Free Community Information and Services

Lots of times the information we need is free and right in our own backyard. Below are two such services that you may need in the upcoming year.

Hillsborough County Flood Maps
Hillsborough County is a qualifying community under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System, giving residents the ability to obtain federal flood insurance.
For more information, including updated Hillsborough County flood maps, visit hillsboroughcounty.org and click A-Z Index and then Flood Maps.

Call 2-1-1
If you or someone you are caring for needs financial assistance or advice, the Florida 2-1-1 Network - a confidential statewide resource and referral service - may be able to help.
Call 2-1-1 or visit 211florida.org to connect with trained and supportive professionals who can provide more information.

Special Reports from NewsBank- What are they?

NewsBank sends out a monthly newsletter and the information in them is always timely. They often feature a Special Report section. Below is an example of a Special Report along with an explaination about what these Special Reports tend to cover and address.


The 2008 Summer Olympics and Other New Special Reports

• 
  The 2008 Summer Olympics will take place in Beijing, China August 8th - August 24th.
  Early activities include the final work on the game sites, the torch relay and the athletes' preparation.
  Coverage of these activities and more are now available in NewsBank's newest Special Report.
  Over the next several months follow the events leading up to the opening ceremony in this Report.
  
• trials and qualifying
  
• training
  
• site and security issues
  
• the Olympic committee
  
• profiles of top athletes
  
• country information
• Then after the Olympic torch is lit, visit NewsBank's Special Report on the Olympics each day to keep up with the latest news from Beijing on
  Olympic events and competition
  Athletes
  Award ceremonies
  Other news from and about the Olympics
  Related images, maps, links to related web sites, and suggested search terms to use in your NewsBank products to find out even more about the 2008 Summer Olympics are also included.
  

NewsBank offers a variety of Special Reports as part of your subscription. They offer a way to quickly find the latest information on important topics.
Special Reports include a wide array of globally-oriented topics like health, environment, economics and education. New articles are added daily to provide current coverage of these topics. The background information helps one understand today's issues. Therefore, these Reports are helpful for researchers looking for current events articles or articles on a specific topic. Since many Reports focus on all regions of the world, a variety of global perspectives are available offering researchers the information needed to understand world issues and to draw their own conclusions.
Other New Reports include:
World Travel (now available)
World Issues in Mental Health (coming soon)
Currently featured reports include:
U.S. Presidential Campaign - 2008
Poetry Around the World
Science and Health in the News
World Environment
Places in the News

Many other Reports are also available. All NewsBank Special Report Sites are located on your product menu page or under the Other NewsBank Products link on full text newspaper products.

Free Credit Report? Make Sure You're Getting The Real Thing

If the thought of identity theft scares you like it does me, or you're looking to make a major purchase and you need to check your credit rating, those ads for companies that promise you "free credit reports" may have caught your attention. Truth is, you don't need those guys. You can get a copy of your credit report for free, all by yourself.

The Federal Trade Commission requires the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian (formerly called TRW) and Trans Union to give you a free copy of your credit report once a year. The credit bureaus are not part of the government; they're companies that keep track of your borrowing and debt records so lenders can get an idea of how good a risk you are when you apply for credit or for certain services.

It's really easy to get your free credit report and it's available from only one central place: AnnualCreditReport.com. There are companies that have websites with similar names. And they may offer you a "free" copy of your credit report but you'll have to buy other services from them first to get it. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only official site where you can get a genuinely free copy of your credit report from all three reporting agencies. And if you'd rather order your free credit report by phone or by mail, you can do that too.

You can choose whether you want to get your credit report from just one of the credit bureaus at a time or if you want to get a report that has the information of all three combined. I like to get my reports one at a time, spread out over the course of a year. I stop back at AnnualCreditReport.com every four months for a report—Trans Union in January, Equifax in May and Experian in September, for example. Since all three agencies have very similar information, this allows me to check my credit for free more than just once a year.

When you're on the AnnualCreditReport.com site, you'll be asked some identifying information including your Social Security number. Normally, you wouldn't share that with anybody—especially online—but because this is the official place to get your free credit report, and it's a secure website, it's safe to share the personal information they need to make sure you're you, and to get you the right credit report.

If you've never seen a copy of a credit report or you're not sure how to read one, here's a good sample from Experian. (If you can't see the sample report, you'll need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.)

Re-posted from Gov Gab: Your US Government Blog.

Financing College

Many students in their last semester of high school have the same question, “Where do you want to go to college?” Parents are usually asking, "How are we going to pay for this?"

In the last ten years the average cost of tuition and fees has risen by 57% at private four-year colleges and 69% at four-year public colleges These figures from the College Board may have you feeling a little light-headed, but the costs can be managed thanks to the power of compounding interest.

Since every family’s situation is different, you’ll need to find a savings method that works for you. In doing so, you’ll want to consider factors like your tax bracket, child’s age, how much financial aid you expect to receive, etc. Then, you can use these helpful college financing calculators to figure out how much you’ll need to save.

Once you’ve determined this figure, you need to decide on a savings vehicle. In addition to mutual funds, brokerage accounts, and bank savings accounts, there are also some tax-advantaged alternatives available to help.

Here are some options:
-529 Plans
-Prepaid Tuition Plans
-College Savings Plans
-Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
-Custodial Accounts
-Savings Bonds

And remember you don’t necessarily have to save for the entire four years. Grants, loans, and scholarships can help make affording college a little easier.

Here are some resources to get you started:

For Students
-Studentaid.ed.gov
-Students.gov
-Student Educational Resources from USA.gov
-FastWeb.com

For Parents
-Parents’ Educational Resources from USA.gov
-Fact Sheet: College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007

Don't forget to check out the Education subject guide on the Databases & Websites section of the Library's Web page - hcplc.org. Also, check out some of these books at your local library on financing college and scholarships.

This information was reposted from Gov Gab: Your U.S. Government Blog.

Government Statistics - Hot Off The Press!

Several new editions of major US Government statistical handbooks have been released:

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2008: The National Data Book

The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States.

Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web

Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.

This year’s Statistical Abstract includes 64 new tables covering a variety of currently relevant topics, including:

-Components of Population Change by Race and Hispanic Origin
-Estimated Unauthorized Immigrants
-Public Schools Reporting Crime Incidents
-Selected Security Measures in Place in Public Schools
-Internet Service Providers
-Tobacco consumption by Country and Sex
-Top 20 U.S. Gateways for Nonstop International Air Travel
-Life Expectancy at Birth and at 65 Years of Age, by Sex
-Percent of Household Final consumption Expenditures Spent on food, alcohol, and Tobacco

Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), 2008-09 Edition

For hundreds of different types of jobs—such as teacher, lawyer, and nurse—the Occupational Outlook Handbook tells you:

-the training and education needed
-earnings
-expected job prospects
-what workers do on the job
-working conditions

In addition, the Handbook gives you job search tips, links to information about the job market in each State, and more.

Ways to use the Occupational Outlook Handbook site: (1) To find out about a specific occupation or topic, use the Search box that is on every page—enter your search term in the box. (2) To find out about many occupations, browse through listings using the Occupations links that are on the right side of each page. (3) For a listing of all occupations in alphabetical order, go to the A-Z Index and select a letter.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years.

Career Guide to Industries (CGI), 2008-09 Edition

For dozens of different kinds of industries—such as educational services, health care, and motor vehicle and parts manufacturing —the Career Guide to Industries tells you about:

-occupations in the industry
-training and advancement
-earnings
-expected job prospects
-working conditions

In addition, the Career Guide gives you links to information about the job market in each State and more.

Ways to use the Career Guide to Industries site: (1) To find out about a specific industry or topic, use the Search box that is on every page—enter your search term in the box. (2) To find out about many industries, browse through listings using the Industries links that are on the right side of each page. (3) For a listing of all industries in alphabetical order, go to the A-Z Index and select a letter.

The Career Guide to Industries is a companion to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, which provides information on careers from an occupational perspective.