Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Database in Your Face #3

Over the River and Through the Woods...Or Marsh, Maybe

Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and it's a time of family and feasting. There are some pretty interesting Thanksgiving-related websites out there, however, that are a "feast for the mind," if you will. Here are some Thanksgiving links to look at between courses:

Information about The Plimouth Plantation, where the whole story started in 1620.

Pilgrim Hall Museum has everything you ever wanted to know about "The Pilgrims."

The History Channel's History of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was made an official holiday in 1863 during the war-torn presidency of Abraham Lincoln. His original "Thanksgiving Proclamation" is here.

AllReceipes.com has some great Thanksgiving recipes. Look (and cook) some up!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Next Week: National Family Week

The week of Thanksgiving 2008 is National Family Week, a chance for families of all stripes to get closer and become stronger. There are lots of good links out there about the week-long celebration of family ties, genetic and otherwise.

National Family Week was first made a reality in the United States in 1987 under Ronald Reagan.

Here are a few links that may help make your celebration more fun:

Crayola's Family Week Calendar has good ideas for events and crafts...

The American Legion publishes a great National Family Week brochure.

Twenty Ways Families can Celebrate National Family Week, by the YMCA.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Bayou Country Coin Club



Don't forget to come by the Main Branch at 151 Library Drive to see the Bayou Country Coin Club's coin display, housed in the display cases upstairs through the beginning of 2009.

Harry Hellier, club vice president (pictured above) says: "The historical import of the coins alone gives the display its educational value. Besides that, there is the artistic importance with the design elements and beauty of many of the coins. They are worth seeing."

American Indian Heritage Month

Back in 1620, the Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower and tried to get a colony started in Massachusetts. It's a story we all know. And most of us know that if it hadn't been for some helpful American Indians in the area, chances are every English Pilgrim would have ended up meager rations for local wolves.

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, we celebrate the contribution of American Indians to the founding, survival and flourishing of the United States. The impact of this contribution is often overlooked, but should never be forgotten.

The Library of Congress always does it up right...take a look at their links and educational resources regarding the history and accomplishements of American Indians!

The Smithsonian Institute has a great website for American Indian Heritage Month, with links to information and updates on events nationwide. Affiliated with the National Museum of the American Indian.

The National Park Service keeps many sites of interest to those wanting to know about American Indians safe and intact.

The Louisiana Governor's Office has an Office of Indian Affairs. The office has a list of recognized tribes.

The United Houma Nation is the state-recognized (though not yet federally recognized) tribe from which the City of Houma takes her name.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Lung Cancer/COPD Awareness Month



Ever been around somebody smoking a cigarette? Don't they smell terrible? They don't look so hot, either. Well, November is LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH and COPD AWARENESS MONTH, so you might take the opportunity to tap your friend on the shoulder and say, "Hey! You don't just look and smell bad, but you're killing yourself and possibly me!" Then, direct them to this blog so that they might explore the following links:

Lung Cancer

The National Cancer Institute's Lung Cancer Page--has so much good, solid information laid out so neatly that it makes you feel like a medical professional just to look at it. Includes an amazing Dictionary of Cancer Terms.

The American Cancer Society has chapters all over America with support and information for victims of the disease.

Medline Plus is the user-friendly interface of the National Library of Medicine.

And what if you DO get diagnosed? Cancer.net has a find an oncologist database that helps you find a doctor who can treat it.

COPD

What, exactly, IS COPD? Once again, the National Library of Medicine can help.

The American Lung Association's COPD Center has great information about the disease.

The Mayo Clinic's COPD page is very easy to use and well-organized.

About.com's COPD page is run by a registered nurse with respiratory therapy expertise...and a useful and informative blog.

This article from Medline tells us the number one cause of COPD: smoking.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Resources for Veterans

Today is Veterans' Day, when America honors all those who have served the country in the military. The Terrebonne Parish Library Reference Department has put together some links to information that veterans and their families might find useful.

The U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs is dedicated to providing quality care and service for America's former servicemen.

VA Home Loan Guaranty Services provides home loan and mortgage information to veterans.

Housing and Urban Development has many housing programs for veterans worth looking into.

Mental health resources for returning veterans can be found at the website of SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.

The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs tries its best to help veterans--especially those returning from service overseas--find the help and services they need.

The National World War Two Memorial has message boards, a registry and an e-store for veterans of the watershed conflagration.

The Korean War Memorial homepage has information about the monument and the war it commemorates.

The Vietnam Memorial Wall page has information about the memorial and a tool to search for names on the face of the monument.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

American Diabetes Month

Around here, a lot of folks get diabetes and it makes many of them sick. Genetics, poor diet and lifestyle make south Louisianians of all stripes sitting ducks for the malady. Diabetes, on a personal note, lead to the death of my father. For the most part, however, the kind of diabetes that Americans get is adult-onset and is preventable. The key to knowing how to prevent it is knowledge, and the Internet is chock full of good anti-diabetes information.

The American Diabetes Association has information for laypeople, doctors and even the newly diagnosed, telling people how to avoid the disease or how to manage it if they have it.

Medline Plus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, is a top-notch source of information on all health topics, but has especially good information on diabetes.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, a sub-group of the National Institutes of Health.

The Center for Disease Control's Diabetes Public Health Resource has up-to-the-minute information on diabetes prevention and treatment.


The Mayo Clinic Diabetes Center
has a useful question-and-answer section.

Nutrition.gov is the government's website telling us what scientific research says is a good idea to eat--and not to eat.

So that could get you started. Also, be sure to check out the library's card catalog to see what we have in the system about diabetes.

I do hate to be dramatic, but it might just save your life.

Monday, November 3, 2008

November: National Adoption Month

Out there in the world are thousands of kids waiting for loving homes; in recognition of that, November has been designated "National Adoption Month."

The Terrebonne Parish Library system has a display of books on the second floor of its Main Library on Civic Center Blvd. designed to help patrons educate themselves on the issue.

The State of Louisiana also has some handy links for parents looking for information on adopting children in the Pelican State.

Here are some other resources our users may find useful (complied with the help of 100 Ready-to-Use Pathfinders for the Web by A. Paula Wilson):


Adoption.com--Contains information for parents, women who are pregnant, and those seeking reunions. Also includes directories of adoption professionals and discussion groups.

National Adoption Center--Supports all aspects of adoption, particularly for children with special needs and those from minority cultures.

National Adoption Information Clearinghouse--Sponsored by the Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, this site includes a national directory of agencies, services, state officials, and support groups.

So this should be some useful information. Of course, we encourage you to stop in and look at what else we have to offer the family looking to expand through the adoptive path.