How do you let your community know how valuable your library is? Learn about ‘Communicating Your Library’s Value and Getting your Board “On Board” to Help!’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, February 18 at 10am CT..
Come hear some ideas for communicating your value and how to encourage your library board to be involved in your efforts. There will be time for Q&A as well as for sharing your own examples of what has worked well in your community.
March 4 – Tour de Force: Build Bridges by Leading Tours of Your Library
March 11 – Public Library Survey: Nebraska’s New Data Collection Tool
March 18 – Modernizing a Small Library on a Small Budget: Systems, Culture, and Community in Year One
April 8 – Programming with Purpose: Adult Programs and Community Partnerships
April 22 – Emergency Management in Libraries
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
This week’s #Bookface goes out to everyone who just wants someone who can make them laugh. Celebrate Valentines Day with Aziz Ansari’s offbeat tales of dating in the modern world, “Modern Romance” ( Penguin Press, 2015) will have you laughing and shaking your head the entire read. It’s available as a as an ebook and audiobookthrough Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, and is the perfect addition to any February reading list.
“With his first foray into the literary sphere, Ansari handedly accomplishes what he set out to do. Modern Romance provides insight into what people do to find love. He infuses their stories with his sass and parallels their shame with much of his own. On top of that, Ansari’s advice is easy to follow and backed with science and research. Modern Romance is the pinnacle of romantic guides—at least until a new dating app makes it obsolete.”
— VOX
Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 196 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 29,164 audiobooks, 45,416 ebooks, and 6,269 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
Every once in a while, it is good for readers to pick a book outside their usual choices. For some, that unexpected choice might be something light and fun. That choice might be Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People.
Described as a quirky Swedish comedy, Anxious People begins with a failed bank robbery. It was a cashless bank! The inept robber escapes into a nearby apartment building and inadvertently takes refuge in a unit where an eclectic group of strangers has gathered for a real estate viewing. What begins as farce quickly turns into an unlikely hostage situation.
At its heart, the book is about anxious people, and they are anxious for many different reasons. Backman presents enough of those reasons for readers to recognize themselves or others in the story. His main characters include the robber, the hostages, and the police (a father and son), all of whom are distinct and memorable. One of Backman’s strengths is his ability to create memorable characters with distinct stories, flaws, and depth.
Written with warmth and humor, the novel explores underlying themes: poverty, depression, family relationships, desperation, and the daily struggles of ordinary life. Each character’s backstory is gradually revealed, highlighting how interconnected lives can be and how individuals cope with their personal challenges.
The story unfolds through a series of interviews and flashbacks. As the narrative evolves, the hostages form a curious bond and, with empathy, conspire to help the bank robber. How these events ultimately resolve is best left for the reader to discover.
In interviews, Fredrik Backman has said that the book was inspired by his own experiences with anxiety. He has noted that while many people worry about similar things, they often feel isolated in those experiences.
For readers seeking a novel that falls squarely in the “feel-good” category, without ignoring life’s complexities, Anxious People is an excellent choice.
Anxious People was later adapted into a six-episode Netflix series that premiered in 2021. One of Backman’s earlier and best-known books, A Man Called Ove, was a bestseller and was later adapted into a motion picture starring Tom Hanks.
Backman, Fredrik. Anxious People: A Novel. Atria Books. 2020.
This week’s highlight is a black and white photograph on a postcard of a couple and a baby sitting by a river. The man is sitting on the ground holding the baby while the woman is stands facing him.
This image is owned and published by the Nebraska State Historical Society. They digitized content from the John Nelson and the J. A. Anderson collection. John Nelson came to Nebraska with his parents at the age of seventeen from Sweden. His photographs tell the story of small town life in Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century. John A. Anderson was born in Sweden in 1869. He came to Nebraska with his parents and settled in Cherry County. He worked as a civilian photographer for the army at Fort Niobrara (Nebraska) and later worked as a clerk at the Rosebud Reservation (South Dakota) trading post.
The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.
The Antidote by Karen Russell is the 2026 selection for One Book One Nebraska, the annual statewide reading program coordinated by the Nebraska Center for the Book. Although set in a fictional Nebraska town, Russell bases much of her story on real events, places, and people in Nebraska during the first few decades of the 20th century. Russell includes a list of resources on her website, but I thought I would see what I could find in our Nebraska Public Documents collection:
The Prairie Witch/Antonia was confined to the Milford Industrial Home around 1907-1908. The biennial report for that time period lists details such as the daily schedule, farm and kitchen labor outputs, and infant mortality rates. It also mentions that 3 children were transferred to the Nebraska Home for the Friendless in Lincoln. The 1907-08 biennial report for that institution laments that its name is misleading; in 1909 it was changed to the State Public School, and again changed in 1911 to the Home for Dependent Children.
p. 409 of the 10th Biennial Report of the Nebraska Industrial Home, Milford, NE
The 1935-36 Annual Report for the State Board of Agriculture mentions drought, dust storms, the Republican River flood, and the effects this severe weather had on Nebraska’s farms, as well as a plea for renewed use of cover crops and soil conservation practices.
p. 16 of the 1936 Annual Report of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture
p. 15 of the 21st Biennial Report of the Department of Roads and Irrigation
These documents are just a few of the thousands of historical annual reports (1870s through 1956) from Nebraska state government agencies that are available in the Nebraska Public Documents database. This free and publicly-accessible collection is result of a collaborative digitization effort between the Nebraska Library Commission, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and the Nebraska State Historical Society. (Read more about the project here!)
Historical government documents provide a glimpse into how our Nebraska forebears lived, worked, and governed. Primary sources such as the ones found in the Nebraska Public Documents database help researchers, students, and the general public understand the important issues and events of the day, and what motivated our elected officials to make decisions and the impacts those choices made. Take a look – what will you discover?
How beautiful it is that through literature and storytelling, we are able to celebrate and explore other lives and journeys of emotional, challenging, and joyous histories, fact or fiction. While visiting the University of Chicago to celebrate and learn about emancipation on it’s 50th anniversary, Dr. Carter G Woodson saw a need to create a society focused on the preservation and education of African Americans history. By 1926, his society and “Negro History Week”, was well underway, and now a century later we continue to celebrate Black History Month. Many authors in our Book Club Collection and featured on Book Club Spotlight personify Black Excellence, despite a system built against them. Today, we follow Isabel Wilkerson, the first African-American Woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for her work as Chicago Bureau Chief for The New York Times, in her discussion of that system through her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.
What comes to mind when you hear the word, “caste”? Most likely, your first thought is the Caste System in India. Because of someone’s birthplace and familial ties, they are relegated to a subset of personhood that can never be changed. A system that places the “other” not because of their actions, but by seemingly random guidelines and tricks of fate set long ago. To us in the United States, it sounds a little absurd… after all, aren’t “all men created equal”? Or is the problem closer to home than we think? In Caste, Wilkerson addresses racial disparities in the United States, specifically between two of her designated “castes”, Black and white. She takes us through the history of the United States through the lens of a caste system, rather than a strictly racial one. Wilkerson draws from historical examples of this caste system at work, her own personal experiences, and the work done by scholars both in the Indian Caste System, and prominent scholars in the United States by explaining what defines a caste system, what pillars, framework, and subjugation it exists under. Altogether creating a moving and seminal work detailing the otherwise hidden and mislabeled Caste System of America,
“They were punished for being in the condition that they were forced to endure.”
– Isabel Wilkerson
Caste is a stunning and eye opening recontextualization of how racial oppression exists in the US. Not only does it teach the reader a new way to look at our history and our present. But it gives them the tools to understand and grow. Wilkerson did not write Caste to stoke anger or create enemies between these castes we have found ourselves unwitting participants of, but to unite us against the injustices of the past and prepare for a better future. Caste is a book meant to be talked about, making it a perfect addition to any Book Club Group who value good discussion and challenging works. It is important that books that teach us so much about ourselves and our history remain accessible for audiences. Like our last spotlight, The Light of Days by Judy Batalion, there is a Young Adults Edition available for a younger audience interested in the topic.
“We are not personally responsible for what people who look like us did centuries ago. But we are responsible for what good or ill we do to people alive with us today. We are, each of us, responsible for every decision we make that hurts or harms another human being. We are responsible for recognizing that what happened in previous generations at the hands of or to people who look like us set the stage for the world we now live in and that what has gone before us grants us advantages or burdens through no effort or fault of our own, gains or deficits that others who do not look like us often do not share. We are responsible for our own ignorance or, with time and openhearted enlightenment, our own wisdom. We are responsible for ourselves and our own deeds or misdeeds in our time and in our own space and will be judged accordingly by succeeding generations.”
Isabel Wilkerson,Caste
If you’re interested in requesting Caste for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 8 copies. (A librarian must request items)
Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste. Penguin Random House. 2020.
July 2026 marks the country’s 250th birthday, and communities all over the country are planning celebrations throughout the year. Is your library looking for ideas to get in on the festivities? We’ve found some resources to help you out. A few highlights:
PBS has posted their “America250 Reading List: Stories That Shaped a Nation.” We have several of these titles in our Book Club Kit collection, plus many more books on past presidents, plus history and historical fiction, so you can host your own Semiquincentennial Book Club.
Challenge your young patrons to be creative with the “My Nebraska, Our America” Public Art Design Challenge, coordinated by the Nebraska Art Council, Nebraska Department of Education, and the Semiquincentennial Commission. Submissions are due by April 1, 2026 and a selection of artwork will be included in a touring exhibition that starts at the state capitol building this July.
Host a group reading of the Declaration of Independence. On July 8, 2026, people all across the country will be “Sharing the Spirit of America” by reading this founding document aloud at the same time. You can add your location to the map!
Get your steps in. The Nebraska Department of Games and Parks is holding a 250 Mile Challenge to encourage outdoor recreation. The challenge runs (no pun intended) from January 1 – December 31, 2026, so you’ve got plenty of time to lace up those sneakers or hiking boots and hit the trails.
The American Association for State and Local History has a free program handbook with “more than 30 low-cost, sustainable program ideas to help organizations planning to commemorate the United States’ Semiquincentennial anniversary.”
Check out our American250 resource page for even more ideas and events. If your library has something fun planned, we’d love to hear about it!
Hear about ‘Empowering Families Through Literacy: Tools and Strategies from Nebraska’s Statewide Initiative’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, February 11 at 10am CT.
Join us for an engaging session highlighting Nebraska’s statewide efforts to strengthen family literacy through cross-sector collaboration, inclusive practices, and accessible tools. This presentation will showcase the work of the Nebraska Department of Education’s Family Literacy Advisory Committee, including a newly developed implementation guide and centralized resource hub designed to support schools, libraries, and community organizations. Participants will explore practical strategies and adaptable tools that librarians can use to deepen their role as literacy leaders in their communities. Whether you serve young children, adult learners, or multilingual families, this session will offer valuable insights and resources to support and enrich your local literacy efforts.
Feb. 18 – Communicating Your Library’s Value and Getting your Board “On Board” to Help!
Feb. 25 – Pretty Sweet Tech
March 4 – Tour de Force: Build Bridges by Leading Tours of Your Library
March 11 – Public Library Survey: Nebraska’s New Data Collection Tool
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Sharpen your knives, and get ready for a perfectly scrumptious #Bookface. If you’re looking for a Valentines read but aren’t a fan of romance, then this week’s #BookfaceFriday, “The Dead Husband Cookbook” by Danielle Valentine (Sourcebooks, 2025) is just the pick for you. It’s available as a as an ebook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, and is the perfect addition to any anti-valentines day reading list.
“A tasty and wildly macabre story that foodies and horror fans will devour, probably in one big gulp…Valentine scatters an enjoyable assortment of recipes throughout the narrative that will tempt the reader into heating up the skillet.”
— Booklist, STARRED review
Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 196 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 29,164 audiobooks, 45,416 ebooks, and 6,269 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
The gloomy winter months are a great time to vicariously globetrot through a travel memoir. Meet Jessica Nabongo, the first Black woman to visit all 195 countries and 10 territories recognized by the UN. Nabongo highlights 100 of these memorable countries in her 2022 book, The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World.
Born in Detroit to Ugandan immigrant parents, Nabongo’s childhood was filled with the rich cultural experiences that come with living in a vibrant multi-cultural city. Life in Detroit was in some ways a microcosm of the world she would travel through. Family friends had roots in many countries across the globe, and she enjoyed the diverse culinary scene, reflecting Detroit’s immigrant communities. Nabongo’s life initially took a traditional trajectory. She graduated from college and settled into a lucrative job in pharmaceutical sales. In 2008, she decided to make a major life change, and took a job teaching in Japan. This was just the beginning of a new way of life, traveling and working abroad. Nabongo worked for a nonprofit in Benin, and with the United Nations in Italy. She traveled whenever she could, going where the best travel deal took her. She also started a boutique luxury travel company, Jet Black, fostering Black tourism and promoting travel in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. By 2017 she wanted a new challenge, and set the ambitious goal to travel to every country in the world by 2019.
“One of the reasons I wrote this book is to challenge people’s assumptions about countries that are not the darlings of the travel industry, and to showcase the beauty and joy that exists in every corner of the world. The forgotten places, the destinations other declare scary. . .”
Nabongo’s adventures included surfing in Peru, salsa dancing in Cuba (one of her top ten favorite countries), raising a yurt in Kirgizstan, and visiting textile markets in Uzbekistan. For Nabongo, it was more than just completing a checklist of must-see sites or activities. She really wanted to get to know the people and culture of each country, approaching with curiosity, and the desire to learn.
“As travelers we have a duty to tell the stories of the places we visit with dignity and respect. To share our adventures without patronizing places or people.”
I highly recommend a physical copy of the book, as the more than 400 pages are chock full of Nabongo’s beautiful photography. You can see why her blogand Instagram account became so popular.
Nabongo has an eye for colorful textiles, architecture, and food. The photography and colorful layout of the book are sure to brighten your day. If you prefer the audio version, narrated by Nabongo, I also recommend the physical book as a companion.
The Catch Me IF You Can: One Woman’s Journey to Every Country in the World, by Jessica Nabongo, 2022, National Geographic.
The Central Intelligence Agency announced that it has discontinued its premier world information resource, The World Factbook, as of February 4, 2026.
The World Factbook provided basic reference information about countries all over the world, making it a reliable resources for students, teachers, and the general public, as well as its original audience, the U.S. intelligence community.
Though it’s origins date back to WWII, predating the CIA itself, the National Basic Intelligence Factbook was published in 1962 a classified resource used by U.S. intelligence organizations. It first became available to the general public in 1975 as The Factbook (rebranded as The World Factbook in 1981). It went digital in 1997, where it lived on the CIA website until this week. You can read more about the history of the World Factbook here: https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/history-of-the-world-factbook/
In this week’s highlight is an 10″x 8″ black and white photograph, Charles B. Washington is holding 1980 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame award with “Charles Washington” inscribed on it. On the left, Bob Devaney holds another award.
This week’s image is provided and owned by Omaha Public Library. The items on the Nebraska Memories archive include early Omaha-related maps dating from 1925 to 1922, as well as over 1,000 postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.
The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.
Learn how to implement ‘Homesteading at Your Library’ programming on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, February 4 at 10am CT.
This hands-on series of programming offers library patrons the chance to explore essential homesteading skills such as starting a garden, fermenting, raising backyard chickens, vinegar making, canning, and more. Patrons gain practical knowledge for sustainable living in a modern world, from basic techniques to tips for successful practice at home. Homesteading sessions include interactive demonstrations led by knowledgeable staff, volunteers, or local experts, and provide take-home materials to help participants implement what they’ve learned. The homesteading program fosters community engagement and empowers individuals to embrace self-sufficiency in their everyday lives. Leave this session with ideas for implementing similar programs tailored to your own community’s needs.
Feb. 11 – Empowering Families Through Literacy: Tools and Strategies from Nebraska’s Statewide Initiative
Feb. 18 – Communicating Your Library’s Value and Getting your Board “On Board” to Help!
Feb. 25 – Pretty Sweet Tech
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
This this week’s #BookfaceFriday is for all those people who love the winter and the cold. “Some Like It Cold” by Elle McNicoll (Wednesday Books, 2024). Recommended for high school readers, this romance novel is Hallmark movie meets will-they-won’t-they rom com. It’s available as a as an audiobook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries: Kids & Teens. If you are not one of those people who enjoy the cold, please wrap up in your coziest blanket with a hot beverage and disassociate from the frigid temps outside with a good read. (This is what I will be doing.)
“Some Like It Cold is a heartfelt romance that is sweeping in its scope and tender in its emotional depth. McNicoll has crafted a powerful ode to love in all its forms: of community, of home and of ourselves – as well as the genre of romance itself. A clever, poignant and healing love story”
— Bea Fitzgerald, Sunday Times bestselling author of Girl, Goddess, Queen
Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 196 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 29,164 audiobooks, 45,416 ebooks, and 6,269 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
In the 1970’s, advertisements in practically every issue of Hot Rod magazine teased the specs of various American muscle cars, creating demand that appealed to most adolescent males. The same adolescent males who couldn’t afford such beasts because they worked their tails off at KFC for $3.35/hour, but could afford the Hot Rod magazine (typically around 75 cents), and had the ability to dream. An example: The AMC Rebel—“Not as fast as a 427 cu in Chevrolet Corvette or Chrysler Hemi engine, but it will beat a Volkswagen, a slow freight train, or your old man’s Cadillac.” While garnering the reputation of producing crappy cars, AMC’s Rebel is no slouch, if you can find one. The station wagon version is especially rare. Oddly, the appearance of the Rebel looked more like something Evel Knievel would cruise around in as opposed to the Dukes of Hazzard, and was made in Wisconsin, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. While the roots might be different, perhaps the musical equivalent of these American muscle gems lies in what has been labeled southern rock. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about labels, and how assigning a single word or a short multi-word description oftentimes is an erroneous and inaccurate oversimplification of people, places, and things. Not to mention divisive. Individuals (and groups) are usually much more complex than the resultant one-liner label. In the case at hand, why do we assign these labels to so many musicians that are merely from the south? Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant gets the label because his band toured with the confederate flag in the 1970’s (and continued do so up until 2012) at the behest of the record company, being told repeatedly it was a symbol of “southern pride” (yet another label). Others see it as a symbol of the racist roots of some southerners (see Neil Young’s Southern Man). However, no such label gets attached to ZZ Top (Texas) or Tom Petty (Gainesville, FL), who also flew the same flag at shows (although the argument can be made for LS not retiring the flag sooner than these others). Also notwithstanding the fact that Van Zant spoke out publically against the segregationist policies of then Alabama Governor George Wallace and supported (as did Gregg Allman) Jimmy Carter for President. I have to think LS might be a much different outfit if Ronnie (the band’s leader) wouldn’t have died in the October 20, 1977 plane crash (age 29).
Ted Danson appeared in blackface with then girlfriend Whoppi Goldberg, as did Howard Stern (doing a bit in blackface as Ted Danson doing blackface), Jimmy Kimmel, and many others, including blackface frequent flyer/aficionado Justin Trudeau. Yet somehow they seem to get a pass from criticism in mainstream media because they are sufficiently apologetic. But who gets to decide what is sufficient or not sufficient? Prince Harry dressed up for a costume party as a Nazi Afrika Korps soldier, complete with the swastika armband. He gets pandered to by Oprah to promote his book (he’s deeply sorry). Just a few years ago, Bill Maher interviewed Ben Sasse, and jokingly called himself the N-word when Sasse suggested he come to Nebraska to “work the fields”. The list goes on and on. Look, the takeaway is everyone makes mistakes, say things they regret, and many individuals are way more complex than any label that might be assigned to them. Most critics generally don’t take the time to move past the label and explore the complexity of the individual, or even attempt to find common ground. This certainly is the case in today’s write up, concerning generally the Allman Brothers Band, and specifically founding member Duane Allman. In 2026, let’s move past the labels (and hypocrisy) and decide for ourselves. It’s also OK for you and me to come to different conclusions. And furthermore, perfectly acceptable (in fact encouraged) to obtain a copy of Live at Fillmore East and crank it up to about 98 db.
It is important to note that the southern rock label assigned to the Allman Brothers Band had nothing to do with any record company stage props. It was mostly because they just happened to be from Jacksonville, FL (same as LS), and lived and recorded at The Big House in Macon, GA. The label was also perpetuated by journalistic clowns such as Grover Lewis, who wrote an article about the band for Rolling Stone (untimely published a few days after Duane’s death). The article is flooded with pot shots about the way band members talked with a southern good ol’ boy drawl (e.g. Gawgia), and referred to them collectively (including one of their drummers (yes, they had 2 drummers) Jaimoe, who happens to be black and as of this writing the only surviving original member of the band, age 81) as Dixie Greasers. Skydog was the nickname given to Duane Allman – a combination of two different nicknames – Dog (given by Muscle Shoals, AL studio founder Rick Hall, for Duane’s long hair and mutton chops), and Skyman (given by Wilson Pickett, for Duane’s over the top guitar playing and use of recreational substances). This book is a comprehensive look at Duane’s life, the time and struggles before forming the Allman Brothers Band, and up to his death in 1971 at the early age of 24. Although the Allman Brothers Band continued to record and make music after Duane’s death by motorcycle accident, without Duane there certainly would have been no Allman Brothers band. The book illustrates the depth of his slide guitar prowess and widespread influence. It also covers his collaboration with many other musicians, including Wilson Pickett, Eric Clapton (Duane wrote the opening guitar riff in Layla), King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, Clarence Carter, Herbie Mann, and Boz Scaggs. Shortly after Duane’s death, the Allman Brothers Band released Eat a Peach, a double album mixed with live and studio recordings, both with and without Duane’s guitar playing. Of course, Capricorn (their record company) suggested the double album be titled The Kind We Grow in Dixie. Rightfully rejecting the proposal, the Allman Brothers Band decided on Eat a Peach, citing a quote from Duane:
“I’m hitting a lick for peace – and every time I’m in Georgia, I eat a peach for peace. But you can’t help the revolution, because there’s just evolution. I understand the need for a lot of changes in the country, but I believe that as soon as everybody can see just a little bit better, and get a little hipper to what’s going on, they’re going to change it. Everybody will – not just the young people. Everybody is going to say, ‘ Man, this stinks. I cannot tolerate the smell of this thing anymore. Let’s eliminate it and get straight with ourselves.’ I believe if everybody does it for themselves, it’ll take care of itself.”
Poe, Randy. Skydog: The Duane Allman Story. Backbeat. 2008.
Underfunded libraries, schools, and organizations that provide educational services to children or youth are invited to apply for a Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grant.
Every year, in the process of choosing the Coretta Scott King Book Award winners and honor books, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Round Table Jury Committee receives multiple copies of over 100 titles by African American authors and illustrators.
Awarded
by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee, the grant program provides
books submitted for consideration for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards to
libraries and other organizations to expand their collections.
Applicants must demonstrate the following:
Why the collection is needed in their community?
Why the collection is needed in their agency or institution?
How would acquiring the collection will help to better serve the children and youth of their community?
That the materials will be made freely available to children and youth without censorship
A committee appointed by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee Chair will review the applications and based on the total number of points, determine the recipient or recipients of the materials. To assure agencies and institutions receive age appropriate books, the committee reserves the right to divide a single grant among two or more agencies or institutions.
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.
This week’s highlight is an 8″ x 10″ black and white acetate negative of the Benson High School student newspaper staff gathered in a classroom, sitting at wooden desks, dated 3/3/1947. The classroom has shelves with books on them, framed pictures on the walls, and wooden floors. The five male students are wearing military uniforms, and the girls are wearing skirts and blouses with bobby socks. The male teacher stands in the corner, wearing a white shirt, an argyle vest, and a tie.
This image is published and owned by the The Durham Museum. The William Wentworth Collection at The Durham Museum consists of 4663 negatives of images that document life in Omaha, Nebraska from 1934 through 1950. William Wentworth worked as both a freelancer and a commercial photographer, providing a unique view of architecture, businesses, and community life in Omaha.
The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27th), is dedicated in memory of those who struggled and were murdered under the Nazi regime. This year, as we continue to face uncertainties in our lives, I wanted to look at a story of fortitude and hope in defiance of our oppressors. In 2007, essayist and art curator Judy Batalion was searching through the histories of notable Jewish women, when she stumbled across an old Yiddish book, Freuen in di Ghettos, which sparked a light in her to learn more. Across dozens of memoirs from small presses, dusty catalogs and archives, and family stories, Batalion learned the names of young Jewish girls who took up armed resistance against the Nazi regime and who were almost lost to history: Renia Kukielka, Zivia Lubetkin, Toaia Altman, Chajka Meed, Bela Hazan, and so many more. Batalion’s decade-long research culminated in her non-fiction book The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos.
Jewish youths in pre-WWII Poland, unable to join the Youth Groups of their countrymen, formed their own tightknit clubs that unbeknownst to them, would one day lead the armed and brave Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. Dozens of these co-ed Jewish Youth Groups made up of a hundred thousand young Jews, learned and explored different ideologies and purposes, while instilling a work ethic and comradery that proved priceless as they formed underground resistance factions against the Nazi Regime. Often taking advantage of their more Aryan features, Jewish girls (some as young as 15), used their meek and mild appearances to trick soldiers and guards as they smuggled news, weapons, money, forged documents, and underground magazines between ghettos and holdouts across Poland. These girls were known to break thousands of Jews out of confinement, smuggling people in giant soup pots or over roofs, finding safe connections and hiding places for the refugees. Three bold young women even attended a Gestapo Christmas party together while undercover. Despite their strong leadership, quick thinking, and incredible skills, large resistance operations put men in leading positions over the young women whose commitment to the cause was indispensable. During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, one third of the armed fighters were women, risking and losing their lives as equals. The camaraderie between these young women was unparalleled, their heroism and intelligence gave them hope even in the bleakest of times. Hope, not always for their lives, but for their people.
“Nazi culture was classically sexist, and women were not expected to be illicit operatives; why would that nice, young peasant girl have bulletins sewn into her skirt or a pistol inside of her teddy bear?”
– Judy batalion
The Light of Days, while documenting camaraderie of the Jewish resistance to the Nazi government, also focuses on the differing ideals and purposes of these upstart youth organizations who suddenly had to join together despite their differences. The main contention between the groups that both resistance fighters and civilians had to make a stand on was the concept of fight or flight. These two ideals drove the parties, known as hereness or thereness– should they stay and fight for the only home they know in the name of doikayt, or leave to form a country all their own in pursuit of Aliya? Too few stories of the Jewish Resistance against the Nazi’s and the Holocaust are told and even fewer of the remarkable young women who risked lives relentlessly fighting the regime from the ghettos, the forests, and all over the country. Their stories were hidden to further political motives, and survivors were shamed into silence. Book Club Groups looking to expand their knowledge of WWII, women’s history, or who are in search of tales of resistance will be moved by the emotional and personal accounts of these young women. The Light of Days is a must-read. Batalion asks her readers: how does a person cope after witnessing such atrocities first hand? Why would people and politicians work so hard to suppress these stories of heroism, and what do they have to gain by perpetuating a narrative of victimhood and complicity?
“It is deeply troubling to make laws about what historical narratives are allowed to be told—it shows a rulership interested in propaganda, not truth.” – Judy Batalion, The Light of Days
If you’re interested in requesting The Light of Days for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 8 copies and an Audio CD. (A librarian must request items)
Battalion, Judy. The Light of Days. HarperCollins. 2020.
A number of awards honoring titles and media for children and young adults were announced yesterday morning, January 26, 2026.
The John Newbery Medal goes to All the Blues in the Sky written by Renée Watson, with four other titles named as Newbery Honor Books.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal goes to Fireworks, illustrated by Cátia Chien and written by Matthew Burgess, with four additional titles named Caldecott Honor Books.
The Michael L. Printz Medal goes to Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, with four additional titles named Printz Honor Books.
Candace Fleming had quite a day, receiving the Children’s Literature Legacy Award for her “substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.” Additionally, she received the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults for her title Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown.
To see the ALA new release listing all the youth awards and titles, go here.
We hope no one dies of dysentery in this week’s #BookfaceFriday, it’s “Prairie Lotus” by Linda Sue Park (Clarion Books, 2022). Recommended for kids in grades 5-7, is a kids historical fiction novel that explores the hardships and adventures of American frontier life especially for a young half-Asian girl. It’s available as a Book Club Kit from the Nebraska Library Commission, with 10 copies for your reading group to borrow. You can also find “Prairie Lotus” as both an audiobook and eBook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries: Kids & Teens. Linda Sue Park is an award winning author with a large collection of work, and you can find many of her titles on OverDrive, NLC also has “A Long Walk to Water” and “When My Name was Keoko” available for checkout in our Book Club Kits collection. You can read more about Prairie Lotus and how in our Book Club Spotlight post.
“Strongly reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s novels in its evocative, detailed depictions of daily frontier life….[Hanna’s] painful experiences, including microaggressions, exclusion, and assault, feel true to the time and place, and Park respectfully renders Hanna’s interactions with Ihanktonwan women. An absorbing, accessible introduction to a troubled chapter of American history.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
Book Club Kits Rules for Use
These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 196 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 29,164 audiobooks, 45,416 ebooks, and 6,269 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
