IRS to Stop Mailing Paper Tax Forms

Last week, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service announced that it would no longer be mailing paper income tax packages to individual and business taxpayers. These packages contained the forms, schedules and instructions for filing a paper income tax return.

The IRS is taking this step because of the continued growth in electronic filing and the availability of free options to taxpayers, and to help reduce costs. This year, more than 96 million individual tax returns were e-filed, out of the 131 million total returns that were filed. Only 8% of individuals who filed returns last year received tax packages in the mail.

The Troy Public Library will still be carrying some of the most popular paper tax forms, though many fewer than in recent years. And, has been the trend the past few years, we will be encouraging our patrons who are looking for forms to print them off from irs.gov, either in the Library’s Technology Center or from their home computers.

And as a reminder, individuals making $49,000 or less can use the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for free tax preparation and, in many cases, free electronic filing. And individuals aged 60 and older can take advantage of free tax counseling and basic income tax preparation through Tax Counseling for the Elderly.

Genealogy Resources Available at the Library

Genealogy has recently been in the media spotlight through two television shows: Who Do You Think You Are? and Faces of America. Both shows delve into the family histories of celebrities and famous Americans.

In NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, viewers are invited to take an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of today's most beloved and iconic celebrities. Featured in the new series are Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith. In a recent episode, Sarah Jessica Parker learned that one of her ancestors was accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials! The show airs on Friday nights at 8 pm.

The eresource Ancestry.com is NBC's official partner on the series, and is available for free in the Troy Library. The New England Historic Genealogical Society has also been featured on the show. The society’s New England Ancestors database is also available for free in the Library.

In PBS’s Faces of America, Henry Louis Gates, Jr asks, “What made America?” The Harvard scholar turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans including chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. Meryl Streep was shocked to discovered that her ancestors were among the first purchasers of land in Pennsylvania along with William Penn! The show airs on Wednesday nights at 8 pm.

In addition to the resources listed above, the Library also offers the Biography and Genealogy Master Index, the Biography Resource Center, Heritage Quest Online, American’s Obituary & Death Notices and Michigan County Histories and Atlases. These eResources are available from home through the library’s website. All you need is a library card to explore your own fascinating family history!

New OverDrive Media Console Now Available

As previously mentioned on The Tech Desk, OverDrive has released version 3.2 of their Media Console software for Windows. With this new upgrade, many audiobook titles in the WMA format that were previously not able to be transferred to iPods will now be iPod-compatible.

In the coming days, our OverDrive site will be updated to reflect these new changes. To access OverDrive and download the latest version of the Media Console, go to the Troy Library homepage and click "Downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks, and Videos" in the left side menu.

More Titles from OverDrive to be iPod Compatible

In mid-June, OverDrive, one of Troy Public Library's suppliers of downloadable eAudiobooks, is releasing a new version of its Media Console software. What makes this update newsworthy is that the majority of all downloadable OverDrive audiobook titles will become iPod compatible.

The issue of iPod compatibility with OverDrive eAudiobooks has been a concern for sometime. iPod users were told that downloaded materials couldn't be transferred, or would have to come up with various workarounds for the problem. Last year, to help solve the problem, OverDrive started releasing titles in the OverDrive MP3 format, that can be transferred to an iPod. The problem is the many bestsellers, such as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The 8th Confession by James Patterson, and Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards, are not available in the MP3 format. They can be downloaded and played on a computer, but are not iPod transferable.

OverDrive Media Console 3.2 should change that. According to the OverDrive press release, "once OverDrive Media Console version 3.2 is installed, most titles in a library's OverDrive WMA Audiobook collection will instantly become iPod-compatible for users with Windows PCs." It appears that the only drawback is that Mac users will not be able to take advantage of this update.

This news comes at an excellent time for the Troy Library. We have been seeing record numbers of checkouts this year of our OverDrive material. If you haven't used OverDrive because popular titles were not available to be transferred to your iPod, keep following The Tech Desk. We will let you know when OverDrive Media Console 3.2 is available.

In the meantime, if you still would like to check out OverDrive, go to the library homepage and click "Downloadable eBooks, Audiobooks, and Videos" in the left side menu.

For the complete text of the OverDrive press release, click here.

Amazon's Kindle DX Debuts as Newspaper, Textbook Reader

As widely rumored, Amazon has announced a new, larger version of the Kindle, the “Kindle DX.”

Amazon is promoting the new Kindle as a textbook reader and has deals with publishers Cengage, Pearson, and Wiley. Amazon is also working with several universities to make the device available to their students in the fall. However, the $489 price tag may limit student usage, unless the cost is subsidized.

The device is also aimed at newspaper readers and will allow people to share personal documents. As the Wall Street Journal puts it, this “underscores Amazon’s ambition to turn the device from a niche gadget to a more mass-market electronic reader.”

The Kindle DX is currently available for pre-order. Amazon is not giving an exact delivery date, saying it will be “this summer.”

First impressions of the new device all popping up all over the Web:

• The New York Times, First Impressions of the New Kindle DX
• PC World, Kindle DX: First Impressions of the Large Doc Reader
• CNN Money.com, Amazon’s Newest Kindle Takes Aim at Newspapers
• The Wall Street Journal, Amazon Debuts $489 Kindle DX

[via EarlyWord]

New York Times and Barron's Availalble Digitally at TPL

Recently, both The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press have started marketing digital image editions of their papers. These digital editions differ from a newspaper's website in that they maintain the layout and feel of the print edition.

While we don't have institutional access to digital editions of the Detroit papers, we do have access to digital image editions of the New York Times. These image editions are full scans of the actual paper, and include all material that was published, including articles, graphics, pictures, and advertisements. Having all of the content is great for actually reading the paper, but also being able to see advertisements can be useful to someone planning a trip to New York.

We have access to not only the daily editions of the New York Times, but also the New York Times Book Review, New York Times Magazine, and also the advanced Sunday edition of the New York Times. Back issues are maintained for 1 year.

For people interested in business and investing news, we also have Barron's magazine in an digital image edition format.

To access digital editions of these publications from our website, you must have a Troy Public Library card. Click the "Information On Demand" link on our homepage, click Magazines, Journals, and Newspapers, from the subject listings, and then click which publication you wish to view. Be sure to select one of the "Image Edition" options to see the entire paper as published.

The other New York Times link provides access to a database where you can search for articles from 1985 to the present

Troy Public Library Wins World Book/ALA Information Literacy Award

I am pleased to report that the Troy Public Library has received the 2009 World Book/ALA Information Literacy Goal Award. This annual award of $5,000 is given only to two libraries in the country each year: one public and one school. It is designed to encourage and support innovative and effective information literacy programs.

As you can image, we are excited to be recognized.

Our program – Information Literacy for the Job Seeker – will focus on individuals who have little computer literacy and are seeking jobs. Participants will be trained on how information is organized electronically, how communication is handled electronically, and how job sites are searched on the Internet. They will create an electronic resume and an email account to communicate with prospective employers. The program will include hands-on classes, individualized instruction, and a comprehensive workbook.

This Award will be presented at the American Library Association Award Ceremony and Reception on July 14, during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. The winning school is the Brockport Central School District in Brockport, New York, for the Brockport Central School District’s Information Literacy Continuum.

No matter your view on federal aid to the automobile industry, in this area we see the impact of the current economic recession in real and personal ways. We all know someone who has lost a job or a house. Those who have limited computer skills are at a disadvantage in this economy. We hope that this program will help at least some of those seeking work to find it.

We will keep you posted on the progress of our project on The Tech Desk.

How to Save the News Industry

We have written a lot about the decline of the print newspaper industry as more and more Americans find their news online. The industry seems to have been caught completely off-guard by the rise of the Internet as a vehicle for news.

There are some signs of hope, as a few news outlets and media strategists are trying to create a new business model for the industry.

The British Guardian, for example, will let anyone use the content on its website for free. How does the company plan on making money? Instead of trying to charge for content that can easily be duplicated, the Guardian will let anyone duplicate and use its content and then slap ads on top of everything.

The Financial Times of London has launched Newssift, a semantic search engine that sifts through business news across the Internet. It returns impressive results, especially for bigger companies and broader topics.

Meanwhile, social media strategist and blog author Woody Lewis, writes on five ways newspapers can avoid extinction for Mashable.com.

Several Daily Michigan Newspapers to Consolidate or Fold

Not only are big city newspapers in trouble.

According the Detroit News website, eight Michigan daily newspapers have announced plans to cut home delivery or close for good.

In July, the Ann Arbor News will close and be replaced by AnnArbor.com, which will produce news and other content daily on the Web and twice-weekly in print.

Starting June 1, the Flint Journal, the Saginaw News and the Bay City Times will publish print editions only on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, while maintaining a daily Web presence. Four other papers -- the Grand Rapids Press, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Kalamazoo Gazette, and Muskegon Chronicle -- will publish daily but consolidate some operations and reduce wages and benefits.

The local newspaper industry has mirrored the chaos in the national industry. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press are reducing their print subscriptions to three days a week, and in March, the publisher of the Oakland Press, the Macomb Daily and Royal Oak's Daily Tribune, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month.

It will be interesting to see the state of Michigan newspapers at the end of 2009.

Library of Michigan Hosts Genealogy Seminar on April 4

Genealogists and family history researchers can discover tools and tips to make their search for ancestors more productive at Learning More at the Library of Michigan: Online Genealogy, on Saturday, April 4, at the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing. The Library houses one of the top 10 genealogy collections in the United States.

This free annual seminar – which typically attracts 300 Michiganians interested in exploring their roots -- will highlight the growing number of free Web sites and subscription databases for family history research.

Among the topics to be discussed are: Effectively Using HeritageQuest Online; Finding Free Vital Records; Ancestry Library Edition; Utilizing Footnote at the Library of Michigan and from Home; Seeking Michigan Death Records? A New Digitization Project; and Accessing Obituaries on the Internet.

The free, half-day workshop runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Michigan Library and Historical Center, located at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. Free weekend parking is available at the Library's parking lot off Kalamazoo. Seating is limited, so registration is recommended. Sign up online at www.michigan.gov/familyhistory. For more information, phone at 517.373.1300.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Goes All Online

As I wrote might happen, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ended its print edition today and has become the latest big-city newspaper to go all online.

[via boingboing]

An Insider's View of How the News Industry Will Survive

At The Tech Desk, we have been covering the state of the print news industry as we near the end of the first decade of the 21st century. It is not good.

An insider, Nick Bilton, an editor in The New York Times research and development lab, tells Wired how he believes The Times will survive:

"In-depth reporting can get a second life being re-packaged as a standalone e-book. Stories can be made to work with networked televisions, letting people see video interviews, high-res pictures, map views and timelines. They could even read excerpts from or even buy books written by experts quoted in a story.

"Paper is dying, but it's just a device. Replacing it with pixels is a better experience."

Getting the Most Out of Your Library

Here’s a great article from U.S. News and World Report, geared toward college students, on getting the most out of the 21st century library, written by Alice Sneary, head of the community team at the Online Community Library Center library cooperative, known as OCLC.

Among her tips, good for all library users to keep in mind, are:

Use the library’s website – the virtual library. It is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Don’t miss the databases. “There’s a world of knowledge beyond the quick Google search, including scholarly content that your library pays for that is NOT indexed in search engines,” Sneary writes.

Take advantage of Audiobooks. The author advises: “Audio versions of classics like Shakespeare's works are entertaining and can help unlock meanings you might miss on the page. E-audiobooks can also help with learning foreign languages. Transfer titles to a portable device, and take them with you.”

And, finally, Sneary's most important tip: “Ask for help. Take a tour, and get to know the librarians on staff. With your GPA and those tuition dollars at stake, it’s time well spent. Librarians are trained professionals who are there to help you find and make sense of information. Plus, many university libraries have subject specialists with advanced degrees in your field. Use them.”

[via stephenslighthouse]

Ten Major Newspapers to Fold or Go Digital in 2009?

The restructuring in the traditional print media business continues.

From Time magazine, here is a list of ten major newspapers that will either fold or go digital next. Analysts expect that the Seattle Post-Intelligencer -- Seattle's oldest daily -- will make the choice within a few days.

On the list are some powerhouses of print: the Detroit News, the Miami Herald, the Boston Globe, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Writes Time, "It is possible that eight of the fifty largest daily newspapers in the United States could cease publication in the next eighteen months."

Celebrate Teen Tech Week at the Troy Library

In honor of this year's Teen Tech Week, March 8 - 14, the Troy Public Library will sponsor a teen scavenger hunt that will highlight the Library's databases, downloadable books, and other electronic resources.

All young people between the ages of 13 and 18 who have a Troy Library card are eligible to participate in the hunt. There will be a drawing of prizes of Visa gift cards, video game rentals, and flash drives, for those who successfully finish the hunt.

For more information, contact the Library's Teen Librarian Judy Frankin, at j.franklin@troymi.gov. The scavenger hunt ends on March 16.

Teen Tech Week is an annual event sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association to celebrate and showcase the technology and non-print resources that teens can use at the library.

New Year's Resolutions

It's time once again to make resolutions for the new year. Here are some technology-related resolutions you may wish to consider:

1. Check out electronic business reference sources available at the Troy Public Library

Researching businesses and stocks? We subscribe to many comprehensive business databases, including ValueLine, Morningstar, Standard & Poor's Net Advantage, thestreet.com and Mergent Online. Need to find information about a particular industry? Check out Plunkett Research Online. Looking for contact information for a particular business? Try Reference USA. You can access these databases by clicking the "Information on Demand" icon on the Library's homepage.

2. Use research databases available from the Troy Public Library
Everything from full text articles from Consumer Reports, Time, and Newsweek to Environmental Nutrition, Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Development Law, and Mathematics Education Research Journal can be found in databases from the Library (all of these publications can be found in Academic OneFile). You can access these databases by clicking the "Information on Demand" icon on the Library's homepage.

3. Check out an eBook or eAudiobook
The Troy Public Library subscribes to two services (NetLibrary and OverDrive) that provide downloadable eBooks and eAudiobooks. You can access these services here. Try them out! (Note: first-time NetLibrary users will need to register for an account in the Library).

4. Use snopes.com
Before sending money to Nigeria, deleting JDBGMGR.exe, using Listerine to kill mosquitoes, or other things that forwarded emails tell you to do, check out snopes.com. Snopes is a site the debunks urban legends and misinformation that often comes in emails. Remember, if something sounds too good to be true in an email, it probably is.

5. Keep your anti-virus software updated
Anti-virus software is only as good as its last update. Make sure your software is current so that your computer is completely protected. Also, be sure to scan your computer on a regular basis.

6. Use an RSS reader
Do you get frustrated when you check out a favorite blog, and there is no new information? Instead of wasting time checking sites to see if they have been updated, have the updates sent to you automatically by using an RSS reader. For more information, check out this video.

7. Recycle or donate old electronic equipment
So you bought a new computer, printer, cell phone, etc...? What are you going to do with the old one? Instead of throwing it away, consider donating or recycling it.

R.I.P. VHS

The VHS tape – the format that popularized the copying, replaying, sharing and storing of media and ushered in the era of the home theatre – is no more.

According to Geoff Boucher, writing in the Los Angeles Times:

Pop culture is finally hitting the eject button on the VHS tape, the once-ubiquitous home-video format that will finish this month as a creaky ghost of Christmas past.

After three decades of steady if unspectacular service, the spinning wheels of the home-entertainment stalwart are slowing to a halt at retail outlets. On a crisp Friday morning in October, the final truckload of VHS tapes rolled out of a Palm Harbor, Fla., warehouse run by Ryan J. Kugler, the last major supplier of the tapes.

"It's dead, this is it, this is the last Christmas, without a doubt," said Kugler, 34, a Burbank businessman. "I was the last one buying VHS and the last one selling it, and I'm done. Anything left in warehouse we'll just give away or throw away."

Read VHS Era is Winding Down.

[via gizmodo.com]