Category Archives: General

What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commission

New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for January 2018.  Included are reports from the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, the Invest Nebraska Corporation, Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, and new books from the University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.

All items, except the books from the University of Nebraska Press, are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking on the highlighted .pdf link above, or directly in the .pdf below.

The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972, a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies.  By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse.  For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Mary Sauers, Government Information Services Librarian, or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.

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Free Webinar–Money on Our Minds: How to Help Library Patrons Make Financial Choices

You are invited to participate in a webinar to learn about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s financial education resources on Thursday, February 22, 2018 from 2:00 to 3:00pm eastern standard time. See below for details.

Many Americans are turning to a trusted source in their communities, their local public library.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal government agency, recognizes that libraries are a powerful and trusted community resource, and has materials specifically for libraries to use to inform their patrons about financial education.  Collaborating with the CFPB makes it easy for libraries to refer your patrons to trusted sources so they can make important money decisions.

Learn more about the value provided for libraries collaborating with CFPB

You can learn more about this exciting opportunity to help empower your patrons in the financial services market through an upcoming webinar conducted by the CFPB.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

2:00-3:00 pm (Eastern Time)

Step 1:  To join the February 22nd webinar, please go to the following link at the time of the webinar:

https://www.mymeetings.com/nc/join.php?i=PWXW6738308&p=7758404&t=c

(Note that this webinar link will not be live until the day of the webinar).

Step 2:  Listen to the audio by dialing 888-795-5920 and entering participant passcode 77-58-404.

Step 3: If you can’t participate on the day of the webinar, it will be recorded, and available for later viewing here:  CFPB Library Training Resources

If you have any questions about this webinar-or about CFPB’s Libraries Initiative–please contact Ken McDonnell at Kenneth.mcdonnell@cfpb.gov;

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau : consumerfinance.gov 

Posted in Education & Training, General, Information Resources, Library Management, Programming, Uncategorized, What's Up Doc / Govdocs | 1 Comment

#BookFaceFriday “Letters of Mari Sandoz”

We like to celebrate the end of the week with #BookFaceFriday!

"Letters of Mari Sandoz" Bookface

Today we also get to celebrate the beloved Nebraska author Mari Sandoz with “Letters of Mari Sandoz” edited by Helen Winter Stauffer (University of Nebraska Press, 1992). Included in the book are over nearly forty years—from 1928 to 1966—of letters. Dive in to Sandoz’s world as she documents her own experiences, struggles, and successes. As part of our permanent collection it’s available for check out to anyone. Just ask our amazing Information Services staff! This title is published by the University of Nebraska Press, which we collect from for our state document program.

From the Back Cover:
“Mari Sandoz came out of the Sandhills of Nebraska to write at least three enduring books: Old Jules, Cheyenne Autumn, and Crazy Horse, the Strange man of the Oglalas. She was a tireless researcher, a true story-teller, an artist passionately dedicated to a place little know and a people largely misunderstood.”

This week’s #BookFace model is TBBS Volunteer Services Coordinator, Annette Hall!

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Throwback Thursday: John Ellis Album

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories.

We’re changing it up a little this week to showcase the wide variety of documents in the Nebraska Memories archive. While photographs are visually captivating, Nebraska Memories contains so much more than just photos. Today we have just such an example with a Mr. John Ellis’s autograph album. Containing inscriptions from the 1880’s, take a little time to read through them. We’ve only included a few in this post, but another fifteen are available for your perusal on the Nebraska Memories website. Check them out, there are some really comical and interesting inscriptions!

This 5″ x 3″ autograph album has a cover with a floral design on it. The pages of the album are filled with inscriptions addressed to “John” or “Johnnie.” Some of the inscriptions have dates from years in the 1880s.

Johny Ellis 
Some write for plesure [pleasure]
Some write for fame
But I write simply to sine my name. 
Franklin. C Compton. 
Genoa. Neb. [Nebraska] Feb. [February] 24. 1888

Friend Johnnie
If in this world of grief and pain
My friend..we never meet again
Oh.. my we meet beyond the the skies
Where friendship blooms and never dies
Your well wisher
Lennie[?] Foster
Genoe [Genoa] Neb [Nebraska] Mar [March] 4th 1881

Dec. [December]  18th 1887 
Friend John 
Remember me when far far off
Where the woodchucks die
Of whooping cough.

Yours Truly
John T. Nutcher
Reed Box Butte Co. [County]
Nebr. [Nebraska]

Interested in Nebraska history? Find out more about this photo in the Nebraska Memories archive!

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. 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.

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#BookFaceFriday “Feathering Custer”

Hey, book lovers! Happy #BookFaceFriday!

"Feathering Custer" BookFace"Feathering Custer" BookFace2

As we dive in to our permanent collection, which dates back to 1972, we’re bound to find some gems. One such book is “Feathering Custer” by William S. Penn (University of Nebraska Press, 2001). As part of our permanent collection it’s available for check out to anyone. Just ask our amazing Information Services staff! This title is published by the University of Nebraska Press, which we collect from for our state document program.

Feathering Custer points to the need for critical understanding of the literatures of Native America. Penn’s volume offers a challenge to all those interested in meaningful insights into these literary works to search the indigenous storytelling traditions, lives, and literatures of Native Americans.”—World Literature Today

This week’s #BookFace model is Tom Rolfes, Education I.T. Manager at the Nebraska Office of the CIO/NITC. He’s been at the Commission a lot lately working on the grant project “Nebraska Schools and Libraries—Breaking the Ice and Igniting Internet Relationships.” You can learn all about it on the January 24th episode of NCompass Live.

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Governor Ricketts Proclaims 2018 One Book One Nebraska: Nebraska Presence: An Anthology of Poetry

On Jan. 22, 2018 Governor Pete Ricketts signed a proclamation honoring 2018 One Book One Nebraska: Nebraska Presence: An Anthology of Poetry (The Backwaters Press, 2007) edited by Greg Kosmicki and Mary K. Stillwell. Stillwell presented the governor with a copy of the book. Nebraska Presence includes poems by more than 80 contemporary Nebraska poets, including Pulitzer Prize winner and former Poet Laureate of the United States Ted Kooser, Nebraska State Poet Twyla Hansen, former State Poet William Kloefkorn, and many others.

Photos of the proclamation-signing ceremony are available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/librarycommission/24973184357/in/dateposted-public/

The One Book One Nebraska reading program, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, and Humanities Nebraska is entering its fourteenth year. It encourages Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss one book, chosen from books written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. Libraries across Nebraska will join other literary and cultural organizations in planning book discussions, activities, and events to encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book. Support materials to assist with local reading/discussion activities are available at http://onebook.nebraska.gov. Updates and activity listings will be posted there and on http://www.facebook.com/onebookonenebraska.

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 Nebraska’s 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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Throwback Thursday: Sam Kills Two

#ThrowbackThursday takes a look at what’s inside the Nebraska State Historical Society collection today.

Sam Kills Two works on the Big Missouri Winter Count

Sam Kills Two, also known as Beads, works on his Winter Count, a historical calendar with painted pictographs on a stretched animal skin outside a tipi. The death of Turning Bear, killed by a passenger train in Valentine, Nebraska, in 1912, is shown in the second row just above Kill Two’s left foot by the picture of a locomotive. Kills Two is dressed in native clothing and wears two feathers in his hair. The photograph was taken at the Rosebud Reservation.

Kills Two, a Brule Sioux medicine man, provided a written interpretation of the Winter Count which is held by the Sioux Indian Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota. The Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation is located nine miles north of Valentine, Nebraska, in South Dakota.

This photo is a part of the Nebraska State Historical Society digitized content from the John Nelson collection. John Nelson was born in Harestad, Sweden, in 1864. He came to Nebraska with his parents at the age of seventeen. His photographs tell the story of small town life in Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century. His subjects included local businesses, community activities, and early automobiles.

Interested in Nebraska history? Find out more about this photo in the Nebraska Memories archive!

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. 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.

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Friday Reads : Little Beach Street Bakery

In her estimation, Polly Waterford is recovering from a failed life: a failed marketing business, a failed relationship,  and being homeless.  As a result, her life failures have led Polly to a small fishing village in Cornwall which is only accessible when the tide is out, and where she lives alone above an abandoned bakery, working out her frustrations by baking bread.

Her bread baking as an emotional release quickly becomes a passion, each loaf better than the last. Soon, Polly is experimenting with nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, and the local honey–courtesy of a handsome local beekeeper with issues of his own.  With help from old friends and new, a puffin named Neil, and her amazing bread making skills, Polly builds a new life for herself.

There are three books in the Little Beach Street Bakery Series, by Jenny Colgan: Little Beach Street Bakery, Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery, and Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery.  I listened to the first one, was immediately hooked, and then listened to the other two immediately.  I found the story location especially unique, the characters real and well developed, and the desire to bake bread overwhelming!  Enjoy!

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#BookFaceFriday “Cora Du Bois”

Relax everyone, it’s time for #BookFaceFriday!

"Cora Du Bois" BookFace Image

We decided to change it up a bit this week and choose a book from our permanent collection. We absolutely loved the cover on Susan C. Seymour’s “Cora Du Bois: Anthropologist, Diplomat, Agent (Critical Studies in the History of Anthropology)” (University of Nebraska Press, 2015). As part of our permanent collection it’s available for check out to anyone. Just ask our amazing Information Services staff! This title is published by the University of Nebraska Press, which we collect from for our state document program. In 1972, the Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies.

“Seymour’s meticulously researched biography on Cora Du Bois skillfully weaves together threads from a myriad of often obscure, intensely personal documents, to produce a magnificent reconstruction of the life and personality of this major anthropological figure.”—Carol Mukhopadhyay, Association for Feminist Anthropology (Carol Mukhopadhyay Association for Feminist Anthropology 2015-09-09)

This week’s #BookFace model is Kay Goehring, NLC’s Talking Book & Braille Service Library Readers Advisor/Senior.

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Throwback Thursday: Nebraska Wesleyan University 1889, Old Main

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday takes a look at Nebraska’s higher education!

Nebraska Wesleyan University 1889

This black and white photograph, 9 3/4″ X 7 3/4″, of the north and west side of Old Main, comes from the Nebraska Wesleyan University, Cochrane-Woods Library Collection. In 2008, the archives launched an effort to digitize, catalog, and describe photographs of NWU’s campus buildings. The collection consists of mainly exterior shots of individual buildings, along with several views of the campus layout as it evolved from 1891 through the 1970s.

Old Main was the primary building on the Nebraska Wesleyan campus in 1889. Three white buildings appear on the right edge of the photograph and it appears that three men are reclining on the lawn in front of the building. “#39” is written on the front of the photograph in the bottom left corner, while “NE Wesleyan UN-1889” is written on the back.

Nebraska Wesleyan University was chartered on January 20, 1887, and is affiliated with the Methodist Church. Old Main was constructed in a Richardsonian Romanesque style beginning in 1887.

Interested in Nebraska history? Find out more about this photo in the Nebraska Memories archive!

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. 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.

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#BookFaceFriday “The Miniaturist”

Happy #BookFaceFriday everyone!

"The Miniaturist" BookFace

This week we took a little trip to seventeenth century Amsterdam with our #BookFace post. “The Miniaturist” by Jessie Burton (Ecco, 2015) follows eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman as she begins a life in Amsterdam. Take a little adventure yourself and request this kit for your next book club read! “Burton’s writing is expressive and descriptive. While her prose is rich, it does not overwhelm the story…This historical novel with its strong female characters will appeal to those who enjoy the haunting undercurrents of Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind.” (Library Journal)

This week’s #BookFace model is Devra Dragos, NLC’s Technology & Access Services Director.

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Throwback Thursday: Interior of a Telephone Office

Listen up! We’ve got a new #ThrowbackThursday for you!

Located at 325 6th Avenue, the telephone exchange owned by the Nebraska Telephone Company was established in Fairmont in 1882. By 1884, 30 instruments were in use in Fairmont with the central office attending to 300 calls per day, on an average. This picture was taken in 1923 with Lawava Abrams, Mae Crooker McMahon, May Walker, Bess Storm and Alice Crooker Peters.

There was also an Independent Telephone company at this time in Fairmont and rivalry between the two companies was high. Cedar Hill Telephone Company and Scott Telephone Company were also vying for a part of the telephone interest. The Nebraska Telephone Company was bought out by Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Company on January 22, 1912. One of the first, possibly the very first, Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph exchange was located on the south side of Jefferson Street on the second floor of the building in which the real estate office of Tom Wright was located. At the time, the Independent Telephone Company was housed in the second floor of a building across the street north of Wright’s office.

Interested in Nebraska history? Find out more about this photo in the Nebraska Memories archive!

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. 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.

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NLC Staff: Meet Cynthia Nigh

Cynthia Nigh HeadshotMeet Cynthia Nigh who joined The Library Commission staff this past August as a Project Assistant for the Library Innovation Studios Grant. Cynthia was born in Reedsburg, Wisconsin where her father worked for Amour Meats and later Dubuque Pack. Every morning he would receive a call with the market prices on the party line early and neighbors on the same party line soon learned what valuable information was being conveyed. Cynthia attended West Delaware Community High School in Manchester, IA and because of an influential Art Teacher named Mr. Renfrow, she applied for and was awarded an Art Scholarship to attend the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Cynthia also attended Hawkeye Technical College for Commercial Art in Waterloo, IA.

As a young girl, Cynthia describes her reading habits as constant. She remembers fondly the number of scholastic books she and her sisters would order. A childhood favorite was Once and Future King by T. H. White. A Course in Miracles is another important book to Cynthia as her copy was given to her by her father. The value of this book for Cynthia is that “it helped me look at the world more peacefully.”

Cynthia says the best thing about working in a library is being amongst the stacks. She describes her own house as a library so close proximity to a collection of books is a comfort. The most challenging thing about this position is learning to operate each machine acquired for the grant; what supplies each machine requires; and writing operating manuals for library staff. Apart from work, Cynthia enjoys working in her garden, cooking, and canning with the bounty from her labor. If she could have dinner with anyone she would like to dine with Oprah but not at Cynthia’s house, in a neutral location.

If she won the lottery and no longer had to work, she might pursue more fully her interest in mycology – the study of mushrooms. She might also enjoy fully implementing a craft studio where she could be creative and perhaps a small business could emerge for selling her projects. Cynthia shares her home with her two sons, Dylan and Paul in addition to two rescue cats named Bonnie and Chloe. Because of her Iowa background, I asked what distinguishes life in Nebraska and she answered, Nebraskans are a little wilder and exhibit more freedom in their choices compared to the tucked in manner of Iowans. A perfect day for Cynthia would be laying around watching movies and binge watching Netflix titles. Welcome to Cynthia! NLC Logo

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What’s Sally Reading?

Jason Reynolds on Encouraging Reading

One librarian’s blog, Alicia Abdul, and her list of “Six Sensational YA + MG” titles for 2017. Since seeing this I have checked one title out of the library, and am pleased that two of her six were on Jill Annis and my Teen list for 2017.

But I really hope you will take the 3+ minutes to hear what Jason Reynolds has to say about reluctant readers. Makes good sense. It is included on this page, right under his title Long Way Down.

 

I was tempted to include my review of Long Way Down but thought that might be redundant.  Instead here is my review of brave by Svetlana Chmakova.  A full-color graphic novel: Jensen, is just starting middle school and still trying to figure it out. He knows to avoid Foster and Yanic – they are never nice. He sees the school as a video game, all he needs to do is survive to the end of the day. Math is hard, but he lives for art club after school. He becomes involved with the newspaper crew as an on-call helper, and then as a possible subject for their bullying article. He isn’t certain he is being bullied, aren’t his “friends” just joking with him? He slowly finds his way and eventually speaks up on his own behalf.

(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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What’s Up Doc? New State Agency Publications at the Nebraska Library Commission

New state agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for December 2017.  Included are reports from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Nebraska Forest Service, the Nebraska Public Power District, and new books from the University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.

All items, except the books from the University of Nebraska Press, are available for immediate viewing and printing by clicking on the highlighted .pdf link above, or directly in the .pdf below.

The Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse in 1972, a service of the Nebraska Library Commission. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to all public information published by Nebraska state agencies.  By law (State Statutes 51-411 to 51-413) all Nebraska state agencies are required to submit their published documents to the Clearinghouse.  For more information, visit the Nebraska Publications Clearinghouse page, contact Mary Sauers, Government Information Services Librarian, or contact Bonnie Henzel, State Documents Staff Assistant.

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#BookFaceFriday “Looking for Alaska” & “Reconsidering Happiness”

We’ve got a double #BookFace for you today book lovers!

#BookFace Holly Woldt

I know the new year is supposed to be all about starting new goals and breaking bad habits, but we decided to put that off for one more week. Besides, my New Year’s resolution is always to read more books, and I was probably going to do that anyway.  This #BookFaceFriday we decided to indulge in a bad habit instead with John Green’s “Looking for Alaska” (Speak, 2006) and “Reconsidering Happiness” by Sherrie Flick (Bison Books, 2009). Both novels have 4.5 – 5 star ratings on Amazon and are available to borrow as book club kits through your library!

This week’s #BookFace model is Holly Woldt, NLC’s Library Technology Support Specialist. (P.S. we did not actually light up in the Library Commission, that would be against the rules.)

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Friday Reads: A Year in Review

The NLC staff have done a lot of reading this year! We wanted to take a look at all the great books we’ve reviewed in 2017.

2017 Friday Reads CollageYou might be familiar with our weekly blog series Friday Reads; every Friday, a  staff member at the Nebraska Library Commission posts a review of a book. From memoirs to science fiction, murder mysteries to home organization, we’ve shared what we’ve read and why we’ve read it.

Former NLC staffer Laura Johnson created this series to model the idea of talking about books and to help readers get to know our staff a little better. Readers advisory and book-talking are valuable skills for librarians to develop, but they are ones that take practice. We hope that our book reviews will start a conversation about books among our readers and encourage others to share their own reviews and recommendations.

The series has been going strong for 3 1/2 years and has produced over 150 reviews, which are archived on the NCompass blog (http://nlcblogs.nebraska.gov/nlcblog/tag/friday-reads/,) or you can browse a list of reviews here: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/BookReviews.aspx.

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#BookFaceFriday “Holidays on Ice”

Happy #BookFaceFriday from the Nebraska Library Commission & have a Happy New Years!

#Bookface "Holidays On Ice"

When a novel just sounds like too much commitment, the perfect solution is David Sedaris’s collection of short stories! “Holidays on Ice” (Back Bay Books, 2010) covers all our favorite holidays with this great collection of witty stories. Check it out for your book club today!

This week’s #BookFace took a trip to Omaha to visit Aimee Owen’s Christmas Village!

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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What’s Sally Reading?

School Library Journal’s Best Books 2017

Once again it is time for journals to print (or post) their choices for “Best Books of…” lists. School Library Journal recently posted their choices and the lists can be found here.

A total of 71 titles have been honored this year, divided into the following categories: Picture Books (14 titles), Chapter Books (1 title), Middle Grade (13 titles), Young Adult (18 titles) and Nonfiction (25 titles). I enjoy learning about excellent titles I did not encounter earlier, and also finding some agreement with some I have read and put on my lists. Now here is the chance for you to do the same.

On the main page, scroll down to find a form to fill out in order to download, at no charge, a printable PDF version of the full list.  There is also an “Other Bests” link on the right side of the screen which contains a print list of six additional categories, such as “Top 10 Graphic Novels,” “Top 10 Audiobooks,” and “Top 10 Apps.”  I hope you can find some time to explore these pages.  For the Best Books of 2017, once you click on one of the categories you will see a slide show of the titles.

One of the selected picture books from 2017 is The Three Billy Goats Gruff, adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, gives readers another wonderful retelling of a popular folktale with outstanding artwork.  The author notes at the back of the book that this story gave him trouble because in many versions the Troll does not have the opportunity to learn his lesson.  Mr. Pinkney found a satisfying way for this to happen in his version.  I will say it again: It is great that Pinkney is retelling both folktales and fables so children today can continue to hear them.

(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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#BookFaceFriday “The Myth of You & Me”

It’s #BookFaceFriday at the Nebraska Library Commission!

#BookFace "The Myth of You and Me"

We’re feeling all the warm-and-fuzzies with this week’s #BookFace. Settle in and get comfy with this book club selection. A story about friendship, loss, and love, with a little mystery thrown in, “The Myth of You & Me” by Leah Stewart (Three Rivers Press, 2006) has it all. “The novel unfolds at an unhurried, graceful pace, moving through flashbacks and memories.” – School Library Journal.

This week’s #BookFace models are NLC’s Government Information Services Librarian, Mary Sauers and her hubby Michael Sauers (Michael used to be NLC’s Technology Librarian, and is now Director of Technology at Do Space!) Talk about a library power couple!

Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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