Reference@TBML

Fundraising in a Challenging Economy

Wondering how your nonprofit will manage in this economic downturn?
On Thursday, August 13 from 2-4 PM, Janet Camarena, Director of the San Francisco Office of the Foundation Center, will give you a basic overview of what you can do to survive, thrive, and succeed in sustaining your nonprofit during the current economic crisis via a webinar. This workshop is intended for representatives of nonprofit organizations engaged in fundraising.  Topics covered will include:

* What you can do to make sure that your nonprofit is positioned to weather the current economic situation.
* The impact of the downturn on philanthropic giving, and how to adapt your fundraising methods and strategies in the current economy.
* We'll also provide you with links and resources that will help you to explore approaches that best fit with your nonprofit's situation.

This event will be conducted as a Webinar at Thomas Branigan Memorial Library.

Registration: This program is offered free of charge, but space is limited.  

Register online or call Catherine Christmann at 528-4085.

In Memoriam: Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt (19 August 1930-19 July 2009), whose Angela's Ashes made him into an overnight literary sensation in 1996, died of metastatic melanoma a month short of his 79th birthday in Manhattan on Sunday 19 July, 2009. Many of us who never even met him will remember him fondly for his liltingly told tale of a ghastly childhood in Ireland and New York and back in Ireland again.
The world is a poorer place for your passing, Frank McCourt. You are loved and missed by many of us! May you Rest in Peace.
 
And now raise a cup in his honor, remember the joy and wisdom he brought to our lives, as we drink a toast to his memory!
 
To read McCourt's obituary in the New York Times, click here.

To find out which Frank McCourt books we have in the library, click here.

MAP

Resources for Returning Service Members

A good number of our nation's Armed Forces come from New Mexico and a fair portion of those come from our area.  While we are glad to have those who have returned from their tour of duty home, many face new and distressing challenges readjusting to civilian life.  Here are a few resources for returning Service Members and their families.  If you know of a recently returned veteran, consider passing on some of this information.

The Department of Veteran Affairs has created a website specifically for veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom.  A set of links and advice for both Vets and family, this is a good starting point. 

The National Resource Directory is a comprehensive online directory specifically designed for "Wounded, Ill and Injured Service Members, Veterans, Their Families and Those Who Support Them."  A joint project of the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, this site connects users with both governmental and non-profit agencies locally and nationally.  

For a perspective outside the government, the Veteran's advocacy group, Veterans for America has updated it's popular and massive survival guide.  A revised edition, based on the "Viet Vet Survival Guide," the new guide, "The American Veterans' and Servicemembers' Survival Guide" is now available as a free download.   

For those Veterans and Servicemembers suffering from mental conditions related to their service or return, the mental health advocacy group NAMI hosts an incredibly helpful site with links for local and national resources and help.

And finally, for those interested in information in the book form, TBML has a recently published is a manual entitled, After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families.  Personable and comprehensive, this book comes highly recommended.

BES

Bank failures, the FDIC and you

Last week, U.S. government regulators announced that U.S. banks need to raise $75 billion dollars in capital to withstand a continuing downturn in the markets. Over thirty banks have failed in the first five months of 2009, that’s more than 2008 and 2007 combined. (None of those banks, incidentally, are in New Mexico) What does this mean for you, the average person?

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has tons of information for people who are concerned about their assets in a declining market.

MyFDICinsurance.gov ‘s Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator is an online tool that allows you to see how much of your existing bank balances will be insured if your bank fails.

The FDIC’s consumer page has links to information about bank closings, deposit insurance, consumer protection assurance, real estate, housing and loans and more.

If you’d like to learn more about banking trends and research, the FDIC has a great Industry Analysis page, with information on failed banks, trends and information on specific banks, with a searchable database.

MMN

Get the Facts on Swine Flu

The newly announced Swine Flu is filling the airwaves and putting the world on edge.  Things are changing quickly and there are a few sites out there where you can get detailed and reliable information on this outbreak of Influenza. 

Visit the Centers for Disease Control's page on Swine Flu for information on the number of current cases, the facts on transmission, and how you can protect yourself.  Check the site often as information may change.

The excellent MedlinePlus, a project of the National Institutes for Health has a Swine Flu page as well.  This is a highly recommended resource as it pools information from reputable and reliable health websites into one convenient place.

The federal government has also created a one-stop sitefor all things related to swine, avian, and pandemic flu.  Pandemicflu.gov is an excellent place to find out how your state is prepared to deal with pandemic flu.

The New York Times has an excellent blog with updates about Swine Flu in the United States.  The NYTimes blog included an excellent post from which some of the sites in this post were culled.

Many people are understandably thinking back to the 1918 Pandemic Flu and now may be the time to revisit this topic for a better understanding of epidemiology and disease.  The library owns several books on the 1918 Influenza worth checking out.  Additionally, the book Viruses, Plagues, and Historymay set the current outbreak within a global and historical timeline.

And finally, the National Archives has a wonderfully informative and absorbing pagefull of documents and pictures covering the 1918 Influenza.  This is well worth a look for cultural and contextual information surrounding that devastating pandemic. 

BES

Read All About It...

In this economic climate, reading or watching the news may not always be a pleasant experience.  But we have a few sites and books that may lighten the load or at least make the experience more aesthetically pleasing.

The Washington Post has launched an interesting site called TimeSpace: World.  Timespace is a site that graphically maps the news "hotspots" around the globe and provides an interactive news experience.  A different way to experience your daily news.

Google provides a number of infinitely useful tools in easy-to-use formats.  And they have done the same with their Google News page.  Google's news page is interesting in that it pulls together numerous news sources on a topic.  Rather then visiting a number of sites, Google cuts out the middle man and pools news stories in information groups.  A great way to get a broad and diverse view of a topic.

A little closer to home, you now have access to both the Las Cruces Sun-News and the Las Cruces Bulletin news archives.  Available through the Library's database, New Mexico Newspapers, you can access archives from 2004 to the present.  The Las Cruces Bulletin has a very nice archive which dates from 2007 to the present and is definintely worth a look.

And finally, to inject a cynical perspective, check out the book My Bad: 25 Years of Public Apologies and the Appalling Behavior That Inspired Them.  This book points the spotlight on public figures, including the news media, and their public gaffes. 

BES

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and You

 

On February 17, 2009, H.R.1, or the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,  was signed into law.  This massive Act, a $787 billion economic stimulus package, will now become one of the largest economic rescue packages since the New Deal Administration of Franklin Roosevelt. 

The full-text of the bill can be found via the Library of Congress.  You can also visit the government's site Recovery.gov to find out "how taxpayer dollars are being spent to rejuvinate our economy."  Make sure you visit the FAQ on that site for concise bits of information.  

Very shortly, employees should start seeing a larger paycheck because of more lenient tax witholding tables.  Visit the IRS to find out about how the Recovery Act will effect tax-related issues.  You can find the tax witholding tables here. 

Additionally, the new Act includes many tax provisions that apply to Americans on Social Security.  Visit the Social Security Administration's Economic Recovery page for more information.

And finally, if you would like to communicate your thoughts on the new recovery plan with the White House, do so here.

LN and BES

 

New Administration, New White House Website

With yesterday's changing of the guard, the Obama administration has unveiled an attractive contemporary and interactive new website.  Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media has stated that the top priorities of the new media push will be "communication," "transparency," and "participation."  So take a moment to learn about White House history, the new administration, the latest proclamations and executive orders. 

Also, you may want to consider subscribing to the White House blog or signing up for email updates (upper right-hand corner of all pages).  And finally, take this opportunity to let your thoughts and feelings about the new administration and the state of our country be known.

BES

Holiday Hours

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library will be open the following hours over the New Year Holiday:

December 31st:  8 AM--9 PM

January 1st:        Closed

January 2nd:       8 AM--6 PM

January 3rd:       10 AM--6 PM

January 4th:       1 PM--5 PM

BES

Library Bond Means More Stuff For You!

One of the issues on the New Mexico ballot this past election was a GO (General Obligation) Bond for New Mexico libraries (Bond B).  Over 300,000 New Mexico voters and over 30,000 Dona Ana voters supported this bond and residents of Las Cruces will be reaping the effects of this passed bond issue. 

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library is set to receive over $210,000 to spend on books, DVDs, and Databases.  This means a windfall for the residents of Las Cruces, particularly as the nation's economic health appears to be continuing in a downward trend and our budgets require us to cut certain luxuries.  So, in the next months, expect to see renewed variety in our new books and new dvds. 

We here at Branigan Library offer a big Thank You to all of those voters who supported the passing of the GO Bond.  Thanks!  BES