The New York Times -- for a fee, or for free?

If you've been keeping up with the New York Times through their website instead of as a newspaper, you've probably come across their announcement that they will no longer allow their online audience to read an unlimited number of articles for free. This could put a dent in your plan to save money while you stay informed with "all the news that's fit to print" on the web.

(Just a thought -- is the news still printed if it appears online?) But as a Stratford library card holder, you have other options. The Library has an electronic subscription to the New York Times with no limits on how often you can use it -- so that's available to you 24/7. There is no limit to how often a library user can read the entire newspaper (and the archive back to 1985) for free through our electronic subscription. Here's the step-by-step.

1) Go to the library's website, http://www.stratfordlibrary.org/.

2) Click on "Get it online with your library card"

3) Then click on "Search by subject" tab.

4) Choose "Current events and News."

5) Choose the New York Times -- or one of the other newspapers we subscribe to in that list, including the Christian Science Monitor or the Times of London.

6) You will be taken to the statewide iConn website, where you will enter the number on the back of your library card under the barcode. This logs you into the New York Times, provided by a service called InfoTrac.

So take advantage of your status as a library card holder, and read the New York Times online to your heart's content.

Caring for your car

With the price of gas breaking the $4 mark, there is every reason to keep your car running efficiently. The library can help. One of the useful services the library subscribes to is the "Automotive Repair Reference Center," which is available online (for free) to anyone with a Stratford library card-- in the library or from your home computer.

This service gives you access to Repair Procedures, Service Bulletins and Recalls, and Wiring Diagrams for most US and foreign cars and noncommercial trucks back to the 1970s.

You may be saying to yourself, "Oh, I would never fix my own car." But even so, this service contains high-priority info alerts called "service bulletins" which can help every car owner, whether they consider themselves handy or not.

Service Bulletins are reports from the car manufacturers about common problems cropping up with certain models. If you look up your own vehicle (say, a 2007 Honda Civic) you will find a list of problems that the manufacturer thought were serious enough to tell mechanics, but not serious enough to warrant a recall. For instance, if your 2007 Honda Civic car clock has been randomly flashing the wrong time, you are not alone! Honda has figured out what makes this happen and you can get that problem solved, pronto.

And for those of you who do like to put on the overalls and break out the wrenches, the repair procedures include step-by-step instructions for repairing the car from bumper to bumper, with helpful diagrams and photographs.

To try out the Automotive Repair Reference Center, go to the library's webpage at http://www.stratfordlibrary.org/ and click on "Get it Online with your library card."

The Automotive Repair Reference Center is one of the services listed on that first page of resources. Call us at 203-385-4164 if you have any questions about using this service!

Some things never change -- reading old newspapers

Everyone knows the thrill of opening up an old trunk in an attic, or pulling up floorboards in an old house, and finding an old newspaper tucked away. Every item in an old newspaper is fascinating once enough time has gone by, whether it's the ad for groceries that cost one-tenth of what they cost now, or the colorful language that reporters used to drum up interest in local crimes and scandals.

One of the newspapers you have access to online (with your Stratford Library card) is the historical Hartford Courant newspaper, which literally includes article beginning in 1764 and goes to 1922. While today the Hartford Courant focuses on the Hartford region, in the first 100 years of its life the Courant was "the" major newspaper for Connecticut, and covered all regions, including Stratford.

Searching for the keyword "Stratford" in the historical Courant database brings up some very interesting old items.

In this 1768 letter to the editor (shown at the top of this post), a resident of New Milford is complaining that a recent story in the paper about a gang of counterfeiters had falsely identified the criminals as coming from New Milford. Not so, says the letter-writer -- they were arrested in New Milford, but the miscreants were actually residents of Stratford.

If you'd like to explore the historical Hartford Courant yourself, click on this "Get it online" logo at the library's website and then choose "Search by subject." The historical Hartford Courant is listed under "Current events and news," and also under "Genealogy."

Support the Stratford Library

The Mayor's proposed budget for the Stratford Library will be discussed at several public meetings next week. If the proposed cuts are not altered by the Town Council, the reduced library budget will result in cuts to library hours, cancellation of programs for all ages, reduction of staff, and fewer new materials to borrow.

Library supporters will have an opportunity to show their enthusiasm for the services, programs and materials the library has always provided, free of charge, to all residents, at three public meetings. The times and locations are shown below.

Even if you do not wish to speak, simply attending a meeting and wearing a red shirt or jacket helps support the library. Wear red to show = I am a library supporter.

Opportunities to address Town Council

• Monday, April 11, 6 pm at Town Hall
• Wednesday, April 13, 6:30 pm at Bunnell High School
• Thursday, April. 14, 6:30 pm at Stratford High School

Poem of the Day: Ogden Nash

April is Poetry Month! And our "Poem a day" display is up and running. To fit in with today's April Fool's theme, we feature three poems by Ogden Nash.

The Duck

Behold the duck.
It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks.
It quacks.
It is specially fond
Of a puddle or pond.
When it dines or sups,
It bottoms ups.

The Ostrich

The ostrich roams the great Sahara
Its mouth is wide, its neck is narra.
It has such long and lofty legs
I’m glad it sits to lay its eggs.

The Fly

God in his wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why.

Poem in Your Pocket Day
Thursday, April 14, 2011

Take a day for poetry this April, and join the Academy of American Poets in celebrating the third national “Poem in Your Pocket Day”, Thursday, April 14.

The idea is simple: select a poem, pocket it, carry it, and share it with family friends, and coworkers throughout the day. For more information or ideas on pocket poems, visit poets.org/pocket. Here are some easy ways to celebrate:

• Keep a favorite poem in your pocket to read during the day at a local park.
• Organize a lunch-time event at your workplace and invite your colleagues to share a meal and a poem.
• Selecte a special poem from Poets.org and email it to a friend.
• Put a poem in a loved one's lunchbox, backpack or briefcase.

For more ideas and free downloadable pocket poems, visit poets.org/pocket or, of course, visit us at the Stratford Library to enjoy the many books of poetry, classic and brand-new, that we have to lend you.

The library helps your personal bottom line

Times are tough all over, and it's a good time for you to know all the different free services that are available at the public library. Here are some of our ideas for saving your pennies and getting the most out of Stratford's biggest bargain: your public library.

Budget buster: Pay Netflix $9.99 a month for their best deal on DVDs. Budget smart: Borrow as many movies as you want from the library for free -- on DVD or download from home. Savings: $9.99 a month.

Budget buster: Buy ten songs a week from iTunes. Budget smart: Borrow as many CDs as you want from the newest hits to old school -- or download songs from our library website. Savings: $9.99 per CD

Budget buster: Sign up for Internet access along with your phone so all your services are conveniently together - and your monthly bill is large, too. Budget smart: Use the library’s PCs with free Internet. Have a laptop? Our wifi is free too. Savings: $30 per month.

Budget buster: Spend $50 on a romantic dinner out in a restaurant for your sweetie. Budget smart: Use the library’s cookbooks to plan a meal, then shop for ingredients ($15.00) and make a romantic dinner at home. Savings: $35 on dinner for two.

Budget buster: Pick up Cosmo or Sports Illustrated when you see them at the grocery store. Budget smart: Read the latest magazines at the library for free. Savings: $5.00 per magazine.

Budget buster: You found a great airfare to Puerto Rico for spring break, so you buy a Spanish language CD at the airport bookstore to brush up on your Espanol on the plane. Budget smart: Borrow your travel guides and language CDs at the library for free. We have downloadable language tutorials too. Savings: $9.95 - $29.95 for travel guides and language CDs.

Budget buster: You always like to have the newest cell phone, the coolest car, and the biggest TV as soon as they come out. Budget smart: See what Consumer Reports has to say about the best cell phone plans, flat screen TVs, and credit cards before spending your hard-earned cash. The Library's subscription to Consumer Reports is available from home online as well as in the familiar magazine at the library. Savings: Tens or hundreds of dollars by choosing the best products for you and your budget.

If you'd like to learn about these or any other services offered by the Stratford Library, come pay us a visit, or call us at 203-385-4164. We'd love to tell you about Stratford's biggest bargain: your public library.