Kansas City, Kan., author Eric Smith will discuss his book Half ’N Half: Addressing the Interracial Issues from a Bi-racial Person’s View at the West Wyandotte Library.

The author appearance follows an organizational meeting of the West Wyandotte Writers Group.

The appearance will be held April 12 at 7 p.m. The West Wyandotte Library is located at 1737 N. 82nd St.

Three branches of the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library will offer computer access for patrons interested in filing taxes electronically this year.

Computer classrooms and labs will be set aside for the purpose of the electronic tax filings.

The Main Branch, Turner Community Library and West Wyandotte Branch will have computers available at the following times:

Main Branch:   
Feb. 11, 13, 16, 19, 20 and 27 from 9-11 a.m.
March 2, 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25, 27 and 30 from 9-11 a.m.
March 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 from 1-3:30 p.m.

Turner Library: Beginning immediately, patrons can use computers from noon-2 p.m. until April 15.

West Wyandotte Branch: Patrons can use computers Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.; from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. Those interested can use them immediately to April 15.

At the Argentine Library, no computers will be specifically set aside for filing taxes. However, those needing computers can still go there.

Library cards are not needed to use these computers and no appointments are required.

(NOTE: The library itself is not providing tax assistance. Just the computer access)

The West Wyandotte Branch of the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library will be offering free events this week.

Here are the dates, times and in some cases, different locations, from a KCKPL press release:

Book Sale Cart – Good books at great prices!  Check out our February book sale cart filled with popular fiction authors.  All titles $1.

Mondays, February 1, 6 p.m. – Learn English – Join us for an informal gathering to practice and refine your English.  Spend one-on-one time with an English speaker.  All languages welcome.

Thursday, February 4, 10 a.m. - Bookfix @ Scooter's Coffeehouse - Join us for a discussion of the book Animal Farm by George Orwell.  Scooter's is in the Legends at Village West.

Thursday, February 4, 10 a.m. – Toddler time (18-36 years old)

Thursday, February 4, 9:30 a.m. – A computer class on using Microsoft Power Point will be presented.

Like today, the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools District will be off school tomorrow.

It will be the third straight day this week that schools will be closed.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library will open late tomorrow at 10 a.m. Today, they were opened at 10 a.m. and will close tonight at 6 p.m.

While school districts have announced their closings, all branches at the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library will be opened tomorrow.

The schedule will be a little a different, but the library will be available for use from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

All branches will close earlier than normal tonight at 6 p.m.

The Kansas City, Kan., Public Library will be closed this Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Book drops will be closed and locked during the same time period. There will be no materials due on those two days nor will overdue fines accrue.

All branches of the library will be opened for regular hours this Wednesday and with the exception of the Turner Community Library, branches will be reopened for business on Saturday.

Any returnable material for the Turner library can be brought back to any KCKPL branch on Saturday.

The Main Branch of the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library (located at 625 Minnesota Avenue) will host a special job workshop on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The event begins on that Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. A guest speaker from Workforce Partnership will lead a discussion highlighting effective job search strategies.

The discussion will be held in the computer lab on the first floor.

While the Kansas City, Kan., approved of fundraising efforts to build a new Argentine Library tonight, there was also some news on the current library.

Multiple board members and the Kansas City, Kan., Public School District pledged that the current facility would not be torn down. Perhaps the strongest and most important voice in that promise came from George Breidenthal.

Breidenthal, a member of the board who also serves on the Unified Government's Landmarks Commission, said the building will never be torn down.

"I don't want to see that building gone," he said. "You have my promise. We're all in agreement that building will be used in someway."

The current library is a Carnegie Library, and thus receives a special historic recognition. Some community members in Argentine were concerned of the building's future in light of the board's move tonight.

Regarding funding for the new library, Assistant Superintendent J.D. Rios said funding has already been set aside in the district's library budget.

"We had set aside over $300,000 a year toward new construction," he said. "This project would take a large amount of that. It's a historic development because the public library system would be the funder of a new branch library."

The new library, depending on fundraising success, would be between 25,000–30,000 square ft. Sixty percent of the funding would be provided by the library, while 40 percent would be funded through public fundraising efforts.

The library is looking to raise around $2 million.

The West Wyandotte Branch of the Kansas City, Kan., Public Library will host the 2009 Binational Health Week Fair.

The event will be held on Oct. 5 from 3-6 p.m. Information on health and activities will be presented. Healthy food recipes will be given, along with general information on health, such as blood pressure.

The Wonderscope Children's Museum and the YMCA will present entertainment for the day.