Sale of the month

We are in the midst of our annual magazine sale. Here is your chance to get a full year's (monthly) or a big bundle (weekly) of a magazine for a buck. How can you beat that? The Kelley Library subscribes to over 300 magazines so there are a lot to pick from. Being a recipe junky - I collect with good intentions, and occasionally actually try them - I am sorely tempted by those bundles of cooking magazines. I have already given in once and bought the bundle of Gourmet magazines - and have ripped out a ton of recipes to add to the pile. But you know, there are so many that are tempting - after all it is only a buck. Arthritis Today - could be helpful in helping with those aches and pains. New Hampshire to Go - tempting, since I am new to the area (but it is already gone - I snoozed and lost). Those needlework magazines, the In Style and other decorating titles . . . I could buy them all. And then when I think about my family I am further tempted. The only thing holding me back is knowing I will have to take them over to the transfer station to recycle and you know, that arthritis makes it tough to do.
So stop in and take a browse, it's amazing what a buck can still get for you: help in remodeling your home, world travel without spending more than a buck, inspiration for the garden you are making plans for now that spring is almost here, trips through history, valuable help in dealing with your kids. They talk about a bang for your buck - you can really find it at the Kelley Library right now.

Up for renewal: what magazines taught me about love, sex, and starting over, by Cathy Alter
Whatcha mean, what's a zine? : the art of making zines and mini comics, by Mark Todd

Tis the season

It's February and tax season is upon us all. It is a busy time for a public library as people desperate for one tax form or another come in, confident that they will find it there. At the risk of showing my age, I can remember when forms were easy to find - at the post office, the DMV, federal offices of all kinds, local and state offices, even the liquor store! Those days are long gone. Between the various branches and levels of government trying to move to paperless filing and reducing their costs and the chore that providing forms is, the sources for forms has dwindled down to libraries and tax services. The easy excuse nowadays is that these forms are available online.

And that is why libraries still continue to offer the forms. Yes, the forms are available online, and the websites for forms are fairly easy to navigate. Yet, there is a presumption on the government's side - that everyone owns a computer or has easy access to one. We in the library biz know this is not accurate. Those who need access to forms the most are the least likely to have ready access to a computer. People don't all have friends and family that can help them find the right form. And those instruction booklets. Try using them online - it takes a sophisticated computer user to get at the information they need.

So that is why libraries are a good fit for offering the forms. Libraries are here to help people find information that they need. Librarians are working to help guide people to the right source, to show people how to use the internet, how to fill out forms. So come on in - we'll be there to help you find the form you need. Try our website - we have easy links to the online form sources. We are there to help with everything except giving you tax advice - that is for a different professional. Of course we can help you find a list of those too.

America: who really pays the taxes, by Donald L. Barlett
JK Lasser's 1001 deductions and tax breaks: your complete guide to everything deductible