Can I Have More Information about the Orphan Train Program?

Our library book club recently read Christina Baker Kline’s Orphan Train. The title refers to a program developed by the Children’s Aid Society (with a similar program developed later by the New York Foundling Hospital) that transported orphaned and homeless children from the big cities in the East to new lives in the West. Some found loving families, but others weren’t so lucky, meeting with abuse often in the form of unscrupulous adults who saw fit to use them as unpaid labor. The orphan trains ran from 1853 until 1929.

While the back of the book provides a lot of information about the orphan train riders, one of the members of the book club was curious about the aid workers’ side of the story. Were there any primary sources available from them?

The Children’s Aid Society still exists today. They understand that people are curious about their history, and they give a phone number (212-949-4847) and an email address (archives@childrensaidsociety.org) for people to contact to learn more about the orphan train program. They also provide access to the Victor Remer Historical Archives of the Children’s Aid Society. A guide to the archives can be found online here. While you’ll need to be at the library of the New-York Historical Society to view most of the materials yourself (which include journals and memoirs of Children’s Aid Society agents and correspondence with children who were placed out), some of the material has been digitized and can be viewed here. 

We also found a book about the founder of the Children’s Aid Society, Stephen O’Connor’s Orphan Trains: The Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed, which is available through CLEVNET.

If you’re ever in Concordia, Kansas, and want to know more about the orphan train movement, you can visit the National Orphan Train Complex. (For more information, their website is located at http://orphantraindepot.org/.)

Where Can Families Without Health Insurance Get Eyeglasses?

“Do you know any group that assists families without health insurance in getting eyeglasses, especially for my daughter?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff is very aware of the importance of being able to see clearly in order to read.

The first step taken was to contact the county’s Job and Family Services [JFS]. They informed us that the individual should fill out a state of Ohio Request for Cash, Food, and Medical Assistance application. The application may be accessed online at http://jfs.ohio.gov or by visiting their county’s JFS office.  Even if the parents do not meet the income requirements, the child may be eligible to receive the aid needed.

JFS also recommended that our patron phone 211. 211 Ohio can be reached by simply dialing 211. In Trumbull County the caller will reach Trumbull 211, Community Solutions; in Mahoning County, Help Hotline Crisis Center; and in Portage County, United Way 211Portage. The appropriate local information and referral agency will give the caller contact information as to groups and government agencies which may be able to assist her in getting the necessary eye exam and glasses for her daughter.

Where Can I . . .? Does the Library Have . . .? Can You Find . . .?

Sometimes the questions asked at the Newton Falls Public Library are not complicated, but are for information people need at that moment.  These include some of the following:

“Where can I dispose of batteries?” The Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District has collection events  which cover a wide variety of household waste from Ammonia to Wood Strippers. Batteries are accepted at the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District's Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Facility, located at 5138 Enterprise Blvd., Warren, Ohio, off Route 422. It is only open to residents of Geauga and Trumbull counties, and identification is required. The facility is open every Wednesday between 10 am and 6 pm, beginning May 4, 2011 through September 28, 2011 and the first Saturday of May, June and August, 9 am to noon for residents of Geauga and Trumbull County..

“Does the library have HEAP forms?”  The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program administered by the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Community Service. Those applying must have a total household income at or below 200 percent of the Fiscal Year 2011 federal poverty guidelines. Applications for the 2011-2012 Regular HEAP program are accepted through May 31, 2012. Applications can be printed from the website or picked up at the library.

“Can you find the meaning of near-quart? I’m working a crossword puzzle and it is a clue.” The library staff searched in The American Heritage Crossword Puzzle Dictionary, the 13 volume Oxford English Dictionary, and others. Not being successful, the search was expanded online. The staff was unable to find an answer, and could only suggest the patron try to see if “liter” would fit in the spaces, as it is nearly as large as a quart.

Have You Heard of the Obama Phone?

“Have you heard of the Obama phone? It’s a program to give free phones to people who cannot afford them.” The Newton Falls Public Library staff had not heard of this program. We began looking online as this is a question that requires current information.

Our search brought us first to the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau [www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/lllu.html]. The background section states that “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress recognize that telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services, and surrounding communities.” There are two programs here:
• “Link-Up America helps income-eligible consumers initiate telephone service.
• Lifeline Assistance provides discounts on basic monthly telephone service at the primary residence for qualified telephone subscribers.”

There was no application form at this site, so we kept looking. From the FCC site, we were directed to http://www.lifelinesupport.org/. Lifelines Support deals primarily with landlines and our patron was looking for cell phone assistance. If she had been interested in a phone for her home, she could have completed the application process here.

We continued the search to the website of SafeLink Wireless [www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx]. There is a great deal of information at this site, giving the history of the Lifeline program. It is inaccurate to call it the Obama phone, since the program actually began in 1984, during the Reagan Administration. SafeLink has now made this program available for cell phones. “SafeLink Wireless was created by TracFone Wireless, Inc. when the . . . FCC . . . approved the company to offer Lifeline . . . SafeLink Wireless applies the Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset at the company’s expense.” Ohio residents who meet the qualifications receive a free wireless phone and a plan which gives them 68 minutes every month. Our patron looked at the application and found it to be simple to complete. Since it required personal information, we checked the Better Business Bureau’s website [http://www.bbb.org/] and confirmed that it is legitimate.

Are there any bereavement groups in the area?

“I’m calling from _______________ Insurance Company. We have a client who is looking for bereavement groups in Newton Falls. Do you know of any?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff had not heard of any groups, but we took the individual’s name and number, and began our search. We first contacted several of our local ministers; discovered there were none connected with any of our churches, but ministers are often trained in bereavement counseling and would be happy to assist if the client contacted them. It is also not uncommon for funeral directors to be trained in bereavement counseling, so we included the names and numbers of the funeral homes in Newton Falls.

Searching online we found several options available to residents of Trumbull County.
• Hospice of the Valley 330-399-1992
   Family support up to 13 months after death of family member.

• Trumbull 211 330.393.1565 or 211
   Supportive listeners for emotional stress, support, and reassurance.

• Sharing and Caring: Grief and Bereavement Book Club
   Contact the Bereavement Coordinator at 330-770-0502, if you are interested in participating.
   The group meets the third Thursday of the month at noon at Borders Book Café,
   2102 Niles–Cortland Rd., Niles. It is a topical support group, sponsored by Senior Independence            
   Hospice, for those experiencing grief and bereavement issues.
   Senior Independence Hospice is also considering offering a bereavement support group in Newton Falls.   
   Anyone interested in this group should contact the Bereavement Coordinator.

The library has a selection of materials available for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Some of our titles are: After the Death of a Child: living with loss through the years by Ann K. Finkbeiner, After You Lose Someone You Love: advice and insight from the diaries of three kids who've been there as told by Amy, Allie, and David Dennison, Grieving the Death of a Pet by Betty J. Carmack, Guiding Your Child Through Grief by Mary Ann Emswiler & James P. Emswiler, and I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye: surviving, coping & healing after the sudden death of a loved one by Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair.

English as a Second Language

“I know someone who wishes to further her education so she can find employment, but English is not her first language. She needs to improve her fluency. Is there anywhere she can get help?” The Newton Falls Public Library staff understands the need for good language skills in these difficult economic times; not just for those for whom English is their second language, but also those who need to strengthen their basic skills or prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) test.

The Trumbull Career and Technical Center (TCTC) is the administrating agency for the Adult Basic and Literacy Education (ABLE) program which includes both English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and GED. We were able to tell our patron that the ESOL classes are held at TCTC, 528 Educational Highway, Warren, OH 44483 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:30 – 2 p.m. in room AE163. They are free and are offered continuously. For more information about the ABLE program, contact TCTC at 330-847-0503 ext. 1611. Copies of TCTC’s 2010 Adult Workforce Education Training Catalog are available at the Newton Falls Public Library.

The Newton Falls Public Library also has both print and online resources to assist those seeking to further their education. If preparing for the GED test, the library has several books including Cracking the GED/the Princeton Review, GED Success, and TABE level D : test of adult basic education: the first step to lifelong success by Phyllis Dutwin and Richard Ku. Online, library card holders may access the LearningExpress Library through the Ohio Web Library [www.ohioweblibrary.org]. The LearningExpress Library offers unlimited 24/7 access to courses for computer skills; job search and workplace skills; resume writing; interactive targeted skill-building in math, reading, and writing; as well as hundreds of online interactive practice tests for exams including grade school achievement, college entrance exams, GED, U.S. Citizenship and civil service positions.

I Need Help

“I really could use some help . . . I need to write a resume. The company I’m applying to wants me to do the application online. I need help finding financial assistance.” The Newton Falls Public Library staff recognizes the difficult situations many individuals and families are facing at this time and the variety of questions being asked because of the area’s economic condition.

The library has a wide assortment of books such as Vault Guide to Resumes, Cover Letters & Interviews by Howard Leifman, Marcy Lerner and the staff of Vault, The Damn Good Resume Guide: a crash course in resume writing by Yana Parker, and Over-40 Job Search Guide: ten strategies for making your age an advantage in your career by Gail Geary to aid people in all aspects of job searching. Once you examine the information and hints in these materials to understand what would be the best approach, you can use the library’s public access computers to type your resumes and cover letters. The word processing program loaded on the computers also has resumes which can be used as guidelines. All that is needed is a library card from one of the six libraries in Trumbull County (Bristol Public Library, Girard Free Library, Hubbard Public Library, Kinsman Free Library, McKinley Memorial Library, and Newton Falls Public Library) who have joined together as the Trumbull Independent Public Libraries [TiPL] Consortium. You can get a card by bringing in a driver’s license or photo ID with your current address. If it does not have your current address, bringing along a piece of mail or other official paper with your name and address will suffice.

Online applications, job as well as unemployment, require the applicant to have to an email address. The library staff cannot assist in filling out applications; however, we can direct you to a selection of email providers who offer free accounts. While online, checking your email, take time to examine the Trumbull Mahoning Columbiana Counties One Stop [http://www.onestopohio.org] and Ohio Career and Information Center [http://ocis.ode.state.oh.us/Default.aspx]. Both these sites are filled with valuable information, providing online job searches, ideas of where to look for a job, and information about cover letters, resumes, interviewing, and more.

Ohio.gov [http://ohio.gov] has numerous valuable resources for those needing assistance. There are links for Ohio Means Jobs, Home Energy Assistance Program, applying for unemployment, and the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services. The latter includes information about unemployment compensation, health care, food and cash assistance, child care and support, and employment training. In Trumbull County, Community Solutions Association has Trumbull 2-1-1 [http://trumbull211.org]. There you can get connected to sources of food, clothing, shelter, and utility assistance and other services. They can be reached online or by phoning 2-1-1.

I Need a Form for . . .

“I need a form for the dissolution of my marriage.” “Do you have information on how to write a living will?” “I’m looking for a survivorship deed.” While the staff of the Newton Falls Public Library cannot give legal advice, we can direct people to resources which might assist them in making their decisions.

Some of the books are Ohio specific: Divorce in Ohio: a people's guide to marriage, divorce, dissolution, spousal support, child custody, child support, visitation rights by John Gilchrist and Ohio Forms and Transactions. Consider using How to Write Your Own Living Will by Edward A. Haman. This book includes detailed information for each state as well as forms, and the statutes and laws governing living wills. The online version of the Ohio Revised Code [http://codes.ohio.gov] also has some useful form guidelines. For example, “3701-62-04 Do-not-resuscitate identification” has information needed in case of a medical emergency. Couse's Ohio Form Book, in the library’s reference collection, has a variety of deed formats, including the statutory form of survivorship deed.

The library also has more general books available such as The Complete Book of Personal Legal Forms: + CD-ROM by Mark Warda, James C. Ray, 101 Law Forms for Personal Use by Ralph Warner & Robin Leonard and Everyday Legal forms and Agreements Made E-Z compiled by Mario D. German. There are books for such specific topics as starting and running a small business and non-profits, registering trademarks and copyrights, landlord and tenant agreements, child custody, and pre-nuptials.

These library resources are a place to begin getting information when dealing with legal questions, but in many cases it would be wise to also contact an attorney. For low income and senior Ohioans, Community Legal Aid Services, Inc. [http://www.communitylegalaid.org] is a non-profit law firm serving the legal needs of those in Columbiana, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, and Wayne Counties.