WV Wills Week--Library resources

Wills, Trusts, and Advance Directives

The Reference Department at the Martinsburg Public Library has resources that can help you make choices about wills, trusts, advance directives, and end-of-life decisions.

Since we never know when an accident or a serious illness might leave us incapable of making our own decisions, making the choice to have these documents in place can save the persons whom you love and for whom you care a lot of stress during trying times.

Having  a will versus dying “intestate” (without a will) means a lesser chance that there will be a conflict between family members and survivors of the deceased, since the will sets forth clearly the manner in which property and assets should be divided following your death.  To be legal, a will should not be witnessed by persons who will benefit from its provisions (including a spouse) and it should have all signatures, including those of the testator (maker) and all witnesses, attested to by a notary public.  A trust is another option, which provides for control of property or assets over an extended period of time while transferring ownership through the terms of the document. 

Other documents, known as advance directives, let your family and doctor know your decisions for health care if you become unable to make those decisions for yourself. The state of West Virginia recognizes two types of written advance directives, which are a Living Will and a Medical Power of Attorney.

The library has books providing further details about these documents and copies of all of these types of forms which you can use to complete these important decisions that will make a difference to the people you love.

Some important titles of interest on the legal bookshelf in the Reference Department include: 

Estate Planning in West Virginia: Real Answers to Real Questions

Estate Planning Basics

Nolo’s Simple Will Book

Prepare Your Own Will

Plan Your Estate: Protect Your Loved Ones, Property & Finances

Fire in Martinsburg on September 16, 1912--Read all about it!

This Month in Local History, September 16, 1912

On September 16, 1912, Martinsburg publication “The Evening Journal” reported on the destruction of a local industry that occurred on the previous day.  West Virginia experienced the loss of the Stewart Vehicle Plant which is cited as one of the largest vehicle industries in this part of the country at that time.  The blaze destroyed hundreds of vehicles along with industrial materials that were stored in the facilities.  Firefighting tactics were described in their valiant attempts to contain the blaze, and the fire was reported to be visible from Hagerstown and surrounding areas.

This historic news story and many others can be accessed from the extensive local historic publications maintained at the Martinsburg Public Library.  This headline appears in the Martinsburg publication “The Evening Journal”, which began publication in 1907.  The Microfilm Collection includes newspapers of Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan Counties in West Virginia from 1791 to present. Copies may be printed from a microfilm reader at the cost of 10 cents per copy or page images may be transferred onto your own USB drive at no cost.

Medical Dictionaries

Medical Dictionaries

Medical terminology can be hard enough for medical students to learn, let alone anyone else. Say your doctor has told you that you should begin taking a particular drug. You want to know more information about what the drug is for, how to take it, and whether there are any side effects that you should know about. Maybe you weren't expecting to need a new medication, and you forget to ask your doctor some of the questions you have. When you call his office, he's unavailable. Is there a way to find out what you need to know?

"The Physician's Desk Reference" is one resource that we keep to help with questions like this. It is kept behind the reference desk so that the librarian there can pull it out quickly for people who have questions about prescription medicines. Maybe you are curious about Eliquis which you are supposed to begin taking to prevent you from having a stroke. You come to the library, ask for "The Physician's Desk Reference," and look up your new medication. You glance over the recommended dosage, and you read the side effects. One is "bleeding," which seems straightforward. But the first side effect is "Increased risk of thrombotic events after premature discontinuation." You stop and stare--and stare some more.

What should your first step be? You can look up medical terms on the internet, of course, but having an authoritative source of information is important--this medicine is going down your throat, after all. If you want a source that you know you can trust, your safest bet might be a medical dictionary.

Medical dictionaries only include words that are related to medical and health topics. Many medical dictionaries include illustrations to help you understand what a condition (warts, anyone?) looks like. They include common medical terms like "arthritis," offering specific definitions of different varieties of the condition. And then there are the extremely unfamiliar terms. "Under "A," you can find words like "apraxia," "arcus senilis," and "avulsion." Under "Z," you can find "zeolite," "zonulitis,"

and "zygoma."

 

Some of our medical dictionaries are available in the reference section, but others can be checked out. For a reference book with some good illustrations, try "Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary." Or, if you would like to take a medical dictionary home, a copy of "Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary" is available for checkout in out nonfiction section.

HISTORICAL TREASURES IN THE LIBRARY:  ANTIQUE BOOK CAROUSEL

The antique Arts and Crafts-style revolving oak bookcase on the top floor of the Martinsburg Public Library was once located in another building which previously stood on the same spot as the library over 100 years ago.

The revolving bookcase, or book carousel, belonged to the Martinsburg Public Library Association, founded by Newton D. Baker in 1897 and housed in two rooms on the second floor of the Flick Building (later known as the Wiltshire Building) on the southwest corner of the public square, which became the site of the present Martinsburg Public Library in 1967.  (The fireplace mantel in the central area on the top floor of the library was also a fixture from the Wiltshire Building.)

The carousel, over 6 feet tall and shaped like an oriental pagoda with a peaked shake “roof,” is carved with heraldic shields and subject categories (history, politics, poetry, art, science, travel, religion, fiction, biography, mechanics, commerce, sociology).   The name of the Tabard Inn, carved on one side of the bookcase, is a reference to the famous inn which was located in Southwark near London, the traditional starting place of the pilgrims in the prologue of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.  An inscription going around all four sides along the top reads as follows:  “The Best Reading Rooms in the United States are the Homes of the American People.”

The Tabard Inn Library was a membership library founded by Seymour Eaton in 1902.  Revolving bookcases were placed in drugstores, hotels, public libraries, and other commercial establishments throughout the United States. After paying an initial life membership of $3, members could exchange books on any revolving bookcase for an additional 5 cents which was deposited into a compartment in the bookcase. However, the library scheme was short-lived, ending when Eaton was declared bankrupt in March 1905.

The bookcase was moved with the library when the early Martinsburg library changed its location to the corner of West King Street and College Streets around 1905 and then again in 1910 when the library was moved into the John Street School.  Afterwards, due to the lack of support and funding, the library was closed in less than a year after that final move.  A public library did not exist again in Martinsburg until 1926.

The book carousel remained in the attic of the John Street School for over 50 years until the current public library was opened on the town square in 1968. Through the efforts of Mrs. Madeline Miller Griffith, a teacher at the John Street School, it was returned in 1969 to the new public library building where it has found its permanent home.

Biographies at the Library

Biographies at the Library

A lot of people like reading about people. That's one reason that the library's fiction sections are very popular. But what if you prefer factual books about real people? Where should you look?

If you would like to browse, then you can head up to our biography section, which is located on the second floor of the library. Biographies are shelved in the 920s and 921s. Books in the 920s tell about the lives of more than one person. Sometimes the people are a couple (e.g., "Elizabeth and Philip:

The Untold Story of the Queen of England and Her Prince" by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley), are members of the same family ("The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys," by Doris Kearns Goodwin), or share something else in common, such as the same profession ("Women of the

World: The Great Foreign Correspondents" by Julia Edwards), or same ethnic group ("Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish" by Abigail Pogrebin).

Individual biographies are located in the 921s. These are arranged by last name, so if you are interested in biographies about a specific person (say, Thomas Jefferson), you can go to the 921s and then look for their name (the spine labels for books on Jefferson start with 921 J).

What if you don't find the person you are looking for in the 921s? First of all, search for their name in our online catalog. Sometimes books have information about the life of a person but don't quite qualify as biographies. This can be especially true for celebrities or sports figures--"Elvis Presley: A Southern Life" is located in the 921s with the other biographies, while "Elvis: The King Remembered" is in the 782s.

If you are having difficulty finding what you are looking for, just ask at the reference desk. The librarian there can help you track down a book, find an encyclopedia with biographical information, or--if the library does not have any information on the person you are interested in--order a biography through interlibrary loan.

submitted by Elizabeth Johnston

Medical Dictionaries

Medical Dictionaries

Medical terminology can be hard enough for medical students to learn, let alone anyone else. You can look up medical terms on the internet, of course, but what if you have a long list of terms you need to understand? What if having an authoritative source of information is important, and you don't have the time to search everything individually? In that case, a medical dictionary might be your best bet.

Medical dictionaries only include words that are related to medical and health topics. Many medical dictionaries include illustrations to help you understand what a condition (warts, anyone?) looks like. They include common medical terms like "arthritis," offering specific definitions of different varieties of the condition. And then there are the extremely unfamiliar terms. "Under "A," you can find words like "apraxia," "arcus senilis," and "avulsion." Under "Z," you can find "zeolite," "zonulitis," and "zygoma."

Some of our medical dictionaries are available in the reference section, but others can be checked out. For a reference book with some good illustrations, try "Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary." Or, if you would like to take a medical dictionary home, a copy of "Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary" is available for checkout in our nonfiction section.

Submitted by Elizabeth Johnston

HISTORICAL TREASURES AT THE LIBRARY, Part 3

HISTORICAL TREASURES AT THE LIBRARY, Part 3

The Mantz Tobacco Shop Indian Statue

     This antique wooden cigar-store Indian stood at the Mantz tobacco shop on North Queen Street in Martinsburg in the early 1900s.  American Indian figures have always been associated with tobacco-selling shops, possibly because they introduced the European settlers to tobacco, a crop native to America.  Perhaps the most distinct and recognizable form of American folk art, the cigar store Indian was once a familiar sight along busy Victorian streets.

     Because of the general illiteracy of the population, early store owners used figures or symbols to advertise their shops' wares, For example, barber poles advertised barber shops, show globes advertised apothecaries, and three gold balls represented pawn shops. All of these items are still occasionally used for their original advertising purposes but are more often seen as decorations or advertising collectibles.

    “Mantz’ Tobacco Box” had been in operation as far back as 1898, according to the Martinsburg city directory of that year, distributing fine tobacco and cigars, with a pool room in the rear.  It was located at 137 North Queen Street and was owned and operated by Charles A. Mantz, and later by his son, Frank B. “Lanky” Mantz, until it closed in 1960.

     The over four-foot-tall statue is made of wood, but it is covered with a white plaster-like coating that protects it and serves as a base for the paint.  The imposing, colorful figure has brown skin, a dark green tunic dress, and red and gold head feathers.  With a hatchet in one hand and a bunch of cigars clutched in the other, he served as a symbol to lovers of a good smoke that a tobacco shop was located at that street address.

     The Indian statue was donated to the Martinsburg Public Library by Dr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Porterfield in 1978.  The Friends of the Martinsburg Library donated the clear plastic exhibit case which now houses it where it is located near the King Street entrance to the main floor.

"Resources for Aspiring Writers"

"Resources for Aspiring Writers"

If you've ever been curious about how stories are written--or if you want to write a book yourself--then the library has a lot to offer you. From books on writing for different age groups and genres, to books on the publishing process, the library collection includes many resources to introduce people to the world of writing.

Are you interested in writing for children? Try "The Everything Guide to Writing Children's Books" by Lesley Bolton. Would you like to learn about writing in a speculative genre? Orson Scott Card's book "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" is a good option. Mystery fans might appreciate Martin Roth's "The Crime Writer's Reference Guide" or Hallie Ephron's "Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel." If you would rather create a good love story, check out "The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel" by Christie Craig. And the book "Many Genres, One Craft:

Lessons in Writing Popular Fiction" offers a compilation of articles by a variety of established writers on how to achieve success in their chosen genres. 

There are also guides that focus more on the publishing process. Many of these are published yearly to keep the information up-to-date. Older copies are in the regular nonfiction section and are available for check out. Our most recent guides are kept in the reference section, where you can look them over and copy any information that you need. General publishing guides include:

*"Guide to Literary Agents"

*"Novel & Short Story Writer's Market"

*"Writer's Market"

There are also more specialized publishing-related guides:

*"Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market"

*"The Christian Writer's Market Guide"

*"Poet's Market"

*"Screenwriter's & Playwright's Market"

Come to the library to make your entrance into the world of writing!

--Submitted by Elizabeth Johnston

CELEBRATE ODDFEST: WEIRD, WILD, AND WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINIA

ODDFEST:  WEIRD, WILD, AND WONDERFUL 

WEST VIRGINIA

         In celebration of Oddfest WV (on the weekend of June 27-28), the Martinsburg Library will be having an exhibit of unusual items in the front display cases for the whole month of June.  Persons visiting the library will have the opportunity to fill out a contest form and guess what each of these items is.  At the end of the month, we will find out who has given the most correct answers!

         A selection of books about West Virginia and some of the many things that make it unique will also be on display in the front cases.  Stop by the West Virginia shelf on the top floor of the library to browse a large collection of other circulating books about our wonderful state, its people, and its history.  

         Please help us to celebrate West Virginia Day (the anniversary of the date on which West Virginia became a state--June 20) and Oddfest WV (June 27-28) by visiting the library to test and increase your knowledge!

A Piano in the Library

An unusual piece of furniture to find in a library is a piano. One can find such a thing in the Martinsburg Public Library--on the mezzanine, or top floor, of that library you will find a Yamaha C5 conservatory grand piano, which was probably manufactured in the late 1970s.

In 1887 Torakusu Yamaha (1851-1916) repaired his first reed organ. Fifteen years later, in 1902 his company produced their first grand piano. Since then, the Yamaha Corporation has produced various collections of grand pianos; each of them is aimed to specific needs. The conservatory piano collection (also known as the C series) is specially produced for music schools and conservatories. The C series is known for its improvements in both resonance and expressive control.  The Yamaha C5 is one of the most popular grand pianos placed on main stages of conservatories and other music schools.

The Yamaha piano in the library was purchased by the library board around 1980 for musical events at the library.  Over the years, a number of piano concerts have been presented by musicians whose skills have ranged from professional pianist to budding piano student.  The library attempts to host at least two piano events during each year—usually a spring concert in April and a holiday concert in December.

Specialized Encyclopedias

Specialized Encyclopedias

Let's say your teacher gave you an assignment to research African food. You scroll through the library's computer catalog, hoping to find a book on the topic. You notice one book that mentions African food, but it turns out to be a book of recipes--not the sort of thing your teacher wants you to find.

You go to the next page in your search, and suddenly all the books are on cheetahs and elephants. Not very helpful. You need this information--soon.

What do you do?

Or imagine that you want to learn more about Nigeria, since conflict there has been in the news. You saw an article mention that the Igbo are a major ethnic group in Nigeria, and you would like more information about them, so you check the library catalog. All the results are either picture books or fiction. Should you give up?

One solution to your problem can be found in the reference section on the second floor of the library. We have encyclopedias on a number of different specialized topics, including Africa. The Encyclopedia of Africa includes information on countries, tribes, and individuals, as well as articles on more general topics, such as African food. The Africana encyclopedia includes articles on both African and African-American topics. If you are curious about an Africa-related subject that bridges continents, then this is the encyclopedia for you. And those are only two of the reference books that focus on Africa. The reference section includes many more.

Don't give up on learning about a topic at the library just because it doesn't show up in the catalog. Ask whether any reference books might cover the topic. Most likely there is a book in the reference section that will answer some of your questions.

--Submitted by Elizabeth Johnston

HISTORICAL TREASURES AT THE LIBRARY, Part 2

HISTORICAL TREASURES AT THE LIBRARY, Part 2

An historical treasure in the Martinsburg library is an 1889 popcorn vending wagon located at the entrance into the adult library. The wagon was made by the Kingery Manufacturing Company of Cincinnati, Ohio.  It belonged to George Ashton, a street vendor who sold popcorn every night (except Sundays) for many years on the corner of Burke and Queen Streets from around 1910 through the mid- 1950s.  

Saturday nights were the best time for business since stores were open and the downtown was bustling with people, so Ashton sold popcorn at every intersection along Queen Street on those nights. From when he first opened his business, and until the start of World War II (when there was a scarcity of them), Ashton also sold peanuts, cracker jacks, chewing gum, and penny candies. Many older members of the Martinsburg community might remember buying popcorn downtown from him or one of his helpers on a Saturday night.

 

The wagon was passed through a number of owners but eventually ended up back in Ashton’s family with his grandson, Max Mosse, who donated it to the library in 2008, as a nostalgic piece of Martinsburg’s history.

Martinsburg Heritage Day--May 9--Films

FILMS FROM THE 1930S AT MARTINSBURG PUBLIC LIBRARY ON

 MARTINSBURG HERITAGE DAY, MAY 9

In the year 2000, some old film reels from the 1930s were discovered in the basement of the Martinsburg Public Library. The majority of the subjects contained on these films are of locations in Martinsburg and in the tri-county region.  The names of the photographers of the footage and of the donors of these films to the library are a mystery.  Because of the fragile condition of the films, their content has been transferred to a DVD to preserve the originals and to allow the DVD to be shown to public audiences.  The approximate dates of film footage are based on film manufacture dates found on the original three reels of film. 

Some of the highlights in this 25-minute film compilation include:  scenes of the ferry across the Potomac River at Shepherdstown in the late 1930s, a swimming hole in the north end of Martinsburg next to the railroad tracks along the Tuscarora Creek, the Gentry Brothers Circus train coming to Martinsburg in the1930s, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad scenes including a new streamline train coming into Martinsburg station (with the Roundhouse and railroad shop building in background), the Charles Town Race Track opening showing horse racing, swimming at Hillside Lake Park near Martinsburg, and scenes on the shore at Shepherdstown showing the bridges over the river and the Rumsey Monument in the 1930s.

The Martinsburg 1930s film will be shown continuously at the Martinsburg Public Library on Martinsburg Heritage Day, 

Saturday May 9, from 9 am – 4pm.

 

WEST VIRGINIA COLLECTION

WEST VIRGINIA COLLECTION

Do you want to learn more about West Virginia? Would you like to find books by West Virginia authors, but aren't sure where to start? Whether you are a longtime West Virginian or just moved into the area, the Martinsburg library's West Virginia Collection will help you to brush up on your knowledge about our state.

The West Virginia Collection is located on the second floor of the library near the reference section. It includes both nonfiction and fiction genres. The nonfiction section offers books on many facets of West Virginia. Books range from general works on West Virginia history to glances into the West Virginia educational system, to folktales written by West Virginia authors, and to biographies of famous West Virginians. The nonfiction section even includes books specifically about the plants that are native to West Virginia. If you want more information about any aspect of West Virginia, then the nonfiction section presents some wonderful resources.

The fiction section includes novels set in West Virginia and books by West Virginia authors. Some novels are written by more famous authors; we have a number of books written by Pearl S. Buck, a West Virginia author who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Others are by newer writers such as John Michael Cummings, whose novel, The Night I Freed John Brown, won the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People. If you are interested in stories about West Virginia, the West Virginia fiction section is a great place to start reading.

Submitted by Elizabeth Johnston

MONEY SMART WEEK with Bibliography

MONEY SMART WEEK

Money Smart Week, held during the week of April 18-25 in 2015, is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country including businesses, financial institutions, schools, libraries, not-for-profits, government agencies and the media. Started in 2002 in Chicago with just 40 programs, it has expanded significantly to become the only national educational program for people at all stages of life.

As a public library system, the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries participates by offering a variety of resources including books, databases, print subscriptions, and classes and workshops presented at different times throughout the year. The main library offers the Morningstar Investment Research Center online, and Value Line Investment subscriptions, as well as Standard and Poor’s Outlook, Barron’s Weekly, Consumer Reports, Investor’s Business Daily, and The Wall Street Journal in print.

Some recent book titles, dealing with finances and consumer education, include:

Happy Money--The Science of Smarter Spending;

Saving for Retirement--Without Living like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery;

J.K. Lasser’s New Rules for Estate, Retirement, and Tax Planning;

Social Security for Dummies;

The Age of Cryptocurrency--How Bitcoin and Digital Money are challenging the Global Economic Order;

The Opposite of Spoiled--Raising Kids who are Grounded, Generous, and Smart about Money;

20 Retirement Decisions You Need to Make Right Now;

Millennial Money--How Young Investors Can Build a Fortune;

Money--Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to Financial Freedom; and

The Cold Hard Truth on Men, Women & Money--50 Common Money Mistakes and How to Fix Them. 

Looking for something to read?

Reader’s Advisory Databases & Websites

Are you looking for something to read? Do you have a favorite genre?  Do you need help finding a title?  The following databases and websites have links on the library’s website under “e-Resources” and then under the database categories of “Reader’s Advisory” and “Literature Review”:

NoveList Plus has both fiction and nonfiction reading lists separated by subject or genre for different age levels and also lists read-alikes for popular titles;

eSequels.com: The  Online Guide to Series Fiction lists the most popular series, and it indexes character, location and subject, as well as author and title, so that you can identify a series that you may recall only vaguely;

What’s Next?  Books in Series allows one to search fiction by series or title and by the reader’s age category for a variety of popular fiction genre;

\Books and Authors has genre title lists, best-selling and award-winning titles, and title recommendations by experts;

Reader’s Advice.com lets one browse fiction books by big-name authors and also offers reader’s advisory tips and sources.

So, the next time you are at a loss for something to read, take a quick look at some of these database and website links to help you to make a decision.  Happy Reading!!

Historical Treasures at the Library, part 1

HISTORICAL TREASURES

The Martinsburg Public Library is proud to possess many historical treasures in its collections including an original oil painting by N.C. Wyeth entitled “Christmas in Old Virginia.”   The artwork, painted approximately 1926-27, depicts a wintertime gathering of persons outside of Mount Vernon, the plantation house of George and Martha Washington, with the figures, some holding holly branches, hailing the arrival of a large Christmas tree carried on a sled by oxen.  The painting was originally used as an advertising illustration on packaging for men’s stockings made at the Interwoven Stocking Company of Martinsburg at Christmas in 1928, and the painting was later enlarged by the artist.

 For about 75 years, Interwoven was the largest employer in Martinsburg, and for many years the plant held the distinction of being the world’s largest men’s hosiery mill. Because of the painting’s creation by a noted artist and its connection to the Interwoven Company in Martinsburg, the library is doubly blessed to have this masterpiece of art. It was acquired by the library through a donation in the early 1970s, and in 2001, the painting was restored by art experts with grant money received through the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

--submitted by Keith Hammesla

America's Great Hiking Trails by Karen Berger--Review

Book Review: America’s Great Hiking Trails, by Karen Berger; photography by Bart Smith

Celebrating the eleven National Scenic Trails in America, this volume takes the reader through forty-nine states and eight national parks. Literally tens of millions of tourists and hikers visit these trails each year, some of which wind through the country’s most scenic natural wonders and virtually every major ecosystem in America.  

Two of these trails are right in our own backyard:  the well-known Appalachian Trail and the lesser- known Potomac Heritage Trail.  I have hiked on parts of both of these trails, although I was not aware that I had been on the Potomac Heritage Trail until I looked at this book.  The Potomac Heritage Trail follows a combination of several multi-use paths including the Mount Vernon Trail, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath, and the Great Allegheny Passage.

The other nine trails mentioned in the book include the New England Trail, the Florida Trail, the Natchez Trace Trail, the North Country Trail, the Ice Age Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Arizona Trail, the Pacific Northwest Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail.

This beautifully illustrated book about America’s iconic recreational trails is currently located in the Reference Department at the Martinsburg Public Library.

Submitted by Keith Hammersla

Databases & Reference Links

Databases & Reference Links

The Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries subscribe to many databases and electronic resources which provide library users with excellent information.  The word database, according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, refers to “a comprehensive collection of related data organized for convenient access, generally in a computer.”  Many libraries subscribe to databases offered by commercial vendors, because the information contained in them is considered to be more reliable than information that one might find just anywhere on the Internet.

To access the library’s databases from your home or office computer, go to the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries website at http://www.martinsburg.lib.wv.us. Click on the word “e-Resources” on the menu bar close to the top of the page, and from the drop-down menu, click on the word “databases.”

On the next page, you will find databases and web-links listed categorically under headings such as Genealogy, Educational Pursuits, History, Legal Resources, Periodicals, Readers Advisory, etc.  Click on the category which will be most helpful for your research.

Within the category you chose, there will be a list of links to databases and library-selected websites. Choose one that you desire to access, and click on the name of it. A welcome page should appear on the screen.  For subscription databases, you will be prompted to enter the 14-digit library card number that is printed on the back of your library card. Do not include spaces (for example: 32100001237856).  You should now be able to access the information in your selected database. If prompted for a username and password, then please contact your library for that information.

As mentioned earlier, these databases and web-links were carefully selected and included on the library website because they are considered reliable.  The criteria that one should evaluate for reliability include accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and scope of coverage.  The library cares about your information needs and wants to provide you with the best information available!

Workforce computers

Do you know someone who needs to use a computer to search for jobs?   To create a resume?  To complete an online job application?  Tell them about the WorkForce computers at the Martinsburg Public Library.

The Workforce computers were given to the library by WorkForce West Virginia a few years ago to expand their services by offering public-access computers to different locations in communities throughout the state. Funding was secured through a BroadbandUSA grant as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

These computers are made available to the public solely for the purposes of job-searching and related activities.  Users are granted a longer work session on these computers than on the public-access Internet computers in the computer lab to permit users to complete their tasks.  Users must show a library card or a photo ID like a driver’s license to register to use the WorkForce computers.

The WorkForce computers are located in the reference department on the top floor of the Martinsburg Public Library.  Library personnel are available to facilitate usage and to provide assistance. Announcements of local job listings, open positions at local companies, and community job fairs and opportunities are posted on a bulletin board in the library’s WorkForce computer center.