From the Reference Desk
Have You Registered Your Drone?
On December 21, 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began to require small unmanned aircraft owners to register their drones if they weigh between 0.55 and 55 pounds. Registration is done using an online site http://mydroneregister.com/ that recently became active and should take an estimated 30 minutes to complete. Once registered, drone owners will receive a certificate with a registration number that will be marked on each drone and tied directly to the owner. Check the alphabetical Drone List to see if...
Stress-Free Holiday Tips
It is a well-known fact that stress levels spiral during the holidays. The first step in dealing with holiday stress is to be aware of it and to seek out ways to ease the situation. Mayo Clinic, WebMD and Parenthood.com’s sites all offer some common-sense tips for keeping the stress factors related to the holidays under control. For creative and less typical ways to de-stress, try Prevention Magazine’s How to Have 31 Days of Healthy, Happy Holidays or Martha Stewart’s tips to Simplify the Season. Then take...
Everyoneon
Everyoneon – Using the Internet is becoming a necessity across more and more facets of life. It’s used to complete homework, search for and apply for jobs, connect with family and friends and access government programs Facts about the Digital Divide Despite the growing importance of the Internet in American life, 28% of Americans do not use the Internet at all and nearly one-third of U.S. households (32%) lack broadband service[1] People don’t use the internet because they don’t know how and they find it unaffordable[2] EveryoneOn...
Michigan's Guide for Aging Drivers and Their Families
Michigan now has 1.2 million drivers that are age 65 or older, and that number is growing. To help these drivers maintain their driver’s license for as long as it is safe, the Secretary of State’s Office now offers a great resource: Michigan’s Guide for Aging Drivers and Their Families. This guide provides information on the licensing process, resources to help maintain safe driving, alternative transportation options and more. Request or download a free copy at Michigan.gov/sos. Print copies of the guide are also...
Credit Card Liability Standards Changing October 1, 2015
The United States is the only country in the world that still relies on magnetic stripe technology for its credit and debit card users. Magnetic stripe technology is easily counterfeited, and United States banks incur an extremely high percentage of credit card fraud. On October 1, 2015, the liability for credit card fraud in the United States will shift from banks to the party with the least secure form of EMV (Europay Mastercard and Visa) equipment. EMV microchip cards will be much more secure because their dynamic data allows for...
National Constitution Center (NCC)
Did you know that the U.S. Constitution was first publically printed in The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1787; only two days after the original document was signed? Did you know that more than 11,000 amendments have been proposed in Congress, but only 27 became actual amendments to the Constitution? Maybe you just want to see the full text of the document, or download a copy to your computer. "The National Constitution Center is an interactive museum, a national town hall, and a civic education...
Finding Unclaimed Property and Unclaimed Money
A common question at the reference desk is how to find money or property that may have gone unclaimed due to forgotten accounts, insurance policies, uncashed checks, or death. Few people realize that all states are required by law to return unclaimed assets to their rightful owners. According to The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administration (NAUPA), all states, U.S. territories and some Canadian provinces (Quebec, Alberta, and British Columbia) have programs that actively search for the owners of unclaimed property....
EPA Launches New Website To Track Safe Drinking Water
Called the National Drinking Water Activity Dashboard, it was launched in response to an increasing number of drinking water related news events and incidents, such as the problem Toledo and some of the southern parts of Monroe County faced last summer when Lake Erie’s water was contaminated by microcystin bacteria and deemed unsafe. The website tracks whether public water systems are complying with the laws that keep our water safe and clean with charts that show the number of systems with site visits or sanitary surveys, the...
Replacing Your Vital Documents
What would happen if you lost your birth certificate, driver’s license, passport or medicare card? What if your house flooded and photographs or precious furniture pieces were damaged? What can you do about damaged money or savings bonds? Don’t worry, the USA.gov website has an answer for all of those situations and more, compiled into one webpage with easy-to-follow links. From address changes to copies of your federal tax returns, this one-stop shopping website can be a lifesaver. Check it out!
The LaFrance Genealogy Database
All who have French-Canadian ancestors will love this new database available as part of the Monroe County Library System’s Online Resources. Users will have access to birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial records in “The French America” since the beginning of European settlements (some records as early as 1621). The database is searchable by individual, by couple, or by place specifying a precise date or time frame, and will lead to scanned images of original documents. Search pages may be displayed in...
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