Tag Archives: United States

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Libraries, Politics, Times They Are A-Changing

Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

By Rachel Kramer Bussel, Senior Contributor Media, Jul 30, 2021,07:49am EDT

Numerous libraries across the United States are eliminating fines for overdue books.
Getty Images

Libraries across the United States are eliminating late fees for overdue books.

In Burbank, California, the Burbank Public Library became fine free on July 1, eliminating fees for overdue books and cancelling historical overdue fees.

Of the switch, the library wrote on its website, “This move is part of our efforts to improve equity of access. While fines for overdue items may seem like a small burden, they can create a major barrier to service for those who are struggling financially. Too many people have made the choice to stop using the Library because of inability to pay or fear of accruing fines.”

The library also stated, “Research has shown that fines are not effective in getting materials returned on time, and libraries that have eliminated fines have found that long overdue items come back and patrons who avoided the library for years start visiting again.” Fines won’t be charged for lost library cards, or holds that aren’t picked up, but will still be charged for lost or damaged checked out items.

Source: Libraries Across The United States Are Ending Fines For Overdue Books

Current Affairs, Memories & History

Veterans Legacy Memorial | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Welcome to the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM)

Screenshot of home page…

Welcome to the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM).

VLM is an online memorial space managed by the National Cemetery Administration (NCA).

NCA manages more than 150 national cemeteries to honor our Nation’s Veterans, and extends memorialization of more than 3.7 million Veterans interred in those cemeteries to this digital memorial space by providing a VLM profile page for each Veteran.

To find a Veteran’s profile page, enter the Veteran’s name (First Last with no commas, such as “John Doe”). To refine your search, use the drop down menus to search by Branch of Service, War Period, and Cemetery Location. To search using additional criteria, click on Advanced Search.

Source: Veterans Legacy Memorial | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Science & Health

2021’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees | Wallethub

John S Kiernan, Managing Editor, May 24, 2021

Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

As military personnel retire this year, some of whom will be the last American forces withdrawn from Afghanistan, they may find it difficult to readjust to civilian life.

For example, the U.S. is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more Americans than World War II did. Plus, the high unemployment rate caused by COVID-19 may stand as an obstacle to any former military personnel looking to get civilian jobs.

Even without a pandemic, retirement from the military is always difficult, with many retirees facing major struggles including Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, disability and homelessness.

These veterans must also consider how state tax policies on military benefits vary, along with the relative friendliness of different job markets and other socioeconomic factors, when choosing a state in which to settle down.

In order to help ease the burden on our nation’s military community, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their ability to provide a comfortable military retirement. Our analysis uses a data set of 30 key metrics, ranging from veterans per capita to number of VA health facilities to job opportunities for veterans.

Screenshot from article…

Source: 2021’s Best & Worst States for Military Retirees

Travel

The results are in: These are the worst states for retirement in 2021

Serah Louis, Sat, April 17, 2021, 7:00 AM·23 min read

The results are in: These are the worst states for retirement in 2021

No matter where you choose to retire, you’ll be able to sleep in late, go for long walks in the afternoon and work on that book you always wanted to write.

But when it comes to your budget, health, safety and overall quality of life, the state you live in really does matter.

Every year, multiple studies claim they can show you which states are best or worst for retirement. They almost never agree, so we’ve averaged three of this year’s state rankings into one master list.

Here are the 25 states to write off your short list, counting down from bad to worst.

Editor’s Note: List of all 50 states ranked at end of article…

Source: The results are in: These are the worst states for retirement in 2021

Arts & Humanities, Books & Reading, Libraries, Web & Technology

Amazon withholds its ebooks from libraries because it prefers you pay it instead – The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon’s publishing arm has refused to sell digital books to libraries

By Nick Statt@nickstatt, Mar 10, 2021, 1:39pm EST

Amazon is withholding ebook and audiobook versions of works it publishes through its in-house publishing arms from US libraries, according to a new report from The Washington Post. In fact, Amazon is the only major publisher that’s doing this, the report states. It’s doing so because the company thinks the terms involved with selling digital versions of books to libraries, which in turn make them available to local residents for free through ebook lending platforms like Libby, are unfavorable.

Source: Amazon withholds its ebooks from libraries because it prefers you pay it instead – The Verge

Current Affairs, Politics, Science & Health

State of US Standard of Living, Income and Poverty | 2020 State of the Union Facts

How have income, poverty and wealth changed, and how have they been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? Get nonpartisan data about the American standard of living, the middle class, and more with the State of the Union in Numbers.

Source: State of US Standard of Living, Income and Poverty | 2020 State of the Union Facts