Rock Island, IL: The Rock Island Public Library is planning ahead for future library needs and it wants your input. The library will host open community forums with veteran library planner George Lawson on Monday, Nov. 24 and Tuesday, Nov. 25.

The forums will be held at 6:30 pm on Nov. 24 and at 2:00 pm on Nov. 25 at the Rock Island Main Library downtown, 401 19th Street. Ample free parking is available in the library lot, just off 4th Avenue and 20th Street. The open focus group forums will allow the public to share their ideas for future library services and facilities.

"Providing comfortable, responsive spaces that meet current and emerging patron needs is part of our four-year strategic plan," said Angela Campbell, Rock Island Public Library Director. The sessions are designed to provide the library's planning team with information on community needs for library spaces and services.

Lawson is an Ames, Iowa based library space needs consultant with 39 years of library experience. He focuses on building, strategic and operational planning, and has consulted on more than 400 library building projects, including studies for Moline, East Moline, River Valley Library District (Port Byron,) and Clinton Public Libraries.

The Rock Island Public Library board of trustees engaged the team of Gere Dismer Architects, George Lawson Library Planning, KJWW Engineering Consultants and Missman Civil Engineers to create a Library Master Plan Study that will include a facility assessment of all three branches and planning recommendations for each.  Since Oct. 15, the study team has been working on a library needs assessment, which includes touring the three library locations, observing operations, interviewing staff, and reviewing worksheets.

Once the needs assessment portion of the study is completed, the team will develop recommendations and a final report, which could include recommendations for building, space utilization, conceptual design, engineering needs, site planning, and cost estimates.

Buildings included in the study are the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street, 30/31 Branch, 3059 30th Street, and the Southwest Branch, 9010 Ridgewood Road.

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Hello everyone!

We like to remind you about The Giving Tree Band's return to The Redstone Room at River Music Experience in Davenport, IA this Friday. We grateful to be joined by The Nick Moss Band and the nationally recognized environmental charity Living Lands and Waters.

No matter how far away you are from retirement, it's important to understand your Social Security benefits - and there's a particularly good reason to do it now.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is bringing back annual paper benefits statements for the first time in three years. It stopped in 2011 to save money on printing and postage, but Congress and consumer advocates complained that workers needed better access to their data. In September, the agency reversed its decision and announced it's resuming the practice of mailing paper statements to workers in two categories:

• Those who are not receiving benefits and are within three months of turning 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60. (After age 60, workers will receive a statement every year.)
• Those who still haven't registered for a My Social Security (www.ssa.gov/myaccount/) online account.

Why is this important? First, if you've paid into the Social Security and Medicare system, you should understand the benefits you've earned. Second, as the SSA has been closing field offices and reducing services to the public, despite the fact that Baby Boomers are starting to flood the system. It's a good time to confirm and correct benefits due to the longer wait times on the agency's toll free telephone line and field offices.

Start by waiting for your next paper benefits statement or sign up at My Social Security website to review your current data. Here's a quick overview of what your statement tells you:

• Introduction and your estimated benefits. This section covers four categories. The first is your retirement benefits, which are based on your age when you start drawing them. The calculations are based on three critical ages as examples: 62 (the earliest age you can draw retirement benefits), 67 (the full retirement age for anyone born after 1960) and age 70 (the oldest anyone can start drawing benefits, generally at the highest level if you can wait). The second is disability, which refers to the amount of your monthly disability benefit if you qualify. Third, your family/survivors benefits if a loved one dies. And lastly, your Medicare eligibility and the particular facts to support that conclusion.
• Your Earnings Record. This is a summary of your earnings that you need to verify for accuracy. Pull your annual tax returns as far back as you can to confirm this information, and if you work with a tax or financial planning professional, double-check their conclusions if you plan to challenge any errors with the SSA.
• Some Facts About Social Security. Provides additional definitions and guidelines to better understand your statement and includes key contact information.

Most experts will tell you that when it comes to retirement, time is your biggest ally - it gives you the opportunity to invest, save and adjust your plan strategy. Use your statement to do the following:

• Spot and correct errors. If you and your tax professional spot disparities in your benefit statement make careful notes, gather your evidence and consult the SSA's contact page (www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/) to start the correction process remotely or in person.
• Blend Social Security into a broader retirement plan. Most experts agree Social Security alone won't provide a comfortable retirement. It's never too late to plan.

Bottom Line: Even if you're years away from retirement, make sure you understand your Social Security benefits, and that they're accurate and fit into a broader financial plan for your retirement.