Ticks and Lyme Disease

                                                                      

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of Lyme disease cases in Massachusetts.  This year will be particularly bad because of the mild winter we had.  Lyme disease is the most common of tick-borne diseases in the U.S. and is transmitted by a tiny tick carried by the whitetail deer.  There are ways of preventing Lyme disease.  Using insect repellent like DEET and removing ticks immediately reduces the chance of getting the disease.  For more information on Lyme disease and prevention see the MA Public Health Fact Sheet at www.mass.gov

Also see UMASS at www.extension.umass.edu/agriculture/index.php/services/ which  has excellent information on ticks and Lyme disease.  The EPA and CDC also are good resources, www.CDC.gov and www.epa.gov.  The New York State Department of Health provides the instructions below on how to remove a tick from your skin.

National Plan to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

Starting today embattled families and caregivers can check a new one-stop website — http://www.alzheimers.gov— for easy-to-understand, up-to-date information about dementia and where to get help in their own communities. The website is part of an ambitious national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a serious brain disorder that impacts daily living through memory loss and cognitive changes. Although not all memory loss indicates Alzheimer’s disease, one in ten people over 65 years of age, and over half of those over 85 have Alzheimer’s disease.

Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease usually develop slowly and gradually worsen over time, progressing from mild forgetfulness to widespread brain impairment. Chemical and structural changes in the brain slowly destroy the ability to create, remember, learn, reason, and relate to others.  As critical cells die, drastic personality loss occurs and body systems fail.

Currently, 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's or related dementias. Barring a research breakthrough, those numbers will rise significantly by 2050, when up to 16 million Americans are projected to have Alzheimer's.

Online Research Tools 24/7

As the end of the school year approaches, students are scrambling to finish up their papers and projects.  The Reference staff at FPL is here to help you!

Did you know that we have a variety of online sources and databases available to you 24/7 from wherever you are?  Your Minuteman Library card number is all you need to begin or finish your research. Start here:
http://www.mln.lib.ma.us/electronic/fpl1.htm

For a paper on a literary work, go to the Literature Resource Center.  Search by title or author to find plot summaries, biographies, criticism and more.

For research on a current topic, the Gale Reference Center Gold is the place to start. This database integrates a variety of sources - newspapers, reference books, magazines, and trade publications. Find articles on current events, popular culture, business and industry trends, the arts and sciences, sports, hobbies, and more.

The Gale Virtual Reference Library contains E-books on a multitude of topics, including but not limited to: Fashion, the Renaissance, Religion, History and the Environment.

We also have Business, Science and Health databases.

Remember that you can always call the Reference Desk during library hours at (508)532-5570 ext.  4361 to help you get started.

PUBLIC RADIO MUSIC MONTH

This April, music-oriented public radio stations across the country will be celebrating the essential role that they play in championing and preserving a diverse array of musicians and music styles for millions of listeners.   Public radio music stations are tastemakers, teachers, and curators of local culture. They bring innovative new sounds from emerging artists.  Classical music and jazz exist on the airwaves today because of public radio. 

Audiences look to public radio stations every day for interviews and performances, introductions to new artists and a trusted ear and knowledge about genres such as blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass and indie rock. In this nationwide initiative, local public radio stations, musicians and fans spotlight the importance of this work.

Stations are partnering with artists and listeners to feature live concert broadcasts, exclusive interviews, in-studio performances and more.   Further, artists and labels will record testimonials and write op-eds to celebrate this first-ever nationwide event.

 

All this and more will be featured on PUBLIC RADIO MUSIC MONTH’s exclusive Tumblr blog and Twitter account throughout the month

Text message alerts!

You can now opt in to receive text message alerts when materials that you have on hold are available for pick up.
The SMS Alerts service gives you the option to receive text messages from The Minuteman Library Network on your mobile device. After you opt into SMS Alerts, The Minuteman Library Network will send you text messages to bring an event to your attention, such as an overdue item or a hold ready for pickup.
You can choose to opt out of the SMS Alerts service at any time.

Start at the Minuteman Catalog page, http://library.minlib.net/search
and go to Login to my account.  Log in with your library card number and PIN and select
Modify Personal Information.  You will now have the opportunity to add your cell number to your personal info and will now receive a text message when your items are ready.

Pricing: Standard message charges apply.

2012 Presidential Election

From caucuses and primaries to conventions and ballots it’s presidential election time again and candidates are flooding the media and internet with campaign rhetoric. Who’s running? What are the issues? Where do the candidates stand? When are the elections? How do I register to vote? Framingham Public Library has created a guide to help you sort through all the confusion and become a well informed voter!

Tax Time

It's that time of year again!
We have received some of the Federal tax forms and there are more on the way.  The State forms and instructions should be arriving within the next 2 weeks, but please call us first to make sure they are here.
If you want to get started, the Federal forms are online at:
www.irs.gov and then the link to Forms and Pubs

Commonwealth of Massachusetts forms are available here.
The State allows you to use WebFile, which performs the calculations for you, and you can track your refund amount or tax due as you go.  It's free and easy, and if you are due a refund, you can have it automatically deposited for you.

Need more help? Our tax help info is found in the Library at call number 336.2.