Tag Archive for 'government info'

Ah, birds singing of spring

Published
by
Barbara
on March 18, 2010
in around the world and info.gov
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photo of indigo buntingIsn’t it lovely when the birdies sing of spring in the morning? You should listen! Turn off the cacophony of your phone, radio, TV, etc.! Now sit back, close your eyes, and just….listen. Try to filter out noise like cars. This works best early in the morning.

Can’t take the time in the morning? Listen anytime to recordings (or watch videos) at the University of Utah’s Western Soundscape Archive. You can search for your favorites (I recommend the indigo bunting or house wren). The site provides information about the bird (or animal) including scientific name, kingdom, phylum, etc. There are non-animal sounds here, too, such as thunder at the Grand Canyon National Park or alpine stream in Albion Basin, Alta, Utah. And you can also find videos with birdsong at YouTube, such as this one of a house wren:
YouTube Preview Image
If you want to learn more about birds, Andersen Library has resources, e.g.,

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

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The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Daylight Savings

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Barbara
on March 13, 2010
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alarm clock imageDaylight Savings Time goes into effect on Sunday March 14th. Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour, or you’ll miss the first hour the Library is open that day!

More information is available from the Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Physics Laboratory. (The Division “maintains the standard for frequency and time interval for the United States, provides official time to the United States, and carries out a broad program of research and service activities in time and frequency metrology.” Who knew?!)

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The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Test & improve financial literacy

Published
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Barbara
on February 12, 2010
in around the world and info.gov
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How’s your financial IQ? According to the executive summary of the FINRA Investor Education Foundation’s 2009 report “Financial Capability in the United States,” respondents to a national survey demonstrated a low level of financial literacy. Here are couple of places to test yours:

  • Take the Council for Economic Education’s 20-item economic literacy test.
  • Take the 5-item portion of the FINRA survey related to financial literacy, on pages 28-29 (items M6-M10) of the survey questionnaire.

cover of WI Planning Curriculum in Personal Financial LiteracyYou can search HALCat (Andersen Library’s online catalog) for materials about personal finance, investments, or financial literacy. Some titles are intended to guide and educate you, such as The road to wealth: A comprehensive guide to your money (2nd-floor Browsing Books, HG179 .O758 2008). Others are about better educating our children, such as Financial literacy education: What do students need to know to plan for the future?: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Education Reform of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives (online or in print in the 2nd-floor Federal Documents collection, Y 4.ED 8/1:108-39) and Planning curriculum in personal financial literacy (2nd-floor Wisconsin Documents collection, ED 6/2:C 87/P 47/2009). The latter title is intended to help Wisconsin teachers implement the state’s standards for students’ personal financial literacy.

Search article databases for information also, and find articles such as “Integrating Personal Finance Concepts into the Financial Accounting Course” (Business Education Forum, Oct. 2009, vol. 64:no. 1, pp. 17-22 — available in the 1st-floor Periodicals Collection) and the Sept. 4, 2009 issue of CQ Researcher on “Financial Literacy” (which includes a discussion of whether courses that cover personal finance should be mandatory in schools).

There also are a number of web sites for improving your financial knowledge. Here are just a few:

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

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The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Earthquakes

Published
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Barbara
on February 11, 2010
in around the world and info.gov
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Were you awake for the quake on Wednesday morning? Have you been following the news about the ongoing recovery from the January 12th earthquake (and its aftershocks) in Haiti? Are you interested in learning more about earthquakes?

Andersen Library has information, and so does the federal government.

cover of After the earth quakesSearch HALCat, Andersen Library’s online catalog, to find titles such as Apocalypse: Earthquakes, archaeology, and the wrath of God (3rd-floor Main Collection, CC77.N36 N87 2008) and After the Earth quakes: Elastic rebound on an urban planet (3rd-floor Main Collection, QE539.2.E42 H67 2006).

Search Library article databases to find articles such as “Geologists to evaluate future Haiti risks” (Nature, January 21, 2010, vol.463:no.7279, pp. 276-277) and “Effects of recent environmental changes on global seismicity and volcanism” (Earth Interactions, 2008, vol. 13:no.4, pp. 1-14).

The U.S. Geological Survey has materials on earthquakes, such as Earthquake hazard in the heart of the homeland (including a shaking-hazard map for the U.S.), and there’s even a “Did You Feel It?” web site for you to report whether you felt Wednesday’s earthquake.

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

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The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Geography Awareness Week

Published
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Barbara
on November 19, 2009
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Geography Awareness Week, November 15-21, 2009, is upon us and has the theme of exploring the world through mapping. How are you celebrating?

If nothing else, “test your geography smarts” online with one of these challenges:

Yikes! They even ask about all those islands out there…

CIA world political map imageNeed to brush up (as I do)? Check out CIA World Factbook maps and “World Maps” available through the Oxford Reference Online Premium database. Or, Andersen Library has a number of print atlases and books about mapping–please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Quasars, Black Holes & Galaxies talk Nov. 20

Published
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Barbara
on November 18, 2009
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Dr. Marsha Wolf, UW-Madison Astronomy Dept. research scientist, will talk about “Quasars, Black Holes and Galaxies: Which Came First?” (UWW Physics Dept.’s 4th Fall 2009 Whitewater Observatory Public Lecture) on Fri., Nov. 20, 8pm, 141 Upham Hall. Public viewing at the Whitewater Observatory will follow, weather permitting. Also enjoy Upham’s lobby exhibit, “From Earth to the Universe.”

ABSTRACT:  As a result of research using telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope, we know that most galaxies contain a supermassive black hole whose mass is nearly a constant fraction of its galaxy’s mass. Quasars are supermassive black holes (SBHs) consuming matter at a prodigious rate and giving off light & radio waves in proportion to the matter consumed. Most SBHs in nearby galaxies are not quasars, and quasars as a group are quite distant — implying that a SBH’s quasar phase happens early in its galaxy’s life. Some scientists theorize that SBHs, while growing in their quasar phase, control the rate of growth in mass of their galaxies. If true, which came first: the galaxy feeding the SBH, or the supermassive black hole controlling the growth of the host galaxy?

Chasing Hubbles Shadow coverRelated materials are available in Andersen Library! For example, a search of the HALCat library catalog would find titles such as Chasing Hubble’s Shadows (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB500.262 .K36 2006) and Bright galaxies, dark matters (3rd-floor Main Collection, QB857 .R83 1997). Searching the Library’s article databases, such as the Institute of Physics electronic journals, would find articles such as “Co-Evolution of Supermassive Black Hole and Host Galaxy From z ~ 1 TO z = 0” (The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 696, pp. 1051-1062, doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/696/1/1051).

The European Space Agency’s web pages devoted to the Hubble Space Telescope include the page “Black holes, quasars, and active galaxies.” You also can learn more about the Hubble Space Telescope and its accomplishments and images from NASA’s web site.

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Coral Reef & Ocean Educational Materials

Published
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Barbara
on November 9, 2009
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Teachers, student teachers, and others with the desire & opportunity to educate youth groups: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued two discs of resources for educators on coral reefs and and other ocean topics. Both contain lesson plans, videos, posters, and more:

Screenshot from Living Reef movie Contents of the 2008 NOAA Coral Reef Educational Resources CD are described online, with links to play videos and the coral reef song (yup, a theme song for the International Year of the Reef 2008) online. (My personal favorite is “The Living Reef” video.) See the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program web page “Resources for Educators” for more K-12 material. You also can visit the Marine Photobank to see images in its “Coral Degradation and Potential Solutions” photo gallery.

Orphan Orca movie screenshotThe 2009 Year of Science: NOAA Education Sampler DVD includes materials about oceans, coasts, atmosphere, and climate science. Resources provided include movies & animations, facts sheets & data sets, story books, activities & lesson plans, and podcasts for use with grades 3-12. I found the “Arctic Sea Ice Changes” animation sobering, and on a lighter note, I was a sap for the “Orphan Orca: Saving Springer” movie (Who doesn’t love a happy ending, and it’s a true story too!).

Hello Fish coverBoth discs are available from the federal depository collection of CDs & DVDs (ask at the Reference Desk), if you prefer that to using the links from the web pages. Additional related materials are available in Andersen Library. For example, search the HALCat Library catalog for “coral reef?” and limit to the Curriculum Collection to find juvenile titles such as Hello fish! Visiting the coral reef (2nd-floor Curriculum Collection, Oversize Juvenile Nonfiction, 597 Ear).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Autism

Published
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Barbara
on October 7, 2009
in around the world and info.gov
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Earlier this week two government studies indicating increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in children in the U.S. were in the news, including “Autism is more widespread, U.S. studies show, but why?” in USA Today.

The first study, “Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007,” was published online by Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, on Oct. 5.

In response, the Centers for Disease Control issued a statement that similar findings will appear in a report from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network later in the year, and “these data affirm that a concerted and substantial national response is warranted.” CDC recommended the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) web site for more information, such as its “Summary of advances in autism spectrum disoder research: Calendar year 2008.”

Students With Autism coverIn addition, Andersen Library has materials on autism. Search HALCat (Andersen Library’s catalog) to find books titles such as Healing and preventing autism: A complete guide (2nd-floor Browsing Books, RJ506.A9 M4252 2009), Autism spectrum disorders: Psychological theory and research (3rd-floor Main Collection, RC553.A88 B694 2007), and Students with autism spectrum disorders: Effective instructional practices (3rd-floor Main Collection, RJ506.A9 H42 2007). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders coverSearch article databases to find articles such as “Trends in autism spectrum disorder diagnoses: 1994–2007″ (Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, Aug. 2009, v.39, no.8, pp. 1099-1111) and “Timing of identification among children with an autism spectrum disorder: Findings from a population-based surveillance study” (Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, May 2009, v.48, no.5, pp. 474-483).

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!

Nat’l Alcohol Awareness Week @UWW

Published
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Barbara
on October 2, 2009
in campus connection and info.gov
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UWW will observe National Alcohol Awareness Week with several events:

  • Mon., Oct. 5, 6:45 pm: The “Day of Dialogue” program will include stories from students, faculty & staff about alcohol and other drug experiences. Thomas Farley, brother of the late comedian Chris Farley, will speak at 7 pm about his brother’s struggles with addiction. (Hamilton Center, James R. Connor University Center)
  • Tues., Oct. 6, 6:30 pm: Former UW-Whitewater prof. Dan Sable’s video presentation will chronicle his wife’s battle with alcoholism. Sable lost both his wife and son to alcohol-related circumstances. (Room 1303, Hyland Hall)
  • Wed., Oct. 7, 8 pm: Party without drinking–root beer pong, simulated sobriety testing through UW-Whitewater Police Services, a pouring station to illustrate the amount of alcohol in one serving, and musical guest De La Buena. (Down Under, James R. Connor University Center)

College Drinking book coverInterested in research about alcoholism? Andersen Library has materials. Searching HALCat (Andersen Library’s catalog) could find titles on various aspects of alcohol and alcoholism, such as College drinking: reframing a social problem (3rd-floor Main Collection, HV5135 .D69 2009) which explores why students binge drink, what are links to campus crime and sexual assault, and what are effective prevention programs and countermeasures. Another title that could be found is Secondary effects of heavy drinking on campus, an online government publication from the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention. A search of the Library’s article databases will find many articles as well.

Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Int’l Day of Older Persons (Oct.1)

Published
by
Barbara
on October 1, 2009
in around the world and info.gov
. 1 Comment

The 10th annual International Day of Older Persons, a United Nations-sponsored observation, is Oct. 1, 2009. Each year has a theme, which in 2009 is “Towards a Society for All Ages.”

Graph of aging population increases 1900 to 2050Why is this important? The introduction to the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing (1982), the first international instrument intended to guide the formulation of policies on aging, commented on the “social, economic, political and scientific questions raised by the phenomenon of ageing on a massive scale” unknown in previous years, and the trend toward increasing numbers of people living longer is continuing. Since I am, ahem, slowly but relentlessly approaching membership in the “older person” group, since most if not all of us know and care about people who are “older persons” already, and since (with a little luck) most of us will one day be “older persons’ ourselves, these issues affect all of us.

At the second world assembly on aging in 2002, a plan of action was adopted that had three priority directions: older persons and development; advancing health and well-being into old age; and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. The report states that the increase in persons over 60 years of age

“will be greatest and most rapid in developing countries where the older population is expected to quadruple during the next 50 years. This demographic transformation challenges all our societies to promote increased opportunities, in particular opportunities for older persons to realize their potential to participate fully in all aspects of life.”

World Alzheimer's Report 2009 coverUnless we are hiding under a rock, we all hear about a number of issues facing our aging populations, such as financial concerns, nursing home quality control, and many age-related health issues. Recently, for example, I was listening to a segment on NBC’s Today show about one of the health issues related to aging: Alzheimer’s. The cases of people with this dreadful condition are increasing faster than was predicted; according to the World Alzheimer Report dementia cases will nearly double every 20 years, and by 2050 it will affect a “staggering 115.4 million people.” The implications are rather staggering as well. How would we provide decent care for so many? In the meantime, the National Institute on Aging has some information online for this and other age-related health issues. Continuing research on these issues is important so that our increasing numbers of older persons can enjoy a high quality of life for as long as possible. And it will benefit all of us (eventually). It’s also important to consider how our treatment of our older population reflects on us now, and how it will impact the way we are treated as we ourselves age.

Social Policy and Aging book coverIf you are interested in doing research on topics related to aging, Andersen Library has materials you can use. Searching the HALCat, Andersen Library’s catalog, would find titles such as Exploitation of seniors: America’s ailing guardianship system: hearing before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate (online or 2nd-floor Federal Documents, Y 4.AG 4:S.HRG.109-753) and Social policy & aging: a critical perspective (3rd-floor Main Collection, HQ1064.U5 E76 2001). Please ask a librarian for assistance with finding materials.

Government Printing Office logo

The University Library is a federal depository with many federal, state, local, and international documents on a variety of current and relevant issues available to you in print, microfiche, CD-ROM, and electronically. Come check out your government at the University Library!