This post marks the start of a new area of WisconsinWatch.org — Wisconsin InfoLink, an almanac of Wisconsin resources and facts. Here’s Ron Larson to explain what it’s all about.
Hi everyone, I’m Ron Larson, part librarian, part local history aficionado, part new blogger for WisconsinWatch.org and a lifelong Wisconsin resident.
For most of my professional life, I was the library director at the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times (both here), where I spent a great deal of my time organizing information and helping reporters find interesting facts and data. Currently, I am on the staff at the Wisconsin Historical Society library and archives department, a place full of interesting facts and information relating to Wisconsin and beyond.
My weekly Wisconsin InfoLink blog post will focus on the state of Wisconsin and, relying on my librarian talents, will direct you to the abundance of information relating to the Badger state — interesting, educational, informative and fun.
Wisconsin InfoLink can best be described as an Internet directory, a place where information and links are organized under broad topics. Some of the subjects included in Wisconsin InfoLink are Art & Culture, Census, Crime, Education, Environment, Government/Public Watchdog, Health and much, much more.
The Internet is a deep and wide body of information, sometimes making it time-consuming to find that one bit of information that you need. For example, if you are interested in knowing how many fish are caught in Wisconsin or the worst tornadoes in Wisconsin’s history, just check Wisconsin InfoLink (Environment-Wisconsin Water Facts or Weather-Tornadoes). Some of the information is found through direct Web links while other data has been compiled using my librarian know-how, along with some blood, sweat and tears.
Come back to this blog each week where I will be highlighting a specific topic or link available in Wisconsin InfoLink. It is my hope that these blog posts will provide an opportunity to learn more about your community and the state and offer ideas on where to find information that will help you at work, home or school.
If you have any comments or suggestions for Wisconsin InfoLink, or if you think that Wisconsin InfoLink could be improved with additional links or information, please let me know.
The nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.
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