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  • Reserve a Community Meeting Room

    By: Kelly Kautz

    Did you know you can reserve a community meeting room at seven branches in the Dauphin County Library System?  Up county and down county locations offer meeting rooms to accommodate as few as three people in the Solarium at Alexander Family Library in Hummelstown to groups as large as 75 people in rooms A and B at East Shore Area Library in Colonial Park. 

    Our rooms are ideal for business meetings, non-profit meetings, programs, interviews, or quiet study spaces.  While we love social gatherings and parties, we are unable to accommodate those types of events so, we can keep these spaces focused on learning and collaboration.

    Need a laptop for your meeting?  You can borrow one at any of our locations, and many of our libraries also have projectors to use for your meetings.  In most cases, meeting room use is free, except for private meetings and meetings that generate revenue now or in the future.  Our Meeting Room Guidelines provide additional details. 

    Learn more about policies, availability, and reservations by visiting your local Dauphin County Library System branch or online at https://www.dcls.org/services/.  We look forward to helping you find the right space for your next meeting.

  • Database Spotlight – Black Life in America

    As we enter Black History Month, there’s no better time to check out NewsBank’s “Black Life in America” database, available for free through The Library! This collection includes content from over 19,000 American and international news sources, including more than 400 historical and current Black publications. Through the lens of the news media, “Black Life in America” charts the experience and impact of African Americans from the early 18th century to today.

    Historical news articles offer a unique opportunity to read about people, topics, and events as they were originally reported. In “Black Life in America,” you can find articles on the Amistad case, see announcements of the 13th Amendment’s ratification, or read coverage of the Selma to Montgomery March, published back when these historical events were brand new news. But it doesn’t stop there – the collection continues up to the present day, with articles on a range of important topics, from Marvel’s groundbreaking “Black Panther” film and the Olympic gold wins of Simone Biles, to the Black Lives Matter movement and the establishment of Juneteenth as a national holiday. Whether you’re working on a project or simply wanting to expand your knowledge, “Black Life in America” offers a wealth of primary sources to reference.

    All this is yours to access for free on The Library’s website! Navigate to our Research page and click on “Black Life in America” to jump right into the digital archive. Built-in tools make the database a breeze to search. Click on one of the prepared “Suggested Searches” to browse articles by era and topic. For example, you can click on the era “Antebellum” and choose from a variety of categories, such as “Society and Culture,” “Notable People,” and “Court Decisions.” Clicking on any of the listed topics will launch a specific search prepared in advance for you! For example, click on “Frederick Douglass” (under “Notable People”) to see a range of articles about the orator, writer, and statesman that were published during the mid-1800S.

    If you prefer to start your search from scratch, simply type keywords into the database’s main search bar. You can always adjust your search, or any of the Suggested Searches, by changing the date range, keywords, and other details for broader or narrower results. Other options include searching by date or by source location. Click on different areas of the provided interactive map to view news sources from that area of the globe.

    “Black Life in America” offers a window into centuries of African American history, culture, and daily life, from the 1700s to today’s breaking news. Check back often as new content is added to the database daily. This February, as we celebrate Black History Month, dig in and start learning. With your Dauphin County Library System membership, this rich database of primary sources is yours to explore!

  • Tax Help at The Library

    The Library doesn’t offer tax advice or tax preparation services, but we do connect our community with trusted resources, local programs, and the materials you need to file confidently.

    Each year, The Library provides access to essential tax forms and instructions. Our locations will have the federal 1040 and 1040-SR forms and instructions onsite. Our staff can help you locate any other forms you need on the IRS and PA Department of Revenue websites, so you can be sure you’re accessing the most up to date versions. We can also print out those forms for you. Printing costs twenty cents per page, but the first five pages are free!

    If you are looking for free tax assistance, we can provide you with information on the programs offered by AARP (Tax-Aide) and the United Way (Money in Your Pocket). Tax-Aide focuses on taxpayers who are over 50 and have low to moderate income. The service does not have any income restrictions, and you don’t have to be an AARP member to use it. Money in Your Pocket (MIYP) offers free tax preparation for families who made $69,000 or less and individuals who made $48,000 or less in 2025. They also offer free remote tax preparation through their Touch-Free Taxes program. Both programs require appointments for most of their sites. 

    To make it easy to convey this information to our community, we have combined the information for both programs into a one-page handout. It lists the locations, days and times for all of the sites in Dauphin County. You will also find the contact information to schedule an appointment. For those who want to file their own returns, it includes links to reputable, free online websites.

    A highlight on this year’s handout is a change in procedure. The IRS began phasing out paper checks in September 2025. Because of this, you should take bank account information with you when you go to your appointment; MIYP sites will not be able to file a return without it. For individuals who do not have a traditional bank account, we’ve included some suggestions for alternative sources to have your refund direct deposited. If you don’t see this handout when you are at The Library, ask a staff member to print it out for you.

    Whether you’re printing forms, searching for tax information, or locating reliable assistance, The Library is here to support you throughout tax season. Stop by any location; we’re always happy to help you connect with the resources you need.