Odum Library Blog

April is National Poetry Month! Pulitzer Prize-winner and 2011-2012 U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine speaks on campus Wednesday, April 17th, 7:30 p.m. in Whitehead Auditorium, Fine Arts Building.

View books of poetry by Philip Levine from Odum Library’s collection as part of the Poetry at VSU exhibit, located in the first floor display cases on the library’s north side.  There you’ll also see many collections of poetry by contemporary authors alongside classic poets such as Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Dickinson.

National Poetry Month, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets, also promotes Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 18th. Carry a poem in your pocket so that you can share poetry with others!

You can find more resources for National Poetry Month through GALILEO and more information about poetry and poets, including texts of poems, through the Poetry Foundation.

We have copies of federal tax 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 reach the forms, instructions, and schedules.

Find links to commonly requested federal forms and publications, including fill-in PDF versions of federal forms 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ, available at IRS.gov.

Remember that you can also e-file through the IRS web site. Some options are free, and there is also advice for purchasing software or using a commercial preparer.

Unfortunately, our supply of Georgia 500 and 500EZ forms and instruction booklets in print is gone, and no more are available from the state. You’ll need to go online to find Georgia state tax forms. E-filing is an option, but it’s free only for qualified individuals within Georgia. For 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.

March 3rd through 9th marks National Invasive Species Awareness Week.

Invasive species include plants and animals that might seem harmless, but are taking over our native habitat. Most of us are familiar with the invasive Southern Crabgrass:

Photo by John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Bugwood.org

The Burmese Python has earned much attention lately for populating the Everglades National Park and surrounding parts of Florida, where more than 1,800 of the snakes have been removed since January 2000.

Photo by National Park Service

Find out what invasive species might be in your back yard with the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States, supported in part by the University of Georgia, and through this information page about invasive species, courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  See more information about invasive species–and what you can do–at the Government Documents Exhibit, in the Odum Library Reference Area.

With much of the northeastern U.S. covered in snow, February might seem the cruelest month of 2013. February is also American Heart Month, and you can learn a lot about heart health and wellness from the U.S. government:

• background on heart or cardiac diseases, courtesy MedlinePlus.gov;
• most common signs of a heart attack, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
• new dietary guidelines for improving your health, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture;
• and much more, including free e-cards for Valentine’s Day!

Are you looking for information about your favorite hobby?  Maybe you want to know more about healthy cooking, or bicycling, or camping in national or Georgia state parks.

Remember that the United States and state governments create many web sites and publications about a wide variety of subjects:  birding, knitting, gardening, you name it!

Not sure what you’re looking for?  The search engine USA.gov is a great place to start!

Have you made any resolutions for improving your life in the new year?  Whatever your goal, the United States government certainly has information for you, both in print and on the web!

Look here to find information about the most popular new year’s resolutions. For instance, for help with keeping track of your goals for eating and activity, try the SuperTracker from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Whether it’s dieting and exercise, money management, or stress relief, we’re sure to have resources to help you. Just contact Odum Library’s Reference Desk at 229-333-7149 or the Government Documents Librarian at 229-245-3748 or ecrogers@valdosta.edu for more assistance.

According to NASA and other United States government agencies, rumors of the world’s demise in 2012 are greatly exaggerated.

NASA senior scientist David Morrison posts videos and answers to questions about the 2012 doomsday at NASA’s “Ask an Astrobiologist” service, which has published this Doomsday Fact Sheet.

More detailed information about the possible Earth-planet Nibiru collision is available from NASA’s Lunar Science Institute.

Scientifically, it looks as though the Earth will still be around after December 21, 2012, despite some predictions. So there’s good reason to keep studying for those finals and maintain or improve your GPA!

On Veterans Day we recognize veterans and all of those who have offered military service.

(Photo courtesy of the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs.)

Help the younger generation appreciate our veterans with this Teacher Resource Guide from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans Day National  Committee.

As a Federal Depository Library, Odum Library’s Government Documents collection includes many publications about veterans, including these hearings:

• Access to U.S. Department of Veterans Healthcare: How Easy Is It for Veterans?, available in print, microfiche, and online PDF formats.
• Women, Rural, and Special Needs Veterans, available in print and microfiche

Veterans’ history and needs 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides an online database to search for the burial locations of veterans, including National and other military cemeteries and private cemeteries in which veterans’ graves are marked.

View more documents about veterans at the Government Documents display, located in the Odum Library 2nd floor Reference area.

As Election Day 2012 draws near, be sure to check out election and voting resources from the U.S. and State of Georgia governments.

Find election information for any state through the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The Commission’s Voter’s Guide to Federal Elections is available in English and ten other languages, including Cherokee, Vietnamese, Navajo, and Yupik.

From the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, view Georgia’s MVP page for one-stop shopping for Georgia voting information: registration status, sample ballots, and voting precincts, for example.

Georgia’s voter identification requirements explain what kind of photo ID you should provide when you vote.

You can view 2012 election results for Georgia, as well as archived information from previous years, at the Secretary of State’s Election Results site.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, but sunshine on your shoulders doesn’t have to make you unhappy!  Just follow this sun safety advice from the U.S. Government:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) offers Sun Safety: Save Your Skin! with guidance on spending time in the sun safely, including an update on Broad Spectrum Sunscreen products.

Remember to use broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher.

Basic information about skin cancer and additional tips on saving yourself from sun damage are available from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

You can help save someone else you care about by sending a free e-card reminder about sun protection, courtesy of the CDC.

Another good reason to monitor your sunny days is to reduce the visible effects of aging upon your skin:

Image courtesy MedlinePlus, from NIH.gov