Labor Day Facts and Figures

Workers in the United States will celebrate Labor Day this coming Monday. Here are some facts and figures about Labor Day taken from the U.S. Census Bureau:

• 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 a “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.
• 154.4 million: Number of people 16 and older in the nation's labor force in May 2010.
  Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
• 7.6 million: Number of workers who hold down more than one job. So-called moonlighters comprise 5 percent of the working population. Of these, 4 million work full time at their primary job and part time at their other job. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as cited in the Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010, Table 596 http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
• -5.3%: Percentage decline in employment in the United States, between September 2008 and September 2009. Employment declined in 329 of the 334 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cewqtr.pdf
• 17.7 million: Number of commuters who leave for work between midnight and 5:59 a.m. They represent 13 percent of all commuters. Source: 2008 American Community Survey http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Products/users_guide/index.htm

For more information about American workers and the Census Bureau, follow the link to the Census Bureau Fact page or the Census homepage.

Food Safety Resources

You may have heard about the massive egg recall that has been in the news for the past two weeks and wondered if it affects you.  Here are several websites that you can use to check on this and other food safety issues:

•  Foodsafety.gov : This site is "the gateway to food safety information provided by government agencies," and includes information about recalls, preventative measures you can take to keep food safe, and food poisoning. It also has an Ask the Experts section that provides phone numbers, email addresses, and links to live chats where you can ask your specific questions.

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration Recalls, Market Withdrawals and Safety : the FDA is one of the government agencies that provides information to the Food Safety website, but it also has its own website with news about current recalls (food, drug, and medical devices) and food safety.

• Arkansas Department of Health : For information specific to Arkansas, check out the state's Healthy Arkansas site, which includes information about recalls, as well as information pages about diseases, healthy living, tobacco cessation programs, and heat safety tips.

Back to School Homework Help

It is back to school time here in Arkansas (the continuing summer notwithstanding) so here are a few links to resources for the students in your life:

• Internet Public Library: A web page with links to thousands of resources on a multitude of topics. You can also ask questions and have them answered by library professionals and librarians-in-training.

• Infoplease Homework Center: Another great site for finding links and documents.  "Information Please has been providing authoritative answers to all kinds of factual questions since 1938—first as a popular radio quiz show, then starting in 1947 as an annual almanac, and since 1998 on the Internet at www.infoplease.com."  

• LibrarySpot: According to their website, LibrarySpot is "a free virtual library resource center for educators and students, librarians and their patrons, families, businesses and just about anyone exploring the Web for valuable research information." The resources and links available " are hand-selected and reviewed by our editorial team for their exceptional quality, content and utility."

• Refdesk.com:  Refdesk is "a free and family-friendly web site that indexes and reviews quality, credible, and current web-based resources."

  
  
  

Historic Military Records for Arkansans

One question we get fairly frequently is how to find military records for Arkansan ancestors who may have fought in the Civil War. While we have many books on the subject in our Arkansas Collection (just type Arkansas Civil War into the search box on our catalog), we do not have any of the actual service or pension records here at the Arkansas State Library.

There are two local archives, however, that do have military information.  The first is the Arkansas History Commission.  They have Confederate Pension Records as well as Confederate Home Records. To find links to more information about these and the other records the History Commission holds, look at their Military Records page.

The second archives in Little Rock is the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, part of the Arkansas Studies institute which is a joint venture between the Central Arkansas Library System and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  The Butler Center was created "for the purpose of promoting a greater understanding and appreciation of Arkansas history, literature, art, and culture."

Both of these institutions are great resources for anyone looking for more information about the history of Arkansas and their own family's place in that history. And don't forget to check out our own Arkansas Collection of books.

If All Arkansas Read the Same Book

Have you been participating in this year's If All Arkansas Read the Same Book program?  Are you as hooked on the Sookie Stackhouse novels as we are here at the Arkansas State Library? If so, you should head on over to the If All Arkansas Read the Same Book blog for some exciting news about the upcoming Charlaine Harris author event.  And, if you are on Facebook, check out the Arkansas Center for the Book page that will keep you up to date on events and book club news.

Learn a Language!

You took a foreign language in high school, mostly because it was required, but you've forgotten most or all of what you learned. You want to go on a vacation to a country where English is not the primary (or secondary) language. You want to impress a potential date with your knowledge of their language.  All of these, and more, are reasons to learn a foreign language.  And the Arkansas State Library can help.

We have a number of language-learning tools available for checkout*, such as Take Off in Italian, a set of 5 CDs and a coursebook that can help you start to learn Italian today. Some of the language-learning tools in our collection cover Italian, French, Greek, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Japanese. To see if the language you want is available, check out our on-line catalog, or give us a call at (501) 682-2053.

*Subject to normal borrowing restrictions, of course. Check with the Circulation desk for eligibility if you do not already have a library card.

Ask A Librarian

Every so often I like to remind readers about the reference services available at the Arkansas State Library.  We are ready and willing to answer your questions, no matter how small or how big.  If we can't find the answer, we will do our best to find someone who can.  You can contact us by phone during office hours at (501) 682-2053, or any time by using our handy Ask a Librarian link, 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, 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.