Hey, EBRP! We’re sorry to tell you that due to inclement weather, all branches of the library will close early this afternoon at 2:30 PM, and will be closed all day tomorrow. We’ll open again for regular hours on Saturday. Stay safe out there!
Have a great time at the parades, EBRPL! All branches are open today, but will close tomorrow (February 9th) in honor of the day itself. We’ll see you bright and early Wednesday morning!
Look, we all know that the only inevitable things in this life are death and taxes. The library can neither confirm nor deny any rumors about the discovery of the location of the Fountain of Youth, but we can…drumroll please…tell you where to get help with your taxes! Yaaaaay!
There’s no way to make that exciting. You know what’s exciting? Being audited by the IRS. No one said “exciting” was always good.
Volunteers from AARP will be using library meeting spaces to provide free tax help to low- and middle-income taxpayers, especially senior citizens age 60 or older. Click the link below to find out when they’ll be set up at a library branch near you! We made the link a different color so it would be prettier. Taxes aren’t pretty on their own.
This is not a program put on by the library, and trust us, you do not want librarians to help you with your taxes – we’re just letting you know where and when to find the people who can actually give you a hand with all this. Honestly, it’s like one step up from nonsense to most of us.
We can, however, provide you with the basic federal 1040 tax forms starting later on in the year (whenever they send them to us), and we can help you print out state tax forms from the Louisiana Department of Revenue’s website! As long as you know what you’re looking for. We can’t stress enough how little we know about taxes, really.
If you’ve got any specific questions about your federal taxes, call the local IRS office at (225) 343-8625 or check out their online resources. Good luck, everybody!
Welcome to 2016! It’s going to be great.
SO. Ready to get a fresh start? Lots of people want to start reading more when the new year rolls around – one of our book clubs can definitely help with that! We’ve got one for everything from true crime to historical fiction to global issues. You can find more information about them in our monthly newsletter, The Source! You can even start reading books in other languages with the help of one of our language programs, Mango, Muzzy, and Pronunciator (more info coming soon)!
Want to learn more professional skills? Check out the Career Center, or our online resources like Lynda, Gale Courses, and Safari Techbooks! If you need a refresher on basic computer skills, just check out the computer class schedule on our website or call the branch nearest you for details.
Or make yourself something pretty at one of our craft events, or using the
Hobbies and Crafts Reference Center. It’s another kind of skill, and it’ll help you redecorate your life on a budget. (We can also help you figure out your finances! Check out last Friday’s blog post if you missed it.)
Whatever the new year brings you, remember – the library is always here to help. Happy New Year!
Do you love mermaids as much as we do? We know you’ll want to join other children ages 0-11 at the Library in January and February for a special presentation by our beautiful aquatic friend, Venessa the Louisiana Mermaid! Kids can enjoy special mermaid-themed storytimes and presentations on ocean conservancy at eight Library locations this month. Dates, times and locations are listed below. Registration is required for all. For more information and to register, call the Library location directly.
10 a.m. Thursday, January 14, Main Library at Goodwood, ages 0-6
10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 19, Fairwood Branch, ages 0-6
10:30 a.m. Thursday, January 21, Carver Branch, ages 0-6
10 a.m. Tuesday, January 26, Delmont Gardens Branch, ages 0-6
2 p.m. Thursday, January 28, Eden Park Branch, ages 7-11
10:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 2, Zachary Branch, ages 0-6
10 a.m. Tuesday, February 16, Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch, ages 0-6
10 a.m. Thursday, February 18, Scotlandville Branch, ages 0-6
The holidays are almost upon us. Relatives are flocking in from all over the place, and some of them have a lot of stuff to say, maybe with less tact than they think they have. But don’t worry – when in doubt, you can always come to the library.
Adult coloring is a great way to destress, and the last one of the year is this Saturday, December 19th, from 1-3 PM at Jones Creek Regional. Maybe you can make something pretty to give the next person who asks you what you’re planning to do after graduation! It’s a great way to keep the peace.
For more inner peace, come to the Jones Creek Branch on Sunday, the 20th, for a meditation class from 3-4:30. Nitin Gupta will teach you ways to improve focus and clarity and keep a sense of balance.
If you’re suddenly realizing you completely forgot to buy presents, or that the 25th of December was only a few short days away, or (as we sometimes do) that the December that is this month is the same December that Christmas happens in, stop by the Central Branch from 3-4 on the 19th to make marbled polymer clay pendants for the person in your life who likes jewelry. You can also stop by the Fairwood Branch at 6:30 on December 22nd to make a Harry Potter-style wand for your friend group’s biggest Potter fan.
If you’re a teenager, there are lots more crafts scheduled – everything from duct tape wallets to LED-enhanced holiday cards. Check the library events calendar to collect them all.
Twas the night before Star Wars, and all through the library
Not a creature was stirring, not even a cassowary.
The books were all shelved in their sections with care,
In hopes that their new readers soon would be there;
The librarians were nestled all snug in their beds*
While Vader and Obi Wan sabre-fought in their heads.
So come check out our book displays! (We couldn’t keep that up. Rhyming is exhausting, and that poem is actually quite long.)
Just about every branch has something set up, and most of them also have some kind of Star Wars activity or craft planned for the weeks leading up to and following the premier. We’ve got a whole bunch of books about Star Wars. We’ve got a Pinterest board full of crafts – having something to do with your hands might keep you awake during Thursday’s twenty-hour marathon. (Are you going? Some of us are going. Some brave, dedicated souls.) Keep an eye on the library’s social media pages for a thematic surprise coming soon!
If you can’t make the premier, and you’re not a knitter or any of those other things, check out the Star Wars Cubeecrafts page! They’ve got most of the original characters, and since all you have to do is print them out, cut out the shapes, and fold and glue them together, it’s loneliness to desk friends in just a few short minutes. Or, if you’re a little more science-y and like your desk friends of the slightly less easily damaged variety, check out Thingiverse for some great 3D-printed Star Wars things! You can have them printed using the library’s 3D printers.
And finally, if you just don’t care about Star Wars and are desperate to talk about something else (but don’t want to be completely alienated from your peer group), here’s a suitably themed sound bite to play whenever someone brings it up.
Whatever your opinions on the franchise might be, enjoy the celebration! We’ll see you after the premier. (NO SPOILERS.)
*Because this comes up sometimes, it’s important that you know that none of us actually live here. Some of us have asked if we may. They won’t let us. Probably Darth Vader’s fault, somehow.
Speaking of donating to good causes, why not turn the plastic bags from all that holiday shopping into something great?
Crochet for a Cause, a regular program at the Main Library and at the Jones Creek Regional Branch, turns plastic bags into sleeping mats for the homeless. Each 3′ x 6′ mat is made of plarn, a “plastic yarn” made of recycled grocery bags. It takes about 500 bags to make enough plarn for one mat. The preparation takes about eight hours, and crocheting a bag takes about six to eight hours. When they’re finished, the mats are donated to Capital Area Alliance for the Homeless.
It’s a really great program, and there’s a way you can help! The group is running out of plastic bags and needs supplies. Bring in your plastic bags to the circulation desk of any of the branches and they’ll get to the crocheters soon.
If you’re a teen and need service hours, this is a great way to get some, too! We need volunteers to make the plarn. Come to the Main Library’s Teen Room on the second Wednesday of every month from 3:00-5:00 to help out.
Check out Pride-Chaneyville’s Crafting for a Cause program for another way to give back this season!
