All posts by Brian Herzog
Keeping Up With Book Tours
If you’re interested in attending an author signing or book reading, but don’t know where to go, here’s a website that is perfect for you.
BookTour.com lists which authors are on tour, and where all of their appearances will be. You can search by author, book or location, and results include both in-person events as well as virtual events.
This website is relatively new and still growing, but you should be able to find at least one important event on it.
Thanks to the LibrarianInBlack for highlighting this resource.
author, authors, book, book tour, book tours, books, booktour.com
New Additions to Forms on File
Forms on File, one of the Library’s new databases, has just announced they have added a significant amount of new content.
This resource, which can be used to important forms ranging from personal, business, legal, real estate, etc., has been updated to reflect recent changes in government agency forms and cover everything from affidavits to employee evaluations and applications for Social Security benefits.
New and updated forms include:
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 2007-2008: For students. Used by virtually all two- and four-year colleges, universities, and career schools for the awarding of federal student aid and most state and college aid.
- Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments: For patrons departing or entering the United States, or patrons shipping, mailing, or receiving currency or monetary instruments.
- Financing Eligibility Statement—”Economic Disadvantage”: For small business owners. Used by goverment agencies in order to determine patrons’ personal eligibility for their businesses to receive financing under Section 301(d) of the Small Business Investment Act.
To access these forms, log in from the Library’s Databases webpage, or contact the Reference Desk for help.
chelmsford, chelmsford library, forms on file, libraries, library, ma, public libraries, public library
Chelmsford: One of the Best Places to Live
Money Magazine ranked Chelmsford, MA, in the top 25 Best Places To Live for 2007!
Chelmsford was ranked 21st overall, with the survey focusing on “smaller places that offered the best combination of economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community” as important criteria.
To read more about Chelmsford’s ranking, here are a few online resources:
- Chelmsford Independent 7/19/07 article
- Chelmsford’s snapshot, from Money Magazine
- The data used to rank Chelmsford, from Money Magazine
- The entire Money Magazine survey and rankings
Sign Up for the Kerouac 5K
Registration forms for the Kerouac 5K race are now available at the Reference Desk and online at http://www.kerouac5k.com.
The race takes place on Sept. 30th, 2007, at noon, on a course that is mostly flat, running through the Lowell National History Park (see course map). Race proceeds will benefit the Kerouac Scholarship Fund, given to a deserving senior at Lowell High School.
T-shirts, chip timing, an after-race party, and other amenities are available to runners. For more information, or to register for the race, visit http://www.kerouac5k.com.
5k, chelmsford, chelmsford library, jack kerouac, kerouac, libraries, library, lowell, ma, race
Attention Word Lovers!
Merriam-Webster recently announced the latest additions to the English language.
Nearly 100 words were added to the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, either due to popular use (“ginormous,” “Bollywood“), technical/medical evolution (“DVR,” “nocebo“), or other reasons.
You can read a news story about the new words, or visit the Merriam-Webster website for a sampling of some entries and their definitions.
english, language, merriam-webster, webster, webster’s dictionary, webster’s dictionary
New Resources Available at the Library
Rosetta Stone Language Learning Database
Are you taking a trip to Europe, and would like to learn a bit of the language before you go? Would you like to brush up on your high school French? Are you new to this country and are still practicing English?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then the Rosetta Stone Language Learning database is for you. Using an award-winning approach to learning languages, Rosetta Stone teaches through listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing, using interactive programs that are both educational and fun. Nine languages are covered, including English (US & UK), French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian, Spanish (Latin American & Spain).
Business & Personal Forms On File
This database contains common personal, business and government forms, ranging from financial aid, real estate, sales, employment, and much more. Access to them is available in the library or at home, 24 hours a day, and the forms are the most up-to-date versions required for legal real estate health and social services, immigration, and other transactions.
Forms can be found by both browsing categories or searching for keywords, and they are available as convenient Adobe PDF files. This single repository is easier and more reliable to search than the internet, and with at-home access no photocopying is needed.
How to Get Started:
Forms on File is provided by the library, Rosetta Stone is being funded by the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium, and both are available to all Chelmsford residents. To log in and start learning from home or in the library, visit our Reference web page. For help, please contact the Reference Desk.
business forms, chelmsford, chelmsford library, database, databases, forms, forms on file, language, languages, learning, mvlc, personal forms, rosetta stone
Lance Wilder of The Simpsons visits the Chelmsford Library
Everyone knows that part of the fictional world of the television show The Simpsons is based on Chelmsford, right? No?
Well then, come meet Lance Wilder, Chelmsford native and background designer for The Simpsons! He’ll talk about how local landmarks, such as the Library, McCarthy Middle School, Zesty’s Pizza and Skip’s Restaurant, all found their way into the show, and what working on a major television show is like.
Program Details
Date: Monday, July 2, 2007
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: McCarthy Meeting Room, main level of the Library
Lance was raised in Chelmsford, graduating from Chelmsford High School in 1986 and from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1990. He landed the job of background designer for The Simpsons during its 2nd season. Lance lives with his wife Maria and four children In California.
chelmsford, lance wilder, library, ma, the simpsons
School Summer Reading Lists
The summer reading lists for Chelmsford schools have been published, and are now on the school’s and Library’s websites.
The school’s website lists the official forms and logs for middle school and high school.
The Library’s website has the reading lists, and also includes book descriptions, links into our catalog and more. We have lists for the elementary school and middle & high schools.
chelmsford school, chelmsford schools, reading, reading list, summer reading, summer reading list, summer reading lists
Transportation Improvement Program public meeting
A public meeting will be held on June 6th, concerning improvements to the traffic infrastructure of the Middlesex region.
The meeting is being held by the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments, to receive comments from the public on the proposed amendments to the region’s FY2007 and FY2008 Transportation Improvement Program for the North Middlesex Region, and also to the Public Participation Plan for Transportation Planning.
These proposals cover budget issues and projects involving the communities of Lowell, Billerica, Westford, Littleton and Tyngsborough.
The meeting will be held on June 6th, 7 p.m., at the Northen Middlesex Council of Governments Gallager Intermodal Center, 115 Thorndike Street, Floor 3B, Lowell, MA 01852.
More information and copies of these documents are available at the Reference Desk on the lower level of the main library, http://www.nmcog.org.
chelmsford, chelmsford library, public meeting, transportation plan
Summer Camp Information
The Library received information brochures about recreational camps for children in Massachusetts. It is published by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and is designed to help parents make informative decisions when choosing a camp for their children.
The MA DPH also include a booklet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control entitled “Extreme Heat: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety.” This was included because most summer camps include strenuous outdoor activities, and this guide outlines ways parents and children can prepare for, recognize and treat heat-related health conditions.
Both of these items are available on the lower level of the main library, near the Reference Desk, and on the State’s Recreational Camp website.
camps, chelmsford, chelmsford library, outdoor activities, summer camps