This Week's Facts:
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Digital Resource Connects to
State Archives Collections
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Agencies Provide Guidance for
Safe Charitable Giving
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EPA Measures Clean Energy for
Consumers
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Website Makes Sense of Senior
Health Information
Nutrition.gov Data Lab Helps
Keep Resolutions on Track
Many people use the New Year as a starting point for eating
healthier. However, sometimes that can be really hard. While
pre-packaged food includes nutrition information on its label,
that data can be hard to find for food that doesn’t come wrapped
in plastic. That information is now available at the
Nutrient Data Laboratory.
You can search by keyword or browse by type of food. It
provides very detailed information – calories, vitamins and
minerals, fat, sugar, and more.
The Nutrient Data Laboratory is just one aspect of Nutrition.gov,
created by the USDA. Nutrition.gov provides information on
healthy eating and weight management, as well as on food recalls
and health statistics. Do you have any good ideas on inspiring
kids to eat healthier? Enter the
USDA Web Games for Healthy Kids Contest!
Do your resolutions include keeping your heart healthy? Check
out the USDA’s
2010 Keep the Beat
calendar. Nutrition.gov is a great resource for
anyone looking for a healthier lifestyle.
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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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Join the
FDLP-IN
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Digital Resource
Connects to State Archives Collections
 Some
of Indiana’s most valuable records are now available with the
click of a mouse!
The Indiana State Archives
has a great new resource thanks to a partnership with the
Washington State Archives and other states from around the
country. The
Indiana Digital Archives
was made a reality thanks to a grant from the Library of
Congress and many volunteers who have processed and indexed
records for more than fifteen years. Many popular records and
collections have been made available with this online resource:
naturalization records, land records, prisoner records, Marion
county court records, wills, and military records. This digital
archives is a valuable tool for genealogists, history buffs, and
anyone who is curious to learn more about Indiana’s storied
history. Check the digital archive often. There are more
records, documents, and collections to be added from almost
every county in Indiana.
Organizations Provide Guidance for Safe Charitable Giving
 Photos
and articles describing the struggles of Haitian people are
plentiful in the news right now. Many organizations are asking
for financial donations to help the survivors of the earthquake
and its aftershocks. Do you have second thoughts about the
legitimacy of a specific charity? Trust your instincts. Before
you donate, it is important to be aware who you’re giving to.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a
list of tips on its website
to help consumers decide how to best offer financial help to
their causes, including the “Check Out a Business or Charity”
feature on the
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving
Alliance website.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation warns that before making any
donations, follow these
guidelines. The
Washington Post released a useful article, “Haiti
earthquake: How to help,” which lists reliable
charities and includes websites. The article also notes a
24-hour toll free Haiti fraud line: (866) 720-5721 and email
address:
disaster@leo.gov, which are
overseen by the FBI and National Center for Disaster Fraud. See
the FBI’s
Jan. 18 press release here.
Please use these resources to remain aware of organizations that
can take advantage of the public’s generosity.
EPA Resource Measures Clean Energy for
Consumers
 Do
you ever wonder just exactly how clean your energy is, what type
of fuel you’re using, or how much pollution is being created?
The Environmental Protection Agency has the solution! The
How Clean is the Energy I Use – Power
Profiler allows users to determine the answers to
those questions. Simply provide your ZIP code and electricity
provider, and the profiler will tell you how which types of
fuels you’re using and how it’s broken down. It will also tell
you what types of air pollution are being created – including
Nitrogen Oxide, Sulfur Dioxide and Carbon Dioxide. This
information is compared to national data to tell you how your
area competes with the country as a whole.
You can also get more specific information. For example, by
supplying data from your utility bills, the calculator will
figure the actual emissions used to power your home or
business. If the results leave you feeling discouraged, don’t
worry. The EPA also provides you with tips for being more
energy efficient and even
for
buying green power.
Website Makes Sense of Senior Health
Information
 Do
you know where to look for health information for older adult
patients? Your parent or grandparent might be overwhelmed by
health information available and may be unsure of where to
start. Maybe you’re unsure of where to start as well. Try the
National Institutes of Health
Senior Health website. At the top of the page,
users can adjust text size, color contrast, and turn on or off
the speech function. You can direct users to search for health
topics A-Z or by category. You can also view a featured topic,
which is currently “Older Adults and the Flu.” This links to the
Flu.gov page about patients 65 and older.
NIH
Senior Health also includes training tools that
librarians and educators can use when teaching beginning and
intermediate adult students to use the Web. |
