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April is a good time to focus on finances, with the tax filing deadline rapidly approaching. Sedona Public Library is available to help answer your financial questions this month with individual tax help and tax forms. Year-round we offer many other financial resources.
The AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program is once again available to help you file your taxes. In Sedona volunteers are available at the Library on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 16 on a first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to bring some form of photo identification (such as driver's license or passport), social security card, last year’s tax returns, and any wage and earning statements. For more information on what documents to bring visitwww.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/ The federal and Arizona tax deadline is Monday, April 18, due to Washington, D.C.’s Emancipation Day holiday falling on April 15 this year. As you work on your taxes, why not take the opportunity to review your finances? Perhaps you feel in the dark about financial issues or would like to better manage your money and investments but don’t know where to begin. Sedona Public Library offers you resources for intelligent investing and making other financial decisions. Newspapers, magazines, and specialized publications are available to help increase your knowledge. The following resources are Reference Librarian Patricia Lowell’s recommendations: Newspapers include both “Investor’s Business Daily” and “Barrons.” We carry the magazines “Money,” “Kiplinger’s Personal Finance,” “Forbes” and “Fortune.” We also subscribe to “Value Line,” a series of weekly economic and stock market reports. Value Line, the publisher, is an independent investment research and financial publishing firm, based in New York, founded in 1931. The subscription includes ratings and reports about stocks and companies in many different industries. The aim of “The Outlook,” a weekly publication by Standard and Poor, is making sense of the market. It features topics of particular interest to investors: stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. Their credo is “intelligence for the individual investor.” Sedona Public Library receives “The Kiplinger Letter” (published weekly) and “The Kiplinger Tax Letter” (published biweekly). One extra special attraction that the library offers is the Investor’s Roundtable, a group that meets the first and third Fridays at 11 a.m. in the Quiet Study. They have been meeting since the early 90s, so have experienced numerous market ups and downs. Their purpose is to exchange information, ideas and techniques to make money (or at least minimize losses) in “the market.” Investor’s Roundtable does not invest any money in common. They share ideas about the economy, markets, stocks, funds, bonds and various techniques of analysis and investment strategies. They extend an open invitation to anyone interested. For more information, call Vince at 282-6761 or Eric at 282-2921. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, partially supported by the City of Sedona and Yavapai and Coconino Counties. We also require donations and grants to fund our operations. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. Sedona Public Library Column for April 1, 2016 Written by Virginia Volkman, Director If you are a regular reader, you know how relaxing it is to sit down with a good book. Reading can transport you to other times and places and can help you forget the worries of the real world.
Besides reducing stress, reading can improve your mental and physical health in important ways. For example, consider these scientifically verified benefits of reading: 1) Get Better Sleep Bedtime rituals aren’t just for kids—sleep experts recommend doing the same thing every night before bed to calm your mind. Reading under dim lights is a quiet and soothing activity that readies you for sleep. On the other hand, watching TV or spending time in front of your computer exposes you to bright lights—a signal to the brain that it’s daytime. 2) Improve Memory While the brain is not a muscle, it still needs exercise. Regular reading stimulates the brain and improves memory. Studies also show that people who read regularly are less likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. 3) Ease Depression Reading can help lift your spirits. A recent study demonstrated that patients with depression who read self-help books and received nonprofessional guidance on how to use them had substantially better results than those who received standard therapy. 4) Stay Connected Researchers have discovered that reading can provide an experience similar to a real-life relationship, which enhances readers’ feelings of satisfaction and inclusion. One study reported that “books give readers more than an opportunity to tune out and submerge themselves in fantasy worlds. Books provide the opportunity for social connection and the blissful calm that comes from becoming a part of something larger than oneself for a precious, fleeting moment.” These are just a few of the advantages of reading regularly—others include increasing your vocabulary, being encouraged to pursue life goals, and becoming more empathetic. So stock up on books at the Library—you can check out up to 50 at a time—and read your way to better health. Be sure check out our display of health-related books near the front entrance! Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, partially supported by the City of Sedona and Yavapai and Coconino Counties. We also require donations and grants to fund our operations. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. Sedona Public Library Column for March 25, 2016 Written by: Elizabeth Cate, Collection Development Libraria Are you curious about a popular health trend but are unclear on the details? Then browse our new arrivals shelves or search the Library’s online catalog for a book on the topic. Don’t hesitate to ask for help at the reference desk—regardless of your approach to staying healthy, we can help you find a book of interest.
Here is a selection of newly arrived books at the Library that represent several current health trends: Dr. Kellyann’s Bone Broth Diet, by Kellyann Petrucci: A naturopath explains the concepts behind the hottest offshoot of the Paleo movement. She maintains that by intermittingly fasting and consuming bone broth, you can lose weight and diminish wrinkles. Souping, by Alison Velasquez: Tried the bone broth diet but want to take it a step further?—check out the latest in detoxification, the all-soup “souping” diet. Its proponents claim that eating soup in place of meals is a more satisfying way to cleanse than consuming juice. How Not to Die, by Michael Greger: If you haven’t jumped on the Paleo bandwagon, this validation of the vegan lifestyle, backed by the latest scientific studies, might be for you. By following a whole-food, plant-based diet and exercising daily, asserts Dr. Greger, you can prevent leading chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The author even offers a free app for tracking healthy food intake, called “Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen.” Super Genes, by Deepak Chopra: Reprogramming DNA through lifestyle choices is a hot topic in alternative medicine. In his latest book, self-help guru Chopra discusses how you can change your genetic destiny by adopting healthy physical and emotional practices, stating: “You are not simply the sum total of the genes you were born with. You are the user and controller of your genes, the author of your biological story.” Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind over Body, by Jo Marchant: A science writer examines the power of healing thought from an evidence-based perspective. While not going to the same lengths as Chopra in stressing a mind-body connection, Marchant does uncover many cases of patients using positive thought to assist recovery. Health trends predicted for 2016 include ancient grains, minimalist lifestyles, and high intensity interval training. Check back with us regularly for new titles on your favorite health topics. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, partially supported by the City of Sedona and Yavapai and Coconino Counties. We also require donations and grants to fund our operations. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. Sedona Public Library Column for March 18, 2016 Written by: Elizabeth Cate, Collection Development Librarian Do you want to be part of a dynamic team responsible to guide a treasured community resource? Do you dream of sharing your valuable experience and contributing to a non-profit recognized as the heart of Sedona?
Each spring, the Board of Trustees of Sedona Public Library (SPL) actively recruits new trustees. We are now seeking new members, especially people who have fund-raising, marketing, computer technology, and/or construction experience. We are seeking an ethnically diverse membership to reflect the diversity of our community. Information about applying for Board membership may be found at the end of this article. As an introduction, I’d like to tell you about the Board of Trustees and what the Board does, so you will better understand what membership entails. Instead of being owned and administered by a city or county library system, SPL is a private 501(c)(3) corporation, and, as such, its Board of Trustees is a governing board. Our library was started by volunteers in 1958 and was incorporated in 1966 – more than 20 years before the City of Sedona. The library building was constructed with private funds and SPL remains entirely debt free. Today, the City of Sedona, and Yavapai and Coconino Counties contribute to the operational expenses. Our library relies heavily on volunteers, in-kind donations, donations and bequests, and funds from Friends of the Library to cover all other expenses necessary to sustain and preserve building and offer ever increasing services to meet the needs of the community. Our current board has twelve members: President Pat Jansen, President-Elect David Simmer, Treasurer Abbie Denton-Lander, Secretary Wendy Edwards, and Members-at-Large, Harvey Bershader, Susan Cammock, John Crawford, Joel DeTar, Gwen Hanna, Paul Schwartz, Roger Shlonsky and Mike Yarbrough. Some of the more important duties of the board include:
The Board of Trustees holds monthly meetings, scheduled on the third Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. The board’s annual meeting in June is an open meeting at which annual reports are submitted for approval, and new Trustees are elected and installed for the new fiscal year. The Board of Trustees conducts much of its work through committees. These committees include: Building and Grounds, Budget, Investment, Donor Relations, Marketing, SPL in the Village, and Strategic Planning and Policy. Each of these committees has specific responsibilities outlined in the Board of Trustee Bylaws. Board members serve on two or more committees, and each committee develops a plan of work at the beginning of the fiscal year. According to Mary Y. Moore in her “The Successful Library Trustees Handbook”, the common characteristics of successful board members include:
If you have these characteristics and are interested in joining a dynamic, fun-loving, and fiscally responsible team, please send an email requesting an application packet to: splboardapplication@gmail.com. Application packets are also available at the Reference Desk at the Sedona Public Library’s main site, 3250 White Bear Rd., Sedona, and at SPL in the Village, located in Bell Rock Plaza. Applications will be accepted through April 8. We look forward to hearing from you. Sedona Public Library Column for March 11, 2016 Written by: Pat Jansen, Library Board President Do you find yourself searching your symptoms on Google or WebMD every time you feel under the weather? Have you ever wondered whether the information you’ve found is accurate? If so, try MedlinePlus, a website of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Located at http://MedlinePlus.gov, the site offers reliable information about diseases, symptoms, treatment, and even side effects and drug/supplement interactions. It’s your one-stop shop for all of your health-related needs! MedlinePlus also offers most of their content in Spanish. Simply visit medlineplus.gov/espanol or select the orange “Espanol” option on the top-right of each page.
The NIH also offers websites and information based on your specific needs. Seniors can go to http://nihseniorhealth.gov for pages with larger type, more consistent page formatting, and “health topics that are of particular interest to older people.” Information for the Native American community is provided through http://AmericanIndianHealth.nlm.nih.gov. This site includes information about conditions that affect Native Americans more than the general population, such as diabetes, heart disease, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. The best thing about MedlinePlus, in my opinion, is the ability to search symptoms and find accurate, peer-reviewed information in an easy-to-read and easy-to-navigate format. There is no sponsored content or distracting ads on the website, making it especially easy to use. Many pages also include trustworthy information about when to seek medical attention—unlike WebMD, MedlinePlus does not tell you that every scrape or ache is cancer! The information is written in an easy-to-understand way without using too much medical jargon. On the other hand, if you really want to dig into a topic, MedlinePlus offers free, in-depth, peer-reviewed research articles. For those of us who don’t feel like reading about a given topic, many pages have the option for video and audio tools. There are even games to boost your health knowledge! You can access their mobile site on your smartphone or tablet by simply going to M.MedlinePlus.gov. Make sure to check out the NIH’s other helpful websites: Clinical Trials: http://clinicaltrials.gov AIDS Information: http://aidsinfo.nih.gov Genetic Conditions: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov Toxic Chemical Information: http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov Household Product Information: http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov Occupational Health: http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov Medical Literature Citations: http://pubmed.gov If you have any questions about MedlinePlus, feel free to call the Reference Desk or stop by to pick up a brochure in English or Spanish. You can also contact the NIH directly at 1-888-346-3656. Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, partially supported by the City of Sedona and Yavapai and Coconino Counties. We also require donations and grants to fund our operations. Your tax-deductible donation may be sent to: Sedona Public Library, 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ 86336. Sedona Public Library Column for March 4, 2016 Written by: Bridget Rowan, Reference Librarian |
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