phone number and/or mailing address.

If you prefer, 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.  If you would like a patent search tutorial, you might want to call ahead and make an appointment, otherwise, please feel free to just drop by.

We generally answer questions within 24 hours, except during weekends and holidays.There are no fees for asking a question, nor do we charge for obituary searches.

Get Cultured

There are many great cultural events happening in and around Little Rock this month. Here are just a few, with links to more information:

• The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, also known as The Rep, is getting ready for its final play of the season, A Loss of Roses by William Inge. Shows run June 15th through July 1st.
• The Weekend Theater is presenting the musical Spring Awakening, June 8th through July 1st.
• And, nearest to this librarian's heart, the 2012 season of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre opens tonight with an outdoor performance of Twelfth Night at the Village at Hendrix in Conway. The festival runs throughout the month of June, with performances of Twelfth Night - both in Conway and at Wildwood Park - Richard III, and a musical adaptation of Huck Finn, Big River. There is also a children's version of The Tempest on the schedule. All UCA students, faculty, and staff are allowed one free ticket with a valid UCA ID.

Secretary of State Historical Report

I know, not the most interesting title for a blog post, but hear me out. This report is one of the more interesting state government and state history resources we have available here at the library. Complied by the State Capitol Historian, this book has short essays about the history of Arkansas, information about various state officials (as of 2008, the last time it was revised), and complete rosters of all the legislatures going back to the first Territorial General Assembly in 1819. The report also has the historical roster for the Arkansas Courts, and rosters of all the various county officials for all of the counties. But wait, there is more! There are also Arkansas vote tallies for the presidential elections going back to 1836, as well as gubernatorial and U.S. legislative elections.

And the best part? The report is available, for free download or order, to everyone. While we would love to have you come use the report here at the library, we realize that is not always possible. So, if your interest has been peaked, visit the Secretary of State's web page, and start browsing the Historical Report!

Memorial Day

Next Monday, May 28th, is Memorial Day. For many Americans, the three-day weekend marks the beginning of summer, and is hardly more than a day off from work or school. It's origins, however, are much more solemn. In the aftermath of the Civil War, it was seen as a day of reconciliation and remembrance.  The Library of Congress American Memory website says that:

In 1868, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11 designating May 30 as a memorial day "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land."
The first national celebration of the holiday took place May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where both Confederate and Union soldiers were buried. Originally known as Decoration Day, at the turn of the century it was designated as Memorial Day.

If you are interested in visiting historical sites that also act as memorials over the long weekend, one option here in Arkansas is Pea Ridge National Military Park, which just commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge.  Arkansas was an active front during the Civil War, and and according to the National Park Service website, "Pea Ridge was one of the most pivotal Civil War battles, and is the most intact Civil War battlefield in the country."

If you would prefer something a little closer to home, Mount Holly Cemetery is the final resting place for 11 Arkansas governors, 14 state Supreme Court justices, five Confederate Generals, and numerous heroes of military conflicts. For more information about the cemetery, visit the Encyclopedia of Arkansas entry. It is just south of downtown Little Rock at 1200 Broadway.

The library will be closed in observance of the holiday and will re-open at 8 AM on Tuesday. 

Obituary Searches - Other Resources

While we are happy to do obituary searches here at the Arkansas State Library, we only have access to one newspaper - the Arkansas Gazette (now the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette) here at the library. For many years, the paper really only covered deaths in Little Rock, so if your relative died in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, or Helena, they are probably not listed. This is especially true if they lived in a very small town in the country.

All is not necessarily lost, however. Many of the towns and counties in Arkansas had their own papers, and the Arkansas History Commission has a large collection of those papers available on microfilm. Using their online newspaper database, you can search for a specific city or county, and see what papers they have available for what dates. According to their website, the History Commission does not do research for patrons, so you will probably need to visit yourself to search the microfilm. If you live out of state and that is not possible, you will need to contact them directly to see if they can find the obituary for you, or if you will need to hire a proxy researcher. Their phone number is 501-682-6900.

Early Voting Has Started

A reminder that early voting for the preferential primary has now started here in Arkansas. For information about your registration, the candidates, and all other issues election, visit the Secretary of State's Elections Division web page.  Here at the library, we have candidate information booklets available for the public, as well as public access computers that you can use to visit the Secretary of State's web site.

Poem in Your Pocket Day

April is National Poetry Month, and tomorrow, Thursday April 26th, is Poem in Your Pocket Day. What is Poem in Your Pocket Day? Here is the description from Poets.org:

The idea is simple: select a poem you love during National Poetry Month then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends. You can also share your poem selection on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.

Need help finding a poem? There are many good resources available online, including the Poetry and Literature page of the Library of Congress,  the Scottish Poetry Library, the Poem-a-Day email from Poets.org, and Poetry Archive. Check out Arkansas poets Maya Angelou, Miller Williams, and C.D. Wright. And of course, your local library will have plenty of books of poetry to choose from - we even have some here at the Arkansas State Library.

So go find a poem and share it tomorrow.

Obituary Searches

Obituary searching is one of the many services that the reference staff of the Arkansas State Library perform for the public. We will search the Arkansas Gazette and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for patrons who provide us with a name and date of death. The search covers approximately one week following the provided date. Unfortunately, we cannot do a search without the date of death. 

The Arkansas Gazette archives go back to 1819 on microfilm, and the Democrat-Gazette records are available through an online subscription from 1984 to the present, as well as on microfilm.

Requests can be made in person, over the phone, and through the Ask A Librarian form on our website.

Ask us anything

Time for your semi-regular reminder 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

Please include a reliable way to reach you; if you have email but only check it once a month, make sure we also have a phone number and/or mailing address.

If you prefer, 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.

Arkansas State Capitol's 101st Birthday

Next Tuesday, April 10th, at 6 PM, the Architecture and Design Network will be hosting a program in honor of the 101st birthday of the Arkansas State Capitol building. Capitol historian David Ware will give a talk about the origins of the capitol and several architects who have worked on restoration and remodeling projects at the capitol will add their comments about the challenges they encountered.

The event is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Supreme Court Chamber, on the second floor of the Arkansas State Capitol. For more information about the location and time, click here.

April Fools' Day facts

Sunday is April 1st, a day many people use as a chance to play pranks on friends, and a day many of those friends learn to hate. Here are some websites that provide some history and facts about the day.

• First is Snopes.com, a great place to go to check on hoaxes and urban legends. Here is their investigation into the origins of April Fools' Day.
• Here is an animated video about the history of April Fools' Day and some famous pranks.
• Finally, here are some safe but fun pranks to pull on your friends and family on April Fools' Day.

Weather resources online

This is a topic we have discussed before on the blog, but after the epic amounts of rain followed by flood warnings that we have had this week, it seems timely to revisit it. There are several good places to go online for up-to-date information regarding possible severe weather and weather warnings for your area.

The primary one is the National Weather Service Forecast Office for Little Rock. You can also choose another area to view by entering a city and state or zip code. The website has maps that show any warnings for the general area, specific warnings for your town or county, radar images, and forecasts for up to five days.

The Weather Channel website (http://www.weather.com/) is a slightly slicker, more user-friendly website that also shows warnings, radar images and forecasts for the country and local areas. These may be less detailed than the National Weather Service, but easier to glance through quickly.

Many of the local news stations and meteorologists have Facebook and Twitter accounts these days, and you can often sign up to follow them for breaking weather news. Just search for the channel's main webpage using a search engine, and once on the webpage, there will be links to social media sites as well.

Tech Petting Zoo at ASL

Did you know that we have a Tech Petting Zoo here at the Arkansas State Library? If you are a public librarian, you have probably started to get many questions from patrons about the many e-readers that are now on the market, and you may have some of your own. Questions like: How many books fit on an e-reader? Can it also play audio files? How long does the battery last? and so forth. If so, that is where the Petting Zoo comes in. It is a collection of e-readers put together by Donovan Mays, the Coordinator for Technical Support for the Extension Services office here at the library. He holds occasional workshops here at the library, and is also available for site visits at your library to show off the various readers and answer questions. For more information about the Zoo, you can email him at donovan (at) library (dot) arkansas (dot) gov, or call him at 501-682-5291. This service is only available to public libraries within the state.

Get Registered to Vote!

As everyone should know by now, 2012 is a presidential election year. Anyone who is interested in voting in the preferential primary on May 22nd will need to be registered by April 22 - 30 days before the election. If you don't plan to vote in the primary (but why wouldn't you?) but want to vote in the general election in November, you must be registered by October 6th. Are you registered to vote? If you are, do you know where your polling place is? The Secretary of State's office has several ways for you to find out the answers to those and many other voting questions.

• For general voting information, including a calendar of the various state-wide elections that occur throughout the year, visit the Secretary of State's Elections Division page.
• If you need specific information about your voting information, visit the Vote Naturally webpage, which you can also access through the Elections Division page. This is your one-stop shopping place for all election information. You can search the voter database by your name and birth date; if you are registered, you will see the address where you are registered, as well as your various congressional, judicial, school and state congressional districts.  Your polling place location and address will also be listed.  Vote Naturally also has information about when and how to vote, candidates, the machines you will be using to vote, and past elections. 
• Prefer to check via your smart phone?  The Secretary of State has just introduced a new mobile application for you. Check it out on the SOS website: www.sos.ar.gov/m  
•  If you are not yet registered, and want to know if you are eligible, check the Voter Registration Information page from the Secretary of State's Office. There, you can also find a list of places where you can pick up the registration form, including here at the Arkansas State Library, as well as a printable PDF of the form that you can fill out and mail in.

 Plan to vote and make your voice heard this year. 

Ask a Librarian

Time for your semi-regular reminder 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

Please include a reliable way to reach you; if you have email but only check it once a month, make sure we also have a phone number and/or mailing address.

If you prefer, 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.

Tax Time Again

Now that we are well into 2012, it is time to start thinking about doing your taxes. I know, I know, there are far more interesting things to think about, but they do have to be done by April 15th, and getting them over with early is always a good idea. Here are some resources to help you get started:

• Arkansas State income tax forms: Although individuals cannot yet e-file income taxes, you can access all the forms you will need from this page. You can fill the pages out then print them to send in with your W-2s and any other required forms. The library also has a limited number of the basic forms, and a CD-Rom with all the forms that we can use to print a form for you on request.
• IRS.gov: The IRS really, really, really wants you to file your taxes electronically these days. And they make it pretty easy too. From their website, you can find information about how to e-file, as well as links to various e-filing software. If you make less than $57,000, you can probably file for free, using the links provided. If you file electronically, most programs simply walk you through, step-by-step, asking you all sorts of questions to make sure you are getting the best tax rate.
• Still want to file by paper? Those forms and instructions are all available for free on the forms section of the IRS website as well. 
• Want help filing your taxes, or just need someone to answer questions but can't afford a CPA? The Central Arkansas Library System will be hosting volunteers from Volunteers in Tax Assistance (VITA) at several of its branches through April 7th. Appointments are available on a first come, first served basis for qualifying patrons with an income below $40,000. For more information visit the CALS website.

We cannot provide tax preparation or legal advice here at the Arkansas State Library, but we do have a number of books and other resources that may be of use in preparing your taxes. For more information, send us a reference request using our Ask a Librarian form.

Blood Drive at ASL this Thursday!

The Arkansas State Library is hosting its second annual Red Cross blood drive this Thursday, February 2nd from 10 AM to 4 PM. If you can spare the time, please consider dropping by. The blood drive is open to everyone - state employees and the public. You can sign up online at the Red Cross website or contact Mindy Hodges (mindy (at) library.arkansas.gov) for more information. We are located at 900 West Capitol, Suite 100 in Little Rock.

Arkansas State Government Resources

Here in Arkansas, the Fiscal Session of the 88th General Assembly starts next month, on February 13th. Right now, legislators are preparing and filing proposed legislation and holding preparatory meetings. You can see the daily schedule of committee meetings, find information about state legislators, and once the session has started, see what bills were filed that day, all on the legislature's home page. You can also find links to searchable versions of the Acts of Arkansas back to 1987, and the Arkansas Code (the state statutes that provide the laws for the state).

Here at the State Library, we have the Acts of Arkansas going back to early statehood, as well as the most recent version of the Arkansas Code. Because we are a government depository, we also have information published by other Arkansas state agencies, as well as the rules and regulations that govern those agencies. These collections are all open for public use, and our reference librarians can help you find the materials you need. To send a request, use our Ask a Librarian form.

How to Request a Book

In addition to the reference services, the Arkansas State Library also has an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service open to public, college, university, and special libraries, as well as requests for work-related materials for full-time permanent Arkansas state employees.  State employees' requests must be directly related to their state jobs, and not to personal research, academic classwork, or extracurricular activities.  


As with reference requests, there is a handy ILL form available for you to place your request. The state employee form is here, and the library form is here.


For more information on the ILL eligibility requirements, please visit the ILL page of our website or contact the library at 501-682-2053.  

Ask a Librarian Reminder

As I like to do periodically, I want to remind you how to ask a reference question of the librarians here 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

Please include a reliable way to reach you; if you have email but only check it once a month, make sure we also have a phone number and/or mailing address. 

If you prefer, 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.


Speaking of holidays, the library and all other state agencies will be closed next Monday, January 16th in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. 

E-Rate filing begins next week

E-Rate is a program through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that allows schools and libraries to receive discounts on connectivity such as telecommunications and internet access.  By funding discounts on connectivity, E-Rate allows schools and libraries to keep pace with constantly evolving technology.


The filing window for E-Rate applications opens next Monday, January 9th at 11 A.M. If your library or school is eligible, now is the time to apply. If you have any questions of need help with the process, contact Amber Gregory, Coordinator of E-Rate Services, amber@library.arkansas.gov, 501-682-8576.  For more information, you can also visit the E-Rate page of our website: http://www.library.arkansas.gov/Erate/Pages/default.aspx