Affordable Care Act 101 for Small Businesses
Thursday, December 19
2:00- 3:00 p.m. Eastern
From the Small Business Administration, and Small Business Majority, this webinar will focus on what the new healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, means for small businesses. It will focus on both federal and state provisions to help local small business owners understand how the law will affect them.
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Tuesday, January 7
3:30- 4:30 p.m. Eastern
Do you help patrons build resumes or search for jobs? This one hour webinar will introduce you to the new FEL resource, Career Transitions. Career Transitions helps library patrons, find jobs, create resumes and prepare for interviews. Learn how to use Career Transitions, and how to support job searchers using this powerful tool.
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Stay Informed:
E-Government in Florida Public Libraries
Tuesday, January 14
2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern
Join Pam Thompson for an online discussion of E-Government services in Florida libraries. |
Division Update with Judi Ring
Wednesday,
January 29
10:00-11:00 a.m. Eastern
Judith A. Ring will provide an update on the activities of the Division of Library and Information Services, including the status of statewide projects and an overview of activities, issues and programs that impact the Florida library community. Join colleagues from around the state for this free webinar, and your opportunity to interact with the Division Director. |
Money Smart Week @ Your Library
April 5-12, 2014
Participate in "Money Smart Week @ your library," a national initiative in its fourth year. It is a partnership between the ALA and the Federal Reserve Bank (Chicago) to provide financial literacy programming.
Libraries of all types participate by providing programming on topics such as: basic budgeting, managing student debt, retirement planning, home purchasing, saving money through couponing, and how to prevent identity theft.
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Webinar Recordings
Did you miss the Project Connect: Remployment Assistance webinar?
You can access archived recordings of this and other Division webinars.
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It is never too early, or too late, to improve the way we spend our money. This newsletter focuses on programming ideas and resources to help your patrons avoid mistakes, and help them control their financial futures with greater certainty.
Pam Thompson
850.245.6633
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Financial Literacy
The pressures of the holiday season can create a high level of financial anxiety for your patrons. Below are resources and programming ideas to help strengthen patron's financial literacy skills and help relieve the pressure:
Your Money Matters, part of Florida's Department of Financial Services', is a one stop website to help your patrons access the resources and tools they need to take control of their finances and ensure bright financial futures for their families. This site includes such topics as: credit and debt, life events, savings and spending, small businesses and more.
360 Degrees of Financial Literacy: This free program from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) helps Americans understand and make sound decisions about their personal finances through every stage of life. Just a few of the topics include: credit and debt, budgeting and spending, family financial planning and many calculators to help manage personal finances.
Practical Money Skills for Life: Visa has partnered with leading consumer advocates, educators, and financial institutions to develop the Practical Money Skills program. Patrons of all ages can learn the essentials of personal finance through free educational resources, including personal finance articles, games and lesson plans. Program materials can be downloaded or ordered by mail.
MyMoney.gov: This U.S. government website is dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education. Whether your patrons are buying a home, balancing their checkbooks, or investing in a 401(k), these resources can help them maximize their financial decisions. Resources include: lesson plans, tip sheets, guidance and many tools for teaching financial capability.
Money: This GCFLearnFree.org site provides tutorials and learning interactives that range from very basic money skills, like checking cash back or paying bills, to useful money management tips for budgeting, retirement planning, smart shopping and more.
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Nonprofits and Charities
Charities are not immune to budget cuts, yet they face increasing public demand for their services. With over 2 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S., competition for donations has become intense, especially during the holidays. Below are a few resources to help your patrons check the validity of a charity, and help them spend their charity dollars wisely: Division of Corporations: The Florida Not For Profit Corporation Act requires a nonprofit corporation to register with the Florida Department of State. Your patrons can find nonprofit registration information through the division's online search site. Gift Givers' Guide: Your patrons can view the online Guide to look up financial summaries of charitable organizations that are registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Florida Solicitation of Contributions Act requires anyone who solicits donations in Florida to register with the department and renew annually. Patrons may also file a complaint against a charity with the department.
Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance: The Wise Giving Alliance can help your patrons make informed giving decisions, and promotes high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public. Evaluations are done without charge to the charity, and are posted for free public access on the Alliance website. Charity Navigator: Charity Navigator is America's largest charity rater. The website had over 6.2 million visits in 2012 alone, and impacts approximately $10 billion of charitable donations each year. GuideStar: Gathers and disseminates information about every single IRS registered nonprofit organization through their website. Basic searching is free. IRS Tax Exempt Organizations: This online search tool allows your patrons to select an exempt organization and check information about its federal tax status and filings. It is an efficient way to search for organizations that are eligible to receive tax deductible charitable contributions, or have had their tax exempt status revoked. |
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Scams and Frauds
Clever schemes are used to defraud millions of people every year. They often combine sophisticated technology with age old tricks to get people to send money, or give out personal information. Below are resources with information and practical tips to help patrons stay one step ahead:
Consumer Frauds and Scams: This USA.gov site helps you and your patrons protect your money from a wide variety of scams and frauds in areas such as: credit cards, banking, ATMs and the Internet. The site also provides information on current scams you should be aware of.
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Can You Help?
 Does your library plan to participate in Money Smart Week @ Your Library this year? Share your plans and programming ideas with other libraries by emailing Pam Thompson, or calling 850.245.6633. |
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This program is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Florida Department of State's Division of Library and Information Services. |
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