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Monthly Archives: May 2015
Throwback Thursday: NLC staff using the card catalog, 1959
NLC staff using the card catalog, 1959. In the background you can see the woman sitting at a desk with a card sorter and the woman in the foreground is working on a reference question. Wonder how many libraries still have some card catalogs sitting around?
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The Data Dude – Public Libraries and Hispanics
Shaka. Pew Internet research recently released a report about Public Libraries and Hispanics. If you have a large or increasing Spanish speaking constituency that your library serves, perhaps you might want a closer in-depth look at the Pew report. The report is important because the Hispanic population in Nebraska has grown, and is projected to continue to rise (see the chart at the right—sources: U.S. Census and UNO Center for Public Affairs Research). The increasing Latino/Latina population underscores the need for Spanish language materials (more than half of immigrant Hispanics are Spanish-dominant speakers). Interestingly, immigrant Latinos also are more likely to prefer audio and video over print book reading (32% v.s. 18% of whites). Also, Latinos are more likely to view library closings as having a major impact on their families and communities (40% v.s. 26% for whites). How many libraries have collection development policies specifically addressing materials in languages other than English? I’d venture to say a number have a version of these already. Perhaps it is time to review those, and plan for the future.
Nebraska USDA Rural Development Announces Funds Available for Low Interest Home Repair Loans and Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development has announced adequate funding remains available to assist very low income households with home repairs. For those who own and occupy homes in need of essential repairs and who are wondering how to get financing, USDA Rural Development can help with grants and low-interest loans for homeowners in rural communities. All communities in Nebraska are eligible for housing programs with the exceptions of Fremont, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Lincoln, North Platte, Omaha and South Sioux City/Dakota City.
Applicants must own and occupy the home and not exceed income guidelines established by county and household size. The family’s income must below 50 percent of the county median income. For many counties in Nebraska, the income limit for a one person household is $21,350; two person, $24,400; three person, $27,450; four person, $30,500 and five person, $32,950. However, some counties may have higher income limits. Please contact your USDA Rural Development office for the details in your county.
Available Low-interest Loans:
Rural Development’s Home Repair Loan program offers low-interest (1 percent) loans, up to $20,000, to very low income rural homeowners. Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize homes or to remove health and safety hazards. Homeowners must meet household income guidelines, have an acceptable credit history and show repayment ability for the loan based on a household budget.
The USDA repair loan may be made up to $20,000 at a 1% interest rate, with a repayment term up to 20 years. Loans of less than $7,500 may not require a mortgage against the property. The low interest rate and extended terms of the loan make repayment more affordable for households with limited income. For example, a $10,000 loan at 1% interest for 20 years would have a monthly payment of $46, compared to a conventional loan with an interest rate of 5% for 10 years, with a monthly payment of $106.
Available Grants:
Rural Development’s Home Repair Grant program is available to owner-occupants of a rural home, who are 62 years of age or older, are very low income and are unable to repay a loan. Grant funds may only be used to remove health and safety hazards, such as replacing a roof, electrical and plumbing repairs, sanitary disposal systems and accommodations to make the home handicap accessible. Maximum lifetime grant assistance is $7,500.
Eligibility for the program is based on household income and applicants must be unable to repay a loan. If applicants can repay part, but not all of the costs, applicants may be offered a loan and grant combination.
For more information, go to the Nebraska RD website at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ne. You may also contact Single Family Housing Specialist Krista Mettscher at 402-437-5518, krista.mettscher@ne.usda.gov
President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.
Helping people stay in their home and keep it in good repair helps families and their communities. Households interested in affordable home improvements may contact their local USDA Rural Development office or visit the Agency website at www.rd.usda.gov/ne for additional information.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users)
New resources available to help communities address broadband development
Recently, news headlines have been highlighting the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) new definition of broadband and the importance to community vitality of adopting high bandwidth. The FCC sharply revised its benchmark definition of broadband Internet service. The new definition increases download speeds to more than six times faster than the previous standard. The new definition of broadband raises the minimum download speeds needed from 4Mbps to 25Mbps, and the minimum upload speed from 1Mbps to 3Mbps.
Most Nebraska Public Libraries would be ecstatic to have access to 25/3 bandwidth speeds. The reality is these speeds are not commonly available in rural areas in Nebraska. There is good news related to rural bandwidth speeds over the past few years. Broadband upgrade was a focus of the Library Builds Nebraska Communities through the Nebraska Library Commission. At the beginning of the grant, August of 2010, the average broadband speed of the 147 participating libraries was 3.88 Mbps and only four libraries had fiber service. By the end of the project, September 2013, the average speed was 19.76 Mbps (an increase of nearly 400 percent) and 38 libraries had fiber services. Speeds have increased gradually for many public libraries, but many of today’s applications (e.g., social networking, streaming video for educational curriculums) demand greater bandwidth and higher connection speeds.
Nebraska Public Libraries have an opportunity to serve as anchor institutions and fill a leadership role in digital inclusion in our state. The question is how to address the challenge of increasing bandwidth speeds offered in all Nebraska Communities. One new resource available to assist Nebraska communities to address this challenge is a set of resources to help communities address broadband-related development. Leveraging Broadband in Your Community: A Workbook to Help Communities Stimulate Broadband Development provides an overview of broadband development and lays out a process for developing a community broadband plan. The interactive workbook developed by partners in the Nebraska Broadband Initiative includes video clips of Nebraskans talking about the importance of broadband in their businesses and communities. Oakland Public Library Director Roas Scmidt is featured sharing the story of broadband access in the library helps meet community needs.
The workbook (http://broadband.nebraska.gov/workbook/html5/index.html ) and additional resources can be found at the initiative’s newly designed website at broadband.nebraska.gov. Take some time to review the workbook and share it with other leaders in your community. Nebraska Broadband Initiative partners will be available to meet with communities and answer questions. If you are interested in learning more about the workbook or in working with members of the Nebraska Broadband Initiative, please contact Anne Byers (anne.byers@nebraska.gov or 402 471-3805, Charlotte Narjes (cnarjes1@unl.edu or 402 472-1724) or Connie Hancock (chancock1@unl.edu or 308-254-4455).
The Nebraska Broadband Initiative promotes the adoption and utilization of broadband in Nebraska. Project partners include the Nebraska Public Service Commission, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska Information Technology Commission, Nebraska Department of Economic Development, and AIM.
Posted in Library Management, Technology
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NCompass Live: A Conversation with ALA President Courtney Young
Join ALA President Courtney Young on NCompass Live on May 13 for a conversation about ALA’s strategic planning process and the strategic directions.
With the current plan running through 2015, ALA is currently in the process of articulating the Association’s strategic direction for the next three to five years. Building on the Council-adopted Key Action Areas, three strategic initiatives have been identified as priority areas of focus for the Association after a series of conversations with members during 2013 and 2014. These three strategic initiatives are:
- Advocacy
- Information Policy
- Professional & Leadership Development.
Courtney Young, Head Librarian and Professor of Women’s Studies at Pennsylvania State University, Greater Allegheny campus, was inaugurated as the 2014-2015 ALA President at the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas.
Upcoming NCompass Live events:
- May 20 – Reading & Sharing: The System Directors Talk About Books
- May 27 – IT Security for Libraries
- June 3 – Connecting to your community through the Human Library program: The Pace University Library experience
- June 10 – Making The Most of The Cloud
- June 24 – Metadata Manipulations: Using MarcEdit and Open Refine to Enhance Technical Services Workflows
For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, 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 GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Friday Reads: The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
In The Curse of Chalion Lois McMaster Bujold, creates a fantasy world based on Reconquista Spain, a world shot through with divinity and magic. The hero, Cazaril, returning home from the wars betrayed by his superiors and broken in body and spirit, finds a new job as tutor-secretary to the royal heiress, and finds something new to believe in and care about as he attempts to guide her through political intrigue and family tragedy.
The world building in the book is well thought out and incredibly detailed. The magic in this world flows from the gods, and is often indistinguishable from miracles. The characters, even minor ones, are well fleshed out; even the villains have understandable motives and emotions. The main plot takes a little time to get rolling, but plenty is happening to keep the story moving along briskly, and the writing is compulsively readable.
Ms. Bujold has set two more books in this same world, Hugo award winner, Paladin of Souls (a direct sequel) and more distantly related, The Hallowed Hunt.
I’m a great Bujold fan, and will read whatever she writes, but this book is one of my favorites. Chalion is not a brand new book, but it is one worth suggesting to readers looking for a human story set against an epic background, or a fantasy grounded by very human characters.
Preserving Nebraska’s Past
Are your paper archives crumbling? Are your photographs fading? Now may be the time to plan for preservation, and digitization is one of the best ways to preserve your historical materials.
Digital versions of items provide access to content while limiting the handling of delicate materials. The lantern slide of the Van Fleet Teachers College (Nebraska Wesleyan University Collection) to the left has a crack down the right side which, while not readily obvious in the digital image, could become worse if the slide is handled regularly. The 1887 Letter from John Q. Goss and H.M. O’Neal to Major Butler (Sarpy County Historical Museum Collection) below has creases from folds that could eventually crack or tear.
Some items may disintegrate for other reasons such as chemical reactions within the structure of the material or a poor storage environment. The acetate negative of Lena Carveth and Ernest F. Carveth (Townsend Studio Collection) below is an example of deterioration due to a chemical reaction. Nitrate negatives are even more unstable; as the chemicals in the negatives decay, they become highly flammable and require very specific storage conditions. Before these items disappear forever, consider scanning them according to archival standards.
If you are wondering where to start with preservation, check out the Nebraska Library Commission’s Preservation of Library Materials list of resources. You will find guidelines and tips on the care and preservation of many different types of materials. And remember, if you do plan to digitize any materials, Nebraska Memories hosts Nebraska-related materials for web access and Library Commission staff may be contacted for consultation.
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 Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.
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What’s Sally Reading?
Malinda Lo’s Four-Part post of “Perceptions of Diversity in Book Reviews”
Take some time to read and think about the things Malinda Lo has to say to us all. You will have to scroll down to read the posts in order since the web page has them lined up with the fourth post first and so on. While she is specifically addressing phrasing in book reviews, her message is well worth consideration. I intend to reread this often as I write my blurbs for presentations on recent books I recommend to Nebraska librarians. I am certain that in the past I have made similar assumptions and I hope to stop it completely. If you are interested in following Malinda Lo and Cindy Pon on their blog, it is located here.
Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate is a nonfiction picture book that tells the story of Ivan, who was the main character in the author’s Newbery Medal winning title, The One and Only Ivan. Here she tells of his capture in Africa and travel in a crate with another baby gorilla named Burma. The man who owned a shopping mall in Tacoma, Washington had paid for their capture in 1962. He eventually put him on display at the mall and Ivan was there for 27 years until a protest by the people of the area convinced the owner to send Ivan to Zoo Atlanta. There he once again walked on green grass and met other gorillas. A two-page spread at the back of the book tells older children and adults more about Ivan and has a couple of photographs. This book is great for kindergarten through third grade children.
(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.)
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
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Throwback Thursday: Old vs New, 1979
In the background is the Nebraska Union Catalog card catalog while in the foreground is NEUCAT COM microfiche reader, the new and improved replacement for the catalog cards, 1979.
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The Data Dude on Smartphone Use
This week, the Dude takes a look at a recent Pew Internet report on smartphone use. First, let’s first not assume everyone knows what is generally meant when referring to a smartphone. A smartphone (or smart phone, if you prefer), is a device that functions as a phone (you can call or send text messages to other dudes) but also has additional capabilities. For example, it allows a person to browse the web, take photos and video with its camera, GPS navigation, and run a whole host of additional apps and games, either online or offline. Smartphones have various sized touchscreens. While these devices provide the user with the capability to get online with Wi-Fi (if available), most also allow mobile web use if you pay for a plan that has it (such as 4G) when you aren’t near a place that has Wi-Fi.
OK, so here are some facts from the report:
- Nearly two-thirds of all Americans now own a smartphone
- 10% of Americans that own a smartphone do not have any other form of high-speed internet access at home beyond their phone’s data plan
- 62% of smartphone owners have used their phone in the past year to look up information about a health condition.
- 57% have used their phone to do online banking.
- 44% have used their phone to look up real estate listings or other information about a place to live.
- 43% to look up information about a job.
- 40% to look up government services or information.
- 30% to take a class or get educational content.
- 18% to submit a job application.
- 56% use their phone at least occasionally to learn about community events or activities, with 18% doing this “frequently.”
- 49% of smartphone owners experience content that they are trying to access not displaying properly on their phone at least on occasion, with 10% saying that this happens to them “frequently.”
So what can we take away from these stats (especially for libraries)? For one, that people are using their smartphones, and using them to get online. Public Wi-Fi is important to enable them to get online, because no one has an unlimited amount of data in their plan to use. Finally, because there is an increasing amount of smartphone use, it is more important than ever to have functional websites that display well on these devices. I’ve seen some really great ones and some awful ones. Essential information should be there and be easy to find. Have you looked at your website recently on a smartphone? Shaka.
Posted in General, Information Resources, Technology, Uncategorized
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Nominate Books Now for the 2015 Nebraska Book Awards
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 5, 2015
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Nominate Books Now for the 2015 Nebraska Book Awards
The 2015 Nebraska Book Awards program, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book (NCB) and Nebraska Library Commission, will recognize and honor books that are written by Nebraska authors, published by Nebraska publishers, set in Nebraska, or relate to Nebraska.
Books published in 2014, as indicated by the copyright date, are eligible for nomination. They must be professionally published, have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN), and be bound. Books may be entered in one or more of the following categories: Nonfiction, Fiction, Children/Young Adult, Cover/Design/Illustration, Anthology, and Poetry. Certificates will be awarded to the winners in each category. Award winners will be presented at the Fall 2015 Nebraska Center for the Book’s Book Awards Celebration and Annual Meeting in Lincoln.
The entry fee is $40 per book and per category entered. Deadline for entries is June 30, 2015. For more information, including entry forms, see http://www.centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards/nebookawards.html or contact Mary Jo Ryan, 402-471-2045, 800-307-2665, for print information. Enter by sending the entry form (http://www.centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/docs/BookAwardsEntry.pdf), three copies of the book, and the entry fee to NCB Book Awards Competition, Nebraska Library Commission, The Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln, NE 68508-2023.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission. As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, bringing together people and information.
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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.
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Free literature from the Federal Trade Commission
The FTC 
will send you booklets, flyers, bookmarks, and other formats, all concerning consumer education topics, such as internet security, debt, and scams. The publication are available in several languages. Shipping is free. Check out their “Free Publications to Share” at https://bulkorder.ftc.gov/.
Posted in Information Resources
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NCompass Live: Let’s Make This Look Good: Graphic Design for Maximum Engagement
Join us for next week’s NCompass Live, “Let’s Make This Look Good: Graphic Design for Maximum Engagement”, on Wednesday, May 6, 10:00-11:00 am Central Time.
The future is a visual place. The media is dominated by image-based sharing. Carefully designed ads and brands are constantly bombarding us. Such a visually stimulated world raises important questions about visual literacy but it also asks questions about how libraries are communicating without words. What do our materials and use of images say about us? How are we engaging our communities with intentional graphic design?
This session will begin with basic graphic design principles and apply them to various print and electronic materials with the purpose of effectively communicating messages and engaging with communities. Emphasis will be placed on the practical considerations of the design process, software choices, where to find useful materials for including in designs, and places to be inspired. Attendees will leave with many free resource suggestions and an understanding of how to use design principles to create all kinds of materials from handouts and event posters to infographics and syllabi.
Presenter: Meggan Frost, Public Services Librarian, Paul Smith’s College, NY.
Upcoming NCompass Live events:
- May 13 – A Conversation with ALA President Courtney Young
- May 20 – Reading & Sharing: The System Directors Talk About Books
- May 27 – IT Security for Libraries
- June 3 – Connecting to your community through the Human Library program: The Pace University Library experience
For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, 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 GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Posted in Education & Training, Public Relations
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Focus on Nebraska authors: Kent Haruf
Kent Haruf (rhymes with sheriff) graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1965 where he later taught as an assistant professor. He earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1973. These are only a few of his credentials but he came to my attention when his book Plainsong was announced as the very first One Book One Lincoln in 2002. That book marked the beginning of my own book group and a relationship with the One Book One Lincoln program that remains to this day.
Plainsong takes place in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado and is based on the town of Yuma where Mr. Haruf lived in the ‘80s. In a Newsweek review, Jeff Giles called the book “a moving look at our capacity for both pointless cruelty and simple decency, our ability to walk out of the wreckage of one family and build a stronger one where it used to stand.” Many local readers were miffed at the lack of quotation marks throughout the book and this caused a bit of kerfuffle. As I listened to the audio version, it wasn’t an issue. Another Haruf title follows some of the same characters in Holt and is entitled Eventide.
Kent Haruf died at the age of 71 in November of 2014. To honor this writer, you may wish to select some of his titles in our collection: Eventide, Plainsong, The Tie That Binds and Where You Once Belonged
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Information Resources
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Friday Reads: Fables by Bill Willingham
Fables is a multiple Eisner Award-winning comic book series written by Bill Willingham. It tells the story of characters from fairytales, folklore, and mythology who have been ousted from their homelands by the mysterious Adversary. They have been living in hiding in New York City for centuries, attempting to blend in with the non-magical human population. They stick together as a tight-knit community called Fabletown. Many of them live in an apartment building called the Woodland Luxury Apartments, which also houses the Business and Security offices of Fabletown, their own town hall and sheriff’s station. Any Fables who are unable to pass as human, such as animals or monsters or giants, live on The Farm in Upstate New York. Spells are in place to keep it hidden from Mundys, short for Mundane, the human natives of this world. People like you and me.
Well-known characters appear in the books, but with slightly different histories than you may remember. And of course, these tales take place long after the time of the stories we know, so things have changed quite a bit. Snow White and Prince Charming are divorced (he’s just TOO charming…and can’t resist sharing that charm with all the women he can); she is the Deputy Mayor of Fabletown, handling the day-to-day operations for the Mayor, King Cole; Bigby Wolf, aka the Big Bad Wolf, is the Sheriff. And we can’t forget Bufkin, the flying monkey librarian from Oz.
In the first collected volume, Legends in Exile, Snow White’s rebellious sister, Rose Red, has been murdered. So, the series introduces us to these unique characters through the telling of a complicated murder mystery, with the classic surprise ending.
A bit of a warning: these are not fairy tales for small children – there is a very bloody murder, sexual situations, and adult language. These books are definitely for a mature audience, teens and older.
The series isn’t new – it started in 2002 and is currently ongoing with monthly issues of the comic. Sadly, Willingham has announced that he will be ending Fables this year, with issue #150. But, it has been released in collected volumes, 20 so far. Each volume collects 5-12 issues of the comic book, making it very easy to start and catch up.
I’ve not caught up myself yet. But, I am really enjoying this interpretation of traditional fairy tales and stories. The characters are well developed and the writing makes you want to learn more about who they are and how they got where they are today. The artwork is very good, and incredibly detailed in many places. I may have spent way too long on the pages in the Business Office of the Woodland Apartments, which is magically larger on the inside than you would expect, trying to find every little detail of the accessories that the Fables brought from their Homelands to our world. I think that’s Excalibur in the stone back there…behind the Magic Mirror…and is that Captain Hook’s Jolly Roger floating by?
Nebraska Learns 2.0: Endings and Beginnings
After much thought and deliberation, we have decided that the Nebraska Learns 2.0 ongoing learning program has run its course. The program has been fun and we’ve all learned a lot, but, as the cliché goes, all good things must come to an end.
The website will remain live, for anyone who would like to revisit any of the Things. Note that some of them may be outdated, or the service may no longer exist.
But, the learning won’t end! New and exciting tools, technologies, and websites will continue to appear, and as we discover them, we will share them with you here on the Library Commission’s NCompass Blog. When we do, you will have the opportunity to earn CE credit by exploring these on-the-fly Things. So, keep watching our blog for more learning opportunities in the future!
Head over to the Nebraska Learns 2.0 website for your final Thing and BookThing.
Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. There is still much to discover, and we hope you will continue to….
Play, Explore, and Learn!
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New Government Publications Received at the Library Commission
New state government publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for April 2015. Included are titles from Nebraska Colleges and Universities, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, the Nebraska Fire Marshal and University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.
