Tax Preparation and the Library

Looking for tax help? Taxes can be very confusing. PLCMC has information to help you prepare and file taxes.

The best place to get information is from our website: www.plcmc.org/ On that homepage, you will see three tabs below our search banner. The first tab is labeled "Highlights." The second link under Highlights is our tax info page. (You can also click the title of this blog post.)

For those who income is less that $42,000 annually, they can get tax help from VITA. VITA stands for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.

The Main Library branch is a VITA site. On Tuesdays in March you can make an appointment for help between 4 pm and 7 pm. Just call 704-943-9522.
And on Saturdays in March, you can just walk-in for help between 9 am and 1 pm.

Other branches house AARP taxaide. Steele Creek has tax prep information Thursdays and Saturdays from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. South County Regional Library does the same on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to noon. And University City Library does taxes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm.

There are other AARP and VITA tax aide sites. The ones mentioned here are public library locations. For a full listing of locations, visit the webpage at http://plcmc.org/Services/taxes.asp or stop in your local public library and ask for a copy of the paper that lists times and places of tax help.


Don't forget, taxes are due April 15- so don't wait.

The Freedom Film Series

I got asked recently if I have a Netflix subscription. My answer- no way.

Our library has not only a great collection of movies and a growing collection of new, popular titles, but the Freedom Film Series.

Every Wednesday, starting a 6 pm, we let our hair down and enjoy a movie.

Jonathan Furr, our resident film expert runs the Freedom Film Series. You can visit the FFS blog at freedomfilmseries.blogspot.com/ - his Oscar predictions were dead on!

February has seen the FFS screenings of National Lampoons classics. Tonights awesome film is Christmas Vacation - this blogger's personal favorite in the series. This movie is almost 20 years old and still hysterically funny. (Clicking on the movie title will take you to the movie's IMDB page.)

The Freedom Film Series is free and open to the public. No tickets, no reservations necessary. We have a projection screen, quality speakers and the best chairs you'll find in a library. FFS is a great example of how libraries can be fun.

Looking Ahead with Freedom 2/23 - 2/28

Monday
"Race, Relevance and You" starts at 4:30 pm

Tuesday
"Rise and Shine Story Time" starts at 10 am
- This is a regular weekly program that reads books to small children.

"Wii Got Game" 2:30- 4 pm
- We have a Wii. We Wii.

Wednesday
"African American Read-in" 3-4 pm
- An open mic for anyone who wants to read passages from a book by an African American author.

"Internet Basics" 6- 8 pm
- Your very own blogger, devinwithani, will be guiding you through the basics of using the internet. I'll show you how to browse, search and check email. And how to check out this blog!

"Freedom Film Series" starts at 6 pm
- The best of the best is going on this week. Christmas Vacation will be the film du jour. You've seen clips of this movie in satelite tv commercials- now see what it's about.

Friday
"Friday Movie" starts 3 pm

Saturday
"THINKcollege" 9 am -1 pm
- THINKcollege is a resource housed in the Freedom Library for high school students looking to get into college. For more information, visit the THINKcollege webpage, or call Nicole directly at 704-416-4232. http://plcmc.org/locations/mainthinkcollege.asp

"FAFSA Day" 1- 4 pm
- Stop by and get help with FAFSA forms for college.

David Johnson and Voices of Sudan

On Thursday, David Johnson shared striking photos and his engaging stories about Africa, Sudan and the Darfur region.

The house was packed for two hour-long programs. David showed pictures, short movies and shared the stories of his subjects and the importance of bring news about Darfur to America.






David took some questions and urged listeners to find a way to help. 100% of sales of his book go back to the region and to assisting people who have been displaced by their government. Since its first release, proceeds from the book Voices of Sudan have already built water wells for people in an IDP camp.

The library has a limited amount of copies of his book for purchase.

Please visit David Johnson's website site www.silentimages.org

Spotlight on Computer Basics Classes

The public library system in Charlotte-Mechlenburg County offers a range of computer classes. Classes are offered for different age and skill levels, but most focus on adult continuing education.

Here at Freedom Regional Public Library, there is at least one weekly computer class- focusing on beginners and basic skills. These classes can be used to help find new jobs, or build skills at the job you currently have.

This week, a class will be offered in the basics of PowerPoint.

PowerPoint is a software made by Microsoft and is a part of the Microsoft Office Suite. PowerPoint is a slide show presentation creator. Slide shows help to illustrate your points, and make for a more powerful presentation.

This class will show you how to create, edit and save a basic presentation.

Other computing basics classes offered by this library include; Internet Basics, Computer Basics, Word Basics and Excel Basics.

Other libraries in the system offer classes too, some with different focuses. You can see what classes are available at www.plcmc.org or by stopping in the library and picking up the latest Free issue of Check It Out.

In addition to all those great classes, new ones are being worked on. I hope to offering soon a class in RSS feeds. The class will demonstrate how to subscribe to web content, and the value it has.

Looking ahead with Freedom 2/16- 2/21

Tuesday
"Rise and Shine Story Time" starts at 10 am
- This is a regular weekly program that reads books to small children.

"African Americans in the White House" 10:30- 12 noon
- Join in an exploration of African Americans that served in the White House during the 20th and the 21st century.

"Unplugged" 2:30- 4 pm
- This is a regular program that meets every other week. This after school program is geared specially for high school students. Board games are brought out and a battle of whits ensues.

Wednesday
"Power Point Basics" 6- 8 pm
- Learn how to create, edit and save a basic presentation with Microsoft Power Point. This class is designed for adults with some experience using Microsoft Word. The class is free and open. No attendance at other computer classes is required.

"Wednesday Movie" starts at 6 pm
- Join us for the hilarious film Vegas Vacation. This classic National Lampoons movie continues the story of the Griswold family as they experience Las Vegas first hand. Rated PG. This event is free and open.

Thursday
"Voices of Sudan" talks at 9 am and 11 am
- Photographer and author David Johnson will be sharing images and stories and taking questions about his newest work Voices of Sudan. David is a founding member of Silent Images. Prints from this body of work are currently on display in the library.

"African American Art Project" starts at 4 pm
- This event for teens focuses on art related to African American History Month.

Friday
"ThinkCOLLEGE" 1- 3 pm in the Community Room
- Our branch is lucky have a ThinkCollege representative on hand to assist students who want to find a way to college. Friday, our Think College will be focused and meeting with students and parents who want to look for programs and scholarships. See more information about this program by clicking HERE.

Saturday
"Little Read" 12- 4 pm
- Is the Big Read program just a litte too bog for your young reader? Join us Saturday for the Dr. Seuss classic The Sneetches.


And as always, please call 704-416-4200 if you have any questions or want to know more about our programs.

What's going on at the library

People often ask me if being a librarian is all about shelving books and shushing people.  Thats when I respond by saying nothing could be further from the truth.  

At Freedom Regional, we have books, and try to keep quiet areas, but the focus is much stronger on services.  

Just this last week FRL; showed three movies, held a finances seminar focused on teens, had two reading for small children programs, taught computer basics for beginners to technology, hosted a seminar for CMS and had a Wii Bowling tourney.

Our library is much more than a book warehouse.  He have a Flickr account and a Facebook page.  You should totally be our friend, by the way.  Our DVD collection focuses on new popular titles.  We assisted several patrons in writing resumes and cover letters- and are working on creating a new information on these topics to handout.  

Next week we have a author visit planned, more movies and a board game day.  Our focus is on the practical needs of patrons- which sometimes makes handing out books the least of what goes on.  

David Johnson - Photojournalist Visit

Photographer David Johnson will be visiting the library and talking about his work, "Voices of Sudan," on Thursday the 19th.

David Johnson is a former Charlotte school teacher and founded Silent Images in 2007. Photographs from his new book, Voices of Sudan are currently up in the library.

David's visit will be free and open to the public. He will be speaking about his moving work at 9 and 11 am. All profits from his work are donated back to the aide of people in Darfur and other regions of Sudan.

More information about this project and other photographic works can be found at www.silentimages.com

For more information about this author visit, please call our reference desk at 704-416-4221.

Looking Ahead with Freedom

Freedom Regional Public Library has many services to offer patrons. These are some events you may be interested in for the week of 2/9- 2/14.

Rise and Shine Story Time - Tuesday @ 10 am
- This is a regular weekly program that reads books to small children.

Wii Got Game - Tuesday @ 2:30 - 4 pm
- This regular program now meets every other week. This after school program is geared specially for high school students. Games some times vary, but typically include Wii Sports or Super Smash Brothers.

Preschool Story Time - Wednesday @ 10 am
- This weekly event is a story reading specifally for the really young ones.

Computer Basics - Wednesday @ 3- 5 pm
- Get a basic overview of computer terms and concepts, as well as hands-on practice using a compute, keyboard and mouse in this class for adults with little or no previous computer experience. This class does not meet every week.

Movie Night - Wednesday @ 6 pm
- Loaded Weapon. Free movie, and it's a funny one. Stop by and join us.

Food and Film - Thursday @ 3- 5 pm
- Enjoy a snack and some cultural exposure with the film Kingdom Come.

Broken Hearts - Friday @ 3- 5 pm
- Join us for Broken Hearts, our special Valentine's Day program. We'll be making candy sushi and watching a new movie. A movie SO new, we haven't even picked it yet.


*David Johnson's visit to our library is now scheduled for Thursday the 19th.


As a side note, the library blog will be going through some changes. Mainly, someone new is updating- Devin. Stop by and say hey to me. I will be doing classes in the future about blogs and subscribing to RSS feeds.

The blog will now be updated on a regular and consistent basis. Every Monday, I will be bringing you the events of the week, so you know what we have going on. Wednesdays the blog will highlight a specific event or program and Fridays will be a fun update of interesting stuff.

Button Making

Freedom Reads Big

On January 26th, Freedom Regional kicked off Big Read in style - with a movie, scavenger hunt, and button making.

Big Read is a PLCMC system wide initiative deigned to restore reading in American Culture. The program selects a single book Mecklenburg County read and discuss together. From January 26 - March 1, Big Read will run forums and events for the classic book To Kill a Mocking Bird.

To Kill a Mockingbird, originally published in 1960 and written by Harper Lee, focuses on a young girl in Alabama during the Great Depression.


For more information on Big Read and To Kill a Mockingbird, please visit Gallery L at the Main Library downtown.