This Week's Facts:

1. Websites Highlight Contributions of American Labor

2. Help CDC Promote Healthy Eating in September

3. GPO Blog Reviews Unique Government Publications

IN.gov Web Portal Enhances Mobile Accessibility via QR Codes

IN.gov now has advanced technologies to keep Indiana citizens informed while on the go. The IN.gov website has integrated QR Codes, short for Quick Response Codes, on more than 30,000 pages of the website. The code, which looks like a small square, allows access to computer information via a mobile device. QR Codes have been in place in manufacturing and marketing industries for many years. The codes are two-dimensional barcodes capable of encoding a large amount of characters – website addresses, text information, contact information for business, and other uses.  With the popularity of smart phones, QR code usage has become widespread in the U.S. Users who own a device with a QR Code reader application can quickly display content on their smart phone by clicking on the QR code icon and scanning the code. Most smart phones offer built-in QR code readers or provide free readers in their online market places. Once the reader has been installed, accessing some web pages are as simple as taking a picture with your camera to ‘scan’ the QR Code. Your mobile phone will be directed to the page you’re currently viewing from your computer. Have fun and stay informed with QR codes on IN.gov!

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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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Websites Highlight Contributions of American Labor

On September 5th, we celebrate the historic tribute to the American worker. There are an estimated 1,478,204 people in the U.S. who clean the buildings where we work and live, according to the Census Bureau’s 2009 American Community Survey. The Labor Day news release also tells us that 3,039,523 people teach Kindergarten through 12^th grade; 265,429 people drive the busses which get us, our families, and friends to work and school; and 395,503 people are the hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists who help us look presentable. USA.gov provides resources on the topic of Labor Day, a day recognized since 1882. Included here are a collection of statistics, historical information on labor unions, job search information, and tips on how to spend the weekend. Enjoy!

Help CDC Promote Healthy Eating September 

Now that school is starting back up again, people often find themselves a little busier than before. However, that doesn’t mean that eating healthy isn’t important anymore! September is Fruits & Veggies – More Matters Month. The CDC, along with the Produce for Better Health Foundation, sponsors this month in order to promote the consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. The CDC website on Fruits & Vegetables has a lot of great sources for healthy eating. You can use their calculator to figure out how many servings of fruits and veggies you should eat a day, based on your age, sex, and activity level. You can also check out the Fruit and Vegetable of the Month (this month is Chili Peppers and Figs), learn new recipes, and even find out budgeting tips. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive! If you enjoy interactive tools, you might like the Analyze my Plate activity or the Recipe Remix. The latter is great for people who want to eat more produce, but are a little tired of salads and other standard vegetable options. This activity gives you ideas on how to incorporate fruits and veggies into your favorite recipes. These are all great sources of information on healthy food and healthy habits.

GPO Blog Reviews Unique Government Publications

As librarians, we’ve all read our share of book reviews. However, have you ever read any about government publications? It may not sound very exciting, but Government Book Talk, the official blog of the Government Printing Office, is a really fun website to check out. Written by a longtime staffer, this blog profiles different publications that have been published by GPO throughout the years. Some of the posts relate to current events; for example, the last two entries were about the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and the National Hurricane Center. However, you can also find some neat historical documents. You can read about the Pocket Guide to New Caledonia, written for military personnel in WWII and illustrated by an artist for the New Yorker, or even the Secret History of Invisible Ink.

The writer of Government Book Talk has an engaging style and he writes on a wide variety of publications. If you’re looking for a fun way to inform yourself about unique government publications, this is definitely the place to go.