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A Busy Library Year

2008 was a busy year for the Chelmsford Library!

Chelmsford is part of the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium - in fact, it is the busiest library in the consortium. Many of the books, videos and other materials enjoyed by Chelmsford residents are on loan from one of the other MVLC libraries.

How much do you use the library? A great way to measure how much visiting the library means to you is to try out the Library Use Value Calculator. Just enter how many books you check out, how many programs you attend, how many questions you've asked library staff, etc., and it will calculate how much you would have paid if you had to get those same services from retail sources.

The staff of the Chelmsford Library is always striving to provide service that meets the needs of Chelmsford patrons. Please let us know if there are areas that are particularly important to you, or if you have suggestions for how we can improve our service.

Emergency Brush Drop-Off

With last week's ice storm knocking down so many branches and trees, Chelmsford's Office of Recycling and Waste has organized an Emergency Brush Drop-Off for Chelmsford residents. The drop-off will be:

• Date: Saturday December 20, 2008
• Time: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
• Who: Chelmsford residents – bring proof of Chelmsford residency
• Where: Community Tree at 163 Billerica Road

What to Bring:
Brush and branches. They may be no larger than inches in diameter and no longer than 8 feet in length. All string, bags, and other foreign material must be removed by the resident may not be left at Community Tree.

This is a free event for Chelmsford residents. For more information, call the Office of Recycling and Solid Waste at 978-250-5203.

And more winter weather is on the way! The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Friday, Dec. 19th. See more Massachusetts weather information from the National Weather Service.

Be Notified of Emergencies with the Chelmsford Police Department's CodeRED Emergency Notification System. The system will notify Town residents during emergencies (like power outages from ice storms) with information on the emergency and what steps residents can take. Sign up today!

Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 4th

Don't forget that election day this year is Tuesday, November 4th.

To find out exactly what will be on your ballot, the MA Secretary of State - Elections Division has created a Ballot Information webpage - just enter your street address, and it will produce the ballot options you will see on Tuesday.

Their form will also provide your voting location, based on your address. The Town of Chelmsford also has precinct listings and polling locations available on the Town's Voter Information webpage.

Another new website this year is http://www.imagineelection.com, which also lists ballot information by street address. By reviewing your choices, you can research the candidates and issues before election day, so your vote can really speak for your preferences.

To find information on the candidates and issues, here are a few web resources that should help:

Election/Voting Resources:

• Review of MA Questions 1, 2 and 3, on the library's blog
• Voter Information Guide, from the Elections Division
• America.gov: Guide to the 2008 Elections
• U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: 2008 Election & Electoral College Information
• Project Vote Smart
• BBC News: How American Elections Work

Campaign Monitoring:

• Federal Election Commission: Presidential Campaign Finance
• The Annenberg Center: FactCheck.org
• The Huffington Post: FundRace 2008
• Bi-partisan Online Community: PoliticalBase.com
• OpenSecrets.org: 2008 Presidential Election

And Don't Forget:
Nov. 4th is also the day to vote for your choice of One Book Chelmsford 2009 - the three candidates are listed on the One Book Chelmsford webpage, which is also where you'll be able to vote online on Nov. 4th. be sure to cast your vote to pick the One Book all of Chelmsford will read in 2009 - and check back on Nov. 5th for the winner!

Halloween in Chelmsford 2008

According to the Town of Chelmsford website, trick or treating in Chelmsford this year will be:

Also on Friday at the library, children (infants to school aged) are invited to join us for a special storytime and Halloween parade on Friday, October 31 at 10:00am. We will tell stories and have a parade followed by a snack. Wear your costumes!

In addition to having fun on Halloween, here are a few websites with tips on being safe:

• Halloween Safety Game from Halloween Magazine
• Halloween Safety Alert from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Halloween Safety Tips from the National Safety Council
• Food & Costume Safety from the US Food and Drug Administration
• Halloween Safety Quiz from Hershey's

Upcoming Election Issues

On November 4th, Massachusetts voters will get to elect many national and state officials, and also decide on three state-wide ballot issues.

The MA Secretary of State Office has published the Information for Voters booklet [pdf], which includes these ballot questions and outlines what a Yes or No vote means in each case. Copies of these booklets are available online [pdf] and at the Reference Desk, and the issues are summarized below.

Question 1: State Personal Income Tax
This proposed law would reduce the state personal income tax rate to 2.65% for all categories of taxable income for the tax year beginning on or after Jan 1, 2009, and would eliminate the tax for all tax years beginning on or after Jan 1, 2010. Complete summary...

• Voting Yes would lower and then eliminate personal income tax as a source of revenue for the state government.
  More information: SmallGovernmentAct.org
• Voting No would make no change to state income tax laws.
  More information: VoteNoQuestion1.com

Read how Question 1 could affect the Chelmsford Library, in a statement by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Question 2: Possession of Marijuana
This proposed law would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce of less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties, and would exclude information regarding this civil offense from the state's criminal record information system. Complete summary...

• Voting Yes would replace the criminal penalties for possession of one ounce of less of marijuana with a new system of civil penalties.
  More information: SensibleMarijuanaPolicy.org
• Voting No would make no change in state criminal laws concerning possession of marijuana.
  More information: Mass.gov/MDAA

Question 3: Dog Racing
This proposed law would prohibit any dog racing or racing meeting in Massachusetts where any form of betting or wagering on the speed of ability of dogs occurs. Complete summary...

• Voting Yes would prohibit any dog races on which betting or wagering occurs, effective Jan 1, 2010.
  More information: MSPCA.org
• Voting No would make no change in state criminal laws concerning dog racing.
  More information: RaynhamParkFun.com

Additional information on these questions, candidates for office in 2008, and registering and voting in Massachusetts is available from the Elections Division of the Secretary of State.