September is Library Card Sign-Up Month. The proclamation was signed by President George H.W. Bush in August 1989. Here’s one link to the law:
Proclamation 6008—National Library Card Sign-Up Month, 1989
For other sources of the law, you can search these keywords: library card sign up month Proclamation 6008, 103 STAT. 3075 (August 1989)
This income tax filing resource list is available at the Multnomah County Library (and other Oregon public library websites):
“Taxes in 2021: Forms and assistance
The deadline to file federal and state tax returns is April 15, 2021. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult to get help in person, there are resources available in the community and online….” [Link to MCL 2021 tax resources list.]
WebJunction has been teaching online for more than a decade – and they do a darn good job of it, too.
This class: “Libraries Prepare to Answer Civil Legal Questions in Times of Crisis” will be taught by 2 law librarian stars: Jenny Silbiger, State Law Librarian, Access to Justice Coordinator, Hawaii Supreme Court Law Library, and Joseph Lawson, Deputy Director, Harris County Law Library, Texas.
The live webinar is scheduled for: Thursday, June 11, 2020 / 12:00 pm Pacific, 60 minutes. (Webinar recording and course materials will be available offline to registrants shortly thereafter.)
My public librarian friends pointed me to this website, and soon to be published book, on serving the house-less and home-less community:
Librarian’s Guide to Homelessness
The book will be published by the American Library Association (ALA).
Multnomah County Library (MCL) patrons know that materials, signs, events, and librarians bring multi-lingual expertise to their patrons, but did you know that the Multnomah County Library and other public libraries around Oregon (and likely other states) also provide “language line” service to their patrons.
I recently asked MCL if they still have the service and here was their response:
“Thank you for contacting Multnomah County Library about the “Language Line” service. We do still use telephone interpretation services to help us assist patrons who may not be fluent in English. I’m sorry that information isn’t readily available on our website–I will suggest that it be added.
Hat Tip to Library Link of the Day (4/29/15).
“Baltimore Libraries Stay Open Through Riots, Because ‘The Community Needs Us: All library locations, including those at the epicenter of the riots, are welcoming patrons today,” by Kat Rosenfield 4/28/2015.
You can find more than books at the Baltimore public library today, as all branches remain open and fully staffed in the wake of protests and riots that have rocked the city.
From the AALL (American Association of Law Libraries), LISP (Legal Information Services to the Public) special interest section:
“This is a toolkit meant to help public librarians understand the process of legal research, effectively develop and use the information located within their libraries, utilize information located outside their libraries, with the end goal of helping the patron locate the legal information they need ...”
The IRS does still distribute some paper tax forms. It does this through their Tax Forms Outlet Program.
“The Tax Forms Outlet Program offers tax products to the American public primarily through participating post offices and libraries.”
For Free Tax Help in Oregon: Libraries, Post Offices, Senior and Community Centers, etc.
Our favorite and first-stop legal self-help website is Oregon Law Help.
If you need legal information and referrals on domestic violence, custody, child support, landlord-tenant, foreclosure, bankruptcy, taxes, wages and hours, employment discrimination, public benefits, immigration and workplace safety, elder law, estate planning, disability law, special education, or related topics, make Oregon Law Help one of your first stops on the Internet.
Your next stops might be 211 Info, your public library, and your public law library. And there’s more! But we’ll save those for another blog post.
1) There are excellent legal research guides and links at the Oregon Law Help website. Legal aid lawyers compile these materials and links to a wide range of organizations.
2) The Multnomah Bar Association produces English and Spanish versions of:
Youth Faces the Law: A Juvenile Rights Handbook and Domestic Violence: A Guide to Your Rights
Oregon Legal Research Blog