Odum Library Blog

Monday, July 4^th, is Independence Day, the 235^th birthday of the Declaration of Independence by the 13 North American colonies that eventually formed the United States of America. Odum Library celebrates the holiday by closing at midnight Sunday, July 3^rd, to reopen at 7:45 am Tuesday, July 5^th. These hours include the Internet Café.

Declaration of Independence Mural, National Archives

In honor of the holiday, we feature sites (including the online exhibit linked above from the National Archives and Records Administration) for federal government resources for the holiday:

Learn about the history and proper caretaking of the U.S. flag, popularly known as the “Stars and Stripes.”

If fireworks are part of your holiday, follow these safety precautions from the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission to ensure a happy celebration.

Attending a potluck or barbeque this weekend?  Get recipe ideas from The Great American Potluck cookbook, celebrating the diverse heritage of the U.S., courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Where did your holiday food originate?  Hamburgers and beef hot dogs probably came from Texas, but if it’s chicken or corn on the cob, there’s a good chance it grew up in Georgia! Enjoy these and other fun facts about July 4^th provided by the U.S. Census Bureau to our nation’s estimated population of 311.7 million people.

On the fortieth anniversary of the original New York Times publication of leaked selections from the Pentagon Papers, June 13, 1971, the National Archives has begun releasing the full Pentagon Papers report online as PDF documents.  Print copies of the now declassified papers became available for review at the National Archives in College Park, MA, and at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston,  MA, the Lyndon Johnson Library in Austin, TX, and the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, CA.

Read the National Archives’ press release summarizing the history of and process for releasing the Pentagon Papers, formally titled the “Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force,” 34% of which have never previously been released.  The press release also contains external links to key moments from Pentagon Papers history, including an interview with Daniel Ellsberg, source for the original leak, and a video of Senator Mike Gravel reading the papers aloud into the public record.

Odum Library has the book of the papers as originally published in the New York Times on the second floor at call number  E183.8.V5 P4 1971b. Our Government Documents collection holds two 1972 Senate staff studies based on the Pentagon Papers:  U.S. Involvement in the Overthrow of Diem, 1963, at documents call number Y 4.F 76/2:D 56/963/no. 3, and Bombing as a Policy Tool in Vietnam, at Y 4.F 76/2:V 67/23.

Need help? Just contact VSU’s Government Information Librarian at 229.245.3748, or click on Live Chat on the library’s home page.

Summer can be a time for fun and relaxation, but be sure to stay safe and healthy while you enjoy being out of school, going on vacation, or exploring your community. Check out these sites for FAQs for the summer, courtesy of Georgia.gov:

1.      Is your Georgia beach safe for swimming?  Check the Beach Swimming Advisory, courtesy of the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

2.      Can you leave your children at home alone?  See these guidelines from the Georgia Department of Human Services’ Division of Family and Children Services.

3.      Can you eat the fish you catch? Yes, says the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, but be sure to consult these guidelines.

4.      What is there to do in Georgia? Here’s a list of things to do and places to go, including  state parks and historic sites, upcoming events from Georgia’s Official Tourism Website, and the Civil War in Georgia: Commemorating 150 Years. You can also order or download maps and other information.

More summer questions about Georgia? Just contact VSU’s Government Information Librarian at 229.245.3748, or the Reference Department’s Live Chat service.

Through May 31, 2011, the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO) invites the public to review and comment upon the Draft Public Participation Plan, available on the South Georgia Regional Commission Transportation Site and at all public libraries and government administration offices in Berrien, Lanier, and Lowndes counties, and city government administration offices in Valdosta. This plan presents ways in which the VLMPO assures compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws when developing transportation plans and administering federal transportation funds.

Interested parties may submit written comments by fax at 229-333-5312, email to chull@sgrc.us, or mail to VLMPO, 327 W. Savannah Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601, through May 31.

Map showing the South Georgia Regional Commission service area

As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the Valdosta-Lowndes Urbanized Area, the South Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC) partners with local governments on addressing public issues and enhancing community life. In order to qualify for federal transportation funds, any urbanized area of population greater than 50,000 (such as Valdosta) must prepare a comprehensive transportation plan that includes public input.

Take this opportunity to review and comment upon this public participation plan and help influence the quality of life in our community!

If you’ve been to our Library Help page lately, you have probably noticed quite a difference.  You may be wondering why the heck it looks so different.  I won’t get into too many details – this is a blog, after all – but here’s the lowdown:

We want any library patron who clicks on “Library Help” on the Main Menu in the Library Homepage to get a page that helps them out immediately after they clicked on the link.  In the past, most of the helpful pages were within another page with the lengthy title “How to Research, Evaluate Sources, and Cite,” which you would have to click on after you clicked on “Library Help.”  The new Library Help merges that page with the past Library Help page, and it organizes all of our content into categories that make sense in a college research setting.  First, there’s all the general library stuff – how to use the catalog, what’s up with Interlibrary Loan, etc.  It’s all research from there – planning your searches, searching for articles, evaluating the sources you find, and then citing those sources in whatever style you’re using.

You’ll also see that we have moved our content into the world of streaming video!   You’re going to see many more VSU Reference Librarian-made video tutorials, covering different aspects of the research process, how to use certain databases, and how to use aspects of the Library Homepage very soon.  Some of these are already up, including What is a Scholarly Database? and News Resources.

We hope you enjoy the new Library Help page – please let us know if you have anything you’d like to see in Library Help!

It’s finals week: does it seem as though school is lasting forever?

The U.S. Census Bureau has released new data on educational attainment, or “the highest level of education an individual has completed.”

A recent press release on Educational Attainment in the United States, 2010,  indicates that more working women, aged 25 and above, have completed at least the bachelor’s degree (37% to 35% of working men), whereas among all adults 25 and older, 30.3% of men, in contrast to 29.6% of women, have completed the bachelor’s degree equivalent.

Find out more about this and other Census data on educational attainment by age, race, or gender,  at tables available through Educational Attainment in the United States, 2010. For assistance using these tables or finding other government information, don’t hesitate to contact VSU’s Government Information Librarian at 229.245.3748, or the Reference Department’s Ask Us text or chat service.

If you’re graduating this weekend (or reaching any new level of educational attainment), CONGRATULATIONS!

Which do you fear more, taxes or snakes?

Monday, April 18, 2011, marks the deadline for filing 2010 federal taxes, thanks to a District of Columbia holiday, but you still need to file for state taxes by Friday, April 15. Find links to commonly requested forms and federal publications at 1040 Central.  For the convenience of filing your tax returns electronically, visit the IRS information for e-file page.

We have paper copies of common federal forms and Georgia tax form booklets here at Odum Library, in the Reference area on the second floor.  To find online Georgia state income tax forms and guidance, go to the Georgia Department of Revenue site.  Tax publications from other states are available through this interactive map provided by the Federation of Tax Administrators.

If you’ve already filed your taxes, prepare for spring by learning more about our most misunderstood wildlife: snakes!  Visit our display of books and actual snakes (preserved in jars) from the personal collection of Dr. H. Bernard and Elizabeth Bechtel, on the library’s first floor, down the stairs from the main Circulation desk. Read more about the Bechtels’ recent herpetology book collection donation through our April 1 blog entry, Snakes!

Brown Tree Snake

We also have state and federal government information about snakes. Enjoy this Snake Fact Sheet from the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.  Fort Stewart, near Hinesville, Georgia, has prepared a nonvenomous snake guide—including pictures! —for South Georgia.  Is It a Water Moccasin? helps Georgians answer this all-important question. For more information about tax forms, snakes, or print versions of these and other documents, just ask us at the Odum Library Reference Desk!

Following an event of the magnitude of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, U.S. government agencies, as well as nongovernmental organizations, work to provide accurate, up-to-date information. 

The latest information on the crisis in Japan is available through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Travel.state.gov site.

The website of the Embassy of the United States in Tokyo serves as a clearinghouse of links to information from various organizations.

Scientific details about the March 11 earthquake are available from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Emergency Preparedness and Response website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides recent information on responses to earthquakes, tsunamis, and radiation monitoring. 

If you wish to help, a list of links to organizations including the American Red Cross and religious and other charitable relief agencies is available from InterAction, an alliance of U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations.

Enjoy Georgia this spring break!

Even if you haven’t booked a cruise or tour, you can still enjoy some recreation this spring break, right here in Georgia! The 2011 Georgia Travel Guide is available online, and you can check out the print version of this year’s and earlier issues in Odum Library’s Georgia Documents Collection, on the library’s second floor at GA DOCS call number I500.T6 S1 G3.

The 2011 guide features suggestions for cheap dates, history of the state’s entry into the Civil War, and an interview with celebrity cook Paula Deen!

Paula Deen and sons at Wormsloe Historic Site, photo by Chia Chong

You can find a state park, book a room, or otherwise plan your trip at ExploreGeorgia.org. Don’t have time or money to travel at all?  Then take a quick look at Georgia’s beaches, mountains, restaurants, theme parks, and culture through this video tour of Georgia, courtesy of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Three more days! The 2010 filing deadline for federal taxes is now Monday, April 18:  an extension thanks to Emancipation Day, celebrated on April 15 in the District of Columbia. Be careful, though, since the deadline for filing state taxes is still Friday, April 15.

A lot of other changes have come to 2010 taxes, and of course you’ll need to be sure to use the current (2010) forms.  Find links to commonly requested forms and publications, including interactive PDF versions of forms 1040 and 1040EZ, at 1040 Central.  There you’ll also find accessible tax publications available in large print, Braille, and talking formats, answers to frequently asked questions, and Publication 17, “the only tax guide most individuals need,” according to IRS.gov.  For the convenience of filing your tax returns electronically, visit the IRS information for e-file page.

Remember that if you aren’t able to print out forms, or prefer to use pre-printed publications, we have copies of federal forms here at Odum Library, in the Reference area on the second floor.  We can’t advise you on how to complete your tax return, but we can help you get to forms and instructions, and commiserate!

At Odum we also have plenty of Georgia 2010 Individual Income Tax booklets that include 500 and 500EZ forms and instructions. To find online Georgia state income tax forms and further guidance, go to the Georgia Department of Revenue site.  If you need tax publications from other states, check out this interactive map provided by the Federation of Tax Administrators.

Happy filing!