Website - In the Spotlight

This week we learned about an interesting website: Authorial London. It's the creation of Stanford professor, Martin Evans. During his trips to London, Evans has seached throughout the city for houses, apartments, pubs and other buildings associated with literary authors.

Evans selected fifty North American and British authors who spent a significant part of their lives in London. The list ranges from from Geoffrey Chaucer to Mark Twain. One of the unexpected benefits of his project is that it shows when authors' paths crossed. For example Slyvia Plat once lived in the same house on Primrose Hill in which W. B. Yeate lived many years earlier.

The website is designed for readers of English literature who may not have an opportunity to visit London and explore it's numerous literary sites in person. However even frequent visitors to London will enjoy it.

Read more about the website, and then take a look for yourself: Authorial London.

Tax Forms

Did you know that the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board have stopped mailing individual tax packages to tax payers? Yes, it's true. It is part of their effort to encourage everyone to file electronically.

However, we know that not everyone likes to file electronically. So the Library continues to offer tax forms to the public. You can pick up forms whenever the Library is open. We stock the basic forms:

IRS: 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, Schedules A, B, C, D, D-1, EIC, & SE

FTB: 540 & 540A, 540 EZ, 540 NR

If there are any other forms you need, we can print them for you (15 cents/page) or you can visit the websites and print them yourself:

http://www.irs.gov/

http://ftb.ca.gov/forms/search/index.aspx

Magazines - Old & New Titles

There was an interesting article about Consumer Reports in the San Francisco Chronicle recently. In this age of advertising and social media, where money and personal opinion can garner good reviews, Consumer Reports stands steady as one of the few nonprofit advocacy groups, which scientifically tests products large and small - from potato chips to SUVs.

For 74 years, the Consumers Union has been testing products, challenging claims, and publishing the results for the benefit of us all.

We're not sure if the Library has subscribed to the magazine all those years, but it has been in our periodical collection as long as any staff person can remember. We keep 5 years on the index table, (across from the public access computer). And this month we've added something new: Consumer Reports on Health. Get expert, unbiased, fact-based, health information from a trusted source: Consumer Reports - at your Library.

Database Highlight: Novelist

Are you looking for a list of all the books in a series?

Would you like to find another book like that great mystery you just finished?

Does your Book Club need some background information on what you're reading?

The Reference Staff is always happy to help you answer these questions. But what can you do when the Library is closed?

Check-out NoveList. It's one of our most popular databases. And it just got a facelift, so it's easier to use, has more options, and is much more colorful - with all the latest bookcovers.

Anyone can use NoveList in the Library. And if you have a current PG Library Card, you can log on to it from home, any hour of the day or night. So take a look and find a good read. (Go to our Databases page, scroll down to NoveList, and login with your library card #.)

FYI, NoveList also has a version for children: NoveList K-8.

The Library subscribes to more than 20 databases. And most of them can be accessed from home, with a current PG Library Card. To see a complete list of our databases, click here.

If You Liked The Help....

Without a doubt, The Help by Kathryn Stockett has been one of the most popular books of the year. Every week someone asks if there anything else like it.

It's such a great read, it's difficult to find something "just like it." But the following titles have all been noted for their story and style, and most of them are set in the South.

If you have other favorites you would like to add to the list, please let us know!

Berg, Elizabeth We are All Welcome Here
Briscoe, Connie A Long Way from Home
Fairbairn, Ann Five Smooth Stones
Flagg, Fannie Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Gaines, Ernest J. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
Hoffman, Beth Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Jordan, Hillary Mudbound
Kidd, Sue Monk The Secret Life of Bees
Lee, Harper To Kill a Mockingbird
Lent, Jeffrey In the Fall
McCullers, Carson The Member of the Wedding
Morrison, Toni Sula
Naslund, Sena Jeter Four Spirits
Neilson, Melany The Persia Cafe
Nicholas, Denise Freshwater Road
Walker, Alice The Color Purple

New Database - Career Transitions

Are you, or someone you know, looking for a job?

If so, the Library has a new database for you.

has been designed to help job seekers:

• Discover Occupational Interests
• Explore Career Paths
• Prepare Resumes
• Find Educational Opportunities (to enhance job skills)
• Find Jobs

Career Transitions is a database freely available, for anyone to use at the Library. Pacific Grove Public Library cardholders may also access it from home. To do so: visit the Library website, click on Databases, Jobs, then Career Transitions. (You will need to enter your library card number and PIN.)

For more information, click here. Or stop by the Reference Desk, pick up a brochure, and log on.

Maps to Borrow!

It's June. School's out. Summer's here. And for many of you that means Summer Vacations!

As you plan your vacations, keep in mind the Library has a Map File. It includes road maps from all the states, some of the major cities, and a few from other countries.

You'll also find special maps such as historical maps, maps on world climate, and the special maps issued by National Geographic magazine.

In these days of GPS and Google maps, a folding map may seem archaic. However, they have their advantages and allure. You're not limited to a small screen size so you get a larger perspective, re-folding a map can be as challenging as sudoku (if you like puzzles), and it's said that reading a map enhances the brain's navigational senses.

So whether you're going on a trip, or have a case of cartophilia, come check out our Map File. Maps can be checked out for 2 weeks, and they can be renewed.

Tax Forms @ the Library

It's no joke, "Tax Day" is only 15 days away....

If you still need to do your taxes, stop by the Library and pick up some forms. We stock all the basics.

From the IRS (Federal government):

• 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ Booklets and Forms
• Schedules A, B, C, D Forms
• Extension Form 4868

From the FTB (California government):

• 540 & 540A , 540EZ, 540 NR Booklets
• State booklets include all standard forms, including Extension Form FTB 3519.

Forms are also available on the two agencies' websites:

• California Franchise Tax Board
• Internal Revenue Service

Library Surveys - Let Us Know What You Think

Due to proposed budget cuts, the Library will be reducing hours and services beginning July 2009. To help us plan for the future, the Library is currently conducting two surveys. We would greatly appreciate your input on the following two issues:

1) Library Hours. Hours will be reduced from 31 hours to 20 or 24 hours per week. Currently the Library is open Tuesday through Saturday. If hours are reduced, the Library will be open only four days a week. When do you use the Library? When would you like to use the Library?

2) Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This service allows our cardholders to borrow books or receive photocopies of documents that we do not own, from other libraries. Currently, for a $1 fee, a cardholder may request an item at the Reference Desk. Our staff identifes owners of the desired item, places the request, receives the item, makes it available to the cardholder, and arranges for its return. Although books and journal articles are the most frequently requested items, we have also made ILL requests for audio recordings, sheet music, and microforms.

Survey forms may be picked up at the Library. Or go to our website and download the Surveys. Or just click here: InterLibrary Loan Survey • Library Hours Survey. (Please note: Surveys must be printed, filled out, and returned to the Library. At this time, they cannot be completed online.)

Thank you for helping us plan for the future.

Library Budget Cut - Again

Pacific Grove's Recommended Budget for FY 2009-2010 has been released. For the third consecutive year, the Library's budget has been substantially reduced.

As summarized on page 89 of the Recommended Budget:

• FY 2006/07 $1,080,361
• FY 2007/08 $ 994,976 (Staffing: FTE 15.25)
• FY 2008/09 $ 696,810 (Staffing: FTE 7.50)
• FY 2009/10 $ 610,389 (Staffing: FTE 6.50)

Reductions in Library services, caused by these cuts, will include:

• Operating hours reduced from 31 hours to 20-24 hours per week. (A 22-35 percent reduction.)
• Library open only four days per week.
• Elimination of one full-time position.
• Reduction in part-time staffing, including the elimination of the recently approved Librarian I position.
• Increased fines for overdue books.
• Increased fees for Interlibrary Loan.
• Elimination of one or two storytimes per week.
• Reduced coverage at the Children's and Adult Reference Desks.
• Reduced funds for books, magazines, DVDs and CDs. (The Friends of the Library donation will be used for operating costs rather than for new books and materials.)
• Fewer online databases. (The online World Book Encyclopedia, Oxford English Dictionary, and Litfinder database have already been cut for next year.)
• Inability to implement objectives outlined in the Library Services Study, (commonly referred to as "The Strategic Plan").

On Wednesday, May 20th, the City Council will hold a public hearing, as well as introduce and hold a first reading of an ordinance to approve the recommended budget for FY 2009/10. This is an opportunity to share your comments, requests, needs, ideas, and insight with your elected representatives. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. We encourage you to be there to support YOUR Library.

A New Face at the Reference Desk

There's someone new sitting behind the Reference Desk. Her name is Ashlee Wright, and she is ready, willing and able to assist you.

Although Ashlee is a new to the Reference Department, she is not new to PGPL. She began working here two years ago, first as a Shelver, and then as a Library Assistant. She recently received her Masters Degree in Library & Information Science from the University of Washington.

Ashlee is filling the position approved in February, by the City Council. This position will allow us to staff the Reference Desk whenever the library is open, as well as increase staffing in the Children’s Department on Saturdays.

We're delighted to welcome Ashlee to the Reference staff. Please stop by and introduce yourself. And if you have any reference questions, be sure to ask!