Author Archives: Jennifer Wrampe

The Nebraska Library Association is gearing up for “Nebraska Snapshot Day 2012: A Day in the Life of Nebraska Libraries.” You can participate in this advocacy event any day during the week of April 15-21, 2012.

Snapshot Day is an opportunity for you to take a look at all that your library accomplishes in a single day. We encourage you to collect usage statistics, photos, videos and stories from your library from the one day you choose. This will be great information to share with your library board, school administration, municipal officials and the news media. Additionally, the Nebraska Library Association will compile all the information sent in and will publish statewide data that can be used to advocate for libraries all across Nebraska.

ALL Nebraska libraries are invited to participate! Public, school, academic, tribal and special libraries are all invited to take a Snapshot of what their library does in one day. The more libraries that participate, the more complete our Snapshot will be.

For details on how to participate, go to the event website at http://snapshotnebraska.wordpress.com/.

I hope you’ll join us as we take a Snapshot of our Nebraska libraries!

Nebraska Snapshot Day 2012 is a project of the Nebraska Library Association. If you have any questions, please contact Robin Clark, Chair of the Legislative/Advocacy Committee, at robin.r.clark@gmail.com or Jessica Chamberlain, PLTS Vice-Chair, at 800-578-1014 or jchamberlain.nels@gmail.com.

Small-town public libraries may receive a helping hand thanks to the generosity of a lifelong educator, the late Shirley Kreutz Bennett of Lincoln.  Each year the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund, an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation (NCF), accepts proposals for matching grants for public libraries in communities with populations of fewer than 3,000.

Following Ms. Kreutz Bennett’s wishes, a Fund Advisory Committee composed of her nieces and nephews recommends grants in three areas: planning grants leading to accreditation; enhancement grants to improve library services and/or programs; and facilities grants for new facilities or the renovation, restoration or rehabilitation of current libraries.

All grants require a certain level of matching funds and evidence that the project has broad community support.  Approximately $70,000 is available each year. Grant seekers are encouraged to review the guidelines and application procedures at www.nebcommfound.org/fund/kreutzbennett.

For more information, contact Reggi Carlson, NCF Communications Director, (402) 323-7331or rcarlson@nebcommfound.org.

Four public libraries in Nebraska communities received grants from the first round of funding in March. 

Bridgeport Public Library was awarded $20,000 to help cover expenses involved with its expansion project into an adjacent building owned by the City. The project will double the size of the library.  The new space will be used for a children’s area, work space, circulation desk and archival storage.

Morrill Public Library received $8,500 to remodel the eastern side of the library by replacing windows and repairing the interior.  The improvements will help make the building, originally constructed in 1936, more comfortable and energy-efficient.  Savings in utility costs will allow the library to redirect funds to programs and activities.

Ponca Carnegie Library will be able to expand its Day Care Outreach Program, thanks to a $2,500 grant. Day care centers in the area will benefit from a library program delivered on location at their facilities. The goal of the program is to jump-start toddlers’ language skills and help preschoolers and older children retain skills they are already learning.

The Tekamah Carnegie Library Foundation received $20,000 to help with its $1 million improvement project to build a new one-story addition and renovate the existing Carnegie Library, built in 1916. The addition will meet ADA standards, provide handicap accessible restrooms and install an elevator so that all levels are accessible.

There are 228 libraries in Nebraska communities with populations under 3,000, which makes them eligible for a grant from the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund.  Of those, 100 are not accredited by the Nebraska Library Commission.

“Gaining accreditation is critical to our libraries.  It opens the door to other outside funding,” said Jeff Yost, NCF President and CEO.  “In many small towns, the library may be the only place where some people have access to the Internet.  This is certainly the case in towns where consolidation has closed the local school. Shirley’s legacy gift will help rural libraries adapt to significant changes over these next several years.  It shows that she had great vision and commitment to people in our small communities,” Yost said.

“We are really excited to be helping the family of Shirley Kreutz Bennett develop a strategy to share her passion for learning, especially in places where funding continues to shrink,” said Yost.  Last year, donor-advised funds gave almost $2.6 million to charitable organizations through the Nebraska Community Foundation.

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Date:                    March 30, 2012
Contact:              Reggi Carlson
Communications Director, Nebraska Community Foundation
(402) 323-7331; rcarlson@nebcommfound.org

In conjunction with School Library Month 2012 and it’s theme “You Belong @ your library,” AASL is proud to present the “You Belong @ Your School Library” Student Video Contest.

School libraries are no longer just places to go check out a book. They are the centers of the school where learning, research and collaboration happen, and technologies and information resources are available 24/7. Students are encouraged to submit videos via Schooltube.com focusing on the great reasons to visit their school library.  Each video should visually illustrate why the school library is (either physically or virtually) the place to be. Contestants might want to focus on one or more of the messages of the School Library Month “Ten Reasons” poster or they may prefer to come up with their own reasons.

Entries must be submitted to SchoolTube.com by March 29, 2012 by 11:59 P.M. CST to be eligible to win.  One student winner will be chosen from each grade level – elementary, middle, and high school – and the student will recieve a $100 Amazon.com gift card.

For full contest rules and how to enter, visit www.ala.org/aasl/slmvideocontest.

Apply by May 1 to Host Science Exhibit

The ALA Public Programs Office, in partnership with the National Center for Interactive Learning at Space Science Institute, the Lunar Planetary Institute and the National Girls Collaborative Project, announces a new traveling exhibition opportunity for public libraries. Following a competitive application process, eight public libraries will be selected to host an interactive exhibition called Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference. Public libraries in rural areas and those serving rural populations and underserved groups are especially invited to apply. Online applications must be submitted to ALA by May 1. To apply, visit www.ala.org/programming/discovertech.

Discover Tech is made possible through the support of the National Science Foundation. The exhibition and its educational support materials and outreach opportunities are part of the STAR (Science-Technology Activities and Resources) Library Education Network (STAR_Net), a hands-on learning program for libraries and their communities.

Discover Tech will tour from September 2012 to June 2014, visiting each of the eight selected sites for a period of eight weeks. The exhibition requires approximately 750 square feet of space for optimal display. Each site will be awarded a grant of $1,000 to support public programs related to the exhibition. Each host library will also be asked to join a national Community of Practice (CoP), accessible at http://community.discoverexhibits.org, and is expected to take part in project evaluation. For more information about Discover Tech, STAR_Net and the CoP, visit www.ala.org/programming/discovertech.

The Discover Tech exhibition will focus on a number of timely topics that are essential for understanding the nature of 21st  century technology and engineering—both high and low tech— and their potential for helping to solve many of the world’s problems. Through interactive elements and displays, visitors to the Discover Tech traveling exhibition will understand that engineers are real people who, through a creative and collaborative design process, arrive at practical solutions to help solve society’s problems in the U.S. and throughout the world. Exhibit visitors will also learn about the fundamental principles of energy, become aware of their own energy use, and understand the impact of engineering on societies over time and place.

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ALA Public Programs Office
www.ala.org/publicprograms
publicprograms@ala.org

The Nebraska Library Commission meeting and State Advisory Council meeting on March 9, 2012 will be held at Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave, Kearney, NE, not at the Library Commission.

On February 8, 2012, the NE State Records Board voted to open the grant program for Fiscal year 2012-2013.

The deadline for receipt of grant applications for consideration by the NE State Records Board will be Monday, April 9, 2012, 4:00 p.m. CST.

The Board has determined that the grants may be used for the creation or enhancement of electronic access and delivery of government services and information, but not to fund ongoing operations.  One of the Board’s highest priorities is to encourage collaboration and projects which can ultimately be used in multiple jurisdictions with minimal modification.

For more information go to:  http://www.staterecordsboard.ne.gov/grants.html

The ALA Public Programs Office, the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are pleased to announce America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway, a six-week series of public programs featuring documentary film screenings and scholar-led discussions of twentieth-century American popular music. Libraries and non-profit organizations related to music and music history may apply by March 14 to receive a $2,500 grant to support the program series. Online applications can be submitted at www.grants.gov.

The program for libraries and other non-profit organizations is offered though collaboration with TFI and NEH, in consultation with the Society for American Music (SAM). America’s Music will introduce genres of twentieth-century American popular music that are deeply connected to the history, culture and geography of the United States. Older and younger Americans alike will have the chance to recognize how the cultural landscape that they take for granted today has been influenced by the development of the popular musical forms discussed in this series. The six sessions focus on these uniquely American musical genres: blues and gospel, Broadway, jazz, bluegrass and country, rock ’n’ roll, mambo and hip hop.

Applicants for America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway must register their institution at www.grants.gov. Prospective applicants are advised to register with www.grants.gov as soon as possible, since the process can take up to two weeks to complete. More information to help begin the application process for America’s Music: A Film History of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway may be found at www.ala.org/programming/americasmusic. Online applications must be completed by March 14.

Fifty libraries and non-profit organizations will be selected to participate in the national initiative and receive a programming grant of $2,500, a full set of the DVDs for the series, including public performance rights and programming and promotional support materials and resources from ALA and TFI for the duration of the project. The selected sites will be required to designate an appropriate project scholar who will act as a moderator for the project. All programs must be open to the public. Applications that incorporate local partnerships and supplemental programming are strongly encouraged. For more information, visit www.ala.org/programming/americasmusic.

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ALA Public Programs Office
www.ala.org/publicprograms
publicprograms@ala.org

CHICAGO – As libraries throughout the country continue to expand their collections for diverse communities, thousands will celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), also known as Día, on April 30, 2012. Libraries from coast-to-coast will host celebrations with family programs, including bilingual story hours, book giveaways and other literacy events.

School and public libraries can promote Día with free publicity tools offered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).  The Día Publicity Tool kit includes a number of templates libraries can use to publicize Día activities including a Press Release Template,  PSA Templates, Letter to the Editor Template, Proclamation Template, Flyer Template, Talking Points,  Logos  and downloadable Audio PSAs featuring Día founder Pat Mora.  All are available at http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/eldiapresskit/diapubtools.

Participating libraries can also register their events and receive complimentary stickers and buttons to use for their Día events.

A Resource Guide is also available on the Día website to help librarians interested in creating Día programs and celebrations. The Guide contains program models and resources for many librarians who are new to Día, or have been celebrating Día for several years.

Día is sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, and is an enhancement of Children’s Day, which began in 1925.   Children’s Day was designated as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children.  In 1996, nationally acclaimed children’s book author Pat Mora proposed linking the celebration of childhood and children with literacy thus the inception of El día de los niños/El día de los libros.

Through Everyone Reads @ your library grants from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC) continues to increase public awareness of the event in libraries throughout the country. ALSC is collaborating on this effort with the Founding Partner of Día, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA).

For book lists and additional information on Día please visit http://dia.ala.org .

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Macey Morales
Manager Media Relations, ALA
312-280-4393
mmorales@ala.org

The Center for Rural Affairs is excited to announce their first ever “Youth Business Showcase Video Contest.”

The video based contest will judge creatively captured and edited video submissions from students (middle school through high school-aged students are eligible to enter) across Nebraska, capturing their youth lead businesses in a three minute or less video. Students can showcase current business(es) or entrepreneurial ventures in progress.

Students must create a three minute video that captures their business and “pitch” it to judges. Submissions can be made as one of three categories: 1) Personal business (outside of school/community), 2) School-based business, or 3) Community/organizational youth-lead business.

Judging criteria will be based on creativity, innovative ideas and strategies for approaching the implementation of the business, and the vitality and sustainability of the business for the future.

Entries in the video competition are now being accepted and must be received by midnight on January 30, 2012. The award-winning videos will be announced at a special ceremony in conjunction with the first ever IDEA (Innovation, Dialogue, Entrepreneurship, Action) Summit, an event dedicated to high school entrepreneurs, being held on Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center in Kearney, NE.

“This is an exceptional opportunity for youth not only to showcase their knowledge and efforts in establishing, maintaining and sustaining their savvy entrepreneurial endeavors but also a great way to recognize their efforts and learn about their impacts,” said Shawnna Silvius with the Center for Rural Affairs. “The semi-finalist videos will be shown to all the youth and adult attendees at the BIZ IDEA Summit and will provide an opportunity to inspire others while informing the audience about how their business is influencing each of their futures as well as contributing to their local economies. We hope this is also an attractive way of connecting economic developers and community leaders to their future businesses.”

Students should highlight the product or service, their team, applicable market research, branding and design, financial strategies, sales, direct and indirect competitors, as well as long and short-term business development goals. The video must demonstrate a well thought through business idea and coordinated implementation strategy which has shown impacts.

The semi-finalists will be asked to attend the IDEA Summit and student attendees will narrow to one winner per category.  Contest winners will win an Xbox 360 Kinect for the Personal Business category, and a $200 cash prize for each the School-based business and Community/organizational youth-lead business categories. Semi-finalists must be able to attend the awards ceremony during the IDEA summit to win. Winners will be contacted and given the chance to attend if they are selected and not registered for the entire event.

To learn more and submit a video, please visit: http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/youth-video

The BIZ IDEA Summit will be held prior to Nebraska’s premiere rural entrepreneurship conference, MarketPlace. Though separate events, both emphasize small business development through entrepreneurship in rural Nebraska and will be held during National Entrepreneurship Week.

The BIZ IDEA Summit is a day of hands on experience dedicated to youth entrepreneurs intended to stimulate innovation and business ideas development; to engage in dialogue; to raise entrepreneurial action; and to recognize distinctive visions, efforts, accomplishments and impacts of youth-led businesses in celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week.

For more details on the BIZ IDEA Summit visit: http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/IDEA . For further information contact Shawnna Silvius, shawnnas@cfra.org or 402-873-4027. And for more on MarketPlace visit: http://www.cfra.org/marketplace/ne-12 .

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Contact: John Crabtree, johnc@cfra.org, 402-687-2103 ext. 1010, 563-581-2867 (cell)
Elisha Smith, elishas@cfra.org, Phone: 402-687-2103 ext. 1007

Center for Rural Affairs Announces First Ever

“Youth Business Showcase Video Contest”

Winners to be announced at IDEA Summit during National Entrepreneurship Week

Great Websites for Kids (GWS) (www.ala.org/greatsites), the Association for Library Service to Children’s (ALSC) online website directory, has been completely redesigned. The updated site boasts a fresh and colorful kid-friendly look and interactive social media enhancements.

Clear, bright icons display subject categories and appear on every page, while eye-catching thumbnail images provide a visual preview of each great site represented. Special sections highlight Sites of the Week and Month, Most Popular pages and Top Rated selections. Prompts for each site offer “more selections like this.”

Visitors can actively connect with the site and further their online experience by rating sites; sharing their favorites on social media sites such as Facebook; and emailing recommendations to friends.

“Great Websites for Kids is a prime example of the essential work librarians do in disseminating high quality information,” said Mary Fellows, ALSC President. “The GWS transformation is a content-rich, visually exciting advancement for a terrific tool.”

The recent updates to GWS are part of a two-phase makeover for the popular site. Phase two improvements will take place in 2012 and include further development of “social” functionality and interactivity.

ALSC, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 4,000 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for children through libraries. To learn more about ALSC, visit www.ala.org/alsc.

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