Tax Help, Artist Reception, Book Signing, Games, Amnesty, Hot Potatoes, and Baby Blue

TAX INFO

We now have the following tax forms:  1040, 1040A, 1040EZ.   This is very likely all we will received.  We do NOT have booklets.  The sign up sheets for taxes will be put out no sooner than ONE HOUR before the volunteers arrive to do taxes.  We cannot take names over the phone as it upsets the people who have come down here to sit and wait.

Artist Reception 

Friday night, February 6th, at 6 PM in the Virgie R. Fleenor Art Gallery there will be a reception for artist Joe Strickland. Joe's "Toilet Rooms" has opened up lots of conversation. Please join us for the opportunity to meet Joe and to discuss his exhibition. This is an after hours events so access to the Gallery is only through the meeting rooms doors.

   

Book Signing

Dianne Barker will be signing copies of her book I Don't Chase The Garbage Truck Down the Street in My Bathrobe Anymore on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 2 pm in the Lower Court.  Ms. Barker has tips on organizing your life that will help you de-stress and enjoy!

 

Bristol League of Gamers

 Saturday is going to be a busy day!  In addition to the Tax help from 10 am- 2 pm and the book signing at 2 pm, the Bristol League of Gamers will have their first meeting upstairs in the J. Henry Kegley Meeting Room. This is a group of adults who will be playing various board games two Saturdays a month.  Those who wish to attend must RSVP at www.meetup.com/leagueofgamers.

 Amnesty Week

We will be having an Amnesty Week starting Monday, March 2 through Sunday, March 8.  As part of the Amnesty, people will be bringing in canned goods for the Food Pantry.  Collection barrels will be at Circulation.  Details are being discussed, and we will pass on more information as things  are finalized.

Baked Tater Thursday!

  Doris is bring baking potatoes on Thursday, Feb. 5!  She'll have butter and cheese as well.  Bring your favorite toppings to share!  Bacon bits, chili, parsley, chives, whatever you like on your potato. It'll make for a cozy lunch on what's predicted to be a damp, cold day.  Thank you, Doris!

 Baby Pictures

More photos are here:
Miss Florence Blue

New Improved Blog, Notary, Tax Update, BPL in the News, and More!

Blog Sign-In

Thanks to Don, we may have a way to keep track of who is reading the blog!  Use the drop-down menu from above to see if your name is listed and click "Submit."  We're just now creating the list so just let Don know if you aren't listed and he'll add your name or fix your name if we got it wrong!

 

 Notary

At this time, the only notary we have is Brenda.  Please do not send people downstairs in search of a notary.  If someone asks stops by the desk and asks, call Brenda to find out if she is available.  If a person calls in, transfer the call to Brenda or to Brenda's voice mail.

Tax Update

We have received notice that the IRS forms have shipped.  They should arrive next week.

This weekend is the start of the free tax help.  Things are going to be more chaotic than usual because forms and booklets have been sent so late.  Also people need to bring in any information about health insurance-- this was not listed on the bookmark, but one of the volunteers mentioned it as being necessary.  They hope to have an extra person who will check to see that those waiting have all the information they need to get their taxes.

Exhibit & News

The Bristol Herald Courier did a very nice article on the photo exhibit we have upstairs in the Virgie R. Fleenor Gallery.  The link to the article is here.

We also made the paper with the rescheduling of the trial.

Reserves/Holds

Don is working on an offline version of holds that we can use after March 30. We'll give more details as things are worked out, but it may be that a link can be installed on all the workstation computers to allow us to click, fill in the request, and it will generate a list similar to our current hold list that is used to pull books.

Happy Birthday

Becky B.  February 3

  

Blue and Pooh

 

Parking, Focus Groups, Tax Forms, LIS Schedules

 Parking Lot

From Joyce:

There will be areas of the parking lot blocked off Monday 26 due to some lights being installed.

Sooo, if anyone ask please let them know areas will be unblocked as work is completed.

Focus Groups

As was stated earlier, the library is looking for people to attend some focus groups to give their insights on how the library can grow, change, and better serve the community.  These are the current dates for focus group meetings:

Monday, January 26th at 6 pm until 7:30

Wednesday, January 28th at 10:30 am until 12 noon

Friday, January 30th at 2 pm until 3:30 pm

Wednesday February 4th at 5:30 pm until 7 pm

Other meetings may be added.  There are forms at Reference and Circulation to take down the names and contact information for possible candidates to attend a meeting.   The earlier posting is here.

                               Tax Help and Forms

Bookmarks with the days and times tax help will be available at Main have been put at Circulation and at Reference.  As far as we have been able to ascertain, the Sullivan Co. Public Library in Blountville is the only other place offering federal tax help this year.  Virginia tax forms and help may be obtained at the Washington County, Virginia Treasurer's office.

We have received an email saying that the tax forms have shipped.  They should arrive in the next 7-14 business days, according to the email.

LIS Schedules

Now that Christy is on maternity leave, Rebecca will be doing the schedules until her return.  If you have any schedule changes, including calling in sick,  please let Rebecca know.  An information sheet for each LIS employee was printed; if you didn't pick yours up, check by the time clock at the staff entrance.

 

Focus Groups, Reserves, Notary Service, Tax Help, and COLD!

Focus Group Members Needed!

The library is going to hold a series of meetings with local folks to discuss how the library can better inform, educate, and support the community.  There were be several different meetings with five to twelve people at a time.  We're anxious to find people who would help us out.  Since our staff know patrons better than anyone, we would like you to approach people you think would have good ideas to see if any would like to be a member of such a group.  We're looking for young adults (people ages 18-25), Millennials (late 20s-30s), and older adults. If you know someone you think might be interested, by all means ask them! Let them know that we value their opinions and why you think they would be the perfect people to help us out.  We will have sign up slips at Circ and Reference for you to write down the person's name and contact information.  We don't have the meeting times set-- in part because we want to see what times will be convenient for our participants as well as our facilitator-- but the session should not last longer than 90 minutes and they would only need to come to one session.

The staff member who recommends the most people who end up participating will receive a reward! 

 

 
Reserves

As of January 1, patrons can NOT use our catalog system to reserve books from ETSU or Northeast State.  If someone needs a book which is only available at these locations, the request must be made through Agent. The Avoca library staff or Main's Reference staff can handle these requests. The reason is that the two academic libraries are leaving our system. 

Notary Services

Our notary services are going to be limited for the foreseeable future.  Nicki is no longer a notary; Christy will soon be on maternity leave.  This leaves only Brenda and Susan at Avoca to provide notary services.  Brenda says the best times for her are usually in the morning. It would probably be better if the requester made an appointment with either Brenda or Susan.  The important thing is to let people know that our notary services will be limited and they cannot count on being able to see a notary if they simply drop in. 

Free Tax Help Begins!

Yes, the volunteers will be here again this year to help folks fill out their taxes!  Help will begin on January 31.  The tentative schedule is Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 and Saturdays from 10:00 AM until 2 PM. We do have bookmarks to hand out with the times.  At this point, they are scheduled to come until April 14.

 

Staff News

Bill M.'s parents have both been very ill with pneumonia.   There has been some improvement and his mother has been released from the hospital while his father has been moved to Cambridge House. Prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated.  Susan will keep us posted as to developments.

Laura K. would also appreciate prayers for her daughter who has had a little set back in her recovery.

In better news, Joan is recovering well from her knee surgery and is impressing everyone with her range of motion.  Hope to see you soon, Joan!

Carolyn Pearson

Some of you may remember Carolyn Pearson, who used to work here part time.  Susan received word today that Carolyn passed away recently.  Per her wishes, there will be no service. You can see the obituary here.

 

Art D'Vine

From Doris:  "We will be taking part in the Art D'Vine event in Historic Downtown Bristol this Friday night. Joe Strickland's Toilet Rooms photo exhibition will be featured in our Virgie R. Fleenor Art Gallery. We will be serving hot coffee and some luscious cookies so come enjoy the art and get warm. Please enter the building through the Meeting Room doors since this is an after-hours event and the Library proper will be closed."  

The Art D'Vine event starts at 6 pm; folks can walk around downtown Bristol and browse local shops and galleries.  Some will offer wine tasting. The event is free, but a $5 contribution would be appreciated. Yes, it's supposed to be VERY cold so the library's hot coffee should be quite popular!

Even if you don't want to do the downtown event, it's well worth visiting the Fleenor Gallery to take a look at Joe Strickland's photographs.  You'll never quite view a public restroom quite the same way again.

 

 Welcome, Candess!

Candess will be joining our weekend crew at Main.  She worked for several years in libraries in Wise County, Virginia.  She says her favorite part of her job is customer service.  

 COLD!!! 

A quick reminder to everyone to take some precautions while the weather is so bitter.  Thanks, Laurie, for bringing this up!

• Be sure that outside pets have shelter or, better yet, let them come in. 
• Let your faucets run a bit to prevent freezing pipes. 
• Be careful with space heaters! Or any other extra heat you may use, such as fireplaces or wood stoves. Fires are even more difficult to fight in subzero temperatures.
• Layer your clothing to stay warm.