Art Show Submissions Needed by May 1st

The Friends of the Vineyard Haven Public Library are looking for emerging artists to participate in their first annual art show.

The show will be held on June 7-19th, with an evening reception on Tuesday June 8th.

The deadline for submissions will be May 1, 2010.

For more information, visit the library or view the Friends website: www.vhlibrary.org/artshow.shtml

Special Event with Alex the Jester!

On Saturday, May 1st, the Martha's Vineyard Library Association and the Vineyard Playhouse will host two special shows by Alex the Jester, an internationally renowned and talented performer. He will perform at 11am for children ages 4 and up, and at 2pm for children 9 and up. Performances will be at the Vineyard Playhouse and tickets are $5 each. Visit the Vineyard Haven Library Children's room to learn how you can win free tickets for this event.

Researching Family History Using the Massachusetts Archives

The Archives Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office is the repository for Massachusetts records generated by state government. Archives holdings date from the beginning of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628 and document the settlement of lands in Maine and Massachusetts, the arrival of immigrants, and the development of state government.

The Massachusetts Archives holds a number of records that can be used for genealogical and family history research. Whether you are just starting your family tree, or have been researching for many years, the Archives is a great place to get information about your ancestors. On Saturday, April 24th at 10:30am, visiting reference Archivist Autumn Haag will be at the Vineyard Haven Library to present a free program for the public. She will discuss how to begin your research and the resources available at the State Archives, resources available online, and how to request copies of records from the Archives by mail and email.

Early Closing Due To Annual Town Meeting

The library will close at 6:30pm on Tuesday, April 13th, due to the Tisbury Annual Town Meeting which will take place at the Tisbury School Auditorium beginning at 7pm. Library computers will be shut down at 6:00pm.

The annual town meeting warrant is available on the Town of Tisbury's website. This year, ARTICLE 4 (Capital appropriations and other new equipment), includes a request for $7,185 to be expended by the Library to replace three computers for use by the public, to purchase a system for public access computer session management, and to purchase a network printer and related equipment for public use.

2010 Pulitzer Prizes Announced

These 2010 Pulitzer prizewinning titles are available from CLAMS libraries:

FICTION: “Tinkers,” by Paul Harding

DRAMA: “Next to Normal,” music by Tom Kitt; book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey.

HISTORY: “Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World,” by Liaquat Ahamed

BIOGRAPHY: “The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt,” by T.J. Stiles

POETRY: “Versed,” by Rae Armantrout

GENERAL NONFICTION: “The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy,” by David E. Hoffman

A complete list of winners and finalists is available at www.pulitzer.org.

Last Minute Tax Information

Many Federal and State tax forms and instruction books, including the 1040, 1040EZ, 1040A, and associated schedules, are available at the library. If there’s a form we don’t have, you can print a copy of the form from the IRS website at the library at no charge (instruction books excluded).

Taxpayers who need more time to complete their returns can get an automatic six-month extension of time to file their tax returns by filing Form 4868, Automatic Extension of Time to File. The extension gives taxpayers until Oct. 15 to file the tax return An extension does not give the taxpayer an extension of time to pay, but the IRS does offer some payment options.

Many taxpayers can e-file their extensions at no cost from a home computer using IRS traditional FreeFile or Free Fillable Forms. For more information, visit IRS.gov.

Poetry and Music with Naomi Arenberg, Stepanie Miele and Friends

Naomi Arenberg, a local host for "All Things Considered" on WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR Station, and Stephanie Miele will sing selected poems that have been set to music. Poets Muriel Gould and Grant Willis will read each of the poems to be sung. The singers will be accompanied by musicans on keyboard, guitar and concertina. The poems selected, including "This Little Rose" by Emily Dickinson, "The Pasture" by Robert Frost and "Evening of Roses" by Erev Shel Soshanim, concern nature, love and the sea. Other pieces will be from Leonard Cohen, A.E. Housman and Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Please join us for a joyous evening of poetry and song to welcome Spring. The program will be presented in the main room of the library and a reception will follow.