The Meadville Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) is back for tax year 2011. If you have trouble filing your taxes, have not filed taxes, or have tax questions, then VITA can help. The Meadville VITA program is a partnership between Allegheny College, the United Way of Western Crawford County, and the IRS, that provides Free Tax Preparation services to local area low-income and elderly families. Any Meadville area residents or families with incomes of $50,000 or less in tax year 2011 are eligible for free tax preparation services through VITA.

The volunteer tax preparers are highly trained Allegheny College students and local professionals who can help you file your federal and state tax returns completely free of charge. Besides preparing more accurate returns, the program also provides quicker tax refund options. E-filing ensures much faster refunds than traditional filing and there are several options available for receiving refunds or making payments. Also, the Meadville VITA program has an agreement with PNC Bank that allows free check-cashing services of IRS refund checks when the return is prepared at a VITA site.

This year the program has expanded in order to offer regular hours at the Meadville Public Library (848 N Main St.). The VITA site at the Library will be open three days a week from February 6 to April 12, 2012 so that you may come in at the time convenient for you . VITA hours at the Library will be:

Mondays: 1-7pm
Thursdays: 1-5pm
Saturdays: 10am-2pm.

This year VITA offers both walk-in services during these hours and scheduled appointments. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment please contact us at 814-566-4469.

The library will close at 5pm on Friday, December 30th and reopen at 9am Tuesday, January 3rd.

We hope you all have a safe and happy New Year!

Meadville Public Library will close at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23rd and be closed on Thursday, November 24th. We will be open our regular hours Friday and Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a new reference database available.  ReferenceUSA is a great source for searching businesses and individuals in the United States.  With the U.S. Standard White Pages, you can search for individuals by name, address, or telephone number.  The U.S. Businesses search lets you search by company, personal name, city, state, or telephone number.  Customized searching allows you to find businesses by what they do or make, by location, even search for businesses in a certain area by how many employees or computers they have.

This is a great database if you’re looking for work, writing a business plan, researching sales leads, or just looking for a place to buy what you need.  Find it on our Electronic Resources page.

Brenna Thummler, a senior at Meadville High School and author of From Alligators to Zippers, will be signing copies of her book on May 7, 2011 starting at 2 pm in the Fiction Department.

Brenna wrote and illustrated From Alligators to Zippers for her Senior Project. The book uses the alphabet to highlight cultural and historical elements of Meadville and the surrounding area. Stop by to meet the author!