This Week's Facts:
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Flag Day is Time for
Observance & Flag Education
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DNR Needs Your Help to
Preserve State Park History
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Home Safety Months Aims to
Educate Families
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Data.gov Simplifies Online
Access to Federal Statistics
Digital TV Transition is Finally Here!
 As of June 12, 2009, all
over-the-air signals will be broadcast digitally. This means that analog
televisions will no longer work. For those who can’t afford a converter box,
DTV coupons are still available and will be until July 31, 2009. For those who
already have a digital TV or digital converter box, be sure to remember to
rescan your channels. Many television stations will be changing their
channel numbers throughout the day and citizens may need to program in new
numbers.
Be sure to check
out the
FCC website on the transition for more
information.
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Friday Facts is a production of the Indiana State Library
Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
-------------------------------------
Join the
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On June 14, 1777, Congress passed a resolution calling for the creation of a
flag, complete with thirteen stripes in red and white and thirteen stars on a
blue field. However, it wasn’t until 1949 that Flag Day was officially declared
a national observance and President Harry Truman signed it into law. Unofficial
Flag Days had been celebrated for years on June 14. Apocryphal stories from New
York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Wisconsin all claim to tell the tale of the
first Flag Day celebrations. Even presidents Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge
tried to implement the holiday. Because it is considered an “observance” rather
than a holiday, most places of business do not close. Make sure to visit the
Department of
Veteran Affairs webpage on Flag Day for more information.
Many people do not realize that certain etiquette is involved when taking care
of a flag. The
Federal Citizen Information Center is a great website to visit to find out
the specifics. There is information about flag folding procedures,
presentation, laws and regulations. The site also has information about
flag history, the U.S. Seal and flags that fly over the Capitol.
For a list of
other national holidays and observances, see
USA.gov’s Holiday page.
DNR
Needs Your Help to Preserve State Park History
 Remember the hike at Clifty Falls? The awesome bike ride at Mounds State Park?
The
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would like to collect your
pictures, videos, postcards and other memorabilia in preparation for a DVD about
the history of Indiana’s State Parks. The Centennial Celebration is in 2016,
but the video will be released in the fall of 2009. Indiana has a
variety of
beautiful State Parks as well as
events that will please the entire family. If
you are willing to share some fun summer memories, please fill out the
release form and get ready to be a part of history!
Home Safety Month
Aims to Educate Families
 Work
to encourage at-home safety. The
Home Safety Council is
celebrating Home Safety month in June with its
Hands On Home Safety
campaign. Download and post copy-ready newsletter
articles about Poison Prevention, Cooking Safety, Disaster
Preparedness, and more. Register for free on the website and
gain access to guides, brochures, videos, lesson plans, and
games. You can also direct patrons to the Safe Haven forum
(registration required), which gives families a way to
communicate with each other and with Health Safety Council
experts about safety issues. The Indiana State Department of
Health also provides links to
Recreational and Home Safety Information
via their Trauma System/Injury Prevention Program
webpage. Check out their Summer Safety links, including Bicycle
and Swimming Pool Safety.
Data.gov
Simplifies Online Access to Federal Statistics
 Do you and your patrons get overwhelmed with the amount of data and information
available to you via the internet? Well, if you’re searching for national
statistics, the process of finding data is now easier. The new
Data.gov
website allows users to search for statistics by subject, federal
agency, or both. Datasets are available in a variety of file formats. A useful
tutorial is provided for accessing datasets and other information via the
website, which is worthwhile if you haven’t downloaded datasets before. Also, if
you don’t find what you’re looking for on the website, you can
suggest additional datasets
that should be available.
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