Grand winter clearance book sale

DISCOVER YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY

Occasionally, they are donated in large Nieman Marcus or Tiffany

bags with faux leather handles. Other times, they arrive by car

trunkful. But most often, they are carried in by devoted Friends of

the Library Book Shop customers in those ubiquitous and

indestructible Ralph’s or Albertson’s plastic bags. Books! Books!

Books!

The Friends Book Shop is so overflowing with literary gems that

its indefatigable co-managers, Barbara Alexander and Dorothy Gaither,

are planning a half-price sale on everything in the shop.

Starting Saturday and continuing through Feb. 15, bookshop

customers will be treated to some of the best bargains in town. Be an

early bookworm and hike on down to 363 Glenneyre St. to be one of the

first to grab a bestseller or two, books on tape for those morning

walks or too-long drives, an armful of great children’s books and

even a set of classic vinyl records. Treasures galore await you!

FREE TAX ASSISTANCE

Again this year, the library is offering free federal and state

tax assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

Assistance is available on a first-come, first-serve basis on Mondays

from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3, 10 and 24; all Mondays in March and April

7 and 14 in the library’s Community Room.

Volunteers trained in preparation by the Internal Revenue Service

and Franchise Tax Board will be capable of handling most of the

questions and problems involved in filling out returns. They may,

however, not be able to prepare complex returns, especially those

that require extensive use of Schedule D.

Taxpayers desiring free help should bring the tax instructions and

forms they received in the mail, records of income and deductions,

forms W-2 and W-2P, statements showing interest and dividends, a copy

of last year’s tax return, receipts an other pertinent information.

In addition to being a distribution center for both federal and

state tax forms and instruction booklets, the library also has the

current J.K. Lasser’s, H&R; Block and Ernst and Young tax preparation

books for do-it-yourself preparers.

Your library has almost everything you need to help complete your

income tax returns. Although we can’t make paying taxes any less

painful, at least we may be able to make filing your return a little

easier for you.

* MARIANNA HOF is the Laguna Beach branch librarian.