This Week's Facts:
-
Remembering Operation Desert
Storm Two Decades Later
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Online Resource Advises on
Replacing Vital Records
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January is Month to Help
Raise Birth Defects Awareness
-
Census to Talk New Local Data
in Webinar
Document of the Month:
Geological Survey of Indiana - Annual Report
“The law passed at the Forty-sixth Regular
General Assembly of the State of Indiana creating the office of
State Geologist places him at the head of a Geological and
Scientific Department, to act in connection with and under the
control and management of the Indiana State Board of
Agriculture, for the purpose of collecting information designed
to promote the interests of agriculture, arts, manufactures, and
mining.” This statement was taken from the Annual report of
1869. The law established the office of the State Geologist and
established an analytical lab in Indianapolis to evaluate
various ores and substances that may have been useful to the
State. These annual reports contain analyses of the various
minerals found throughout the State, organized by county. The
Annual reports also provide descriptive Geographies of various
counties, including what minerals might be found there.
Finally, they offer invaluable information such as owners of
coal lands, railroads and more. Later editions contain detailed
maps of oil and gas well and railroad lines. The reports were
published from 1859 through 1916 and can be found in the State
Library’s Indiana collection at ISLI 557 I.
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Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
 
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Remembering
Operation Desert Storm Two Decades Later
 January
17th marked the twentieth anniversary of beginning of
Operation Desert Storm, also known as the First Gulf War. While
this was the start of Desert Storm, Operation Desert Shield had
been going on since the previous August, following the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait. Desert Storm began with the air war phase,
starting at 3 AM on January 17, 1991. The mission of the war was
to get Iraq out of Kuwait. This was accomplished in just over a
month; on February 28, a cessation of hostilities was declared.
For a more detailed timeline, be sure to check out this
site from the Department of
Defense. The Archives Library Information Center at the National
Archives also has
information on the war.
There are links to maps, research on
Gulf War veterans’ illnesses
and resources for Gulf War veterans. Finally, for a personal
perspective, be sure to read the entry from
VAntage Point, a blog by
the Department of Veterans Affairs, on Desert Storm. It details
one man’s experience of the war and invites others to share
their memories.
Online Resource Advises on Replacing Vital
Records
 Have
your patrons lost important personal documents – a drivers’
license? A marriage or birth certificate? A permanent resident
card? These things can go missing quickly due to a lost or
stolen wallet, a car accident or inconsistent record-keeping
habits. We all experience this kind of loss from time to time.
The
USA.gov website has a nearly complete list of how
we might go about
replacing vital documents.
It includes tips about document restoration after fires and
floods; it also provides a link to the
IRS.gov
webpage that enables taxpayers to order copies or transcripts of
tax returns. If you’ve lost your passport, never fear! Report it
and replace it at
Travel.State.Gov. Don’t
worry – most documents can be replaced with adequate ID
information.
January is Month
to Help Raise Birth Defects Awareness
 January
is Birth Defects Prevention Month. According to the CDC, one out
of every thirty-three births in the US is affected by birth
defects each year. The CDC states that the most common defects
affect the heart, the spine (also known as “neural tube defects)
and the mouth. A cleft lip or palate is an example. Birth
defects can be caused by any number of things – consumption of
drugs or alcohol while pregnant, infections and even genetics.
However, sometimes the reason behind a defect is not known. The
CDC has a great website entitled basic facts about
birth defects that provides
a good general overview. For more in-depth information, be sure
to check out one of their articles about
specific issues and causes.
Census to Talk New
Local Data in Upcoming Webinar
 Beginning
in February and continuing through March, the Census Bureau will
release limited local data – only that which will be used in
re-drawing state legislative and federal congressional district
boundaries. The Census Bureau will hold a webinar Jan. 24 at
1:00 p.m. for the public that will include what geographies
will be available and how to access these numbers. Please see
Tuesday’s
press release for
information on accessing the webinar via the phone and internet.
Log in early so that you can load the web meeting software onto
your computer.
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