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.

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!

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.

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."

Automotive and DIY Resources at ASL

While the main mission of the Arkansas State Library is to assist state agencies and state employees with government documents and other resources, we do also help other patrons with a wide range of requests.  We have several databases that may be of interest to anyone who wants to do their own automotive repairs or other DIY projects.  These and other databases can be accessed remotely by approved state employees, and in-house by the public.

• Auto Repair Reference Center : Contains information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, with repair information for most vintage makes starting as far back as 1945. Database content includes approximately 26,000 vehicles covered from 1945 to present, over 150,000 factory drawings and step-by-step photographs, approximately 70,000 technical service bulletins, recalls issued by the original equipment vehicle manufacturer, over 100,000 enhanced wiring diagrams for easy viewing and printing, specifications, and maintenance schedules. 
• Home Improvement Collection : Even the smallest home improvement project can be daunting: with this collection of nearly 100 home improvement focused titles, hobbyists and professional carpenters alike will immediately put their projects on a more solid foundation. Coverage includes such topics as architectural techniques, tool and material selection, zoning requirements, and many more.
• Small Engine Repair Reference Center : This database serves as a reference and provides instructional information about small engine machinery maintenance and repair. SERRC contains the full set of small engine repair manuals from Clymer. These manuals contain thousands of accurate and concise step-by-step maintenance and repair instructions for hundreds of small engine machines and their supporting components. Routine maintenance, such as tune-ups and brake service, as well as more extensive repairs involving engine transmission disassembly are covered. Engines types include: motorcycles, ATVs, personal water craft, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, tractors, snow blowers, generators, and more.

We also have a large collection of Chilton repair manuals in the physical collection that are available for checkout.  For more information about our databases and eligibility for off-site access, visit our website.

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.

From Planting to Harvest

As we move into fall, it is time to harvest some crops and plant others. If you are a beginning gardener or a professional farmer, we have resources that can help you decide what to plant, learn when to plant it, and care for your crops throughout the year.

• Year-Round Home Garden Planting Guide: Produced by the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension services, this booklet provides a quick and easy guide to planting for home gardeners in Arkansas. It is available on-line through our catalog, and in hard-copy at the library.
• For home farmers and professionals, the Agriculture Collection may also be of use. It is one of the databases that ASL has recently acquired. With broad coverage of agriculture and its related fields, this collection provides a comprehensive view of this growing body of knowledge. Comprised of nearly 200 titles, researchers will have access to current and authoritative content that spans the industry, from practical aspects of farming to cutting edge scientific research in horticulture.
• Another new database, the Gardening, Landscaping, and Horticulture Collection has resources for farmers, landscape architects, and biotechnologists alike, with this collection of nearly 50 journals focused specifically on key issues in gardening, landscaping, and other areas of horticulture. A fertile and growing collection, this collection includes content relating to both the practical aspects as well as the scientific theory of horticulture studies.

To try these and other databases, start at the database page on our website. For questions, please use the Ask a Librarian form on our website.

Find Your Roots

The Federation of Genealogical Societies is meeting in Little Rock this week for their annual conference. Yesterday, I had the pleasure to attend the Librarian's Day sessions and learn more about doing genealogical research in libraries. Although most of the documents necessary for doing in-depth genealogical research into Arkansas history are at the Arkansas History Commission, Arkansas State Library does have books to help guide beginning genealogists. Here are just two:

• The Genealogist's Companion and Sourcebook by Emily Anne Croom (CS 47 .C75 2003) - A guidebook to the numerous sources available to genealogists, including Federal Census records, county and courthouse records, and libraries. There is one chapter on documents unique to African-American genealogy and one chapter on Native American genealogy.
• Black Genesis: A Resource Book for African-American Genealogy James M. Rose an Alice Eichholz (CS 21 .R57 2003) - African-American genealogy poses some unique and difficult challenges, but Rose and Eichholz have provided and in-depth, state-by-state look at what documents are available.

In addition to books, there are now many genealogy websites that can facilitate your genealogical search. One of the most well known is ancestry.com. While you must become a subscriber to make use of all the features on the website, there are still many resources available for free. There are special collections for African-American and Jewish family history, as well as reference works and search tips.

We can help you find the books listed here to guide you, as well as others in our collection, and we can do some obituary searches. Take advantage of these and other resource to start searching your family tree today.

It's raining, it's pouring

The weather in Little Rock has been damp lately, to say the least. This has put me in a weather sort of mood, so here are a few resources about the weather that are available at the Arkansas State Library:

• Let's start off with the Macmillan Encyclopedia of Weather by Paul Stein (QC 854 .S74 2000). This covers the basics of the weather, everything from Acid Rain to Mesocyclones to Winter Storms and Zonal Flow. The writing is easy to understand, and there are lots of color photographs and other illustrations.
• Tornadoes are a definite possibility in Arkansas, so to learn all about them check out The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm by Thomas Grazulis (QC 955 .G74 2001). Using both the stories of historical tornadoes and current scientific data, Grazulis demystifies tornadoes at the same time as he debunks tornado myths and provides safety information for the reader.
• For up-to-date and up-to-the-minute weather data, check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For anyone interested in the weather, this is a great website to spend some time on. There are pages about current weather, information for teachers, government reports, and other news. At the library, we also have access to a subscription database of NOAA climatology data available for in-house use.

For these and other weather-related resources, check out our website and catalog.

Don't throw your computer out the window!

We have all been there - the software changes on your office computer, and you can't figure out how to do the everyday things that are essential for your job. Don't get upset - get yourself over to the Arkansas State Library. We have a range of materials to help you adapt and grow, in spite of the new software. Here are three recently arrived titles:

• 2007 Microsoft Office System Step By Step by Joyce Cox et al. (HF 5548.4 .M525 C69 2008): This comprehensive book covers all of the big Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, Access and Outlook. Each section covers the basics of the new formats, as well as explanations of the various features.
• For a more in-depth look at some of the programs, the library has Create Dynamic Charts in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and Beyond by Reinhold Scheck (HF 5548.4 .M523 S34 2009) and Beyond Bullet Points: Using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire by Cliff Atkinson (HF 5718.22 .A87 2008). Both of these books go into detailed demonstrations of the respective programs and the many new features you can use to improve your charts and presentations.
  
• Don't want to use a book, or need something a little more lively? The library also has a series of videos for Access, Excel, Word and Outlook. Ask a librarian for help finding these titles.
  

In addition to all of these, there are many other resources to help you tackle new programs without getting too frustrated (I won't promise perfections, since we are still dealing with computers!).

More energy saving suggestions

Following up on last week's post about solarizing your home, here are a couple more resources about energy conservation, both put out by the Arkansas Energy Office.

• Home Energy Projects: An Energy Conservation Guide for Do-It-Yourselfers (Ark Doc YA.E 14/67-8:H 65/2008): This booklet provides information and suggestions about energy saving projects that homeowners can tackle on their own, from insulating an attic, to weatherstripping doors and windows, to installing an insulating jacket on the waterheater. Easy to read and follow directions accompany every project.
• Smarter Architecture: Energy-efficient communities, building designs, construction techniques and materials in Arkansas (Ark Doc YA.E 14/67-8: S 62/2003): Highlighting projects around the state, including the Clinton Presidential Library and the headquarters of Heifer International that have been designed to save energy.This book doesn't give advice or tips to homeowners, but it is an interesting look at the various ways Arkansasan businesses and towns are working to conserve energy.
  

Help Navigating the U.S. Immigration Maze

Last week I highlighted the nifty new set of flashcards for the U.S. citizenship test that we have here at the Arkansas State Library. This week I will add a few more resources to help with the legal immigration process. All three books are written by Ilona Bray, J.D., an attorney with many years of experience in immigration law, and are designed to help cut through the tangle of bureaucracy and the confusion that comes with it. They are published by Nolo Press, an excellent source of legal information for the layperson.

• U.S. Immigration Made Easy (KF 4819.6 .B74 2009): A comprehensive guide to U.S. immigration law that covers the myriad questions and situations that arise in the legal immigration process, including eligibility, the many types of visas available, and when you need a lawyer.

• Becoming a U.S. Citizen: A Guide to the Law, Exam & Interview (KF 4710 .Z9 B73 2008): Once you have become a legal resident there are still many hurdles to becoming a citizen. This book covers the entire naturalization and citizenship process, providing advice and information, starting with eligibility. Bray discusses the myriad situations that may pose difficulties for applicants and recommends remedies where available.

• Fiance & Marriage Visas (KF 4819.85 .B73 2008): A more specific guide than either of the previous books, directed as the specific complications that arise when immigration and citizenship are due to marriage.
  

Flash Me!

Studying for tests can be a drag, even when it is for something as important as U.S. citizenship. Here at the Arkansas State Library, we have a couple of new tools to help beat some of that tedium: Flash Cards!

The naturalization test is one segment of the pathway to U.S. citizenship. For more information about the other steps, check out this brochure and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services web page (see link at the end of this post).

The civics portion of the naturalization test is an oral exam of 10 questions, taken from a set of 100 questions. To pass the test, the test taker must answer 6 of the 10 questions correctly. The questions are available at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services web page and in the new deck of Civics Flash Cards. Each card has one of the questions on one side, and the answer, along with a related picture, on the reverse. These cards can be used for individual study, or in a classroom for group exercises.

For the English language section of the naturalization test, the applicants must demonstrate an ability to read and write English by reading at least one out of three sentences correctly, and at least one of three sentences correctly. The flash cards for these segments of the test have all the vocabulary words that the student will be expected to know. Each card gives a word, then provides a place for the student to practice writing the word and to use it in a sentence. The words are not defined on the cards, so students will probably need a dictionary to make sure they understand the meanings of the words (we have dictionaries available at ASL too!).

For more information about the new naturalization tests and other immigration-related questions, head to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services web page.

Encyclopedia of Arkansas

One of the best sources of information about the state of Arkansas, its history and people is the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Curious about the history of Petit Jean State Park? Interested in the singer Lucinda Williams's connections to Arkansas? The Encyclopedia has information on these and many, many more topics. Here is a brief description of the website and its goals, taken from the About page:

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture Project strives to offer a definitive, comprehensive, and accurate record of the twenty-fifth state. The online version of the Encyclopedia is the first component of the Project. The online version of the Encyclopedia will be maintained and updated in perpetuity by the staff of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.

It is a great place to start for students who need to do reports, or others just seeking facts. Each article has links to other, related articles, as well as a bibliography at the end. There are many pictures, maps and other resources available as well. Take some time to poke around and see what you can find. I promise it will be worth the time!