Total Lunar Eclipse

Tonight is not only the winter solstice, but also a total lunar eclipse.  It will be visible (cloud conditions permitting) across all of North America.  The eclipse will begin at approximately 12:30 AM Central Time, and will last for 3.5 hours. For more information, including a chart that provides specific times for all the major North American time zones, go to Stardate.org.

Read!

Look what has popped up in downtown Little Rock! This picture was sent to us by the Arkansas Center for the Book. The website it recommends, www.read.gov, has reading suggestions for all ages, resources for parents and teachers, and links to interesting programs such as the Letters About Literature contest.  Our Arkansas Center for the Book has its own Letters About Literature page.  This year's contest entries must be postmarked by tomorrow, December 10th, so it might be too late to enter this year, but check back in 2011 for the next contest.  Please visit our web page for more information about the Arkansas Center for the Book.

Holiday Closure Schedule

The Arkansas State Library will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 25 & 26, for the Thanksgiving holiday.  We will reopen on Monday at 8 AM.  In December, the library will be closed December 23rd & 24th, reopening on Monday the 27th, and closed on the 31st for New Year's holidays.  Any reference requests sent during that time may take a few extra days for a response.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

New Website Reminder

Consider this a reminder to check out the new Arkansas State Library Website. There you can find information about scheduling a meeting in one of our meeting rooms, how to file the required state agency documents with our government documents section, and how to send in a reference request.  You can also find links to other informational sites and connect to our catalog to find books.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the new website, send them through the Ask a Librarian form and we will pass them on to the appropriate people.

Veteran's Day Closures and Events

Tomorrow is Veteran's day.  Some government offices and services will be closed or on reduced schedules.  All Federal, State and local government offices are closed, including post offices and mail delivery. 

From the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs website, information about ceremonies at the State Capitol:

The Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs will present a Veterans Day ceremony on Thursday, November 11th, at 11:00 a.m., in the State Capitol rotunda.  This ceremony is to honor all veterans who have, and are serving this nation, whether in war and or peace.

Governor Mike Beebe will give the Veterans Day address.  Arkansas Veterans’ Commissioner Colonel Tom Thomas, U. S. Army, Retired, will be the Master of Ceremonies.  The 106th Arkansas Army National Guard Band will be providing the music and the Little Rock Air Force Base Color Guard will  present the colors.

This observance will be held on the second level of the State Capitol rotunda.  The tunnel entrance will be open with internal elevators to the second floor.  Wheelchair access is available through this entrance as well.  Veterans Day is a state holiday and there will be plenty of parking available.

Celebrate Veterans

Next Thursday is Veteran's Day here in the United States.  Veteran's Day was first officially observed on November 11, 1919 as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of the First World War.  It became an official holiday in 1926, and in 1954 the name was changed to Veteran's Day to commemorate the sacrifices and service of American soldiers of all wars. For more information about the history of Veteran's Day, check out this page from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 21.9 million military veterans in the United States.  1.5 million of those veterans are women.  5.5 million veterans are living with disabilities. For more statistics about veterans, visit the U.S. Census Bureau Facts page.

If you or someone you know is an Arkansas veteran in need of assistance or information, visit the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs webpage.

New Library Website!

The Arkansas State Library has a new website!  All the old information you are used to finding is still there, but in a new design. Spend some time looking around, and let us know what you think. You can use the Ask a Librarian page to send comments or questions, as always.

As a result of the change, the Ask a Librarian page also has a new address.

World Statistics Day October 20

Wednesday, October 20th is World Statistics Day. To celebrate, here are some statistics provided by the Census Bureau.  If you want to learn more, or find some interesting statistics for yourself, check out their Facts for Features pages.

• 74.5 million: The number of children under 18 in the U.S. in 2009.  Source: 2009 population estimates <http://www.census.gov/popest/national/asrh/natasrh.html>
• 5.3 million: Estimated number of “stay-at-home” parents in 2009 in the United States: 5.1 million mothers and 158,000 fathers. Source: America's Families and Living Arrangements <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hh-fam.html>
• 310 million: Estimated current U.S. population. We reached 300 million in 2006, 200 million in 1967 and 100 million in 1915. When our nation achieved independence in 1776, we had a population of only 2.5 million. *National and state population counts from 2010 Census data will be released by Dec. 31, 2010.
  Source: U.S. and World Population Clocks <http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html> 
• 24.3 pounds: Per capita candy consumption in 2009.  Source: Current Industrial Reports, Confectionery: 2009 <http://www.census.gov/manufacturing/cir/historical_data/ma311d/index.html> 

How to get an Arkansas birth record

For genealogists, vital records, such as birth, death, and marriage certificates, can provide valuable information. If you too are searching for a record of a relative, or perhaps you just need a copy of your own birth certificate, the best place to start is with the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records Office. There, you can find the forms to order certificates, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions section for each type of record. 

Birth and death records are available from 1914 t the present, marriages from 1917, and divorces from 1923.  Some rules do apply about who may request records for individuals, but those circumstances are covered in the FAQ.

Go Pink for a Cure

Governor Beebe has declared tomorrow, October 1st, as Go Pink for a Cure day, "to bring about awareness of the importance of mammography and to renew its commitment to remove barriers that prevent women from seeking mammograms."  So, wear pink, find someone who will be walking or running in the Little Rock Race for the Cure on October 16th and give them a donation, and support the fight against breast cancer.

You can find the entire text of the proclamation on Governor Beebe's website, under the News Room tab.  All other gubernatorial proclamations, executive orders, and news releases are also available there.

For more information about the Little Rock Race for the Cure, got to the Komen Arkansas web page.

Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15th marked the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.  Here are some useful links that provide information about the month, suggestions about ways to celebrate, and government information for Spanish-speaking immigrants.

• National Hispanic Heritage Month: A web portal put together by the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.  This site provides information for teachers and visitors to various museums and institutions in Washington D.C.

• StoryCorp Historias: StoryCorps Historias is an initiative to record the diverse stories and life experiences of Latinos in the United States. A joint effort between the Library of Congress and National Public Radio.  You can hear stories and learn about how to record your own story.

• GobiernoUSA:  The Spanish-language portal for official government information.

• The UALR Minority Student Advocacy group has a variety of events planned for the month. Visit their website for information about specific events.

Economic Census Data Conference

The Census Bureau is conducting conferences and hands-on workshops for data users on the 2007 Economic Census during 2010.

• New users learn about the range of data about businesses available from the Census Bureau, including both the Economic Census and more frequent data sets.
• Experienced users learn about new features of the data, comparability issues, and qualifications of the data.
• Attendees gain skills in accessing Economic Census data in American FactFinder.
• Attendees have the opportunity to tell others about their own practical applications of the data and learn what others are doing. 

The Arkansas State Library will be hosting 2 of these conferences on September20th, from 8:30 AM to Noon, and from 1 PM to 4:30 PM.  For more information about the conference or to register for a session, visit the Census Bureau  Economic Census Conference web site or send a reference request to Ask a Librarian.

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.

Free Online Health Resources

Who doesn't like free resources?  Certainly not librarians - we love them. And we love to share them.  Today, I am sharing a few health-related resources.

The first is healthfinder.gov.  This site offers:

• Guides for healthy living that are quick and easy to use.
• Tools to help you stay healthy.
• An encyclopedia of over 1,600 health-related topics.
• The latest in health news.
• Ways to locate services and information such as finding a community health center or your local library.
• A listing of healthfinder.gov's most requested topics and popular searches.
• News and information in Spanish; and
• A calendar of special days, weeks, or months used to raise awareness of important health topics such as World AIDS Day or the Great American Smokeout.

You can check symptoms, get more information about medications you might be taking, and find a doctor, dentist, or other health practitioner in your area.

Next, letsmove.gov:  According to the website

Let’s Move! will combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach that will engage every sector impacting the health of children and will provide schools, families and communities simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy [by]

1. empowering parents and caregivers
2. providing healthy food in schools
3. improving access to healthy, affordable foods
4. increasing physical activity.

 There are activities for kids, facts, recipes and food plans, and much more.

The Arkansas Department of Health has a wide range of information about local programs for Arkansans, including links to in-home care programs and smoking cessation classes.

More Job Resources

Here are some links to job search resources from the Federal government:

Career OneStop (formerly America’s Job Bank): http://www.jobbankinfo.org/
A U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored Web site that offers career resources and workforce information to job seekers, students, businesses, and workforce professionals to foster talent development in a global economy

Workforce3 One, Department of Labor/Employment and Training: http://www.workforce3one.org/
An e-learning, knowledge sharing webspace that offers workforce professionals, employers, economic development, and education professionals a dynamic network featuring innovative workforce solutions.

Department of Labor/Employment and Training: http://www.doleta.gov/usworkforce/
U.S. Department of Labor website intended to assist the nation’s workforce professionals in serving the needs of workers and business.

Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobseeker resources: http://www.bls.gov/audience/jobseekers.htm
Statistics and information about a wide range of occupations and industries.

Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco/

Small Business Administration: http://www.sba.gov/
An independent agency of the federal government created to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns.

FedJobs Career Center: http://www.fedjobs.com/
Federal job listing website that also includes a toolbox specifically targeted for federal job hunters, both first-time applicants and those already working in federal service.

Recovery.Gov http://www.recovery.gov/
The Federal Government website for information related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Job Seeking Resources at ASL

Here are some job-seeking resources available in print here at the Arkansas State Library:

How to say it on your résumé: a top recruiting director's guide to writing the perfect résumé for every job by Brad Karsh HF5383 .K378 2009

Finding a job after 50: reinvent yourself for the 21st century Woodward, Jeannette A HF5382.7 .W68 2007

Résumé magic: trade secrets of a professional résumé writer 3rd ed. Whitcomb, Susan Britton HF5383 .W46 2007

Federal resume guidebook : write a winning federal resume to get in, get promoted, and survive in a government job 3rd ed. Troutman, Kathryn K. JK716 .T73 2004

Writing and formatting a scannable resume [electronic resource] United States. Office of Disability Employment Policy. L 41.2:2004018495/[ONLINE] http://webharvest.gov/peth04/20041108024600/www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek99/resume.htm

The essential guide to business etiquette Chaney, Lillian H. HF5389 .C468 2007

The complete idiot's guide to the perfect job interview Dorio, Marc A. HF5382.7 .D62 2009

The everything get-a-job book : the tools and strategies you need to land the job of your dreams McKay, Dawn Rosenberg HF5549.5 .I6 M327 2007

Top 100 computer and technical careers : your complete guidebook to major jobs in many fields at all training levels
Farr, J. Michael QA76.25 .F37 2009 (Earlier edition also available as e-book)

Top 100 careers without a four-year degree : your complete guidebook to major jobs in many fields Farr, J. Michael HF5382.5 .U5 F375 2009 (Earlier edition also available as e-book)

Occupational outlook handbook (Online) United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics L 2.3/4:[ONLINE]
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

Election Results

Wondering about the results of the June 8th primary run-off election? The Secretary of State's Vote Naturally page is your place to look. There, you can find a quick view chart listing the results from all of the races up for a vote in the election or you can find out the voter turnout by county (only 35% of registered voters in Pulaski County voted in the May 19th primary). You can even find information about past elections going back to 1992.

From the Vote Naturally homepage, click on the green Election Results button to get to the Election Results page, then pick your election.

Oil Spill Information

One of the biggest news items right now is the continuing oil spill in the gulf of Mexico.  If you are interested in following the story more closely, here are a few resources:

Live video feed of the spill is available many places.  Here is the feed provided by the House of Representatives Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

The Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness has a website with projected trajectories for the spill, using Google Earth, along with phone numbers for people interested in volunteering, reporting oil on the shore and other related matters.

Both Alabama and Florida also have web pages set up to provide more information to their citizens about the spill.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Response and Restoration has an incident page with information about the spill that is updated daily.

Memorial Day

Next Monday, May 31st, is the day that Memorial Day is observed this year. 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.  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 "listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the final resting place for 11 Arkansas governors, 14 state Supreme Court justices, five Confederate Generals, and numerous heroes of military conflicts." (taken from Online Little Rock).  It is just south of downtown Little Rock at 1200 Broadway.

Arkansas State Library on Facebook!

There is now another way to get information about the Arkansas State Library: the Arkansas State Library State Library Services Facebook Page. 

You can also find the Arkansas Center for the Book, which is where If All Arkansas Read the Same Book is housed, and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

Check the pages out and then come in to visit.

Privacy Week

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom has declared May 2-8 Privacy Week.
Here is a statement to our patrons, taken from a prepared handout on the site:

Our library is committed to protecting the privacy
and confidentiality of our users. Why?
Because we believe that freedom of speech is meaningless
without the freedom to read. Confidentiality and privacy are
essential to these freedoms, because if library users have to
worry about being judged, punished, ostracized, or put under
surveillance, they may censor themselves. They may not seek
answers to their questions or read the things they want to
read, either in print or online. To be free and to govern
themselves, people must be able to explore ideas—even
controversial ideas—without fear.
If library users aren’t doing anything wrong, why
should they care about privacy?
There are many reasons why library users might want their
privacy and confidentiality protected. Perhaps they have been
diagnosed with a disease and want to learn more about it
before they tell their children. They may be suffering from
domestic or child abuse and want to find out how to get help.
They may be researching their rights before deciding to blow
the whistle on illegal activity at work. Or perhaps they’re
planning a special vacation as a surprise gift for a loved one.
Privacy isn’t about protecting people who are doing bad
things. It’s about giving our users the power to decide for
themselves who will know about their reading and research
interests. If a user chooses to share her reading list with
others, that’s fine; but we can’t assume everyone wants that.
But what if someone is doing something wrong, and
the police need to see their library records to
investigate a crime?
Librarians comply with law enforcement requests for
information about users—as long as those requests come in
the form of court orders. This ensures that a third party has
considered whether the information is really critical for the
investigation, and it helps prevent unnecessary invasions of
privacy.
Questions?
Please speak with the library director or a member of the
library staff.

For more information about Privacy Week, visit the Privacy Revolution website.

Arbor Day

 Apple Blossom, picture taken at Queen Wilhelmena State Park, March 2009

Arbor Day is tomorrow, April 30th.  Did you know it was first celebrated in 1872?  It is not a major holiday, there are no chocolate trees or special Peeps commemorating the day, but that doesn't mean you can't have some fun with it.  Here are a few ideas for you from the Arbor Day website:

• Plant a tree in your yard
• Take a hike in the woods and enjoy being in the trees.  Arkansas has many fine state parks with hiking trails for all abilities.  If the weather isn't good this weekend, plan to go hiking next weekend.
• Learn to identify the trees in your neighborhood.  The website has a great interactive page to help you with that.

State Library Services Will Come To You!

Are you interested in how the Arkansas State Library could help your department or agency? Confused about how to make use of Interlibrary Loan or Ask a Librarian? If you are a State Agency, let the State Library Services staff come to you! We have a presentation that is ready to take on the road that will cover all our services, including:

• Circulation
• Interlibrary Loan
• Ask a Librarian and other reference resources
• Databases
• Patents and Trademarks

In less than an hour, we cover these topics and show what we can do for you. If you are interested, contact the State Library Services supervisor, Michael Strickland, through Ask a Librarian or by calling (501) 682-2053.

Are you registered to vote?

April 19th is the deadline for Arkansans to register to vote before the May 18 Preferential Primary.  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 Vote Naturally web 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 

Plan to vote and make your voice heard. 

April Showers (of information)

These days, every month (and every week) has a plethora of celebrations, awareness-raising causes, and anniversaries associated with it.  April is not only Tax Month and Census Month, it is also National Kite Month, Alcohol Awareness Month, and National Pecan Month.  Here are a few more April Celebrations and Causes:

• Child Abuse Prevention Month : Sponsored by the National Exchange Club Foundation. Their website has lists of resources about child abuse prevention. For information about reporting child abuse here in Arkansas, go to the Arkansas Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting page of Arkansas.gov.

• Jazz Appreciation Month:  The Smithsonian Museum launched JAM in 2001 as an annual event that pays tribute to jazz both as a historic and living American art form. It has since grown to include celebrations in all 50 states and 40 countries.

• National Donate Life Month:  "Every day in April, people across the U.S. make a special effort to celebrate the tremendous generosity of those who have saved lives by becoming organ, tissue, marrow, and blood donors and to encourage more Americans to follow their fine example." At the website you can find information about how to become a donor and read President Obama's proclamation declaring April National Donate Life Month.

These Month designations and many more have been taken from Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, which we have available here at the Arkansas State Library. Now, go out and celebrate April!

Get Counted!

Last week I wrote about taxes, but that is not the only activity this season - it is also time for the decennial census. Every 10 years, the people of the United States are given the opportunity to be counted. Census questionnaires are being mailed out to every household in the country, and your response will help the government better allocate funds to improve your community.

Here are some facts about the history of the census, taken from the Census.gov website:

• The first census began more than a year after the inauguration of President George Washington. At its conclusion, the U.S. population totaled approximately 3.9 million and the largest cities were New York, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Boston, MA.

• Following the abolition of slavery in 1865, ex-slaves were named in the 1870 census for the first time. Before then, they were simply recorded numerically by age.

• The 1900 census included Hawaii (annexed in 1898) for the first time. Census takers counted approximately 154,001 inhabitants on the islands.

• The 1940 census collected information about the population and its housing. It was also the first decennial census to use advanced statistical sampling techniques. Sampling allowed the addition of a number of demographic questions without unduly increasing the overall burden on respondents and data processing.

• Census 2000 incorporated a $167 million advertising campaign to reach every person living in the United States. This advertising contributed to a reversal in the decline of response rates experienced since the 1970 census.

For more information about this year's census, visit the 2010 Census page. If you have questions, or need help filling out your form, the English language assistance number is 1-866-872-6868.

Tax Season

It is tax season once again, so here are a few links that can help you file your taxes.

• Internal Revenue Service: The website for the IRS has information about filing your taxes, from the most simple, to the more complex. All the forms you need are available for download, and there are links to e-file providers. You can also find a link to IRS offices in Arkansas, where you can go to get help with problems and questions about tax law.

• Here in Arkansas, we also have to file Individual Income Taxes, so you will need the website for the Income Tax Office. As with the IRS website, you will find forms, instructions, and a FAQ section to help you file your taxes. If you are eligible to file electronically for your federal taxes, you may also be eligible to file your state income taxes electronically, and you will find the links for state e-filing here.

• Some low-income, military and/or elderly filers may qualify for free tax-preparation assistance. For more information on who qualifies, go to the IRS Free Tax Preparation page.

Opening Day!

It is official! We will be re-opening to the public on Monday, March 15. Our hours will be 8 AM to 4:30 PM, and we will still have public computers available, as well as reference services, patent and trademark information, and plenty of books to check out.

The blogosphere and traditional news are full of appeals and information about how to give money to help Haiti. If you decide to give money, it is important to make sure that the charities you give to will use your money wisely, not just now in a time of crisis, but on a regular basis. There are several places online that you can go that evaluate charities. My favorite is Charity Navigator. From their website:

Charity Navigator's rating system examines two broad areas of a charity's financial health -- how responsibly it functions day to day as well as how well positioned it is to sustain its programs over time. Each charity is then awarded an overall rating, ranging from zero to four stars. To help donors avoid becoming victims of mailing-list appeals, each charity's commitment to keeping donors' personal information confidential is assessed.

This information includes the CEO pay, how much money goes to fund-raising and operational costs, versus how much goes to actually doing their charitable work.

The Better Business Bureau also has a database with information about charities for donors.

Moving Update: The library is in the process of settling in to the new building. We are still closed to the public, but are taking phone and email reference requests. No firm re-opening date has been set, although it is likely to be in late February or early March.