Monthly Archives: April 2012

Nebraska Library Commission Awards 21st Century Skills Scholarships  

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Jennifer Wrampe

 

Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Nebraska Library Commission recently awarded 21st Century Librarian scholarships to ten Nebraska students in undergraduate and graduate Library Science programs. Nebraska Library Commission Director Rod Wagner commented, “The Nebraska Library Commission is pleased to support Nebraska students engaged in pre-professional library science educational programs. The focus on 21st century skills is essential to meeting the library service needs of Nebraska’s diverse population. We expect that our program will assist in providing students with needed skills leading to higher quality library services across Nebraska.”

Students who wish to apply for scholarships for a Library and Information Services Professional Certificate (offered through Nebraska’s community colleges), an Associate of Arts or Science Degree in Library and Information Services, a Bachelor of Arts or Science Degree with a major in Library and Information Science or Library Media, a Master of Arts or Science Degree in Library and Information Science, a Master of Arts or Science degree in Education with a School Library Media endorsement, or a Graduate-level School Library Media Endorsement should submit application materials by June 1, 2012.

For more information about Nebraska’s Cultivating Rural Librarians’ 21st Century Skills program, see NowHiringAtYourLibrary.org.  For a list of current scholarship recipients, see http://nlc1.nlc.state.ne.us/nowhiring/Scholarshipsrecipients.asp.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

April 2012 Scholarship Recipients

Andrea Wright, Omaha
Kimberly Rothgeb, Omaha
Libby Munsell, York
Angela Krejci, Louisville
Nicholas Runyan, Ainsworth
Angela Stacie Bannon, Lincoln
Jill Sempek, Columbus
Carryna Northup, Lincoln
Michelle McCay-Broyles, Holdrege
Monica Tidyman, Stromsburg

 

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$27,000 in Internship Grants Awarded to Nebraska Public Libraries

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Jennifer Wrampe

The Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Library Association recently awarded 21st Century Librarian internship grants totaling $27,000 to nineteen Nebraska public libraries. These internship grants will support public library interns, who will contribute to the scope and value of the diverse programs and activities in Nebraska’s public libraries.

“The internships are a great opportunity for students to work in libraries, contributing needed help and sharing skills for a variety of summer and year-round library projects. Benefits abound for all involved – for the interns, for the libraries, and for the people served by the participating libraries,” said Nebraska Library Commission Director Rod Wagner. “The Nebraska Library Commission appreciates the renewal of Federal and foundation support for the internship grants.”

Funding for the project is provided through a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Such funding helps the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Library Association continue to support the missions and goals of libraries across Nebraska and statewide efforts to recruit the next generation of Nebraska’s librarians.

Student interns will learn about library work as they shadow and assist with day-to-day library operations and implement special projects. Interns will lead youth summer reading program activities, conduct training sessions to teach senior citizens to use technology, facilitate book discussion activities, help develop and update library Website and Facebook pages, create young adult library programs and spaces, work on publicity materials for library programs, sort and preserve archival materials, and assist in a host of other worthwhile activities.

In 2011, interns brought their technology skills to the forefront, much to the appreciation of the library staff, library customers, and community:

  •  One intern helped the library set up its social networking page. She wrote weekly entries on it also. She was also able to help patrons set up social networking pages. She enjoyed working with customers and their computer problems. These customers visited the library every day she worked at the library.
  • Another intern used her tech skills to help the children manipulate photos of themselves using computer software so they would have crazy/weird pictures of themselves.
  •  A third intern headed up an e-reader book discussion for a group of middle school boys.

The following Nebraska libraries received internship grant funding in April 2012:

  • Arapahoe Public Library
  •  Bassett, Rock County Public Library
  •  Blair Public Library
  • Chadron Public Library
  • Clearwater Public Library
  • Howells Public Library
  • Lincoln City Libraries
  • McCook Public Library
  • Norfolk Public Library
  • North Platte Public Library
  • Omaha Public Library
  • Orleans, CB Preston Memorial Library
  • Papillion, Sump Memorial Library
  • Ponca Carnegie Library
  • Randolph, Lied Randolph Public Library
  • Rushville Public Library
  • Schuyler Public Library
  • Scribner Public Library
  • Tilden, Raymond A. Whitwer Public Library

 

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What’s Sally Reading?

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Sally Snyder

The Evolve Project…

Well, this isn’t exactly reading, but I am amazed at what Brian Pichman and Dave Hesse of the Digital Innovation Department at the Mokena (IL) Community Public Library District have been doing with their Evolve Project.  I encourage you to take about an hour and see for yourself.  You may not have the resources they do but you might come up with some new approaches to draw children and families into your libraries.

Go here and click on “Archived NCompass Live Sessions” and then click on: “NCompass Live: Tech Talk with Michael Sauers: The Evolve Project” which aired on April 25, 2012.

Visit their web page, too, to find out how they went about putting this project together.  Who knows what kind of ideas will pop up in Nebraska!

I recently checked Carl Hiaasen’s new book, Chomp, out of the library.  Fans of Hiaasen’s humor and environmental viewpoint will enjoy this one, which is aimed at the middle school age crowd.  Wahoo and his dad, Mickey, are hired to provide animals for the reality TV show “Expedition Survival!” and it is soon clear how fake this particular reality show is.  The star, Derek, is a clueless ham forever getting himself into danger.  When he decides things should go from controlled (on Wahoo and Mickey’s property) to the real, wild Everglades, and then disappears in the middle of the shoot, it is clear Derek could end up really dead.  Loyalty, family love, and courage are spotlighted, along with another look at the Everglades and how fragile it is.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

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El día de los niños/El día de los libros is April 30

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Kathryn Brockmeier

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) is a celebration based on childhood and literacy that began in 1997. Borrowing from the traditional Mexican holiday “El día de los niños,” the American version expanded to include literacy when acclaimed author Pat Mora took up the cause in 1997. A year later, the U.S. Congress officially designated April 30 as “Day of the Child.”

The American Library Association Día website provides:

  • background information and history of the celebration
  • list of this and previous years’ celebrations nationwide (Nebraska’s celebrations are listed for 2012)
  • website links for parents and caregivers
  • coloring and activity sheets for children
  • list of books featuring children’s titles and websites from cultures around the world
  • list of Día-related webinars and conference presentations
  • resources area with Resource Guide, activity ideas, graphics, and award-winning Día library projects

Other web pages and websites to view are

What is your library doing April 30 and the other days of the year to link your children to books, languages and cultures?

 

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May Day Celebration

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Emily Nimsakont

Next week is the beginning of May, which includes the celebration of May Day on the first of the month. This holiday is often celebrated in the United States by making May baskets that are usually filled with flowers or treats and left on someone’s doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away hoping that the receiver does not catch them and if they are caught a kiss will be exchanged.

In other parts of the world, mainly Western Europe, Maypole dancing is a tradition that signals the end of winter. Participants form a circle around an erected pole to perform the dance. This pole is usually decorated with flags, flowers, garlands, etc., before the event starts. Performers revolve around the pole holding a ribbon, the other end of which is tied to the pole. They first dance in a direction intertwining the ribbon on the pole; later, they perform a similar dance in the reverse direction to unravel the intertwined ribbon.

Maypole dance

This image in Nebraska Memories shows students at the Nebraska State Normal School at Kearney (now the University of Nebraska at Kearney) performing a Maypole dance. Maypole dances were held every May from 1912 to 1937; this photograph captures one of the earlier dances.

Many other images of campus life are available as part of the University of Nebraska at Kearney collection.

Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories 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, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

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New Books Added to the Library Commission Collection

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Cathy Hatterman

The following books have been added to the collection–please contact the Information Services Team if you’d like to check out any of these titles. Thanks.

A Visit to Hartington, by Denny Miller

Nebraska Voices: Telling the Stories of Our State, edited, from the Nebraska Humanities Council

What Hath God Wrought? Tour Guide of Nebraska’s Great Capitol, by Elinor L. Baade Brown

The Ceremony & other Stories, by Weldon Kees

The Roads That Built America: The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System, by Dan McNichol

These Nebraska themed titles have been added, and will be in the Library of Congress collection.

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NCompass Live: Tech Talk with Michael Sauers: The Evolve Project – Recorded Online Session

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Michael Sauers

In this month’s Tech Talk, Michael speaks with Brian Pichman and Dave Hesse of the Digital Innovation Department at the Mokena (IL) Community Public Library District about the Evolve Project, their innovative redesign of the Children’s Library which brings interactive and collaborative spaces into the children’s areas of the library.

Download audio (MP3)
Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via iTunes
Video (YouTube)
Presentation Slides (SlideShare)
Links (Delicious)

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Has your book club read a Pulitzer Prize award winner?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Lisa Kelly

Recently, the Pulitzer Prize committee made headlines when they did not select a winner for the fiction category.  This award has a long and storied history “honoring excellence in journalism and the arts since 1917.” First things first, how do you properly pronounce the name of this award? According to the Pulitzer FAQ the correct pronunciation is “PULL it  sir.” Now, how about selecting one of the Pulitzer titles for your book club to read? Here are the titles we have in our collection with the year they were awarded the prestigious honor:

2007 The Road by Cormac McCarthy, 6 copies
2006 March by Geraldine Brooks, 8 copies, 1 audio
2002 Empire Falls by Richard Russo, 11 copies, 1 audio
1999 The Hours by Michael Cunningham, 15 copies
1983 The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 5 copies
1972 Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, 21 copies
1947 All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, 13 copies
1932 The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, 10 copies

Please use this request form to let us know if you’d like to borrow any of these titles!

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Adult Readers Advisory Guides

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Cathy Hatterman

We’ve received a lot of different readers advisory guides from different series on different topics, it’s hard to only select a few. I’ll stay with adult titles this time.

This last one is a little different, but I’ve added it, since it gives information about the author, how he or she writes, as well as his life.

Please email me, Cathy, with any topics you’d like to see in a blog.

As always,–please contact the Information Services Team if you’d like to check out any of these titles. Thanks.

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NCompass Live: In Your FACE[book]! Using Facebook to Show Off @ Your Library – Recorded Online Session

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Michael Sauers

Curious about Facebook, but don’t know where to start? Hastings College’s Perkins Library has been using its Facebook page to spread the word about the library’s programs and services. Susan Franklin, Public Services Librarian at Perkins Library, will share how the library developed its Facebook presence and how this social networking tool is being used to inform, invite, announce, network and connect Perkins Library with its community.

Download audio (MP3)
Subscribe via RSS
Subscribe via iTunes
Video (YouTube)
Presentation Slides (SlideShare)
Links (Delicious)

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21st Century Librarian Scholarship Applications Due June 1, 2012

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Kathryn Brockmeier

The Nebraska Library Commission announces the fifth cycle of its 21st Century Librarian Scholarship program (http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/NowHiring/Scholarships.asp). Legal residents of the state of Nebraska are eligible to apply. In this fifth cycle, online applications are due June 1, 2012; transcripts (as required) are due May 22, 2012; and letters of recommendation, if mailed, are due May 22, 2012. The amount of the scholarship award varies by the degree or certificate the applicant is pursuing and the applicant’s course plan.

Scholarships may be used for tuition (for coursework contributing toward a certificate or degree), course-required materials, and school-assessed fees at the following levels:

  • Library and Information Science (LIS) Professional Certificate
  • Associate of Arts or Science Degree in Library and Information Science (LIS)
  • Bachelor of Arts or Science Degree with a major in Library and Information Science or Library Media
  • Master of Arts or Science Degree in Library and Information Science (MLS/MLIS)
  • Master of Arts or Science degree in Education (MEd) with a School Library Media endorsement
  • Graduate-level School Library Media Endorsement

Scholarship recipients will be eligible to apply for stipends for such things as laptop computers, professional association dues, and regional or national conference attendance.

This dynamic program includes enhanced learning opportunities such as this summer’s 21st Century Skills Seminar, webinars, face-to-face training, and online social networking, such as the Nebraska Librarians Learning Together Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/NebraskaLibrarians.

To date, fify-four scholarships have been awarded to fifty-one students. Current scholarship recipients are participating and reporting on trainings that range from a hands-on introduction to eBooks and eReaders to live and recorded webinars about the latest Internet tools. Participants are networking with Nebraska librarians on the Nebraska Librarians Learning Together Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/NebraskaLibrarians. And, through the associated stipends program, students have purchased laptop computers to use with their online classes, joined professional library associations, and attended regional and national conferences such as the 2012 Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia and the 2011 American Association of School Librarians conference in Minneapolis.

The scholarships, stipends, and value-added training are offered through the Nebraska Library Commission’s Cultivating Rural Librarians’ 21st Century Skills program, which is funded through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program. For more information, contact Kathryn Brockmeier, Grant Program Manager, by e-mail, or by phone 402-471-4002 or 800-307-2665.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

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Participate in Voter Voices with NET

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Mary Jo Ryan

Nebraska Public Television and Radio (NET) staff, in partnership with the Nebraska Library Commission, are gathering the thoughts, perspective, and questions of the public this election year. Bill Kelly from NET visited Broken Bow to record a round table discussion with local citizens and Grand Island Public Library recently started to participate in this “NET Campaign Connection 2012: Voter Voices” project. This is a unique opportunity for library users to make use of a webcam computer to voice the important issues during this campaign season. (Seen on TheIndependent.com at http://www.theindependent.com/news/local/library-celebrating-national-library-week/article_f6f0032c-8256-11e1-9661-001a4bcf887a.html and SandhillsExpress.com http://sandhillsexpress.com/BuySell/BuySellDetails/tabid/108/ArticleId/5063/Nebraska-Public-Television-Radio-Voters-Voices.aspx..)

Citizens are invited to sit at the computer with a webcamera, state their name, and ask questions of the candidates or comment on issues important to them or to their communty. This is a great way to motivate people in your community to come into the library and use the library public computer center–participating in this exciting digital democracy project. See netNebraska.org/votervoices for more information. Libraries with public computer centers can contact Mary Jo Ryan, 800-307-2665, if you are interested in participating. Are you ready for your close-up?

Posted in General, Public Relations, Technology | 3 Comments

What’s Sally Reading?

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Sally Snyder

YALSA’s 2012 Teens’ Top Ten Nominations   

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of ALA) recently announced the 2012 nominations list for the Teens’ Top Ten.  As stated on their web site, “The Teens’ Top Ten is a ‘teen choice’ list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country.”  Teens ages twelve to eighteen are encouraged to read titles from the nomination list this summer and vote online for their favorite in August and September.  The winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, Oct. 14 – 20.

There are ideas on the website for promoting the Teens’ Top Ten (TTT), a PDF of a toolkit for it, or you can download the toolkit in Word.   To find out more about Teen Read Week, or to register to participate, visit this site.  The theme for 2012 is “It Came from the Library!”

I have been reading a lot of teen titles lately, in preparation for the YART Spring Meeting on April 14.  A slightly older title (c2011) made its way onto my list because I thought it was really great.  Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach …Felton Reinstein (15), who is usually called “Squirrel Nut” (as an insult) then later “Rein-stone” (respectfully), recounts his life so far.  When he was 5 he found his father, dead in the garage.  Last November he began growing hair, height and muscles like crazy.  His voice has dropped and now the jocks are talking him into working out over the summer to get ready for fall football.  This summer has turned crazy, he is getting huge; his mother has shut herself in the bedroom and now ignores Felton and his younger brother, Andrew.  Felton is befuddled by his rapid growth and bodily changes, his mother’s retreat, his best friend gone for the summer, a new girl in town, and the jocks’ interest in him.  Told with humor and pathos, we find Felton struggling, with little help, to learn who he has become and find a way to deal with his mother.

(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers.  After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)

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You and your customers can share your ebooks experiences

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Kathryn Brockmeier

According to ALA President Molly Raphael’s April 16, 2012, E-content blog post, librarians, library workers, and library customers can join a national research effort that is examining the changing role of public libraries in the digital age. How? The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project is surveying public library staff and patrons to learn more about their experiences with ebooks.

The surveys explore issues ranging from which ebook vendors public libraries use to how patrons use public libraries in person and online to how libraries promote—and how patrons find—library ebooks.

  • One version is for you and your co-workers.
  • The other version is for your customers. Please share this opportunity to participate with them—they’ll appreciate being asked. Pew Internet has even created a flyer that can be used to get the word out and also web code that will embed the survey on your library’s website.

The surveys are live April 16–May 18, and will only take about 15 minutes to complete. For details about this research effort and directions for completing the surveys, go to http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/e-content/join-national-research-effort-ebooks-and-libraries.

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Is there a doctor in the house?

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Devra Dragos

Have you ever needed a ride to the hospital? Or emergency medical care? Consider the medical care available 80-100 years ago. It used to be that ambulances simply transported a person to the hospital (or the morgue). Check out the image of this ambulance used in Lincoln in 1922. (Hodgman ambulance, Townsend Studio collection) You might not get much medical aid on the trip, but there are curtains to close for privacy.

No matter how you reached the hospital all those years ago, you might still have a problem getting into the building. At the Ord Hospital (and others), you had to navigate quite a few stairs to the front entrance. (Ord Hospital, Nebraska State Historical Society collection)

Once inside the hospital, there weren’t many bells and whistles like today. In this image from the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center collection, the operating room is plain and simple. A basin for the staff to wash up in, a table that could be raised and lowered, a single light fixture above the table–but hey, there were large windows for extra light, and they opened for fresh air, too.

Other mechanical improvements, such as the incubator in the image to the left, may look clunky and out-of-date to us, but you can’t argue with success. The image to the right shows Nancy Lonn, the baby in the incubator, at age four with her older sister Belva Joy. (Thorpe Opera House Foundation/Boston Studio Project collection)

Check out more medical-related images or visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.

Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories 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, or contact Beth Goble, Government Information Services Director, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

Posted in General, Information Resources, Nebraska Memories, Technology | 1 Comment

Detailed 2010 Census Data for Nebraska Released Today

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Beth Goble

The Census Bureau announced this morning that new, detailed demographic information from the 2010 Census for up to 331 different race and ethnic groups down to the census tract level has been released  for  Nebraska, California, Colorado, Montana,and Wyoming.

The Summary File 2 tables can be found on the Census Bureau’s American FactFinder website at <http://factfinder2.census.gov> by using the “Population Groups” filter to select the specific race or ethnic groups of interest. While a variety of tables will be available, a good place to start is the Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics, which shows a summary of characteristics for one geographic area at a time.

These Summary File 2 tables add a new layer of detail to the population and housing topics released last year from the 2010 Census. Information, such as age, relationship and homeownership, previously available only for an area’s entire population is now available for specific race and ethnic groups in that community.

The statistics are available for  counties, county subdivisions, places, census tracts, ZIP Code tabulation areas, congressional districts for the 111th Congress, American Indian and Alaska Native areas within the states released, tribal subdivisions, metropolitan areas and Hawaiian home lands.

To preserve confidentiality, only geographic entities with a population of at least 100 for the specified group are available in the summary file.

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IMLS Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums Grants – Deadline Jun 15, 2012

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Kathryn Brockmeier

Closing Date for Applications: June 15, 2012
Award Amount: Up to $100,000
Issuing agency: Institue of Museum and Library Services

Grants for Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums will support planning and design activities for spaces that foster experimentation and creativity for middle- and high-school youth in library- and museum-based, out-of-school-time settings. The labs should be grounded in evidence-based research on youth, and should be designed to support youth learning in such 21st century skills as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). These grants will enable grantees to develop comprehensive plans for programs, space, staffing, and budgeting for their Learning Labs. The awards may also be used to prototype certain lab activities or experiences. In addition, the grants may be used to support emerging learning labs that are already in the process of serving middle- and high-school youth with innovative digital media and learning and need additional funds to enhance their efforts, provided that they are aligned with the grant program criteria.

Eligibility: To be eligible as a library applicant for a Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums, you must: •be either a unit of State or local government or a private nonprofit organization that has tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code. •be located in one of the 50 States of the United States of America, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau; and •qualify as one of the following six types of organizations: a library or a parent organization, such as a school district, a municipality, a state agency, or an academic institution, that is responsible for the administration of a library. Eligible libraries include public libraries, public elementary and secondary school libraries, college and university libraries, research libraries and archives that are not an integral part of an institution of higher education and that make publicly available library services and materials that are suitable for scholarly research and not otherwise available. Private or special libraries that have been deemed eligible to participate in this program by the State in which the library is located; an academic or administrative unit, such as a graduate school of library and information science that is part of an institution of higher education through which it would make application; a library agency that is an official agency of a State or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library services within its jurisdiction; a library consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries; or a library association that exists on a permanent basis, serves libraries or library professionals on a national, regional, state, or local level, and engages in activities designed to advance the well-being of libraries and the library profession.

Details are available at http://www.imls.gov/applicants/detail.aspx?GrantId=20.

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Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Laura Johnson

No Prize for Fiction was awarded! That was the big surprise of the 2012 Pulitzers. There are 21 Pulitzer categories–7 of them for Letters, Drama, and Music, one Special Award and the rest for Journalism. For the first time since 1977, no Pulitzer Prize for Fiction was awarded. The winners in the Letters and Drama categories were:

  • History: Manning Marable: Malcolm X: A Life in Reinvention
  • Biography: John Lewis Gaddis: George F. Kennan: An American Life
  • Poetry: Tracy K. Smith: Life on Mars
  • General Nonfiction: Stephen Greenblatt: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
  • Drama: Quiara Alegría Hudes: “Water by the Spoonful.”

The fiction titles nominated for the prize were:

  • Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson
  • Swamplandia! by Karen Russell, and
  • The Pale King, by the late David Foster Wallace

For further information on the 2012 winners and on the Pulitzer Prizes, see
http://www.pulitzer.org/.

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Participate now in public library ebook research

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Christa Porter

Posting on behalf of Larra Clark, ALA representative to the Library Advisory Group and Associate Director of the ALA Program on America’s Libraries for the 21st Century :

The ALA, IMLS, COSLA and other library leaders are advisors on a national research effort studying the changing role of public libraries in the digital age, as well as the experiences and expectations of public library users. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has funded the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project to conduct surveys and provide analysis related to reading and e-reading; the changing world of public library services and the choices public libraries must make; and a typology of who does – and does not – use public libraries. As many of you know, Pew is a national leader in this kind of research, and their reputation and reach are high and wide – and the Project is interested in learning about the work and opinions of public librarians. We believe this effort will provide the kind of data-based information public libraries are demanding to proactively meet changing community needs and advocate for the future.

And, like all research efforts, it can’t happen without you. The first major report in this series was just released and examined the “rise of e-reading” and how people find and consume long-form digital content. That report is available online at libraries.pewinternet.org.

The next report in this research series will look specifically at people’s experiences in public libraries, especially their use of e-books and other digital services. To inform this research, Pew is supplementing its usual nationally representative phone surveys with two online surveys to draw out the deeper, richer stories behind the data:

1.     The first survey is targeted at librarians and other people who work at public libraries that lend e-books. We’d like your input; please take the survey!! It is available here: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/participate/survey/e-book-lenders and takes about 15 minutes. To log in, please use your preferred email address as your username; the password is PEWLIBS.

2.     The second survey is for patrons who check out e-books from their local public library. It is available here: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/participate/survey/e-book-borrowers. It also takes about 15 minutes. This survey is not password protected.

Pew has created a brief message (available below) that you can share via your website, e-newsletters, social media and other dissemination methods, as well as a flyer and code that can be used to embed the survey on your library’s website. To get the Web code and/or flyer, please contact Kathryn Zickuhr at kzickuhr@pewinternet.org.

The surveys will be live April 16 through May 18, and the next report will be available this summer. Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, will provide an update on the Pew library research on Sunday, June 24, at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim.

Thank you in advance for your participation in and support of this effort!

Patron message template:

Have you ever checked out an e-book from your public library?

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, a non-profit research organization in Washington, DC, is conducting an online survey of public library patrons who borrow e-books. If you have checked out or downloaded e-books from a public library, please consider taking Pew Internet’s survey, available at the link below. All responses will be confidential, although your answers may be quoted anonymously in a future report. The survey should take about 15 minutes.

To take the survey, visit: http://libraries.pewinternet.org/participate/survey/e-book-borrowers

The Pew Internet Project will also be doing broader surveys of public library patrons general, as well as people (including non-library-users) who own e-readers or tablet computers. If you want to participate in those, you can sign up to be notified of future surveys here.

To learn more about the Pew Internet Project’s research on e-reading and public libraries, which is entirely free and available to the public, visit libraries.pewinternet.org.

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Best Genre Books to Build Your Collection: YART Spring Meeting 2012 – Recorded Online Session

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Michael Sauers

Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services at the Nebraska Library Commission, presenting at the 2012 YART (Young Adult Round Table) Spring Meeting. April 14, 2012.

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