What is SafeLink Wireless?

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx
Recently, we have been getting many requests for information on free cell phones, and how to apply. The only application available on-line is on the above website. It is a government supported program that provides a free cell phone and airtime each month for income-eligible customers.

You may want to alert patrons that they have to give their name, address, birthday, and the last four digits of your social security number. (note: only the last 4) Ultimatley, the decision to release even this information is up to the patron.

Blue-Ray vs. DVD

http://blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=289

http://milkyourmoney.com/2008/05/15/is-blu-ray-worth-it/

Recently, more patrons are asking: Is the library buying Blue -Ray discs?

Short answer......no. I weighed the pros and cons, and the cons won out. There are many reasons for this decision; cost being the first. Each "ray" is an average of $10.00 more than a standard disc. To help you decide if you want to "go blue" the above web-pages will help.

Any comments to add?

2008 Tax Rebate

The Worcester Public Library has had a steady stream of people asking about the "stimulus check." That question created some confusion around here so here are the facts.

In 2008 the government notified individuals by mail who qualified for either a $300 or $600 tax rebate. For most of us the checks followed soon after. The folks who were receiving social security or railroad benefits had to file a 2007 1040A in order to get their checks. The end date for filing was October 15, 2008 because the government wanted all the checks out to individuals by December 31, 2008.

So what happens to those people who either did not 1) receive the letter of notification, 2) did not understand the letter and didn't file, and/or 3) did not receive the correct amount for one reason or another? These people did not lose out and are still eligible for the rebate. Here's how it works.

During this tax file season the government is offering something called a "Recovery Rebate." The following is a list of those who are eligible:

• Individuals who did not receive their stimulus payment


• Those who received less than the maximum


• Families who gained an additional qualifying child in 2008


• Individuals who could be claimed as a dependent on someone else's tax return in 2007, but who cannot be claimed as a dependent on another return in 2008.


• Individuals who did not have a valid Social Security number in 2007 but who did receive one in 2008.

If any of your patrons qualifiy they need to claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on Form 1040, 1040a, or 1040ez. The instructions for each of these forms will show you what lines to use.

However, this is a credit. These people will not receive a tax rebate check in the mail as everyone else did in 2008. Instead, the credit will be included in the tax refund for 2008. If they are doing their tax form by hand the government will figure out the credit they are do. If they are filing electronically the software will figure out the credit for them.

Property Foreclosures

Do your patrons ask you for free lists of foreclosed properties?

At one time a U.S government agency would, on a regular schedule, send us a list of foreclosed properties. However, they stopped doing that years ago. Some patrons remember that we got a list and others simply call and ask for websites with lists of foreclosed properties. If only everything were that simple!

I have yet to find a website that did not charge a fee or was not subscription based. But there is a solution. The Worcester Public Library subscribes to a newspaper called Banker & Tradesman. This gem is published weekly and, if your patrons are interested in subscribing themselves, the cost is $278 a year or $7.50 for a single copy. We keep our copy behind the periodicals desk on the third floor.

While I have your attention I'll take a minute to point out some of the other great features of Banker & Tradesman. First, the subtitle is "The Financial Services and Real Estate Weekly for Massachusetts." The first 15 pages or so are filled with knowledgeable and timely articles about our economic health and future. Some of the articles in last weeks edition included the commercial markets along Route 495, the most recent data breach, commercial defaults, gambling in the Bay State, cyberthieves and more.

The classified section, another 15 or so pages, has listings of commercial opportunities, official records of real estate transactions arranged by county and city, and statistical charts. The statistical charts (broken down by city) show number of sales from one year to the next and the percentage of change, dollar amount of sales, median sales price by month, and number of sales by month.

The final section of the classifieds are the credit records that I spoke about at the beginning. The credit records include voluntary bankruptcies by county and city, chapter 13 bankruptcies, chapter 11 bankruptcies, federal tax liens, state tax liens, attachments, petitions to foreclose, and foreclosure sales.

Graphic Novels

With the new responsibility of selecting materials for the Graphic Novels collection I am doing what a librarian does first – gathering information. I have found some websites, http://webserver.mcl.org/subj/grafnov.html and http://bookshelf.diamondcomics.com/public/ for example, and borrowed a book from the CMRLS Professional Collection. Also as a typical librarian, I read a few of the graphic novels already in the collection. All of these sources have provided useful information, although they tend to be geared toward YA collections, while I am buying for the adult collection. Does anyone have another source of information, or a favorite artist or series?

Unrated Films

Recently, I had a discussion with a colleague regarding unrated films.
What does that actually mean?
We received what appears to be two different answers from two different sources.
A Midwest Tapes customer service representative defined it as editing by the studio of undesirable segments for the home viewing audience.
On the website www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/rgcolumns, I found a longer, and a little more confusing explanation.

As librarians, should we be concerned when purchasing these items? What do we tell a parent who wants to know what that means for their children's viewing choices?

Any thoughts, views, and clarifications would be welcome.

Any information on the Eastern Football League teams from 1972-1975?

This question was referred to me from a local library. I could not answer the question adequately and decided to use it for my monthly blog entry. Does anyone out there know anything about EFL local all-star teams from 1972-1975?

My search history began with the Web. I came across a homepage for the EFL located in Cumberland, Maine that also included the name of a contact person and a phone number. The website informed me that the EFL is a [mens] minor league football league that is in its 47th year of operation. They also provided a list of championship games back to 1961. None of this answers the question but I'm hoping that the contact person is housing an archive of the EFL in his basement.

The Boston Globe paper index only goes back to 1982 and the online index to 1980. I gave the online index a shot using the years 1980 to 1985 but I came up with nothing relevant.

I checked the New York Times index from 1972 to 1975. There was nothing under the word "eastern" but there were pages and pages of citations under the word "football." What should I look for? Should I skip everything under "college," "professional" and "semi-professional"?

I know they haven't played in "bowl games" so I'm safe there.

The Worcester Public Library houses a Telegram & Gazette clipping file that goes back, in some cases, to the 1960's. When I opened up the first file folder under football I was pleased to see the date 1964. But my pleasure didn't last long. By the end of my perusal I had two clippings on the EFL, one dated 1989 and the other 1991. Neither one contained anything like a history.

Finally, I checked the national and regional Encyclopedia of Associations. While there were more listings than I could have imagined there was no mention of the EFL.

Any help would be appreciated.

Some holiday questions

When do you start displaying your books for the December holidays? I usually start the day after Thanksgiving. Do you think I' m jumping the gun or being too slow.

The other problem I have is coverage. I have plenty on the religious and secular aspects of Christmas; enough on Hanukkah especially when I add in some Jewish cookbooks and craft books. Worcester Public Library has a handful of books on Kwanzaa and even a couple on observing the Winter Solstice; but after that I have a problem. Does anyone know of any in print books on other religions' holidays. It doesn't have to be just winter holidays; something covering a year of holidays would be fine. Ideally I would like books with bright covers inexpensive enough that I could buy multiple copies ( I know I' asking for a lot; but I'll settle for less.) Also does anyone know of anything on winter carnivals or snow festivals?

Copyright issues for Community Access Television Story Hour

I'm looking for some advice on copyright issues and perhaps some personal advice from someone who might have produced a Community Access Television Story Hour. I'm working with my local community access television station to produce shows. I would like to apply for a local Cultural Council grant to produce a show featuring grandparents who want to read to their grandchildren. The grandparent would come down to the studio and sit in a rocking chair and read.

Here's my reference question: Do I need to get permission from each publisher to use the book on Community Access Television? Or, is there some type of blanket contract that might apply, similar to permission to show videos/dvds in libraries?

Here's the concept: We would film the story being read by a grandparent, which would be reproduced on DVD for purchase by the Grandparent, so it could be replayed as many times as it interests the grandchild. The reading would air once or twice for a general audience, more if it was a classic book by an exceptional reader. I think the project would be especially popular among grandparents that live far from their grandchildren. The grant would provide seed money for a selection of good big print children's books. If successful, the profits from the DVDs would keep the show going after the grant runs out.

Any comments are appreciated.