2/21: Environmental Warnings Talk at Hillsboro Main

On February 21 at 2:00 p.m., OSU professor emeritus Richard Clinton will facilitate a free and open conversation at the Hillsboro Main Library. Slow Learners: Two Hundred Years of Unheeded Warnings will explore three questions:

• Why have we largely ignored urgent environmental warnings?
• What will it take to make us heed them?
• What would be required of us if we did take them seriously?

Why have cogent, compelling warnings—that exponential population growth must be stopped, that faith in technology to solve our problems is misplaced, that consumer culture cannot bring satisfaction—been ignored for more than two centuries?

This program is part of the Oregon Humanities Conversation Project, offering statewide opportunities for interactive, facilitated civic dialogue.

Hillsboro Main Library is located at 2850 NE Brookwood Parkway, north of Cornell & Airport Roads.

2/22-28: Food for Fines at Beaverton City Library

The Beaverton City Library is partnering with the Oregon Food Bank to provide Food for Fines Week from Monday, February 22nd through Sunday, February 28th.

Up to $10.00 in fines on library accounts may be paid off by donating one on-perishable food item for each $1.00 in fines. Donated food items should be brought to the Circulation Desk at the Library at 12375 SW 5th Street in Beaverton.

Food donations may be used towards the payment of fines only and may not be used to pay replacement or processing fees for lost or damaged items. For further information, please call the Library at 503-644-2197.

2/17: Cornelius hosts "Birds, Bees and Butterflies"

Cornelius Public Library asks: do you want to attract beneficial wildlife to your garden?

Then come by the library Wednesday, February 17 at 5:30 to hear Birds, Bees, and Butterflies, a talk presented by a natural gardening specialist from Metro.

Metro's experts are ready to talk tips and share gardening tricks at this talk. This program includes a visual presentation, discussion, hands-on learning and free publications for all participants.

Learn more about the plants you need. You want some that provide nectar and pollen, and others that feed local insects. Native plants that fruit or bloom are especially nice, and tend to attract native butterflies, birds, and bees.

This is the first of new monthly adult programs on different topics!

Cornelius Public Library is located at 1355 N Barlow Street in downtown Cornelius.

Please take our short survey!

We (librarians) know we sometimes speak in library-speak. And we've heard that some of the wording in our website/library catalog is confusing.

While we cannot change most of the wording (or how the software operates), there are some things we can change.

Can you please help us?

We want your opinion on three things that might make improve your browsing experience. Tell us what you think. Please answer our short survey.

Thank you!

2/13-14: Charlotte's Web at Beaverton

Charlotte's Web is the story of Wilbur, the pig, who is raised by a farmer's daughter, and who finds a friend in Charlotte, the spider.

Beaverton City Library and Beaverton Arts Commission are pleased to host three performances of Charlotte's Web over Valentines' Day weekend.

Portland Festival Ballet will be performing Charlotte's Web. The cast includes Tricia DuBay, Trevor Buck, Greg Mansfield, Drumlin Brooke, Niti Solomon, and Jemi Mansfield will be reading the title role as Charlotte. Four professional actors from Portland round-off the cast include James Montgomery, Janet Penner, Louise Stinson, and the role of Wilbur is read by Jeffrey Watson.

Tickets are only $10.00 and $5.00 for children under the age of 10. You can purchase your tickets by calling 503-245-5269. The performances will be held at the Beaverton City Library on Saturday Feb.13th at 11am and 2pm with the final performance held on Feb.14th at 2pm.

Beaverton City Library is located at 12375 SW Fifth St. at Hall Blvd.

Featured Resources — Academic OneFile and General OneFile

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! We've recently added two huge databases of general interest magazines and scholarly journals for your reading pleasure. Search for specific topics or browse through tables of contents. Set up an account and be alerted when new stories on your topics are published.

See peer-reviewed, full-text academic articles in Academic OneFile. And in General OneFile find news and periodical articles on computers, current events, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, politics, sports, technology, and just about anything you can think of. Just a couple magazine titles are National Geographic, Better Homes and Gardens, and Macworld. Find these and more.

Check out the Academic OneFile and General OneFile with your WCCLS library card handy.

Tax Help and Tax Forms

photo by "Cowboy" Ben Alman

Need some tax help? Or some federal tax forms? Your WCCLS library may be able to help.

Currently five WCCLS libraries are pairing with AARP volunteers to offer tax assistance. Here are the details:

Beaverton City Library

• By appointment only
• Sign up for appointments while visiting the library

Hillsboro Main Library

• Walk-ins only. No appointments.
• Mondays and Tuesdays, 8:00 AM–8:00 PM
• Last walk-in, 7:15 PM

Hillsboro Shute Park

• Wednesdays and Fridays 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
• Appointments only, sign up in person at library
• Walk-ins accepted if time permits, before 3 PM

Tigard

• By appointment only. Call (503) 684-6537 for appointments.
• Saturdays, starting February 6th, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

Tualatin Public Library

• by appointment only, call (503) 691-3072
• for taxpayers with low- and moderate-income, especially those age 60 and older
• Saturdays, February 6–April 10, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

Other AARP Tax Aid in Washington County
see http://www.aarp.org/VMISLocator/searchTaxAideLocations.do, and search by zip code or by county.

Free Federal Online Filing
The IRS has links to various free file software companies. This service is free to anyone whose adjusted gross income is $57,000 or less in 2009.

The online application is available 24/7. It asks you simple questions and puts your answers on the right forms. It then checks the math. You'll get an IRS confirmation within 48 hours, and your refund in as soon as 10 days.

Federal (and State of Oregon) Tax Forms
Common federal tax forms are available at:

• Beaverton City Library
• Cornelius Public Library
• Forest Grove City Library
• Hillsboro Main Library
• Hillsboro Shute Park Library
• Sherwood Public Library
• Tigard Public Library
• Tualatin Public Library
• West Slope Public Library

Most WCCLS libraries also have federal reproducible forms available.

Oregon Department of Revenue, because of the State's budget problems, has decided to send no personal income tax forms to Oregon public libraries in 2010.

State of Oregon personal income tax forms are available at some post offices as well as online, but not at Washington County Libraries.

If you prepared your taxes last year, you should have received your State of Oregon tax booklet in the mail.

WCCLS libraries will have State of Oregon forms available to print out or copy for a nominal fee.

2/3,10,17,24: SmallTalk: Learning Sign Language Workshop at Tualatin

Wednesdays in February, 10:00–11:00 AM

Tualatin Public Library

18878 SW Martinazzi Ave

Tualatin Public Library will be offering Sign with Your Baby workshops on Wednesday mornings in February.

These workshops are designed to be an enjoyable way for you to spend time with your baby and other parents while you develop an introductory vocabulary in American Sign Language (ASL). You will learn how to incorporate Sign Language into your routine communication with your baby so that he or she can learn to use Signs to communicate specific wants and needs. This class is developed for parents with children 0-24 months of age.

Local author, Dawn Prochovnic, will be presenting these workshops. Prochovnic, creator of Small Talk Workshops, is a certified Sign2Me presenter. Her programs are known for being lively and interactive. Be prepared to participate by singing and signing along!

Now you can rate and review books

Do you ever see books in the catalog that look intriguing, and you wish you had someone's feedback on whether it's a page-turner or a snoozefest? Do you wish you could recommend books that are great?

Now, you'll be able to rate books and write reviews within the online library catalog. Once you click on the Write a Review link, you can register, login or write a review anonymously. You can rate the item from 1 to 5, and even say whether you'd recommend it to a friend.

WCCLS has acquired software which works with the online library catalog to provide an interactive forum for patrons to write and post book reviews and read reviews from library patrons around the world. Starred ratings and reviews, and the ability to write reviews, will appear directly in the online library catalog, making it easy for patrons to view and post reviews.

Check it out! Look up your favorite book in the WCCLS online catalog, and give it a try. Or, check out the reviews on Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.