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This Week's Facts:
-Anniversary
Approaches for Revolutionary Literature
-USA.gov
Offers Ideas for New Year's Resolutions
-New
Resource is Clearinghouse for Federal Video Files
-Census
Unveils New Look for Website
Document of the Month:
Report of the Indiana Arsenal
“An Act to provide
for the defense of the State of Indiana, to procure first class
arms, artillery, cavalry, and infantry equipments, and munitions
of war, making the necessary appropriations therefor [sic], and
authorizing the Governor to borrow money.” Approved April 1,
1861.
The Indianapolis Arsenal was established by Governor Oliver P.
Morton in 1861. Col. Herman Sturm, who had studied ammunition
manufacturing in Germany, was put in charge of operations. On
July 11, 1861, Congress passed an act providing for the creation
of three permanent federal arsenals, including one at
Indianapolis, at a cost of $100,000 each. The Federal Ordnance
Department took over operations of the Arsenal in April, 1863.
Although there was only one report published, this document
provides a historic look at Indiana’s contribution in the war.
The abstract gives detailed records (ledgers) on the weaponry
and accessories used by Regiments in Indiana and other states.
For example, historians and war buffs are able to see that Col.
Lew Wallace was given a voucher for ammunition May 1861. The
reports are arranged by classes of weaponry, artillery,
ammunitions, and other war-related items. The Report of the
Indiana Arsenal can be found in the Indiana Collection, I623.4
I385, for 1861-1862.
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Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
Hedges
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
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Anniversary Approaches for Revolutionary Literature
 January
10 marks the anniversary of the original publication of
Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Published in 1776, this
pamphlet was instrumental in shifting public opinion toward
revolution. Believed to be the first comprehensive and public
call for independence from England, Common Sense was also
notable in that it was printed on a massive scale and
distributed throughout the colonies. According to Paine, British
rule was directly responsible for all social, political, and
economic problems in the colonies. The only way to overcome
these problems was to mount a unified front against Britain and
declare independence. His written attacks on the British
government and ideas for achieving independence, combined with
the excellent timing of the publication, managed to persuade
many people around the colonies that revolution was necessary.
InfoUSA,
a product of the U.S. Department of State, has the
full text
to Common Sense available on their website. Teachers may
also be interested in the
lesson plan
from
Edsitement!,
a division of the
National Endowment
for the Humanities.
Go here to learn background information, lesson activities, and
how to incorporate this topic into other lessons.
USA.gov Offers Ideas for New Year's Resolutions
 Do
you need ideas for New Year’s resolutions? Choose from this
handy
list,
via USA.gov. Ideas include: Get Fit, Manage Debt, Manage Stress,
Save Money, and Volunteer to Help Others. Tips mentioned for
managing stress
are: planning ahead, deciding which tasks need to be done first,
preparing for stressful events, paying attention to when you
feel stressed, taking the time to relax, getting active and
eating healthy, and talking to friends and family. Librarians
and patrons can improve the environment by conserving resources
in our communities during the new year. See the
Reduce, Reuse,
Recycle website of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for more information on
waste reduction. For another very popular resolution, here is an
additional
blog resource
for getting fit and managing weight in 2012.
New
Resource is Clearinghouse for Federal Video Files
 YouTube
isn’t the only place online to go for free videos. FedFlix, a
cooperative effort between the
National Technical
Information Service
and
Public.Resource.Org,
is a great source for free movies from the federal government.
These run the gamut of topics and include newsreels, training
films, movies about national parks and space travel, and more.
Some movies are only a few minutes long; others last almost a
half hour. These are all in the public domain, allowing
librarians and teachers to use them and reproduce them as
needed. These are a wonderful way to incorporate new sources
into your presentations or lessons. For example, a de-classified
video on the Battle of Midway (most downloaded item of last
week) not only helps teach about the battle itself, but also
gives viewers a glimpse into film techniques of the 1940s and
how broadcast styles have changed since. The database is
searchable and includes advanced searching features. You can
also browse by collection, keyword, creator, and title. The
collection is available on the Internet Archive
here.
If you’re looking for a fun twist to add to a program, don’t
forget to check out FedFlix!
Census
Unveils New Look for Website
 The
Census Bureau provides the public with a new interface for its
main website this year. The new main page at
www.census.gov
has modules which contain QuickFacts by state; a
Population Finder
to compare the 2010 Census numbers by states, cities, or
counties; Economic Indicators from the Bureau (and a place to
subscribe to the RSS feed);
interactive maps;
Census Bureau news & events; lists of featured topics at the top
of the page; and a “Stat of the Day.” There is a red dialog
bubble on the right to provide immediate feedback about what you
and your patrons find useful (and not) about the new design. At
the bottom of the page, you’ll find a directory to the website
via alphabetical lists, which is a noteworthy upgrade from the
old design. This is where to go when you need data about any
area of the U.S., so take advantage of it, and don’t be afraid
to mention possible improvements to the site!
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