FirstGov.gov

Set your Internet browser to www.firstgov.gov, the gateway website to United States government information on the World Wide Web. The designers of FirstGov have grouped business information under a button tab labeled “Business and Nonprofits“. Transactions with the federal government can be conducted online such as, requesting an employer identification number, applying for an export license, and verification of Social Security numbers.

The link to “Forms” opens pathways to a collection of federal forms grouped by form number or regulatory agency. Frequently requested forms, such as, Social Security, tax, and veterans benefits are grouped together in a separate category. Most forms are available in PDF format and can be printed out using the free downloadable Adobe reader.

Other interesting links from the FirstGov Business and Nonprofits page include, a list of state and territory business resources, how to buy and sell to the government, and a collection of printable workplace posters.

Business Person of the Month: Eric B. Lewis

Eric B. Lewis
President

Ephod Business Solutions

18316 Keystone Ave
Greenwell Springs, LA 70739
225.261.0424
www.ephod-bus.com

“At Ephod Business Solutions, we strive to provide management and consulting services to the small business owner that will allow their firm to reach its full potential. Through this effor, we believe we encourage economic development within the community.” – Eric B. Lewis

Eric B. Lewis is the President of Ephod Business Solutions, a business management consulting firm providing services in the areas of business development, project management, and technology consulting, based in Baton Rouge with a second office in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ephod Business Solutions is a subsidiary of Ephod Company, L.L.C., a holding company.

Lewis has a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern University and a Master’s degree from Louisiana State University. He keeps up-to-date in the business world by reading Black Enterprise, The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, and biographies of successful CEO’s. In his leisure time, Lewis reads The Advocate. His favorite recreational book is Cane River by Lalita Tademy.

Lewis has a vision for the future development of East Baton Rouge Parish. “I believe East Baton Rouge Parish has the capacity to become the center of a major metropolitan area. If we can take full advantage of some of the existing resources, such as the airport, the interstate, and Mississippi River as well as Southern University, LSU, and BRCC, we will be able to develop the foundation for long-term growth. Over the next few years, emerging industries such as software technologies, video gaming, and entertainment should really begin to strenghthen our local economy. Once this occurs, Baton Rouge will become an attractive community for those desiring to live in the southern region of our country,” states Lewis.

He is a member of the Baton Rouge Black Chamber of Commerce, Forum 35, NAACP, and the LSU Dean’s Advisory Committee. His favorite quote is “I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.”

Business Person of the Month Archive

FACTS.com

FACTS.com Database

National Black History Month

Did you know? Since 1926 the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) has established the national theme for Black History Month. This year ASALH has chosen a theme that aims to explore the impact that Black fraternal, social, and civic organizations have had on the evolution of African American life and history.

In case you were wondering where you could explore similar interesting facts relating to Black History Month or, perhaps, biographical information about African-American firsts, look no further than FACTS.com! Here’s an example of how it works.

• From the EBRP Library home page (URL: http://www.ebr.lib.la.us/), click Online Databases on the left navigation menu.
• Click Enter on the next screen.
• Look under Statewide Databases; scroll and click Facts.com.
• Let’s assume that we want to gather the names of African-American “firsts”.
• In the blank text box type “first African American” (place phrase in quotes).
• Notice the check box labeled Search Title Only; leave the box unchecked, as we are not looking for articles with these words in the title.
• For purposes of sorting search results, chose Relevance Rank*.
• Finally, under Available Databases, click the following check boxes:
• • World News Digest (1980 to present)
  • World News Digest (1940 to 1979)
  • Issues & Controversies
  • Today’s Science
  • World Almanac Reference Databases
  • World Almanac Encyclopedia
• Click GO!
• This search has retrieved 70 documents that are displayed on 3 result pages.
• Advance to page 2 of your results and click on #26 to learn that American poet Rita Dove became the first African-American (as well as the youngest ever) poet laureate of the United States in 1993.

* Story Date is useful when timeliness is a factor; in which case, you could also specify a World News Digest database accordingly plus opt to set a date range.

EBRPL’s Senior Connection

Check out the Senior Connection – the new EBRP Library site for seniors! This is a site we’ve put together just for seniors – providing acess to information and services that are important to this large group of library patrons. Use Senior Connection to find a place to volunteer, learn a new craft or hobby, learn to type, find out how to prevent falls, exchange recipes, stay healthy…

Click on the link to the left and explore Senior Connection. It’s a great place to stay informed and continue learning!

LitFinder

LitFinder contains the complete text of 125,000 poems, 5,000 short stories, thousands of essays, and hundreds of plays and speeches. It also provides citations and excerpts for 850,000 poems.

LitFinder can be especially useful during Black History Month — use it to find poetry written about slavery, or by slaves. Find abolistionist essays and speeches. There are also plays about American slavery. And of course, you can find thousands of poems, stories, and essays by contemporary African American writers.

Litfinder has a wealth of full text material suitable for researching your paper or just reading for enjoyment and education — and it’s available from home or in the Library.

Explore Black History Month through literature with LitFinder!