Now @ MPL...

The Milwaukee Public Library has just made two more tools for finding information in MPL sources available online. These are two great sources for those who may be interested in various aspects of Milwaukee's history.

These Finding Tools, as they are aptly named, are available for searching the Milwaukee History Clipping Index and the Trostel Collection of German Theater Scripts.

The Milwaukee History Clippings Index is a subject listing of people, places, events, etc. represented in newspaper articles that were clipped from Milwaukee area newspapers published mainly in the middle to late 20th century. Librarians selected articles of local importance and assigned subject headings; staff cut the articles out of the paper.

The Trostel Collection is housed at MPL thanks to the widow of Albert Trostel. In 1943, the Milwaukee Public Library received a gift of the Albert O. Trostel Collection of German plays which had been used by the German Theater stock company in Milwaukee. Dated from 1865 to 1936, these acting editions of more than 1500 items were donated by Trostel’s widow, Clara Uihlein Trostel, upon his death.

To access the Finding Tools, go to the library's home page, and click on the Research Resources button on the left of the screen. Finding Tools is one of the options in the drop down menu.

More Finding Tools will be added to those that are already available as they are completed.

Effective this week Wednesday, hours will be changed to coincide with
Central Library's earlier closing time of 5:30 pm. Starting tomorrow, the
complete schedule of hours for the Bookseller and Perk & Peruse Coffee Shop
will be:

Monday and Tuesday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Sunday: CLOSED

Incidentally, the Bookseller used book store could use some dedicated
volunteers to sort and shelve materials. If you're interested, please stop
in the store or call (414) 286-2142. Proceeds from the store support the library.

Are you looking for Science Project ideas? How about categories of jokes and riddles? This section of the Internet Public Library is geared towards children and provides many categories of interest. From Homework to Games, the Kidspace @ IPL will provide alll kinds of information and fun for kids of all ages!

For other sites geared to kids, check out the Kids' Internet Search Tools in the Reference Resources Category on the MPL Homepage.

Stay warm on these cold January days with a big bowl of steaming chili. Sample this recipe from the August 24, 1978 edition of the Milwaukee Sentinel:

Schmitt's Special Chili

1 pint chile puree **see below
1 cup cooked pinto beans with liquid
1 pound coarsely ground beef or pork
rosemary
sage
freshly ground coarse pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
salt

**To make chile puree, place six dried red California chiles in saucepan and add three cups water. Bring to a boil and boil until chiles are softened. Drain chiles, reserving water, and puree in blender. Add enough water to puree to make two cups. Strain through sieve to remove small bits of peel.

Combine chile puree and beans and bring to simmer. Pan fry beef in skillet until browned. Season to taste with rosemary, sage and pepper while cooking. Add meat to chile mixture. Add tomato, onion, green pepper and green chiles. Season with salt to taste and simmer one hour or longer. Makes four servings.

The beginning of a new year means that income tax season is here!

Your employer should have your W-2 forms to you by January 31.

The deadline for filing your taxes is April 15.

All Milwaukee Public Library locations will have state and federal tax forms available beginning January 20.

Looking for help preparing your taxes? Several local agencies are offering free tax help to low-and middle-income taxpayers. Both VITA and AARP have many tax assistance locations around Milwaukee.

For more information about filing your state return, including the Homestead Credit, visit the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Web site. For more information about filing a federal return, take a look at the Internal Revenue Service.

King Library Open Monday, 1/19

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day, King Library will be open
on Monday, January 19 from 9am to 5pm.

All other Milwaukee Public Libraries will be closed January 19th.

Two programs are planned for the day. Read about them here.

While you're in King Library, please check out our artist's book created by
Amos Paul Kennedy which is on permanent display. Commissioned in
1997 for the renovation of King Library, the book contains quotes from
Dr. King and is approximately 10 to 12 feet in width when opened.
The handmade paper used for the pages comes from the leaves of
banana trees.

With another Wisconsin Winter among us, make sure you stay informed and updated on your local weather conditions. MPL has compiled a list of numerous websites that cover and report the weather.

Click here to find out more!

Are looking to find legal counsel? Martindale-Hubbell, one of the most venerable attorney directories used by library staff, is now searchable online.
So if you need to locate an attorney, check this source for lawyers by name, practice area, or geographic location. Searching for law firms is included as well as links to articles of a legal nature.

For other resources on law and legal information, check out the Law/Legal category on the MPL homepage under Research Resources-Recommended Links.

The Wisconsin Marine Historical Society's 50th Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, January 31st at the South Shore Yacht Club.

This year, well-known local author and historian John Gurda will discuss the life and history of the early residents of Jones Island.

The dinner is a black and white cruise theme dinner. While no tuxedos are needed, just dress in black and white, and add some gold to celebrate the Society's Golden Anniversary. Dinner will be provided at $32.00 per person. Also featured is the Treasure Island Silent Auction which features many great treasures.

To find out more, or to register for this fabulous event, contact the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society at (414) 286-3074.

The 44th Presidential Inaugural will take place at 11:00am Milwaukee time (at noon Washington time) on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. Taking the kids to D.C. doesn't seem like such a great idea, what with the crowds, the temperatures (not to mention the stroller ban). But that doesn't mean you have to miss the opportunity to be part of Barack Obama's historic presidential inauguration. There are free and lovely libraries all over the city to watch the inauguration in a group setting so you get that live experience… but with heat!

Television:
All the public libraries in the city of Milwaukee will have televisions tuned to the inauguration activities during the day so you can watch all the festivities. Check hours and locations of Milwaukee Public Libraries here.

Internet viewing/live stream:
You can also use one of Milwaukee Public Library's free public computers with word processing, internet access and many useful databases at all city library locations--but don't forget your library card. (If you don't have a library card, click here to find out how to get one.)

For a live webcast of the Obama inauguration, internet viewers can go to:

CNN Live
ABC News
C-SPAN
CBS News
New York Times

The search engine GoodSearch (powered by Yahoo!) is an excellent way to search the internet and benefit the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation.

The Foundation helps out MPL by providing support through private contributions for books, materials, programs, and library facilities.

For each search made through GoodSearch, the engine donates a percentage of the monies generated through advertising revenue to the charity of your choice. Of course, we are hoping that you will choose the Milwaukee Public Library Foundation as the charity of your choice.

The process is simple. Just go to GoodSearch.com, enter "Milwaukee Public Library Foundation" in the box entitled "Who do you GoodSearch for?", and then search the web.

Through Dream Keepers, Author and Coach Rochelle Melander teaches young people how to use writing to make sense of their lives and capture their dreams.

What??
The Dream Keepers Program
provides a weekly writing space for tweens and teens to discuss good writing and create their own. The young people publish their writing on their blog. The Dream Keepers have had great success—they have been featured twice on WUWM’s Lake Effect and were winners in Schwartz bookstore’s 2008 six-word memoir contest.

Who??
Join us! Who knows what you’ll achieve?
Young people from 5th-12th grade are welcome to participate in the weekly Milwaukee Group. The program is free and open to the public.

When??
Start Mondays 2009
January 26th ---- May 18th
4 PM to 6 PM

Where??
Atkinson Library
1960 W Atkinson Ave
414-286-3068

MPL and the Wisconsin Humane Society are teaming up to offer the Read to Rover program!

First through fifth graders can read to a certified therapy dog for 25 minutes each week for four weeks. They can bring in their own reading material or a librarian will help them select books at the library. Those who finish the program will receive a certificate of accomplishment, a book and a toy dog.

Free Read to Rover programs will be offered at the Bay View and Tippecanoe libraries on February 7, 14, 21, and 28 from 10:00 a.m. until noon. Students who register need to attend all four sessions.

Please call Bay View at (414) 286-3019 or Tippecanoe at (414) 286-3085 to register.

As the new digital age of television approaches, join MPL as we reminisce about the early days of television in Milwaukee.

Dick Golembiewski, local author of Milwaukee Television History: the analog years, will be speaking at Central Library on February 14, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. about his research on the history of Milwaukee television. Mr. Golembiewski began researching Milwaukee broadcasting history in 1996, and in 2002 launched a Website dedicated to the city’s old TV horror hosts and shows. He will sign his books, which will be available for purchase, following his presentation. Light refreshments will be served.

If you've ever tried to contact companies like Amazon.com or e-Bay, you have no doubt noticed that it can seem like it is impossible to find a toll-free phone number for those companies.

Fortunately, the Ready Reference Quick Fact File has an entry to take care of those woes for you. Under the entry for "C", the Customer Service Directory entry talks about the Federal Citizen Information Center’s Consumer Action Website.

The directory on this website lists contact information for major corporations throughout the United States. It includes hard to find toll free numbers for companies like Amazon.com and e-Bay.

The Consumer Action Website also includes advice on how to write and where to file compaints, including to corporations, state offices, and Better Business Bureaus.

Have you invented something fantastic? Does the prospect of getting it patented
overwhelm you? Are you starting your own business? In this crazy economy
it makes sense to gather all the information you can to plan and prepare properly.

Central Library is offering two free programs in February to help you with both:

"Starting A Small Business"
Monday, February 9
1:30pm-2:30pm
Central Library
Librarians will help you find the right information to start your own business.
Meet in Central Library's second floor computer lab to learn about print
and electronic resources for business planning.

"Patents 101"
Monday, February 23
1:30pm-2:30pm
Central Library
This program is offered monthly by librarians who will explain the
seven-step strategy for executing a patent search. Meet in
Central Library's second floor computer lab.

On Jan. 27, 2009, Fox 6 Contact 6 aired a piece that talked about ways to save money in this economic crunch. The story focused on the Milwaukee Public Library as the place to save money! Katrina Cravy reports. Click the Icon below to watch.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Now@MPL is happy to announce we are adding a new bookmarking/sharing feature on our Blog. The new feature is called, "AddThis". What this feature allows you to do is bookmark and share your favorite blog entries by sending them to any social networking site of your choice, even email! Just click the link at the bottom of the entry, choose your networking site, and follow the instructions. It's a fast and easy way to save or share your favorite entries. Enjoy!!!

Next Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. will be the first used book sale of the year at Central Library. Sponsored by the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library, the sale will feature romance novels and cookbooks, but there will be many other great books available. All proceeds from the book sale benefit the Milwaukee Public Library.

Thursday, Audrey Niffenegger will visit MPL to talk about her new book entitled Her Fearful Symmetry. (Her debut book was The Time Travelers Wife.) Niffenegger's visit is sponsored by Boswell Book Company and the Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library.
Boswell will be offering a special price on Her Fearful Symmetry - $13.50 each - and Ms. Niffenegger will sign copies of them. Other books will be available for purchase.

The event is free and open to the public:

Thursday, January 14 - 7:00 p.m.
Centennial Hall, 733 N. 8th St.