Favorite Web Sites: Federal and State
Income Tax Information
The web sites featured this month have been critically evaluated
and selected by the IU Northwest librarians as well as a group of academic
and public librarians across the United States who compile a yearly Best
Free Reference Web Sites List for the American
Library Association. Here is a list of selection
criteria initially created by the MARS Best Free Websites Task
Force to choose these sites. The Library hopes our readers will
find these web sites useful for locating reliable, accurate and
authoritative information on the Internet.
While your local library and post office may very well have all
the forms and instructions you'll need to complete your taxes,
it is also very convenient to have the federal forms and information
available on the web. The IRS site contains a nice selection of
formats available to aid viewing and printing of forms. Multiple
files can be selected on the site which means that you can begin
downloading all the files in unison instead of one-by-one. Making
the site even more convenient, links are provided to state tax
forms and to federal forms for previous years. To reach the Forms
and Publications Home Page from the IRS' newly designed web site,
click on the Site Map link and under the Resources section
located in the left frame, choose the Forms and Publications link.
(Revised summary used with permission of the MARS Best Free
Websites Committee)
This well designed site features easy access to Illinois state
tax forms for individuals and businesses in PDF (i.e. Adobe Acrobat(r))
format. Some tax forms can be filled in online and then printed
out. The web page also offers electronic filing as well as resources,
publications and online help for various tax questions.
This very navigable web resource provides clickable links to Indiana
state tax forms, online assistance, electronic services, taxpayer
resources and publications along with tax filing deadlines. The
tax form section includes tax forms that can be viewed and printed
in PDF format using Adobe Acrobat(r) Reader. Some of these forms
can be filled in on the browser and then printed. This page also
links to Indiana prior year forms, federal tax forms and other
states' tax forms.
Discover Word Origins With the Oxford English Dictionary
Online
Due to an IU Libraries system-wide subscription, the Oxford
English Dictionary (OED) online version was recently added
to the IU Northwest Library's expanding electronic database collection.
The Oxford English Dictionary remains the world's
leading authority on the development and history of the English
language. According to its web site, the OED Online
provides the following features:
- Access to the 20 volume Second Edition and the three Addition
Series volumes, plus at least 1,800 new and revised entries
provided each quarter
- Entries can be displayed various ways (e.g. pronunciations,
variant spellings, etymologies and quotations)
- Words can be found by simple keyword or Boolean searching
- Search for quotations from a specific year, author and/or work
- Locate words that have come into English from another language
- Search pronunciations as well as accented and other special
characters
- Find first cited date, authors and works
- Perform case sensitive searches
- Compare revised entries with entries from the Second Edition
to see how the language has changed and how new scholarship has
expanded our cultural and linguistic heritage.
IU Northwest students, faculty and staff can access the OED Online
from any on campus computer or off campus through the
proxy server. To access the database, go to the
IU Northwest Library's Electronic
Information Page and select the Library Databases link.
From the next screen, choose the Oxford English Dictionary Online.
The IU Libraries Unveil a New Version of IUCAT
In January, the IU LIbrary system introduced a newly redesigned
version of IUCAT, the University Libraries web-based online library
catalog system. According to a recent press release, IUCAT now
offers the following features:
New Login Screens
New login screens help you get the most out of IUCAT. Students,
faculty and staff should log in to access services tied to their
library accounts (such as Request Delivery) and to connect to
subscription resources from off-campus.
Here is what you will see when you connect to IUCAT:
On-campus users will be prompted to log in to their library
accounts.
Use your IU Network ID and password.
Off-campus users will be prompted to log in TWICE with IU
Network ID.
The first login allows you to use electronic books, journals,
and other materials for which IU has a subscription.
The second login provides access to your library account to use
Request Delivery (to have a book in another IU library delivered to
the IU library of your choice), or to use My Account and ALF
services.
Guest login is ALWAYS available.
New Front Search Screen Designed to Help You Find Materials
More Quickly
IUCAT provides access to nearly 6 million titles. You have told us
you want more effective ways to narrow your search results:
The new Basic Search screen allows you to enter title, author
and/or keywords to be searched.
Use AND between each line to find all the words you typed in the
same record.
Special Search Screens for DVD/Video, Sound Recording and
Electronic Book Searches.
Find DVDs and videos, sound recordings and electronic books more
easily!
Select the appropriate search screen from the menu on the right.
The Sound Recording Search helps you find music and spoken word
recordings, and to limit your search by the sound format.
The DVD and Video Search limits search results to video
recordings and motion pictures.
The E-Book Search is an experiment to help you find titles in
our growing collection of electronic books. Check the URL to
determine whether your campus has access to a title.
Type your search terms in the appropriate boxes.
Focus your search to a particular kind of material. For example:
Don't have a VHS player? Select DVDs.
Use other search limits to focus your results.
Quick Search for Journal Titles
Need to find your favorite journal fast? Try the new Periodical
Title Search screen. For single word journal titles, like
"Newsweek," use the Exact button.
See call numbers and other details quickly.
Click on the title to see the full record, with call number and
shelving location.
For further information as it becomes available, check the main
menu of IUCAT by clicking on the IUCAT link at the
IU Northwest Library's Electronic
Information Page.
, Library News Web Editor
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