Wondering whether to choose a partnership, sole proprietorship or partnership? Rebecca Bell from LegalCORPS will explain the forms of business organization at a presentation at the Ridgedale Library and identity the factors to consider when choosing the most suitable business structure. Time for questions and discussion follows presentation. Scheduled for June 18, 6:30 p.m. Register Online or call 612-543-8800.

Should doctors be allowed to help terminally ill patients die? This is the topic of a recent report available on CQ Researcher, a database which presents both sides of timely controversial topics. Other recent reports include mental health policy, media bias, and free speech at risk, among many others.

Is an employment listing for a dream job or a nightmare? Here is how one experienced career counselor and webmaster checks out a listing that sounds too good to be true and what steps to take if it is a scam.

Check out the Minnesota Legislature page from Minnesota Public Radio for a rundown on the 2013 session.

Minneapolis Public Works provides many services that help residents support sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices. The department seeks to make its operations easier on the environment through partnership and innovation.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s The Minnesota Grown Directory giveaways have arrived in libraries. “Buy direct or spend the day at one of 970 Minnesota farms, markets, wineries & garden centers.”

The Music Online database searches all nine of HCL's Alexander Street Press music databases at once. Find streaming audio and video, interviews, liner notes, scores, biographies, and cover art and more, with just one search.

Homeowners and trades professionals can create and pay for permits online at the Department of Labor and Industry's (DLI) eTrakit system. Track current and historical permits, review inspection results and pay fees in a matter of minutes.

Voted on by the experts, the Webbys honor the best of the web.

Our database, Minnesota News Collection offers a one stop source for news from around the state. Sources include newspapers, magazines, blogs, websites, and news transcripts.

On Monday May 20, 2013, Project Homeless Connect will take place at the Minneapolis Convention Center from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Over 100 organizations will be available to assist people experiencing homelessness find mental and chemical health care, employment training and placement, free haircuts, medical and dental care, ID assistance, and more. Volunteers needed.

On Wednesday, June 12th, at 10:30am, meet on the 4th floor of Minneapolis Central Library downtown for a detailed introduction to the Foundation Center Cooperating Collection's print and electronic resources for nonprofit funding research. Advance sign-up is not required. The session lasts about 90 minutes.

For a free, searchable online database of nonprofit organizations, try Guidestar. (Free registration is required.)

Are you wondering about the status of the state budget as it works its way through the legislative process? The Minnesota Senate provides up-to-date 2013 Budget Tracking Spreadsheets that show the status of the appropriations bills and the latest committee action. The Legislative Reference Library also provides a user-friendly online guide to the complex budget process.

952-884-0330. Cornerstone HelpLine 24/7 provides immediate access to emergency services for individuals and families that are in crisis due to family abuse. Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park, Richfield and Brooklyn Park. Learn about Ask To Help initiative.

Search for your Native ancestry through our Multicultural Family History links which include Trace Indian Ancestry, Native American Resources on the Internet, and Online Native American Indian Genealogy Records and Databases.

Hennepin Gallery Exhibit- May to June 12, 2013

Hennepin County is home to 28 percent of Minnesota’s Asian population. Who are they and where are they from? This exhibit
offers a glimpse into the lives of Asian communities within the county. It includes artifacts, jewelry, traditional clothing, traditional cooking utensils, pottery, materials and more on loan from: Hmong
ABC Bookstore, St, Paul; the Chinese Heritage Foundation; the Korean Service Center; and the personal collection of Hennepin County Library—Augsburg Park Librarian Phuoc Tran.

Help is available for crime victims at 612-340-5400 through the Council on Crime and Justice. This is a 24 hour hotline available for all crime victims and is free and confidential. Advocates are available to provide guidance, advocacy, information and emotional support.

With online advertising reaching a plateau, newspapers are now looking for additional revenue streams. Many publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post, are beginning to charge frequent visitors for access to their websites.

A session of "What the new Minnesota health insurance exchange means to your small business" will be presented May 20 5:15-7:30 p.m. by April Todd-Malmlov, the executive director of MNsure, the new Minnesota health insurance exchange. Time for networking and questions and answers will be provided. Sponsored by Small Business Minnesota.

Duolingo is a website for language learning that also offers a free app for learning 'on the go'. This trendy site also offers users the opportunity to comment on the exercises and share their expertise and questions.

See The Auto Channel and check on the "Perfect New Car Match" tool (scroll down). Find vehicles that match your driving needs, desires and budget.

The Minnesota DNR is ready for the fishing opener on May 11; are you? Or honor your Mother by joining Race for the Cure on May 12, Mother's Day. The library has maps and guidebooks on Minnesota fishing and materials on running for everyone.

Consumer Reports has some thoughts on why you should consider an ereader if you're a bookworm.

Stitch a card-holder envelope in the Kawaii (cute) Japanese style, using wood felt and hand embroidery. Makes beautiful one-of-a-kind gift wrap or use it to store your library card. Materials provided. For adults. Registration required.
Sat., May 11, 3-5 pm - Nokomis Library.
Thurs., May 16, 7-9 pm - St. Louis Park Library.

While writing her new novel, "Life After Life", Jill McCorkle drew on childhood memories in her hometown of Lumberton, North Carolina. In a New York Times article, the author tells of her return to the South.

SciTech Connect, a new database from the Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) offers free access to thousands of full-text articles and technical reports in the areas of biology and medicine, chemistry, physics, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, and more. Create a free account to save documents and searches, export bibliographies and create alerts.

Wondering if your child should be spending some or any time with an iPad? You're not alone. The recent article in The Atlantic, "The Touch-Screen Generation," and pieces on Minnesota Public Radio and National Public Radio about screen time for children have gotten people thinking more about how television or touch screen devices may affect early childhood development. Visit our Tech Together page for a great list of sources on best use, reviews of apps and other digital resources, and suggestions for how to engage with your child using technology and interactive media.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has a fun website with interesting weather information that includes 2-month long-range forecasts, weather folklore, and "Today in Weather History."

See wide-ranging information on Minnesota natural resources, agriculture, horticulture and more.

State agencies are publishing useful consumer information to help consumers avoid Internet scams and financial fraud opportunities arising from the bombing in Boston. Research your choice of contribution carefully, and beware of scams and malware arriving in your email.

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has been launched! The DPLA was launched on April 18, 2013 and currently offers about three million digital images, books, maps, archival collections available for retrieval by keyword searching. Organizations including the National Archives, the New York Public Library and the Smithsonian are partners in this endeavor along with our own Minnesota Reflections Digital Library.

Looking for an interview with Malcolm X? Dennis Banks? Lena Horne? Or an interview with Pete Seeger? Large and small repositories from around the country have made their digitized resources accessible by the click of a mouse. Check out this new portal into America’s rich history.

The DPLA was launched on April 18, 2013 and currently offers about three million digital images, books, maps, archival collections available for retrieval by keyword searching. Organizations including the National Archives, the New York Public Library and the Smithsonian are partners in this endeavor along with our own Minnesota Reflections Digital Library.

Looking for a photo of the school your mom attended in Beverly, Massachusetts? An image after a hurricane hit the Florida Keys? Or new photographs of Hubert Humphrey? Large and small repositories from around the country have made their digitized resources accessible by the click of a mouse. Check out this new portal into America’s rich history.

Use your library card to connect to live one-on-one academic tutoring through the online database Adult Learning Center. Get help with the US Citizenship exam, resume writing, career guidance, studying for the GED and more. Tutors are available online, Mon - Sun, 1:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. CST.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources keeps a record of Ice Out dates on Minnesota lakes.

The League of Women Voters has a long history of informing voters and working for equal voting access for all citizens. Find out what other work this organization performs on behalf of all voters.

Early literacy for children of all cultures is cause for celebration! Children's Book Day events at eight libraries are a collaboration with community partners to raise awareness of the importance of children's reading. ¡Fiesta!

National Library Week begins April 14. This year we have extra cause to celebrate with the inauguration of the Digital Public Library of America on April 18. Exceptional digital collections from libraries, museums and historical institutions across the U.S. and Europe will contribute to this organization and will be available for everyone to access.

The latest edition of the state's Economic Trends magazine reports that there are many job vacancies for welders in all regions of Minnesota, but especially in the southern half of the state. This might be a good career to explore for those who like to make things and work with their hands.

Looking for books in Chinese? Arabic? Vietnamese? Check out our list of languages carried in your local branch of the Hennepin County Library.

On Wednesday, May 8th, at 10:30am, meet on the 4th floor of Minneapolis Central Library downtown for a detailed introduction to the Foundation Center Cooperating Collection's print and electronic resources for nonprofit funding research. Advance sign-up is not required. The session lasts about 90 minutes.

Be sure to explore the Foundation Center's online resource, Grantspace. Here you will find many Foundation Center tools in one free, searchable location.

This session, scheduled April 24 at noon, is one of many free webinars offered by the National Federation of Independent business. Topics covered in this webinar include:
- 5 steps to building a successful online business
- Why you need a website for your small business
- How to do business successfully on eBay, Amazon, Yahoo!, Etsy and other e-commerce platforms
- Marketing your online business
- How to cope with sales taxes, privacy concerns, and other legal and tax issues you will face

Most tax forms and instructions are available online 24/7 through the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the IRS. For more information on tax forms, contact information, taxpayer assistance and additional resources, see the Taxes link in our Government Information subject guide.

The University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business is having a Career Fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center on April 10th from 10:00 to 3:00pm with 50+ employers. It is open to the public. Register online.

Are you interested in providing foster care? The first step is to attend a Hennepin County Foster Care Information Meeting. Find out more about the Foster Care Licensing Process and also the current needs in the county.

WikiLeaks has launched the Public Library of US Diplomacy with 1.7 million files from the State Department of Henry Kissinger, according to Forbe's magazine. More on Henry Kissinger can be found in the Hennepin County Library catalog using the subject search term "Kissinger, Henry, 1923-."

If you're interested in doing business with the Federal Government, try Federal Business Opportunities. (formerly "Commerce Business Daily") Find thousands of government procurement invitations, contract awards, subcontracting leads, sales of surplus property and foreign business opportunities.

The Library of Congress website Places in the News does a good job of offering a concise summary and geographic information for places that are currently in the news. North Korea and Syria are current topics.

Regardless of race, age, religion or economic status, a mental condition impacts the lives of nearly 60 million Americans every year. Learn more at NAMI Hennepin and Mental Illness: What You Need To Know.

The University of Arizona has launched the Historic Mexican & Mexican American Press collection, an online digital collection of more than 100 years of newspapers and other periodicals, from the mid-19th century to the late 20th. Contemporary Spanish language periodicals can also be accessed through the Informe! database.

Get a jump on your preparations for the fishing season by refreshing your boating safety knowledge.

Prevention, a magazine for women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, has a new look. This popular publication now features such timely topics as preventive health, fitness, natural remedies, and emotional healing. The updated layout contains brighter photos and several well-known authors including Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Tasneem Bhatia. These changes could lead to a wider audience during the coming year.

For peak performance, note the 10 basic maintenance procedures at Car Care. The summer driving season will soon be here.

With tax season upon us, protect your refund from identity theft with these tips from the FTC and the IRS.

Is the United States at risk of being left out of the clean energy race? How important is the CES standard? Browse this issue and more in Opposing Viewpoints .