“ProCon.org, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonpartisan public charity, provides professionally-researched pro, con, and related information on more than 50 controversial issues from gun control and death penalty to illegal immigration and alternative energy. Using the fair, FREE, and unbiased resources at ProCon.org, millions of people each year learn new facts, think critically about both sides of important issues, and strengthen their minds and opinions.”
News: fake, real, and everything in between. A roadmap for the rest of us. February 24, 2017
Posted by youngm2015 in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes.Tags: FakeNews, MediaLiteracy
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In November 2016, The Stanford History Education Group published the results of their one and a half year study to determine the civic online reasoning skills (ability to reason about the information on the Internet) of 7,804 students across 12 states. Here is what they found:
Our “digital natives” may be able to flit between Facebook and Twitter while simultaneously uploading a selfie to Instagram and texting a friend. But when it comes to evaluating information that flows through social media channels, they are easily duped….
(See the report here).
One national conversation that has taken place since our presidential election has largely been focused around what is or isn’t news, what sources we can trust, and how to tell the difference. The Students in Stanford’s study are not the only ones who have trouble distinguishing between sources. Adults have trouble too, and our time spent on facebook seems to contribute largely to the dissemination of fake news.
Dean Miller writes in his article, Why we Need News Literacy Now:
When in doubt, look at the nonpartisan fact checking sites listed below to see what they have to say about a news story in question.
“A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, this nonpartisan and nonprofit site monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. The site’s goal is to “apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.”
“Opensecrets.org is the most comprehensive resource for federal campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. And for other organizations and news media, the Center’s exclusive data powers their online features tracking money in politics – counting cash to make change. The OpenSecrets Blog features newsbreaking original reporting about money-in-politics, including the sort of investigative work that won the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2013 award for Public Service in Online Journalism.”
“PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, as is PunditFact, a site devoted to fact-checking pundits. The PolitiFact state sites are run by news organizations that have partnered with the Times. The state sites and PunditFact follow the same principles as the national site. PolitiFact staffers research statements and rate their accuracy on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get the lowest rating, Pants on Fire.
Snopes.com is an independent entity owned by its operators, Barbara and David Mikkelson. Their only funding is from advertising. This website attempts to debunk and validate urban legends, Internet rumors and other stories of uncertain origin.
Tax Resources February 21, 2017
Posted by youngm2015 in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes.add a comment
Still working on your taxes? We have a limited supply of forms here at the Steele Memorial Library. So far, we have no state instruction books. We know this is a stressful time of year, so we’re sharing some clickable resources here to hopefully make it easier to find what you need.
To Order Forms To Be Mailed To Your Home:
IRS Forms & Publications by Mail
To Download & Print Forms:
[from your home computer, or the library computer]
IRS Forms & Publications
**** You will need to know the specific form numbers and publications that you want as well as making sure that you are obtaining the correct year.
(Librarians can print out forms for you at $0.10 per page.)
Local Tax Assistance
Southern Tier CA$H Sites for Chemung County
Offers free tax preparation services. Program is designed to help local residents claim the Earned Income Tax Credit; state and federal income tax preparation is available at no charge, to income eligible residents. Taxes are prepared by trained, certified volunteers. Free electronic filing is available in most cases. This service is provided through a collaboration of non-profit agencies.
AARP’s Tax-Aide is a program to provide income tax assistance to older and/or lower income persons. Enter your zip code to find the tax help location nearest you.
** NOTE ** Only current during the January – April tax season
Additional Listings For The Elmira Area
Offers these services to assist with tax preparation and filing.
Federal Forms & Information
Get Forms & Publications By Mail
Which Form—1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ?
New York State Forms & Information
NYS Department of Taxation and Finance
How to Contact the NYS Tax Department
Other State Tax Forms
Links to tax forms for all 50 U.S. states from the Federation of Tax Administrators.
Filing Online
The IRS provides this FreeFile page. Links to a “Help Me Find A Free File Company” option, as well as “I Will Choose A Free File Company” option.
Beneficial Bits ‘n Bytes: Our amazing world and universe. October 12, 2016
Posted by youngm2015 in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes, Reference.add a comment
Hi everybody, Maggie here with the latest installment of free websites to improve your life.
Recently with so many affected by Hurricane Matthew, I was looking for worldwide and up to the minute weather views. I stumbled upon Ventusky.com, the site below, and I’ve included some other sites to expand our minds and understanding of where we live on a global scale. I hope you enjoy and learn something new. Here we go!
Real-time current weather patterns worldwide. https://www.ventusky.com/
Also real-time world weather with highly customizable views. https://earth.nullschool.net/
Had enough of this world? Explore google sky. https://www.google.com/sky/
Or get the free google earth download <https://www.google.com/earth/> to visit and explore the earth, stars, moon, AND Mars!
Can you think of any other sites that help you understand the earth and beyond? Share in the comments.
Beneficial Bits ‘n Bytes: Free Digital Magazines July 12, 2016
Posted by CCLD in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes, Uncategorized.Tags: digital magazines, zinio
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Zinio for Libraries offers our library members access to over 180 popular magazine titles, and many back issues as well. Browse or search the collection and view magazines in full-color. There are no holds, no loan period, and no limits to the number of magazines you can check out.
Click on the Zinio box that is displayed on your library’s home page and that will lead you to our digital magazines. You can create an account by clicking on the link in the upper right hand corner of the page or you can begin browsing the collection immediately and once you click on a selection, you will be prompted to set up your account. When you have your account set up, and you are logged in, you will see a My Collection link where you will manage the magazines you have checked out to your account.
Magazines can be read online in the browser with a Windows or Mac computer. Download checked-out magazines to apps for iPad, iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire/HD/HDX which enables you to read the content offline.
Zinio for Libraries is easily accessed and has an incredible selection of magazines to choose from!
Connie Ogilvie, Librarian
Chemung County Library District
Beneficial Bits ‘n Bytes: Lynda.com May 18, 2016
Posted by youngm2015 in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes, Technology.add a comment
Are you ready to take the next step in your job or hobby but just don’t have the skills you need in one crucial area?
Do you need to learn Excel in order to be considered for a promotion? Do you want to learn how to build databases through Access? Do you need tutorials on Computer Aided Drafting for the next career move?
These classes are available for free, on demand, through your library. The Chemung County Library District is proud to offer all its patrons free access to lynda.com–a treasure trove of online classes in specialized topics. All you need is a library card and the Internet to access this information. (If you don’t have internet at home, come to the library for free wifi and to use a computer here).
To get to lynda.com, click on the lynda.com button that appears on our home page: http://ccld.lib.ny.us/
Beneficial Bits n’ Bytes – Reference Sites March 12, 2016
Posted by CCLD in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes, Reference.Tags: beneficial bits n' bytes, Reference
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Listed below are a small sampling of freely accessible reference sites that provide information about very popular topics. As you scroll to the bottom of the page, you will find important links that can assist you on which presidential candidate you wish to vote for in the New York State primary and November general election.
USDA’s Local Food Directory
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/local-regional/food-directories
Looking find locally grown produce with this site, you can find the nearest farmer’s market, farmers who sell locally grown produce to consumers? The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Services Local Foods Directory is fantastic Free resources.
Ever wondered what the all those counter-intuitive abbreviations people type in text messages such as ROFLOL? Net Lingo is a concise dictionary that will solve the seemingly unsolvable.
Smithsonian Onlinehttp://sova.si.edu/
A digital collection of 7,171 items from the renowned Smithsonian Institution.
A site dedicated to investigating rumors propagated by fake news sites or urban legends. This site created by David Mikkelson, who has over 20 years’ experience as a professional researcher and writer.
As we march towards electing a new president, members of congress and other elected officials, Project vote smart aspires to, “to provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to ALL Americans.”
Ever wonder if claims from presidential candidates that seem unbelievable are true or not? This site may satisfy your curiosity. FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.
Open Secrets provides details of financial contributions to political campaigns and the net worth of office holders and candidates. This site enables all who visit to, “follow the money.”
Owen Frank, Branch Supervisor
Chemung County Library District
Beneficial Bits n’ Bytes – BookMyne December 1, 2015
Posted by CCLD in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes, Technology.Tags: apps, beneficial bits n' bytes, BookMyne, catalog, searching, technology
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Have you ever had a conversation about books or movies and thought to yourself ‘When I get home I will search on my computer to see if I can borrow the book or movie from the library’, then when you get on your computer, you’ve forgotten the title or author? If you have a smart phone or tablet, I suggest that you download and install BookMyne.
What is BookMyne?
BookMyne is a mobile app that allows users to search and place holds on items contained within the Southern Tier Automated Regional Catalog (STARCat). The app is available on both Android and IOS (Apple) platforms.
How Do I get it?
Go to the Play Store (for android devices) or the App Store (for iPhones or iPads) and download to your smartphone or tablet.
How do I set up?
1. After installing the app, tap on “Find Library” toward the bottom of the screen.
2. Tap on your library from the list and then tap on “Add This Library”.
I’ve installed BookMyne, and added my library now what?
Tap on “My Account” (you will be prompted for your library card number and PIN). Once logged into your account you can view and renew checkouts, view/edit/remove/suspend holds, and view fines and profile info.
Can I search for books?
1. Tap on Search.
2. Type desired keyword(s) in the search box (1).
3. Tap one of the limiter fields (2) (Note: All Fields is the default).
4. Tap the search icon (3)
If you are in a bookstore, You can even scan the book’s barcode.
1. Tap on “Barcode Scanner”.
2. Scan the book’s UPC barcode with your smartphone or tablet’s camera.
Can I place holds with BookMyne?
Yes you can!
1. Tap on an item in your search result (Note: You can tap on the check boxes for multiple items as well.)
2. Tap on “Place Hold” (if you have not already done so, you will be prompted to login to your account.)
3. When prompted to select pickup location (this corresponds to the library you chose when you first installed the app), tap “Save”.
3. Tap on “Place Hold”.
Owen Frank, Branch Supervisor
Beneficial Bits n’ Bytes – Unbiased App Reviews June 17, 2015
Posted by CCLD in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes.Tags: app reviews, apps, beneficial bits n' bytes, reviews, smartphone, tablet, technology, unbiased reviews
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So often we rely on users’ opinions and our friends’ suggestions on what apps we download to our smartphones and tablets. Sometimes our friends and other reviewers are wrong. Luckily there are other sources to find unbiased reviews of apps. Below are a few excellent unbiased sources available online:
An easy to navigate site that allows you to select Android, Apple, or Windows phone interfaces. | |
An excellent site that provides reviews for educational apps intended for children. According the website, “Common Sense is dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology by providing unbiased information, trusted advice, and innovative tools to help them harness the power of media and technology as a positive force in all kids’ lives.” https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews | |
Another unbiased source for reading reviews of apps intended for children. http://www.slj.com/category/reviews/apps/ |
Owen Frank–Branch Supervisor
Chemung County Library District
Beneficial Bits n’ Bytes – Newspapers Online June 11, 2015
Posted by youngm2015 in Beneficial Bits n' Bytes, Genealogy / Local History.Tags: beneficial bits n' bytes, historical newspapers, newspapers
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Researching newspaper articles is a great way to get primary source information on a topic of interest. They’ve never been more accessible to everyone, either, all you need is an Internet connection and some trusty sites to search. Here are some ideas to get you started.
1. NYS Historical newspapers: http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/
Very easy to use site to browse news articles from New York. Just click on a county to begin browsing. Free to everyone. Not all counties are up on this site yet.
2. Fulton History: http://fultonhistory.com/my%20photo%20albums/all%20newspapers/index.html
A site begun by one man in his own home, it originally was just to share postcard pictures of Fulton, NY with his neighbors. He really took off with this site, however, and has personally uploaded more historical newspapers to his site than Chronicling America, through the National Library of Congress, has been able to add. Cons: It’s not easy to search right off the bat, but people can get the hang of it. Click on the Index at the top to get a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of all the titles available and their dates. Also, try a Google search <http://www.google.com>for the topic + fulton history. Example: “Rorick’s Glen fulton history.” Google will bring you newspaper pages from the site with the articles of interest.
3. Speaking of Chronicling America, here is a link to the Library of Congress site: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Free online newspapers, more being added all the time.
4. Here’s a directory of newspapers on the web, also through the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/oltitles.html
Not all of the links are free, some are more effective than others, but it gives a great overview of sites all over the United States.
5. Last but not least, The Library of Australia has digitized all of their country’s historical newspapers. It’s a great site and very exciting to search. Let’s hope the U.S. takes note of what they’ve done and follows suit!