Remember to make sure you are signed up for FDLP News & Events Announcements. Coordinators have to be; for everyone else, it’s just interesting and useful!
Need to know what the weather was on the day you were born or another significant day? Climate Data Online from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information provides free access to an extensive archive of historical weather and climate data.
For example, on February 11, 1986 (the day of Public Law 99-244, creating National Black (Afro-American) History Month) it was snowing in various places in the U.S.:
Penguin gathering on top of iceberg.
Photo credit: Lieutenant Philip Hall, NOAA Corps.
From the NOAA Photo Library
What's your cataloging situation?
Depository libraries are required to have a "piece level inventory" of their depository collection. That means, do you know about every piece of material in the collection - that you have it, what it is, and where it is? Scenarios might include:
Take some time to evaluate where all the bibliographic records are for your depository collection, and what your methods have been over time. If you have material that is completely uncataloged, start to plan for how you can get that material cataloged or inventoried in a database or spreadsheet.
The Commerce Department was formed in 1913 when the existing Department of Commerce and Labor split in two. Now, the department does...a lot, as their description in the U.S. Government Manual indicates: "The Department of Commerce promotes the Nation's domestic and international trade, economic growth, and technological advancement by fostering free enterprise worldwide, supporting fair trade, compiling social and economic statistics, protecting Earth's physical resources, granting patents and registering trademarks, and assisting small and minority-owned businesses."
Within the Commerce Department are:
Webcast on Cataloging & Indexing at GPO
Did you know NOAA has a database of Wrecks and Obstructions that appear on their nautical charts?
The Census Bureau provides interesting ready-made infographics and data visualizations.
Similar to the FDLP, Patent and Trademark Resource Centers (PTRCs) are a nationwide network of libraries. These centers help the public with trademark and patent assistance.