Braswell Memorial Library
Braswell Memorial Library Newsletter
Spring 2008
Volume 4 Issue 2 

Children at BML

The Friends of BML Host Champagne & Chocolates
 
It's back!!  Yes, your favorite dress up, nibble, and sip party is coming soon!  Mark your calendar for April 18, 7 to 9 pm,  and join the Friends of Braswell Memorial Library for Champagne and Chocolates 2008!

 

Katherine Lucas, Friends' president, reports that planning for the event is moving forward.  "We hope to have a big turnout this year.  Proceeds from Champagne and Chocolates have already been earmarked for a very worthwhile cause - the Library's new Kids' College Homework Center.  We want to do all we can to help the Library create this new space for elementary and junior high students so they can get the help they need with homework and school assignments."

 

The event will be held at the Library this year. Lucas continued "The building is so large and beautiful -- it's a perfect place for a big party!  Bill Myers will be playing live jazz for us during the evening. Plus, folks can come and see where their money will be going - the floor plan and an artist's conception of what the Homework Center may look like will be on display."

 

Invitations will be mailed in mid-March.  If we've inadvertently left you off the mailing list, please call to let us know. We do want you to come! Admission is $50 a person or $100 a couple.  Sponsors are being sought for the event:  individual sponsorships are $100 and sponsorship by a couple is $200.  Call Jim at 442-1951 x 249 with questions!
In This Issue
Passport Office Moved
Volunteer Job Highlights
Find the Right Financing for Your Business
Gifts to the Library
BICOS Update
Free Videos Available!
Passport Office Moved
 

Braswell Memorial Library has served as a Passport Acceptance Agency for over five years now.  First operating from the Information Services desk on the second floor, the passport acceptance area has been recently moved.  We have just finished renovating space near the Check Out desk to provide two private offices at which the public may apply for passports.  Services offered include providing information on the requirements for submitting a passport application and the costs associated with applying for a passport, help with filling out the application, taking the two required passports photos, and mailing the application to the appropriate US Passport Agency for processing. Please be aware that this is a fee-based service.

 

Hours of operation for the Passport Acceptance Office are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Wednesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. 

 

Please note that the library does not issue passports!  We help you with your passport application, certify that the application is complete, and "accept" it on behalf of the U.S. Department of State.  Once the application is mailed, then it is in the government's hands! 

 

The library website provides the basic information you need before coming in to apply for a passport, in addition to supplying a link to the Department of State website where further information may be found.

 

Don't forget - the library can help you plan your travel by providing travel-related books, guides, and audio-visual materials. We can't sell you an airplane ticket, but we can help you decide where to fly!

Volunteer Job Highlights 
 
If you are interested in volunteering at the Library, we invite you to come to the Check Out Desk on the first floor or the Information Desk on the second floor and fill out a volunteer application. The application will be reviewed and you will be called within a week with further information.
 
Programming Assistant--Adult Services Division
 
Objective/Position Description:
  The Adult Services Programming Assistant will offer general assistance to adult programmers in preparing for and wrapping up after programs being presented at the library or at other local venues.
 

Responsibilities:

-          Distributing flyers or press releases as necessary (faxing, mailing, hand delivering).

-          Helping with room set up (moving tables and chairs) before and after the program

-          Greeting attendees, helping with "crowd control" as necessary

-          Distributing and taking up survey sheets

-          Helping set out and put away refreshments

-          Preparing letters to notify teachers of CEU's earned

 

Qualifications:

-          Must be 18 years old or older

-          Must have evening transportation

-          Must be physically able to help move tables and chairs

-          Must be able to be comfortable and friendly with a broad range of the public

 

Training/Preparation:

-          Orientation to Braswell Memorial Library, its meeting rooms, and the work areas of the programmers.

-          On the job training

 

Time Requirements:

-          Variable, depending on individual program requirements

-          Adult programs generally take place during the months of September through May, and are generally though not always held on Tuesday and Thursday nights

 

Length of Commitment: One to nine months

 

Supervisor: Various Adult programmers

Find the Right Financing for Your Business
SCORE Logo 

Finding the right type of financing, or finding ANY financing for that matter, is often one of the most difficult parts of starting and building a solid small business. You may have a terrific plan and be a talented workaholic, but finding funding is another matter.

 

Business owners often start with too little money. It's one of the most common reasons that new businesses don't make it. Adequate financing and the know-how to use it wisely are crucial ingredients for your business to grow and thrive.  Inadequate funding limits what you can do.

 

Sources and types of small business financing fall into a few broad categories. It will either be debt or equity financing from institutional or informal sources. Debt financing is a loan you pay back. Common sources include: family and friends, personal credit cards, home equity lines of credit, commercial bank loans and bank loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

.

Some small businesses also receive a type of funding from suppliers and vendors in the form of special payment terms, discounts or even direct loans. Suppliers want you to succeed, so they are sometimes willing to help.

 

With equity financing, you offer investors shares of your business in return for cash. Unlike loans, you are not required to pay the money back, but these investors now own part of your business and will want a return on their investment. Venture capitalists work this way, and stock offerings are a type of equity financing.

 

Other funding or cost-sharing options include partnerships, joint ventures, alliances, co-branding arrangements and business incubators. An incubator in our area worth looking into is the Business Development Center in Wilson. It provides crucial support for the specific needs of small businesses and start-ups in the form of free or affordable rent and business services as well as a resource and referral network. Contact Larry Lyle at 252-234-5900.

 

The SBA 7(a) Loan Guarantee Program is an important small business financing tool. It helps secure loans up to $1 million for small businesses that are unable to find financing on reasonable terms through conventional lending channels.  The SBA Web site has an excellent section on financing that includes helpful advice on funding basics, estimating costs, personal vs. business loans, equity financing, eligibility standards, and steps to successful borrowing. For details on all SBA programs, visit www.sba.gov/financing.

 

Self Help is a NC based non-profit community development lender that offers SBA loan products as well as others.  This organization helps for-profits and non-profits who have lacked access to conventional funding such as women and minority owned, rural and community benefit oriented businesses. Contact Teresa Scarlett at 252-752-8866 x 2202 or check the web www.self-help.org

 

Financing is just one critical financial issue facing your small business. To learn more, contact SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business"  at 252-557-0110 or score@braswell-library.org. SCORE is a nonprofit organization of volunteer business counselors who provide free, confidential business counseling and training workshops to small business owners. Find more information online at www.score.org.

 

 
Mark Frohman, Counselor and Chair
 

Upper Coastal Plain SCORE Chapter

Serving Edgecombe, Nash, Halifax, Northampton and Wilson Counties

Gifts to the Library
 
 

In Memory of

 

George Tillman Bailey, Jr by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Stella W. Barnes by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Lula Ellen Green Brake by Bernie and Kay Tyndall

Ed and Margaret Brantley by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Edwin H. Brantley by Bernice B. Lea

Margaret Jeffreys Brantley by Mildred Elizabeth King

Margaret J. Brantley by Bernice B. Lea

Dr. Julian C. Brantley, Jr. by Bernice B. Lea

Dr. Julian Brantley, Jr. by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Dr. Julian Brantley, Jr. by E.C. Winstead, Jr.

Grady Brown by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Fred David Combs by Braswell Memorial Library

Fred Combs by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Dorothy Crocker Dudley by Bobby and Gail Thompson

George Clifford Earp by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Ernest Roy Everette, Jr. by Friends of Braswell Memorial Library

B.J. Fenner by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Mary Lewis Griffin Foote by Theresa Richardson Panarese

Mary Lewis Foote by Friends of Braswell Memorial Library

Mary Lewis Foote by Vince and Martha Tesoro

Rick Ford by Bobby and Gail Thompson

James Earl Godwin by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Lois Ruth Gotal by Sally and Gene Morehart

Charlie Harris by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Charles Cooper Harris, Jr. by Dr. and Mrs. Lucas Martinez

Charles Cooper Harris, Jr. by Rocky Mount Coffee Club

Larry Hartley by Debbie and John Haggerty

Mary Elizabeth High by Debbie and John Haggerty

Mary Elizabeth High by Dr. and Mrs. Lucas Martinez

Henry Howerton by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Frances Mitchell Hunter by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Kennon E. "Ken" Jackson by Mary Anne Worsley

Kennon E. Jackson by Dr. and Mrs. Neal Adkins

Dora Johnston by The Readers Guild

Dr. William Robert Jones by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Dr. William Robert Jones by Dr. and Mrs. Neal Adkins

Deborah S. Kornegay by Jane Shields

Debbie Kornegay by Debbie and John Haggerty

Debbie Kornegay by J. Brian and Vena Scott

Dr. Lemuel Kornegay, Jr. by Rocky Mount Sanitorium Nurses Association

D.M. "Pat" Malone by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Maggie C. McGlohon by Bobby and Gail Thompson
Nora Mears by Bobby and Gail Thompson

C.D. "Pete" Pitt by Julian Thomas

Georgia Elizabeth Mayo Quick by Marie and Ernest Bridgers

Helen Richardson by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Owen Bernice Smith, Jr. by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Silas Jones "Doubie" Snow by Ernest and Marie Bridgers

Silas "Doubie" Snow by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Silas "Doubie" Snow by Debbie and John Haggerty

Silas "Doubie" Snow by Samuel and Velma Johnson

Daisy Thorp by Bobby and Gail Thompson

Donald H. Wallace by J. Brian and Vena Scott

Cleveland Whately by Rocky Mount Coffee Club

 

In Honor of

 

Eddie Baysden by Liberal Arts Club

David Combs by Liberal Arts Club

Maureen Daly by Twentieth Century Study Club

Allen Johnson by Liberal Arts Club

Charlie and Annie Gray Lane by Trevor and Tommy Lane

Daphne O'Brien by Liberal Arts Club

Fran Suarez by Catherine Combs

Marion Weathers by Twentieth Century Study Club

 

Gifts by

 

David and Patsy H. Bradley

J. Dillard Bulluck

Leon Henderson

New Alliance Lodge #769

Readers Guild Book Club

 
We hope you enjoyed this email edition of the newsletter. As always, we invite you to visit us at 727 North Grace Street to "check out" all of the services and resources available to you.
 
 
Sincerely,
 

Jane Blackburn
Braswell Memorial Library
Monthly Spotlight
Man with laptop
 
Check Out Our Computer Class Schedule!

BICOS Update

 

BICOS Logo
 

Braswell Memorial Library's BICOS project (Business Information Center Outreach Services) is now moving into its third month.  Funded by a grant from Golden LEAF, the project seeks to help bridge the gap between entrepreneurs and information and services for them. Libraries are traditionally known to be places that provide information - the library-based BICOS project aims to increase the information resources, business training and education, and resource referrals available to small business owners at the public libraries in Nash, Edgecombe, and Halifax Counties.

 

One important part of the BICOS project is the involvement of SCORE, a non-profit organization that provides free business counseling to small business owners or would-be business owners.  The Upper Coastal Plain SCORE chapter is charged with providing their services across a five county region, including the three counties of the BICOS project.  BICOS  libraries and SCORE are working together to make SCORE's expert business counselors known to the small business community and to make their services available. 

 

Another important piece of the BICOS project is the involvement of our community college Small Business Centers and their Directors.  These partners are well-established in their communities and offer a host of free or low-cost services to local entrepreneurs.

 

BICOS libraries include Braswell Memorial Library, Spring Hope Public Library, Edgecombe County Memorial Library, Roanoke Rapids Public Library, Halifax County Public Library in Halifax, and Scotland Neck Public Library.

Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List
Programs for Adults

SCORE Workshops for Entrepreneurs

 

Saturday, March 15, 10 AM

& Thursday, March 20,

6 PM

"What It Takes to Start

a Small Business"

Wiley Conference Room

REGISTRATION REQUIRED

 

Employment Security Commission Seminar

 

Thursday, March 27, 4 PM

"Assistance in Finding and Keeping a Job"

NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

 

National Library Week Celebration

 

April 14-19

Free bookmarks and donuts!

 

National Poetry Month Celebration


Thursday, April 10, 4 PM 
FOR CHILDREN

Thursday, April 17, 7 PM 

FOR ADULTS

"Braswell Memorial Library's Third Annual Open Mike Poetry"

Poetic Souls will be performing.

Registration required to perform.

 

SCORE & BICOS & The National Federation of Independent Business

 
present

"How to Keep Small Businesses out of Legal Trouble"

Tuesday, April 22, 4 PM

 

Senior Day:  Health and Fitness

 

Thursday, May 8, 1-3 PM

Warner Meeting Room

 
Unless otherwise noted, all programs are held in the Warner Meeting Room.
Weekly Storytimes
All Storytimes are held in the Storytime Room.
 
Mother Goose Time
Mondays at 10:30 AM
Babies to 3 years old
 
Preschool Storytime
Tuesdays at 11 AM
3 to 5 year olds
 
Daycare Storytime
By appointment only*
 
School Groups
By appointment only*
 
*Call 252-442-1951 ext. 235 to schedule an appointment
PBS Videos Available Free Through NC LIVE
NC Live Logo

Braswell Memorial Library is pleased to announce that its patrons, as well as all public and academic library patrons across the state, now have access to a truly incredible collection of online videos.

North Carolinians can now view some of the best and most popular PBS educational and documentary programming from home, work, school, or wherever they connect to the Internet.  Conveniently available through NC LIVE -- North Carolina's virtual library cooperative -- students, faculty, and library patrons from the state's 197 public and academic libraries can enjoy and learn from nearly 400 PBS programs including the Emmy award winning series "American Experience" and "Frontline," as well as groundbreaking programs such as Ken Burns' "The Civil War, " "Baseball," and "Jazz."

Children's videos are also available, including children's programming such as the highly acclaimed "Cyberchase" and "Liberty Kids" series.


"People have had to wait until the program was scheduled for broadcast or rent or borrow the tape or DVD was available at their library or video store," said NC LIVE Executive Director Tim Rogers, "but now they can get access when and where they need it, and at no charge to them."

NC LIVE is the first virtual library cooperative to offer statewide access to the PBS programs.  Braswell Memorial Library is an NC LIVE library.  To use NC LIVE at home, you must have a library card and obtain a password from the library - call 442-1951 for more information on how to do this.

Library Board of Trustees

Catherine Combs, Chair
Alice S. Thorp, Vice-Chair
Christopher McPhatter, Secretary      
Rev. E. Wayne Hines, Treasurer
Steven M. Aloi
Charlotte Timberlake Battle
Ann P. Edge
R. Kenyon Ripley, Jr.
Darrell C. Terry
Ex Officio Members
      Lorenzo Carmon
      Katherine Lucas
      Richard McMahon
      Robert M. Murphy
      Stephen W. Raper