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!

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.

 

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).

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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

 

6 PM

 

Thursday, April 10, 4 PM 

FOR CHILDREN

FOR ADULTS

 

present

 

 

 

Mondays at 10:30 AM

Babies to 3 years old

 

Tuesdays at 11 AM

3 to 5 year olds

 

By appointment only*

 

By appointment only*

 

*Call 252-442-1951 ext. 235 to schedule an appointment

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.