This Week's Facts:
-
Celebrate Arbor
Day by Sharing Educational Resources
-
Help Raise Organ
Donation Awareness this Month
-
Make a Note to
Appreciate Jazz in April
-
First May Monday
Dedicated to Melanoma Recognition
America FactFinder Webinar
Now Available Online
In March, the
Indiana State Library
hosted an “America is Changing: Accessing 2010 Census data”
workshop on behalf of the
Indiana State Data Center
and the
U.S. Census Bureau. The
workshop is now available online as a webinar on the Data
Center’s
Workshops & Events webpage.
The Census Bureau is currently rolling out training on the
newest version of their information portal,
America FactFinder. In the
webinar, Steve Laue, of the Chicago Regional Census Office,
gives a quick overview of the meaning of the U.S. Census,
presents examples of how the data is used, and provides a
preview of how to access 2010 Census data with the American
FactFinder tool. On the State Data Center Workshops & Events
page, under the blue bar labeled “webinar,” you’ll find
America is Changing: Accessing 2010 Census
Data (Session II). The second half of the webinar
introduces the new version of FactFinder. Keep your eyes open
for further trainings available through the Data Center and the
Census Bureau.
-------------------------------
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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FDLP-IN
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Celebrate Arbor Day by Sharing Educational Resources
 Today
is Arbor Day, “a day to put down roots,” according to the
Division of Forestry’s –
Indiana Arbor Day website.
Check there for the history of national and Indiana Arbor Day,
online and video instructions on how to plant a tree, and a link
to Smokey the Bear’s website. According to
Answers.USA.gov, other
countries celebrate Arbor Day as well. There are the "New Year's
Days of Trees" in Israel, "The Tree-loving Week" in Korea, and
"The National Festival of Tree Planting" in India. The
Arbor Day Foundation
supports and organizes Arbor Day celebrations nationwide.
Educational resources on their website include an
interactive history book,
information on ongoing planting and tree education programs
throughout the year, tree care and identification guides, and
the
Tree Wizard, which shows
you which trees to plant in the area where you live.
Help
Raise
Organ Donation Awareness this Month
 Although
April is coming to a close, it is important to remember that it
is
National Donate Life Month. The purpose of
National Donate Life Month is to encourage people to become
organ donors. There are many organs in the human body that have
the potential to be donated: lungs, the heart, the pancreas,
skin and corneas, to name a few. Most of these donations can
only occur after the donor has died. However, some organs and
tissues can be donated by a living person. Anyone can be an
organ donor, but those under the age of 18 must have permission
from a parent or guardian. It is important to tell your family
if you plan on being an organ donor. You can also sign a donor
card or indicate it on your driver’s license.
Organdonor.gov from the Department of Health &
Human Services is a great source of information about organ
donation and transplantation. The website includes resources for
those who are considering becoming a donor and for those who
need or may need an organ transplant. You can even find
information about how donors and recipients are matched up and
how the actual process of donation works. The website also
includes links to state
donor registries, including
Indiana.
Make
a Note to Appreciate Jazz in April
 Now
that we’re on the last note of the month, don’t forget that
April is Jazz Appreciation Month.
David Baker, born and
raised in Indiana, is the conductor and artistic director of the
Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra,
as well as Chairman of the Jazz Department at the Indiana
University Jacobs School of Music. The
Smithsonian Museum of American History celebrates
Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) every year with events throughout
April. The museum has a list of
online activities that
involve classes and games with themes of different Jazz
performers such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis
Armstrong, and Benny Goodman. The National Park Service created
a
brief history of Jazz music
with a complete
bibliography for an
assessment of the not yet built
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
in 1993. The NPS website now provides an online view of the park
and
history and culture of New Orleans Jazz.
Children can become
Jazz Junior Rangers using
the Kids part of the website. Find more
Jazz teaching and learning resources
on the Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)
website. There are also many Jazz resources available from the
Library of Congress and the
American Memory collections
online.
First
May Monday to be Dedicated to Melanoma Recognition
 The
first Monday in May has been designated as
Melanoma Monday by the American Academy of
Dermatology. This was done in order to educate the public on the
dangers of melanoma, a potentially fatal form of skin cancer.
According to
Medline Plus, the first
sign of melanoma is often a change in a mole, although melanoma
can first occur in any part of the body with pigment. They
recommend watching for “ABCD”: Asymmetry, Border, Color and
Diameter. Melanoma can be cured; however, it differs from most
other types of skin cancer in that it has the ability to
metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body. You can find
more information from the
National Cancer Institute
from the National Institutes of Health. The American Academy of
Dermatology has some good sources for prevention, including how
to perform a
skin self-examination. Of
course, the best way to prevent skin cancer is to cover up and
wear sunscreen! You also may want to visit a dermatologist if
you are at risk. Those who are unable to see a dermatologist can
visit a free skin cancer screening center. Go
here to find one in your
area.
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