Do you need to repair your vehicle, or someone else's, or check service bulletins and recalls? Or maybe just learn more about the workings of your vehicle?

You can access ARRC from a library PC or remotely. From within the library, go to www.relib.net, click the Research tab and then the Fix-It button, and then select EBSCO Auto Repair. To access ARRC remotely, follow the same steps, except that you will be asked for a Patron ID (library card number) after selecting EBSCO Auto Repair. Enter the 14-digit card number (with no spaces) in the field provided; for example, 22214000000000.

Stop by any of our branches to pick up a brochure. Call the Oakland Reference Desk at 301-334-3996, ext. 100 if you have questions.

ARRC is provided to Maryland Public Library patrons through the SAILOR project.

As of January 2012, Venessa Stacy, REL genealogy specialist, will be available at the Oakland Library on Tuesdays from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. to assist patrons in researching local history and genealogy. She previously was in the library on Mondays. Stacy holds a B.S. in Social Studies Secondary Education and has worked in public and university library systems consistently for 10 years.

The genealogy specialist is a grant-funded position made possible by Western Maryland Regional Library, offering limited weekly hours for in-depth assistance with history and genealogy questions. Some assistance, however, is available at the Oakland Reference Desk during normal library hours. Inquiries also can be emailed to genealogy@relib.net or mailed to the Ruth Enlow Library, 6 N. Second Street, Oakland, MD 21550. Patrons also may call 301-334-3996 with questions.

"The staff cannot conduct genealogical research for patrons," notes a library spokesperson, "but we will search library resources in an attempt to answer specific questions. If an answer cannot be found, we will assist patrons in locating other institutions, websites, and/or knowledgeable people who may be of help."

The in-house local history and genealogy collection at the Oakland Library focuses on resources relating to Garrett County with materials also available on surrounding areas in Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Online resources, such as Ancestry Library Edition, HeritageQuest Online, and the Ruth Enlow Library Obituary Database, are accessible by going to the library's website at www.relib.net and selecting the Hist/Genealogy tab on the Home page. Ancestry Library Edition must be accessed from a public computer within the library. HeritageQuest requires a library card number when accessed outside of the library.

The Ruth Enlow Library Obituary Database is accessible from within the library or remotely without requiring a library card number. It currently contains death notices appearing in The Republican from 1877-1909.

Maryland Tax Forms No Longer Available at the Library

The Ruth Enlow Library has been notified that the Comptroller of Maryland will no longer supply Maryland income tax booklets to libraries, due to technological advances that make the forms accessible online and an increase in electronically filed returns. The forms can be accessed on the web at www.marylandtaxes.com, using any internet connection or the public computers at the library. Forms can be printed at the library as well, at 20 cents per page.

Federal income tax forms will be available at all branches of the library around the first of the year.

For questions, contact the Ruth Enlow Library at 301-334-3996.