Small Business Success Series at the Library

Are you a small business owner, or thinking about starting a business? If so, you know that marketing is essential. It's also gotten very complex in today's world, expanding into social media like Facebook and Twitter, smart phones and mobile devices, and more. To help you navigate this new world of marketing and branding, Terrebonne Parish Library is hosting a series of seminars on small business marketing and branding. They will be led by Charles Gaiennie of the W.L. Gaiennie Company in Houma, in partnership with SCORE, a national non-profit organization devoted to helping small businesses grow. The dates and seminar titles are listed below. We hope to see you there!

Small Business Success Series

Tuesdays, 6-7:30

Terrebonne Parish Main Library

Distance Education Room (Upstairs)

May 6        Email Marketing--Simple Strategies for Success

May 20      Social Media Marketing Made Simple

June 3        Grow Your Business with Email and Social Media

June 17      Grow Your Business With Social Campaigns

July 1         Simple Strategies for Better Event Marketing

July 15       Making Local Deals Work for Your Small Business

July 29       Making the Case for Mobile

To register, go to mytpl.org/success

For more information, call Ross at 876-5861

Who Are These People? Researching Life Stories with Gale Biography In Context

Be it science, entertainment, or prose: every subject on the planet is bound together by studying the people involved. That's why the Gale Biography In Context database offers a one-stop shop for learning about the key people in every subject imaginable.

To access this database, visit the library’s website at www.mytpl.org and click Research on the horizontal menu bar near the top of the page.  In the drop down menu, click Databases by Subject.

Next, click on Biography and select Gale Biography In Context.  The link will take you straight to the database.  If you are using a computer outside the library, you will be prompted to enter your library card number to access the site.

Use the search bar on the right to enter a topic as shown on the image below.

Biography In Context will generate a plethora of relevant content from every type of source needed for any research project (including periodicals, academic journals, websites, news articles, videos and related topics) all in one easy to access menu. Selected content from each source type is also displayed on the topic page along with a handy tool box and fact box menu.

  
You can also use the "Browse People" button to look up people by category: American First Ladies, Nobel Peace Prize Winners, Notable Olympians, and many more. You can also search by Occupation, Nationality, and Birthplace. Interested in seeing which famous people were born in Houma? Just click "Birthplace" above the search box, type in Houma, and find out!

If you're looking for information you can trust about notable people, Biography in Context is the place to go!

Rob Jenkins

Reference Associate

Learning Express Library 3.0: A New Version of a Classic

One of our most highly-recommended databases has an all new look. Whenever patrons ask us for resources on learning better computer skills, preparing for tests like the ACT, SAT, HiSET, and GRE, or improving a many other skills, we send them to Learning Express Library. It's a comprehensive online resource offering ebooks, practice tests, and even video-based tutorials and courses on skills needed throughout the lifespan. The new version, Learning Express 3.0, has a completely redesigned and updated interface.

To see the new Learning Express, go to the library's website at www.mytpl.org and click on Databases by Name. Now click on "L" to find both the new and classic versions (we've left the old one in place, in case people are used to it, and would rather stick with that one.) If you click on the link for Learning Express 3.0 from a computer outside our libraries, you'll see a screen that asks you to enter your library card. Enter the full card number with no spaces, and then you'll come to a screen like this:

Learning Express Library is divided into different "centers" devoted to particular topics such as computer skills, college preparation, high school equivalency tests, and more. You can scroll through the centers in the middle of the page, or click "All Centers" in the navigation bar to see them listed all at once:

Let's take a look at the Popular Software Skills Center, to see how the centers are organized. Say you want to learn more about Microsoft Excel. Click on "Master Microsoft Office" in the middle of the page and you'll go to a page devoted to all the different applications in the Office Suite--you can see them listed on the left side of the page.

It's important to pay attention to the options on the left side, to make sure you see everything Learning Express offers. Now click on "Microsoft Excel." This brings you to a page with tutorials on the latest version of Excel. However, if you notice the bar just above the list of tutorials, you can also click to find a list of tutorials for other versions.

Now simply click "Launch" to start one of the tutorials (or ebooks or practice tests, in other cases). The first time you do, you'll need to create an account with Learning Express. This only takes a few seconds, and it lets you save your favorite resources in a personalized folder, as well as track your progress with courses and practice tests.

Whether you're trying to master a new computer program, practice for a test, or learn new work skills, Learning Express 3.0 is a great place to start. If you have any questions, give the Reference Department a call at 876-5861, extension 2.

Getting Ready for Tax Season: How to Find Forms and File Online

It's that time of year again--tax season is almost upon us. The federal and state income tax filing season begins January 31. The deadline for federal tax returns is Tuesday, April 15, and the deadline for Louisiana income tax returns is May 15.

Federal Forms

All Terrebonne Parish library branches have the most common federal forms, including the 1040, 1040A, and 1040 EZ forms, and their instruction booklets. We also have associated forms, including Schedules A, B, C, C-EZ, D, E, and EIC. If you need other forms, we can print most shorter ones for you free of charge. However, we have to charge 10 cents per page to print out instruction books. All federal forms can be viewed online at www.irs.gov/Forms-&-Pubs. We will be happy to get you on a public computer to view or print the forms you need. If you are an employer or self-employed, you can get forms such as the 1099 (which can be viewed but not printed online) at the Federal Building at 432 Lafayette Street in Houma.

State Forms

As for Louisiana state tax forms, this year the Louisiana Department of Revenue has stopped sending them to libraries. In fact, when we spoke with a representative in Baton Rouge, she said no state forms would be sent anywhere in Terrebonne Parish. To get physical copies of the forms, you have three options. You can print them from the state's website, at bit.ly/lataxforms, starting January 31. You can also order tax forms by phone at 225-219-2113, or order them online at bit.ly/ordertaxforms.

Filing Online

In order to save paper and paperwork, both the federal and state tax agencies are pushing for people to file online. The IRS offers two basic electronic filing systems: Free File, which lets you use choose one of several free software packages provided by a variety of tax preparation services, and E-File, which is for more complicated tax situations. It uses paid versions of tax software and may be completed by your tax preparer. Many of the Free File packages allow you to file state as well as federal returns. The safest way to decide which service to use is to go directly to the IRS online filing page, at: www.irs.gov/Filing. If you want to file your state taxes online separately, you can do that at: bit.ly/lafileonline.

Tax Preparation at the Library

Volunteers with Catholic Charities, working through the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, will be helping people file their taxes for free at the Main Library on Tuesdays, from February 4th through April 15 (except Mardi Gras day, March 4). They will be here from 9 AM to 3 PM, and help is available on a first-come, first-served basis. To qualify,  you must have earned less than $50,000 in 2013, and less made less than $100 in royalties. For more information about the information and paperwork to bring, go to bit.ly/vitainfo.

If you have any questions about tax forms and preparation at the library, call the Reference Department at 876-5864, option 2. Thanks!

Fold 3 History and Genealogy Archives

If you're interested in history and genealogy, our newest database may be right down your alley. Fold3 History and Genealogy Archives has over 50 million pages of historical documents, including presidential papers, historic treaties, military rolls, photographs, maps, and more. To access Fold 3, go to the library's homepage at www.mytpl.org and click "Research" on the navigation bar. Then click "Databases by Name" and look for Fold3. If you're outside the library, you'll be asked to enter your library card number, and then you'll see the Fold3 homepage.

The front page has links to many of the resources available within Fold3. However Fold3 itself is just one database in this package--there are also five others to explore, as shown in the image below.

Each of these databases contains a huge number of historical documents. The best way to see what each one offers is to select one from the dropdown menu, and then click "Browse" next to the search box. This opens up a page that lets you see what collections are included in each database, and then explore what's in each collection. For example, the picture below shows how you can pick "City Directories", then pick a city (New Orleans in this case), and then pick a year.

Fold 3 History and Genealogy Archives has so many historic resources that it's hard to give a brief overview. The best way to get started is to simply open it up and start exploring. In the Revolutionary War Archives, for example, you can look through papers from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, as well as George Washington's wartime correspondence. In Fold 3 itself you can browse milestone documents in American history such as the surrender of Germany or the repeal of prohibition. You can even search through Air Force documents about UFO reports! You never know what kind of records you will stumble across.

If you have any questions about Fold3 History and Genealogy Archives, give us a call at 876-5861, option 2. We hope you enjoy browsing through American history!

Geaux Vote with Geauxvote.com

It’s that time of year again: voting season. If you’re trying to find out where to vote, what’s on the ballot, or even whether you are registered to vote, the state of Louisiana has a website designed to help called geauxvote.com.

To find your voting information on geauxvote.com, click the “Are You a Voter” link in the middle of the home page.

Click “By Voter” from the choices on the right, and then enter your first name, last name and either your zip code or birth month and year.

You should now see a page that displays your name, political party, voting parish, ward, precinct and voting status.

To view a sample election ballot, click the "Ballot Information" tab located on the same page just above your voter information.  Click “What’s on My Ballot” on the next page, and a sample ballot should soon load. 

Geaux Vote is also offered as a mobile application for both Apple and Android mobile devices.

If you need additional help finding your voter information, stop by the Main Library across from the Civic Center or call the Reference Department at 876-5861, option 2.

Geaux Vote!

National Geographic Virtual Library and National Geographic Kids

Since 1888, National Geographic magazine has given subscribers a window into the rest of the world, bringing amazing photographs, articles, and maps into people's homes. Now your library card gives you access to every issue of National Geographic, all the way back to the first one, plus hundreds of maps, photographs, video clips, and books from National Geographic Publishing. All this is available through our latest database, National Geographic Virtual Library. For kids, we've also added the National Geographic Kids database, which has full issues of National Geographic Kids magazine back to 2009, over 200 kids books, and hundreds of kid-friendly images.

To get to both databases, go to the library's webpage, at www.mytpl.org, and click "Research" on the navigation bar. Now click "Databases by Name", and look for National Geographic Virtual Library and National Geographic Kids under the N's. If you're in one of our libraries, you'll be taken straight to the database. Otherwise you'll need to enter the number on the back of your library card. This brings you to the NGVL home page:

Now you can click "Browse Magazines" to look through every issue of National Geographic for the last 124 years. Or you can go to "Explore Topics" to find articles, maps, pictures, and ebooks on the topics below:

You can also do an Image Search to find downloadable images. This even lets you search old ads in National Geographic magazines, if you want to see, for example, what kind of cars were being advertised in the early 1950's. If you want to see a list of all books, images, maps, and so on, you can go to Advanced Search. Just select Books, Maps, or any other category you're interested in. If you enter keywords in the search box, you'll see results that contain those keywords. If you leave the box blank and select a format..."Books" for example...you'll see a list of all the resources in that format.

National Geographic Kids is a separate database designed especially for young people. Like NGVL, it has a wide range of pictures, books, maps, and videos. To get to it, just click the yellow button that says "For Kids". This kid-friendly database is great for writing reports, finding pictures for school projects, or just learning more about the world!

We're excited about our new National Geographic databases, and we hope you will be too. If you have any questions about National Geographic Virtual Library or National Geographic Kids, call the Reference Department at 876-5861, option. 2. Have fun exploring!