Odum Library Blog

Earth Day 2019 officially falls on Monday, April 22, but every day is a good day to celebrate the environment. Among the best sources for information on the environment and sustainability are the U.S. and Georgia state governments.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers these resources on sustainability and greener living. You can learn to recycle, achieve better fuel economy, and choose greener products to consume. Learn more about how to live a sustainable lifestyle from the Centers for Disease Control.

Enjoying nature is a great way to celebrate the environment. One option is through visiting our national forests. National forests easy to visit from south Georgia include the Osceola National Forest and the Apalachicola National Forest, both in north Florida, and the Chattahoochee-Oconoee National Forests in north Georgia. Explore Georgia further by visiting our many state parks, including nearby Reed Bingham State Park near Adel.

From the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System, the government offers great resources for helping to appreciate our environment. See more resources about the environment at the government documents display case, 2nd floor Reference in Odum Library.

Welcome to Valdosta State University! Welcome to Odum Library!

Need community information on utilities, schools, and other necessities? Visit the City of Valdosta “I Want To…” page for information about recycling, trash pickup, local ordinances, and more. Other local government websites are also listed; these include Dasher, Remerton, Hahira, and Lake Park.

Visit the Lowndes County, Georgia, Community page for further information about parks and recreation, county facts, schools and universities, and more.

Check out local and area news via the Valdosta Daily Times web site. Odum Library also gets the Times in print every day; you’ll find recent issues on display at the first floor library, south side, with popular magazines and newspapers. We also have more than 100 years of back issues on microfilm–just ask us through our chat, email, phone, or text services!

Are you living in a dorm or cooking on your own for the first time? Consult the USDA’s Food Safety Tips for College Students.

Valdosta has just opened a new location for the Valdosta-Lowndes branch of South Georgia Regional Library. Visit the new Willis L. Miller Library at 2906 Julia Drive in Valdosta as well as the newly launched website for SGRL!

Odum Library has a lot of books on local history (many located within the VSU Archives and Special Collections), maps of the area, and friendly people. Odum Library is also a Federal Depository Library, with collections of United States and Georgia government publications available to the community. Come see what’s up at Odum Library!

National Oceans Month, observed in June, celebrates oceanic, marine, and coastal life. See the National Ocean Month exhibit of U.S. and Georgia government documents in the Reference area on Odum Library’s second floor.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the federal government’s home for information about climate, weather, oceans, and fisheries. June 1 also marks the opening of the 2018 hurricane season, covered in great detail by NOAA’s National Hurricane Center. The Climate Prediction Center forecasts the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane season as “near- or above-normal” in activity. You can also see a list of forthcoming hurricane names.

In addition, the National Ocean Service provides data about tides and currents. Interesting details about ocean life, ocean economy, ocean ecosystems, maritime transportation, and more are available at NOAA’s Ocean Facts site.

However you decide to enjoy the ocean and its effects this summer, you’ll find plenty of sources for research about oceans, hurricanes, marine life, and more through these and other government information sources.

Tax season is the time of year when many of us might feel puzzled by our federal government. Just in time for summer fun come these puzzles and games courtesy of government documents at Odum Library!

You can view puzzles and games, among other government documents treasures, in Odum Library’s Discovered Documents exhibit in the second floor Reference area. There you’ll find the New, Exciting, One and Only, First Time Ever Poison Safety Game, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Pictures, Puzzles, and Problems from the U.S. Justice Department.

More puzzles and games are available online. For instance, the CIA features puzzles, coloring books, games, and other kids’ treats on its Kids Zone site. Learn about the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to protect the environment through its coloring book. For Earth Day, play the EPA’s Recycle City game to learn more about reducing waste and saving energy.

With the end of the semester comes extra stress, so keep in mind a couple of upcoming events to help you let off steam: The De-Stress Fest in the Student Union Wednesday, April 25, 1:00-4:00 pm in the Student Union (Odum Library will feature coloring pages and posters) and the International Tabletop Games Day, observed in Odum Library on Saturday, April 29.

Not only is 2018 the scene of one of the worst flu outbreaks of the past decade; it’s also the 100th anniversary of the worst flu epidemic in modern history.

The 1918 flu epidemic killed more than 50 million people. View photographs and documents about the 1918 epidemic, which started in spring of that year and reached the full extent of suffering that fall, from the National Archives and Records Administration.

What about 2018? This map of flu activity in the United States, from the Centers for Disease Control, shows that the flu is widespread in almost every state. The CDC provides a regular situation update, with statistics about the number of doctor visits related to flu, mortality from flu, and more. FluView provides the most current CDC data on the current state of the disease in the United States.

How can you avoid the flu? In addition to getting the flu vaccine, the CDC recommends certain precautions to prevent coming down with the flu. Besides avoiding contact with sick people, wash your hands often or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer; avoid touching the eyes, nose and mouth; and stay home if you develop flu-like symptoms until you have gone at least 24 hours without a fever (without use of a fever-reducing medicine such as aspirin or ibuprofen).

Stay well this winter and spring!

In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Odum Library will close at midnight Sunday, January 14, 2018. The library reopens Tuesday, January 16, 2018,at 8:00 am.

More than just a “day off,” Martin Luther King, Jr., Day can be a time of service and commemoration. Visit the NationalService.gov site to discover ways to contribute back to the community by volunteering.

On the Valdosta State University campus, VSU will host a commemorative service, “A Celebration of Diversity,” at noon on Tuesday, January 16, 2018, on the front steps of the Student Union. This service includes a performance by VSU’s XChange Ministries student group and speeches by Student Government Association President Maya Mapp and by Dr. Calvin Walker, director of the VSU African-American Studies Program.

A reception will follow the Celebration of Diversity service.

If you’re in the Atlanta area, you might wish to visit the National Park Service’s Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, which features his birthplace and childhood home.

The end of the year brings a few hints of cooler weather, changing leaf colors, Native American Heritage Month, Thanksgiving, and other winter holidays. The federal government creates numerous sites with information about the holidays, including the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features on Thanksgiving, the CDC’s Food Safety Tips for Your Holiday Turkey, and Car Travel Safety Tips from Ready.gov.

As the days grow shorter, keep in mind upcoming schedule changes during the Thanksgiving break:

Odum Library will close at midnight Tuesday, November 21; reopen Wednesday, November 22, 8:00 a.m. through 5:30 p.m., close for Thursday and Friday, November 23 and 24, and reopen for regular hours Saturday, November 25, at 12:00 noon through the end of the semester.

Once VSU students return to classes on November 27, the days of the semester grow shorter as well. Classes end on Monday, December 4, and final exams end Friday, December 8, with graduation on Saturday, December 9. Odum Library closes for winter break at 3:00 p.m. Friday, December 15. The library reopens at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 2, 2018, but it’ll be Monday, January 8, 2018, before students start classes again.

In the meantime, come by the government documents exhibit in the Odum Library Reference area to see a display of autumnal and winter government publications. Take care and enjoy your holidays!

Find out more about Veterans Day through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where you can read this History of Veterans Day and find out more about the origins of Veterans Day. View the 2017 official Veterans Day poster along with posters from previous years.

As a Federal Depository Library, Odum Library’s Government Documents collection provides access to many publications about veterans, including these documents about issues affecting veterans:

• Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, available as an online PDF
• VA Mental Health: Ensuring Access to Care: Hearing before the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, United States Senate, 2015, available in print at Y 4.V 64/4:S.HRG.114-521 in our documents collection in the second floor Reference area

Veterans’ history and needs to extend beyond Veterans Day, of course. The Library of Congress invites public participation in the Veterans History Project. Veteran Brian McGough describes ways to help veterans after Veterans Day.  Mark these and other ways to honor and thank the veterans who have served the United States.

On Veterans Day we recognize veterans and all of those who have offered military service. VSU has an Office of Veterans Affairs to assist Veterans in finding success at VSU. While the post office and some businesses are closed for Veterans Day on November 11, Odum Library will observe its regular hours.