January 24, 2012
WHO KNEW?
New documents crossing my way today were many routine items: newsletters, annual handbooks, the December issue of The State Register. All valuable items to a permanent record of our state’s history. However, none out of the ordinary. Until I noticed “Afghanistan” in an article on the back of the South Carolina Market Bulletin for January 5, 2012. That country name—so far away from our South Carolina farms—didn’t seem to fit with a weekly newspaper that regularly offers tractors for sale! The article turned out to be one from Commissioner Hugh E. Weathers and reports on a project to send a team of soldiers from the South Carolina Army National Guard to Afghanistan for a full year to promote sustainable farming practices there.
Afghanistan has a strong agricultural past and nearly 80% of Afghans depend upon agriculture for their livelihood and personal food. Under colonel Brad Owens the SC team will not be coming into modern day farming; rather, they will experience farming as we would have done more than a full century ago. But crops that can grow there are similar to what we grow here: cotton, corn, tobacco, and fruits and vegetables. The team will introduce new techniques and some new technology in an effort to help the Afghans make a life after war and terrorism.
This current issue of The Market Bulletin is available at the State Library. Electronic issues are available at the agency website https://agriculture.sc.gov/content.aspx?ContentID=413 (a subscription is necessary to view the current issue).
December 13, 2011
New Resources at the State Library
Just a reminder that resources acquired by the State Library in the past month are reviewed online at http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/New-Resources-at-SCSL/ This will be a monthly list of all sorts of items: books, ebooks, books to read online, documents, and new articles on selected topics in our databases. Check it out! And remember, contact the Library(use Meebo on the homepage or reference@statelibrary.sc.gov) for information on what’s happening in it and other South Carolina libraries.
October 18, 2011
Education Report Cards
The Library often gets calls for information on the progress and achievements of our public schools and we dutifully refer patrons to the Report Cards Portal of the Department of Education (http://ed.sc.gov/data/report-cards/) and the .searchable database (https://ssl.sc.gov/SchoolReportCards/) of the Education Oversight Committee. These two sites together provide excellent and current pictures of the success of our schools. Now, the Education Oversight committee has created a compilation of the data that will be of great use to policy makers, analysts, and parents. The 2010 Report Card Ratings is an online report at http://eoc.sc.gov/ (at the bottom of the page), includes discussion points and a comparison of data for 2001 and 2010. And (this is exciting!) it has information on poverty levels for each school and district! State publications are reluctant to post povery statistics, even by county, so these figures are helpful to analyze the situation of education in our state.
OTHER NOTABLE ADDITIONS:
Certified Public Manager reports for 2011 have been received. These reports are the final requirement of the CPM program sponsored by Budget and control Board to train supervisors in state government. Information on the program is found on the B&CB website at http://www.ohr.sc.gov/OHR/employee/OHR-cpm-intro.phtm. The library receives a paper copy of the reports of the CPM graduates. We have also scanned the reports to make them available electronically. CONGRATULATIONS TO THOSE COMPLETING THE PROGRAM! Reports received this summer are:
Teleworking for the Office of Human Resources
Reducing Inappropriate Use of Medicaid Emergency Transportation Services
Improving Courtesy Exam Efficiency in the South Carolina Forestry Commission Best Management Practices Program
Submitting Invoices Electronically: Is It Worth It?
Curtailing the contract Approval Process
Call Center Metrics: a Measure of customer Satisfaction
The South Carolina Spatial Reference System
Who Can Do It?
Office of State engineer Database Upgrade
Geographic Information System Application for Public Health Prepared ness
Letting Transparency and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Work for Your Agency
Increase the Use of an Internet Based Application (e-plan) to Satisfy Tier II Preorting Requirements under EPCRA
Online Trip Planning and Fleet Management System
The Future of the Region 8 Eqc/Beaufort Microbiology Laboratory
Funding Centralized State Procurement Operations for South Carolina
Replacing File Servers with a Network Attached Storage Solution in All Remote Offices of the S.C. Vocational Rehablitation
Addressing Changing Needs for Climate Information
Evaluating the Process and usage of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s Employee Performance Management System
Improving the Equitable Distribution of Revenue from the Sale of South Carolina Surplus Property
Re-assigning Basic Training Pre-registration and Registration
A Comparison of Grade Equivalent Reading Rates of Candidates Presented for Training in Areas of Primary Certification to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy
Earthquake preparedness for schools www.scemd.org/Prepare/Earthquake…07/EQ_Prepare_for_Schools.pdf is a nice little brochure that opens up to “The Plan” for developing and teaching preparedness in schools.
1011-1012 Sportsman’s Calendar and Almanac. Once again the Departmnet of Natural Resources has prepared an exceptional celebration of our state’s outdoor sporting heritage. There are more feature articles, yet includes the traditional almanac features and a full listing of artificial reef locations maintained by the SCDNR. Beautiful photographs, too!
South Carolina State Museum Images. Summer 2011 This issue features an article on the Civil War exhibit, which opened July 23 and will become part of the permanent exhibit on the war. This article depicts the everyday lives of soldiers, with photos and letters on display.
These documents and more are available at the State Library!
October 4, 2011
200 and Counting!
Can you believe over 200 entries for the federal government manual? It and other documents are available at the State Library!
The United States Government Manual 2011 This manual is published annually and provides comprehensive and authoritative descriptions of the programs and activities of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. In all, there are over 200 entries. Typical agency descriptions include a list of principal officials, a summary statement of the agency’s purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history, description of programs and activities, and other consumer information (grants, employment, publications, etc). The Government Manual also includes information about quasi-official agencies, international organizations with U.S. membership, and Federal boards, commissions, and committees. This edition has a dedication to the Federal Register, which has served the US government for 75 years.
The print edition is available at the State Library in Reference. Check out the website for easy access! http://www.usgovernmentmanual.gov/Home.aspx Here you will find the Manual in sections. There is a menu on the left side to additional resources. And don’t forget the link at the top of the page to “The Government of the United States.” Cryptic, but it opens to a site map for an overview of the Government (also known as the table of contents for the book).
If you have some spare time, I recommend browsing through the Manual, either the print or the online copy. It’s give you an idea of the size of government and of the many, many activities it is involved in.
Other documents received in the library are:
State Documents
H. 3700, GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL, FISCAL YEAR 2011-2012 “The Brick” itemizing the appropriation of state funds for the state agency programs and the administration of government is now in the Library. It is also available online by section at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess119_2011-2012/appropriations2011/wm11ndx.htm
South Carolina Wildlife The September/October issue is out with articles on scenic rivers, opening day of dove season, and Bulls Island’s slow recovery from Hurricane Hugo twenty-two years ago.
A Long-Range Plan for the Arts in South Carolina 2011-2020 A short but attractive statement of mission and goals for arts. Included are lots of photographs of the varied arts programs sponsored by the agency throughout the state.
South Carolina Public Water System Compliance Report: Calendar Year 2010
Analysis of Change FY 2011-2012 Appropriation Bill as Recommended through the Governor’s Vetoes. SC Budget & Control Board. This is an annual publication of the Board that recaps the total appropriations for each agency, commission, board, and office. It also has detailed information on every Proviso, including summary of how the proviso will affect state government, House and Senate action, and the Governor’s vetoes.
Several new publications were received from the University of South Carolina, Francis Marion University, Clemson University and the Citadel. These really show off how beautiful the campuses are. The Citadel sent us the 2010 yearbook, which showcases the graduating class through their four years at the school. The Tour Guide of USC shows all of the residence halls in impeccable condition—even Capstone looks newly shined!
Community Development Corporations Initiatives 2010 Activity ReportThe South Carolina Department of Commerce has published an activity report for 34 certified community development corporations. These CDCs are nonprofit, community-based, development organizations that have the primary mission of developing and improving low-income communities and neighborhoods through economic and community development projects and activities. The report includes summaries of 2010 activities. Also lists noncertified organizations by county.
2011 South Carolina Legislative Manual. SC General Assembly. Contains biographies of members, rules & committees, special legislative data, and state, county & federal government departments. The Manual is online at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/man11/manual11.html
Federal Documents
The Condition of Education 2011 This is a congressionally mandated annual report that summarizes important developments and trends in education using the latest available statistics. The report presents statistical indicators containing text, figures, and tables describing important developments in the status and trends of education from early childhood learning through graduate-level education. The contents of The Condition of Education are organized within 5 sections that cover learners from elementary grades through postsecondary education. It is online at http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS4175.
Digest of Education Statistics 2010 This is the 46th edition of this publication that compiles statistics on a variety of subjects, including the number of teachers, students colleges, enrollments finances, libraries, and educational attainment. There is new material in this edition on early childhood scores, high school attainment of population 25 to 64 and postsecondary education percentages of population 25 to 64.
Freedom by the Sword, The U.S. Colored Troops 1862-1867. This publication is an operational history of the Colored Troops in the Civil War, telling what the soldiers did as Union soldiers during the Civil War. It examines the formation, training, and operations during the entire span of service, in each theater of the war in which they served.
Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care. From the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, this 2011 guide provides easy access to crucial facts on all aspects of treating these diseases, covering the clinic, testing, health maintenance, hiv treatment, common complaints, complications, interactions, and specific situations such as neuropsychiatric disorders and oral health problems. Spiral bound.
September 21, 2011
Classes start up at the State Library
The Library Services librarians are starting up their fall classes again. Three of these are on resources for grant finding and proposal writing. One is on locating information on our government processes–how a bill goes through legislation, identifying and contacting legislators, locating laws. This class will also look into county and city government webpages. The classes will be at the State Library. Links will take you to registration. Hope to see you there!
Getting Connected with Government Information (November 1) is designed to help citizens take advantage of state and federal legislative websites to keep up with the current sessions. It will also include a review of websites and print resources for tracking bills and regulations, contacting legislators, and searching databases of legislative materials. County and city administrative websites will also be reviewed.
Finding a Funder for Your Nonprofit Organization (October 18) will help individuals locate information on grants available from private foundations and corporations using the State Library’s electronic and print resources.
Introduction to the Foundation Directory Online (November 15) will include basic and advanced search techniques for using the Foundation Center’s grants database to find potential funders for your nonprofit.
Proposal Writing Basis (December 6) will focus on what needs to be included in all your grant proposals.
July 13, 2011
Documents on Display
These new documents are on display in the State Library!
Local governments and home rule in South Carolina. A citizen’s guide. By Holley H. Ulbrich, Donna S. Londa and Melinda A. Lucka (2100). This is a revised edition of the 2004 publication intended to help South Carolina’s local officals an dcitizens understand the powers that local governments may exercise under the state constitution and legislative acts of the General Assembly. The extent and type of local government authority granted by state governments vary considerably. In South Carolina there are more than 400 elected local governments representing several different types of home rule, so the guide is a welcome explanation of who governs what, how. The new edition picks up many changes in home rule authority made by the Legislature. The publication is available online from the Clemson Jim Self Center on the future, Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs at http://selfcenter.clemson.edu/pdf/Home_Rule_2011.pdf.
2011 South Carolina Legislative Manual. With only days left in the legislative season the 2011 manual arrived at the library and then appeared on the SCStatehouse.gov website (http://www.scstatehouse.gov/man11/manual11.html). Still amazingly compact for the information it holds (biographies and photos, descriptions of all agencies, boards and commissions, rules, constitution, and all emblems and symbols. Print copies are available for purchase ($12.00) and are well worth it for the information about our state government.
Congressional Pictorial Directory, 112th Congress An ongoing publication. Another pocket-sized publication with photos of all Senators and Representatives by state.
Keeping America informed. Yet another publication by the U.S. Government Printing Office celebrating 150 years of service to the nation. This one adds a rich photographic record to the history, even photographs of agency ball teams and an orchestra! It would be wonderful to see a history of the Department of Interior or of Agriculture to add to collection of historical documents.
Civics and Citizenship Toolkit. This is another edition of the 2007 toolkit distributed to public libraries, community and faith-based organizations, adult educators, community colleges, schools, and other groups. Eligible organizations can request one free copy of the toolkit from www.citizenshiptoolkit.gov. Individuals can purchase the toolkit for $49.00 from http://bookstore.gpo.gov. The “Quick start guide” and the “expanding ESL, Civics and citizenship education in your community: a start-up guide” are designed to provide ideas to supplement classroom instruction, be a self-study, or begin to offer programs on this topic. The toolkit includes flash cards, cd and dvd presentations, posters, the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, and materials for participants.
May 18, 2011
Park Pictures and 150 Years of GPO
The Federal Documents Library Program collected some unique items this past month: a beautiful volume of photographs, a dvd on the 150 years of the Government Printing Office, and a HUGE report on mercury. check out your library to see them!
The Rule of Thumb: A five year overview of domestic violence in South Carolina 2005-2009.
“Rule of Thumb.” Let’s see. That’s some kind of guesstimate, based upon unscientific evidence, kinda like what usually happens, or whatever you mom says is right. But, combine that with domestic violence? Turns out, there is a connection, not proved, but, nonetheless made: supposedly wife-beating by a switch no bigger than a thumb was allowed under English and American common laws. Still not good, but possibly not as life-threatening as attacks we have recorded in recent years.
This publication will estimate and describe domestic violence in South Carolina using the best available informational tools. Tables, graphs, and charts are created from information submitted to the South Carolina Law Enforcement division (SLED) by state and local law enforcement agencies. Unreported crimes cannot be included in the report. The report has plenty of information on the subject for statewide trends, county rankings, and county profiles.
Long-term management and storage of elemental mercury. Environmental Impact Statement. U.S. Department of Energy
This is a five-volume report to evaluate reasonable alternatives for a facility or facilities for the long-term management and storage of elemental mercury. The report analyzes the potential environmental, human health, and socioeconomic impacts of elemental mercury storage at seven candidate locations, of which our Savannah River Site is one. Mercury is a naturally occurring element that can enter the environment through natural processes (volcanoes, wildfires, surface emissions) and human activities (fuel burning, smelting, mining, waste disposal, etc). some common items contain or once contained mercury: batteries, paint, thermometers, fluorescent lights, dental fillings. Mercury and its compounds are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic and are recognized globally as pollutants. DOE proposes to construct one or more new facilities and/or to select an existing facility for long-term management and storage of up to 10,000 metric tons of mercury for forty years. This is a thorough report with detailed comparisons of the seven sites and a no-action alternative.
Humanitas. This small publication is an annual collection of art and literature from the students, staff, and faculty of the Medical University of South Carolina. The editor, Jon Jennings, feels the publication is representative of the MUSC community and provides a peek into the heart of the institution: the depth, passion and diversity that makes the organization unique and human life precious. There are poems, vignettes, paintings, sketches and photos. In all , a out-of-the-ordinary but passionate expression of some of life’s common and poignant experiences.
2010 Annual Report Celebrating 150 years. The Government Printing Office has served the federal government for 150 years and commerorates that feat with a dvd of its history. The 7.5 minute video includes photos and images from historical documents and scenes from the past as GPO grew from a single printing plant in 1861, through the eras of handset type and machine typesetting into the Internet age and beyond, expanding public access to government publications and information. GPO remains the main source for authenticated federal publications. Visit their websites at http://www.gpo.gov/ for information on the agency and on the federal depository library program and, of course, FDSys, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action, the new federated search engine for government publications, including legislative and executive materials.
A Photographer’s Path, Images of National Parks Near the Nation’s Capital. The National Capital Region is a portion of the Atlantic Coastal states surrounding Washington, D.C.: West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. In the national parks of the region are many of our national treasures, both natural and historic. Photographer Thomas Paradis has captured the natural landscapes amid the growing metropolitan region, highlighting the Potomac River watershed. Beautiful pictures with minimal text. I would have appreciated more information on the parks cited—bunnies and cliff-dwelling trees are found lots of places, but I don’t know why they are special in the park. Still, a beautiful book that is not your typical government document!
South Carolina Wildlife. The May-June edition of this publication is now out. Featured this month are bugs, Daws Island, swallow-tailed kites and carpenter bees! The award-winning publication has wonderful photos and articles not too long to enjoy. Get your own subscription at http://www.scwildlife.com/subscribe.html.
April 7, 2011
Information Shutdown
We all know that Congress and the President are facing the end of funding for the operation of the federal government, possibly by tomorrow. In case you haven’t read enough about this, here are some websites with relatively comprehensive information (as opposed to speculation). The newest concern to information people is that the websites of the agencies “will not be working.” What this means is still vague, but probably new press releases or new data won’t be added and databases may lose function. Of greatest concern to librarians and other information providers are the Census pages and IRS. I noticed that USA.gov, the official federal government website, does not have a definitive place for answers. The search engine does pull up recent news releases and links to congressional webpages, if you are interested. Also, remember that the South Carolina State Library is scheduled to be open Friday, Monday, and for regular business for the rest of the fiscal year and then some.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/government-shutdown-2011-will-i-get-paid-what-will-be-open-what-can-i-expect/2011/04/06/AFfMK2oC_blog.html#taxes This blog from Washington Post gets updated throughout the day.
http://www.govloop.com/page/government-shutdown Government Documents Depository Librarians blog for open government. this page has a box to ask a question and let a librarian try to help you.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/whatgovernmentshutdownmeansyou36386 Nice summary of who will likely be affected and how.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_1995 Wikipedia summary of the last great shutdown (does anyone remember it?).
February 10, 2011
Didn’t get enough sleep? You’re not alone!
The Library has received the 130th edition of the Statistical Abstract of the United States. This 2011 national data book has been a reliable wealth of national data and a library would be hard-pressed to duplicate the compendia in one resource. More recently the title is available on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab and on CD. Oddly, these alternate formats do not contain certain copyrighted tables. However, they do include spreadsheet files for each table in the book. The Internet site also has selected earlier editions. The value of the Statistical Abstract is magnified by the inclusion of sources of information. Most tables come from federal agencies, but some private research instutes provide information also. The citations are helpful to lead someone to more or more current data than the table provides.
What’s in it for me? Regularly, the resource has current tables on 24 broad topics, including population, vital statistics, health and nutrition, education, law enforcement, agriculture, manufacturing, economics, communications, elections, etcetera, etcetera. For instance, there are tables on home remodeling, corporate profits, books, local government finances, and leisure activities. In addition, this new edition has 65 new tables covering topics such as “Students who reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property by selected student characteristics 1993-2007,” “Energy consumption by mode of transportation: 2000-2008,” “Real tourism output: 2000-2008,” and ”Average hours per week spent doing unpaid household work and paid work by sex and age: 2003-2007.”
So, just how many of us claim we don’t get enough sleep? Table 191 on page 128 reports 11.1% of 403,981 respondents indicated not getting enough sleep in 30 of the last 30 days. This information is from U. S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 58, No. 42, 2009. You can check out the table to see what other information it provides!
February 3, 2011
From SC Parks to Vietnam POWS–documents at the State Library
Publications from the state and federal agencies often are the formatted required accounting for their programs. However, occasionally they distribute something different, adding to the information gathered on the state or nation. Here are some of the documents received in the State and Federal Documents depositories at the State Library during January. They are available for viewing, and for loan to card holders and libraries.
http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/scedocs/G7461/002237.pdf South Carolina. Office of the Governor. Governor’s Executive Budget Outgoing governor recommends spending caps, state government restructuring and tax reform. He goes into quite detail—267 pages worth—in a last minute attempt to influence the budget process of the new legislature.
Francis Marion University VIEW . A magazine for the FMU community. Lots of color photos of people, including wedding pictures!
South Carolina Wildlife a consistently beautiful magazine produced by the Department of Natural Resources. This issue (January 2011) focuses on conservation and protection of the wildlife habitats. The article on SC’s Heritage Preserves presents narrative descriptions and photographs of the sites around the state.
SC Criminal and Juvenile Justice Trends 2010 http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/scedocs/P9602JS/002234.pdf. Consistently informative publication on our problems and progress with juvenile offenders. Print and electronic.
Palmetto Portraits Project. The project by MUSC was to capture photographs of individuals throughout the state to remind students, faculty, staff and visitors of those they serve at MUSC and throughout South Carolina. Who would have thought such a beautiful book of photography would come from the the Medical School!
We also received and distributed to the depository libraries the CDs of the Medicaid provider manuals for 2010. HHS sends us these cds and 1 set of print manuals each December, compiling all the changes and additions for the calendar year. Medicaid Bulletins are also available in the State Library, and on the HHS website.
Deep Water: the Gulf Oil Disaster and the future of offshore drilling. Report to the president. http://purl.fdlp.gov/gpo.gpo2978 Should be the fullest account available of the catastrophe that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig and cause 5 million barrels of crude oil to spill into the Gulf o Mexicon in spring of 2010. A companion volume of recommendations is also available at http://purl.fdlp.gov/gpo/gpo2981.
Child Maltreatment 2009 www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm09/cm09.pdf#page=9 National data on child abuse and neglect collected and analyzed by the National Child Abuse and Neglect System.
Global climate change impacts in the United States http://downloads.globalchange.gov/usimpacts/dpfs/climate-impacts-report.pdfn Summarizes the science and possible impacts of climate change on the United States now and in the future. The book believes climate changes are underway already, that crop and livestock production will be challenged, and that there are already threats to human health.
Pictures, puzzles & problems, an activity book for all ages. Colorful activity book from the FBI. First page describes how the FBI works with media describe and portray the office in movies and television
Battle behind bars, navy and marine POWs in the Vietnam War. Another in the U.S. navy and the Vietnam War series. This one is not for lovers of romance novels. It includes descriptions of the torture procedures inflicted by the North Vietnamese and endured by our POWs.
As I’ve said before, Check it out! at the library!
