Membership is open to any card holder. Enrollment forms are available at the Library or at http://www.jacksonvillelibrary.com

Dues are payable for a calendar year and will be effective through December 31, 2000. Persons joining after November 1 in any year will receive a grandparenting benefit of a 14-months membership good through the following December 31.

Membership benefits include:

• the intangible: knowing you are supporting a vital part of our community. Imagine the community without a library -- an unacceptable situation! The more vital a town's library, the more vital are its people. To support the Library is support your city.

• the tangible:

  · link up with people who have interests similar to yours

  · gain early admittance, before the general public, to the Friends' book sale

  · benefit from programs in the development stage, such as reduced admission fees if the corporation sponsors a lecture or program

Writing in the winter 1999 issue of the National Paralegal Reporter, Renée Grimmett, co-coordinator of technology for the National Federation of Paralegal Associations, recommends the Utne Reader Y2K Citizen's Action Guide as a great all-purpose print reference for community and individual preparedness.

For updated, online information, Grimmett suggests you check these sites. All start with "http://www."

senate.gov/~y2k: home page of the Senate's Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology problem.

y2k.gov: home page of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion.

year2000.com: many useful articles and resources

2000law.com: information on Y2K law suits and additional resources

itpolicy.gsa.gov/mks/yr2000/y2k/home.htm: the federal government's Gateway for Year 2000 information directories, including links to international Y2K websites by country

sba.gov/y2k: the Small Business Administration's Help for Year 2000 site

sec.gov/news/home2000.htm: the Securities and Exchange Commission's Y2K website

cassandraproject.org: site of The Cassandra Project, a grassroots nonprofit organization that has been disseminating information about personal and community Y2K preparedness. The document "Individual Preparedness for Y2K" is available in English, French and Spanish.

redcross.org/disaster/safety/Y2K.html: the American Red Cross' website. Contains English and Spanish versions of frequently asked questions (FAQs), checklists and general disaster information

Inform yourself, and then make up your own mind, about Y2K possibilities.

But whatever else you do in the new century, continue to support your Library!