Stretch your Dollar!

Stretch Your Dollar featuring Lonnie Jones, Circulation Mgr.

REDISCOVER YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY DURING NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK, APRIL 12-18

(Jefferson County, Alabama) – National Library week is celebrating 50 years, as our public libraries countywide celebrate 30 years of cooperation. Due to the  current recession, libraries have been in the national and local news more than ever.

Since August, more than 400 articles on the surge in library use have been published nationwide in magazines, newspapers, and on web sites.

CBS Nightly News, Feb. 2009 reported: “Libraries are becoming the ‘hot spot’ for just about everyone.”

“HOT” library uses right now include assistance with job searches, filling out online job applications, and creating email accounts for perspective employees.  A recent Birmingham News (March 29, 2009) article told the story of a woman who was laid off and had to discontinue her internet connection so she visits her local library daily to perform job searches.

Katie Couric, Dec. 2008, reported that: “Americans are saving money, and keeping the looming recession at bay, by going to their local libraries to rent books, CDs, and DVD’s.”

WashingtonPost.com, Feb. 2, 2009: “Business Brisk at Area Libraries: In bad times, free resources are a hot commodity.”

Jefferson County libraries have become hot spots also.

In 2008 …………

• Over one half of Jefferson County residents had a library card
• Jefferson County residents checked out over 5 million items
• The 39 libraries of Jefferson County owned nearly 2 million items 
• The staff countywide answered over 1 million reference questions 
• Nearly 4 million residents used Jefferson County library databases remotely 
• Nearly 4.5 million people visited the 39 public libraries in Jefferson County 
• Jefferson County libraries had 599 public PCs countywide that last year had nearly 400,000 users and made 1.6 million internet searches 

Thanks to our funding partners - - The cities of Jefferson County that fund their local libraries; the Jefferson County Commission; and funding from the Alabama State Legislature - - residents of Jefferson County have world-class library service to help them weather this economic storm.

Your local public library is a tremendous public resource.  Public libraries continue to be the best bargain in town. Visit any of the 39 public libraries in Jefferson County and rediscover your local library!

Pat Ryan
Jefferson County Library Cooperative

www.jclc.org

Libraries See Upturn in Midst of Economic Downturn

"The economic downturn has libraries around the nation reporting higher traffic numbers. Some use library computers to search for jobs, officials say." ~al.com

Read the article, Birmingham area libraries see big upturn in activity in face of economic downturn on al.com including information from Homewood Public Library, Emmet O'Neal Library, the 19 member libraries of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, and the Alabama Public Library Service.

Economy Headache???

Unless you've been hiding under a rock the past month, every media outlet you turn to is talking about what sad shape the American economy is in, and that's a good thing. It's a good thing because lots of people who don't normally have time to stomach American politics as usual are paying attention to what all the names on the ballots are actually up to. Before the vote on the $700 billion bailout, representatives were receiving record numbers of complaints and questions from constituents like never before.

If you're one of the many who don't talk about the mysterious "Fed", short-term securities, or toxic debt in daily conversation, this is a good opportunity to find some basic information to help you make sound financial decisions in the middle of all this doom and gloom. I recommend these three great resources:

www.federalreserveeducation.org/fed101 is a great resource to find out what the Fed is all about. This website covers in detail the history, organization, powers, and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve Bank, and even includes educational literature for children.

The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey, is the best book on personal finance I've ever read. Ramsey covers how to get out of debt, pay for an education, savings and investments, real estate, and retirement, strung together by a common theme, "debt is dumb and cash is king". Included in the book are plenty of forms to help you get your financial situation down on paper and how to organize and plan your way to living debt-free.

The First Book of Investing: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Safely by Samuel Case is an excellent resource for those who don't know a mutual fund from a market share and have never unfolded a Wall St. Journal. Case begins by helping the reader discover his/her attitudes toward money, how those attitudes have developed, and how to overcome any bad emotional connections with money and see it for what it is, a tool. Case then explores the world of investments, always taking time to explain complicated terminology, and stressing to the reader the levels of risk they may encounter. Also, at the end of each chapter Case provides a list of resources for further reading on each kind of investment.