Category Archives: General

Libraries to Celebrate Money Smart Week® April 23-30, 2016

money-smart-weekLOGO2016Nebraska libraries are invited to join libraries across the country in celebrating Money Smart Week® April 23-30, 2016. Created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in 2002, Money Smart Week® is a public awareness campaign designed to help consumers better manage their personal finances. This is achieved through the collaboration and coordinated effort of hundreds of organizations across the country. Classes, activities, events, and programming will be offered to all demographics and income levels and will cover all facets of personal finance. Resources for local events are available at http://www.moneysmartweek.org/resources.

The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, in partnership with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Investor Education Foundation, recently announced that fifty public libraries will host a new traveling exhibition, Thinking Money. Two are located in Nebraska: Morton-James Public Library in Nebraska City and Lincoln City Libraries. Through an adventure-themed storyline, interactive iPad content and other fun activities, the exhibition explores themes like wants vs. needs, preparing for a rainy/sunny day and imagining your future self.

Comment below to share what your library is doing to help the people in your community  find the information they need to improve their financial decisions.

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Nebraska Libraries Invited to Host Readathon Event on May 21

50204652016readathonSaturday, May 21 is National Readathon Day, a day dedicated to the joy of reading and giving, when readers everywhere can join together in their local library, school, bookstore, and on social media (#Readathon2016) to read and raise funds in support of literacy. Nebraska libraries are invited to partner with the American Library Association (ALA), Penguin Random House, and libraries across the country by hosting events to benefit ALA’s Every Child Ready to Read initiative, a program that supports the early literacy development of children from birth to age five in libraries across the nation. For more information see http://www.readathonday.com/

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Friday Reads: Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

ruthThis book came to my attention after I listened to Debra Winger read My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem. The death of Justice Antonin Scalia precipitated selecting this title from my queue since Ginsburg and Scalia were known to have been fast friends despite their ideological differences. I am ashamed to confess how wholly unaware I was of the tremendous gender inequity around me as a younger woman.  Like watching episodes of Mad Men it is an all too visceral reminder of just how far we’ve come and how much we’ve yet to accomplish.

One reviewer wrote “her appointment to the Court by Bill Clinton will be seen as one of his greatest accomplishments” and I’m inclined to agree. Her quiet and pragmatic work on issues of equity and equality have made the world a little better and a little freer. Her uncanny ability to know which cases were ready to go forward and those that were not is helpful to think about as I examine current issues being debated in state legislative houses.

Learning about RBG’s marriage was a revelation of both envy and delight. I’ve always admired those kinds of partnerships and this book made me appreciate Marty as much as Ruth. Supporting Ruth and her career was his proudest accomplishment. It reminded me of Paul and Julia Child’s marriage.

The life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one worth knowing and one easily presented in this quick read. I don’t believe this book is meant to be a definitive biography of RBG but it is a tremendous introduction.

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Throwback Thursday: Shelton Carnegie Library

Shelton

Exterior photo of the Shelton, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1914.

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Throwback Thursday: Seward Carnegie Library

Seward

Exterior photo of the Seward, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1913.

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IRS Warns of Continued Scams as the Tax Deadline Nears

IRS-LogoThe Internal Revenue Service issued a warning yesterday that scammers may try using the April 18 tax deadline to prey on hard-working taxpayers by impersonating the IRS and others with fake phone calls and emails. Even after the tax deadline passes, taxpayers should know the telltale signs of a scam and tips to protect themselves from a variety of phone scams and phishing emails.

“We’ve seen continuing activity in these scams throughout the filing season,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “As the tax deadline nears, these criminals may try and trick honest taxpayers over the phone or via email, and people should remain vigilant. After the tax deadline, watch out for these scammers promising a refund or threatening you with an unexpected tax bill.”

These scam artists frequently masquerade as being from the IRS, a tax company and sometimes even a state revenue department. By email, they try enticing people to click on links on official-looking messages containing questions related to their tax refund. Report these emails to phishing@irs.gov. By phone, many scammers use threats to intimidate and bully people into paying a tax bill. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the driver’s license of their victim if they don’t get the money.

Variations of these scams can be seen nationwide, and it’s more important than ever to be cautious with providing personal or financial information. As part of the effort to protect taxpayers, the IRS has teamed up with state revenue departments and the tax industry to make sure taxpayers understand the dangers to their personal and financial data as part of the “Taxes. Security.Together” campaign.  Some examples of the varied tactics seen this year are:

  • Soliciting W-2 information from payroll and human resources professionals–IR-2016-34
  • “Verifying” tax return information over the phone–IR-2016-40
  • Pretending to be from the tax preparation industry–IR-2016-28

There are some important reminders for taxpayers nationwide about these schemes:

Watch Out for Threatening Phone Calls

Beware of scammers making unsolicited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the victim into sending cash, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer. They may also leave “urgent” callback requests through phone “robo-calls,” or via a phishing email.

Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS titles and fake badge numbers to appear legitimate. They may use the victim’s name, address and other personal information to make the call sound official.

The IRS Will Never:

  • Call to demand immediate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
  • Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
  • Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
  • Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
  • Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money and you don’t owe taxes, here’s what you should do:

  • Do not give out any information. Hang up immediately.
  • Contact TIGTA to report the call. Use their “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting” web page or call 800-366-4484.
  • Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the “FTC Complaint Assistant” on FTC.gov. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
  • If you think you might owe taxes, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040.

Avoid e-mail phishing attempts

There has been a surge in e-mail scams this year that appear to be from a tax agency or a tax software company.

Never reply to emails, texts or pop-up messages asking for your personal, tax or financial information. One common trick by criminals is to impersonate a business such as your financial institution, tax software provider or the IRS, asking you to update your account and providing a link. For small business, these schemes may try impersonating a company leader and request payroll and human resource information for employees in your company. Never click on links even if they seem to be from organizations you trust. Go directly to the organization’s website.

And if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you see an email that says ‘You won a free cruise’ or ‘The IRS has a refund waiting for you,’ odds are high that it is a phishing attempt looking to get your personal information.

If you get a ‘phishing’ email, remember this important advice:

  • Don’t reply to the message.
  • Don’t give out your personal or financial information.
  • Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov. Then delete it.
  • Don’t open any attachments or click on any links. They may have malicious code that will infect your computer.

More information on how to report phishing or phone scams is available on IRS.gov.

Additional IRS Resources:

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The Data Dude on Maintenance of Effort (MOE)

maintenanceState aid time is just around the corner. But first, let’s talk about this little thing called maintenance of effort (a/k/a MOE). Some of you are aware of this, as you recently received letters explaining it. If you didn’t receive a letter, then you don’t have to worry about it. But for future reference, read on. The MOE requirement applies to libraries who will be receiving state aid, which means that they are accredited and they have submitted an annual public library survey via Bibliostat online. The maintenance of effort requirement is that the “local income support for the library is at least equal to the lowest annual income from the three previous years.” In other words, we look at the local funding (as reported on your public library survey) for the three prior years (in this case 2011, 2012, and 2013) and compare that to the current data that we use for state aid calculations (in this case 2014 data). The most recently submitted public library survey covers the 2015 year, and that data will be used in next year’s calculations. If you did not receive a letter in the mail, then your library met the MOE requirements. For those libraries that didn’t meet the MOE requirement, it’s possible that their state aid will be reduced by the percentage proportionate to the decrease in local funding. Now today’s post is also a quick reminder for those that received MOE letters that the deadline to file a waiver is April 15, 2016. Some of you have already filed waivers or otherwise explained reporting errors, and that data has been adjusted. If the city clerk can verify that the library budget was reduced at the same percentage as that of the rest of the city budget, then that is grounds for a waiver. So, if you are filing a waiver, get it in soon – like by the end of the week. State aid letters indicating what your payment will be will be send out toward the end of April. Photo of the jacked up car awaiting maintenance by the William Masters lookalike is courtesy of Nebraska Memories. Shaka.

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New Nebraska State Agency Publications

Nebraska StatehoodNew Nebraska State Agency publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for March 2016. Included are Annual and Audit reports, publications from the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Roads, Nebraska Public Power District, the Nebraska Legislature, and new titles from the University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.

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Happy 100th Birthday Beverly Cleary!

ramonaWhile we are celebrating National Library Week, we can also celebrate an author many of us have cherished – Beverly Cleary – who turns 100 tomorrow. My neighbor sent me the following article from the New York Times and I was delighted to learn how she got started writing and also to learn that she was a librarian! One of Cleary’s quotes from the article is worth sharing: “As a child, I very much objected to books that tried to teach me something … I just wanted to read for pleasure, and I did. But if a book tried to teach me, I returned it to the library.”

If you would like to check out copies of Cleary’s books for your book group, here are the titles we own: The Mouse and the Motorcycle (8 copies); Ramona and Her Father (5 copies); and Ramona and her Mother (5 copies). As the article indicates, Ramona is her favorite character but isn’t directly modeled on her. “I was a well-behaved girl,” she said, “but I often thought like Ramona.” Happy Birthday Beverly, we are grateful for the wonderful characters you gave us.

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Try the School Library Snapshot Tool this Month

AASL_SLM2016_470sqApril is School Library Month: School Libraries Transform Learning–the perfect time to try out the new School Library Snapshot tool that you can use to tell your school library story to parents, administrators, elected officials, students, and community residents. School librarians are encouraged to use this tool to produce your own tailored infographic and create a visual representation of how your library aligns with provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), from providing information literacy instruction to working with teachers and hosting enrichment activities.  Please share them with us by commenting below and including your infographic in the comment. The tool was made available by the Office for Library Advocacy (OLA), in collaboration with American Association of School Librarians (AASL). More information is available at http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2016/03/ala-and-aasl-introduce-school-library-snapshot-tool.

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The Data Dude on Makerspace Survey (pt. 2)

makerspace chart 2Last week, we took a brief look at some of the survey data from a recent (2016) NLC survey on makerspaces (part 1). Specifically, we looked at the most common items that are available in existing Nebraska library makerspaces. Today, we will look at those libraries that expressed interest in having a makerspace in their library, but do not currently have a space. Many of these libraries are in the planning stages. There are a few similarities and a few differences with the items already in Nebraska library makerspaces and those that have only thus far expressed interest. Namely, at the top of both lists are arts and crafts items and Legos. Hands down, these are the most common. In fact, 4 out of the 37 respondents who reported having an existing space call the space Lego something or other. This makes a lot of sense, as Legos and arts and craft items are low cost, simple items to have and might not require a great deal of physical space. The differences, however, lie in the fact that among survey respondents who have existing makerspaces, the top items lack a great deal of technology (it should be noted that 3D printers were at least prevalent enough to make the chart). Conversely, among those interested or planning spaces, technology related items (computer app creation, computer programming, and robotics) were noted as higher, in addition to 3D printers.

Finally, a couple of maker plugs. The Three Rivers Library System is sponsoring a makerspace workshop with NLC Technology and Innovation librarian, Craig Lefteroff next week on April 12, 2016. Secondly, the upcoming April 27, 2016 NCompass Live, titled Lessons Learned Establishing a Technology Makerspace – Online may be of interest. Shaka.

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Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NCB logo
April 1, 2016

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition

Young Nebraska writers will receive Letters about Literature award certificates from Gov. Pete Ricketts on April 6, 2016 at a proclamation-signing ceremony celebrating National Library Week, April 10-16, 2016. Letters about Literature is a national reading and writing promotion program. Nearly 50,000 adolescent and young readers nationwide in grades four through twelve participated in this year’s Letters about Literature program, hundreds of them from Nebraska. The competition encourages young people to read, be inspired, and write back to the author (living or dead) who had an impact on their lives.

This annual contest is sponsored nationally by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, with funding from Dollar General Literacy Foundation. The Center for the Book was established in 1977 as a public-private partnership to use the resources of the Library of Congress to stimulate public interest in books and reading. The Nebraska competition is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, and Houchen Bindery Ltd.

Young Nebraska writers to be honored are:

Winners
Conleigh Hemmer, Lincoln, for a letter to Patricia McKissack
Madeline Walker, Lincoln, for a letter to Ray Bradbury
Colette Mahr, Chadron, for a letter to Laurie Halse Anderson

Alternate Winners
Carson Bredemeier,
Falls City, for a letter to Laura Hillenbrand
Janna Marley, Lincoln, for a letter to Kate DiCamillo
Julia Briones, Lexington, for a letter to Khaled Hosseini

The students wrote personal letters to authors explaining how his or her work changed their view of themselves or the world. They selected authors from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. Winners were chosen from three competition levels: upper elementary, middle, and secondary school.

The Nebraska winners will be honored at a luncheon and receive cash prizes and gift certificates. Their winning letters will be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. They will advance to the national competition, with a chance to win a trip to Washington, D.C. for themselves and their parents. For more information see http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/LAL.html.

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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Friday Reads: Tell the Wolves I’m Home, by Carol Rifka Brunt

tellthewolves_I think my colleagues will be glad that I’m finished with this book, as I’ve been an emotional wreck every afternoon after listening to another installment over my lunch hour. The story is set in 1987, in and around New York City, at the height of the AIDS epidemic.  Several chapters in, 14-year-old June Elbus’s beloved uncle and godfather, Finn, dies of the disease. Fractures between June and her 16-year-old sister, Greta, which began prior to Finn’s death, open further, leaving each alone with her unique pain. And June’s mother, Finn’s sister, is so caught up in her own grief and resentment that she doesn’t see how her personal issues have contributed to her daughters’ crises.

A major catalyst for the emotional drama of the story is the secret June’s mother forced Finn to keep from June as a condition of him being allowed to be a part of her life: the very existence of his beloved partner Toby, with whom he shared his apartment and life. June learns of Toby’s existence at Finn’s funeral, when her mother spots him outside the funeral parlor, and her father tells June and Greta to alert him if “that man” tries to enter the building.

Several weeks after the funeral, Toby contacts June with a gift from Finn and a request to meet secretly, as she is, according to his note, “perhaps the only person who misses Finn as much as I do…” Thus begins a tentative and covert friendship, orchestrated in part, we find out, by Finn, which brings both comfort and additional pain to June.

What totally guts me about this book is the degree to which pain begets pain, especially between people who love each other. Greta’s pain, an outgrowth of her growing estrangement from June, along with pressure from her mother to not pass up any opportunities, even those she’s not ready for, leads her to cruelly and repeatedly lash out at June – behavior that, counterproductively, just causes more pain and further estrangement.

Similarly, the pain June and Greta’s mother holds on to from her own past – the abandonment she felt when Finn left home at seventeen; her jealousy and regret over the fact that he became the famous artist in New York City, while she wound up an accountant in the suburbs – leads to her irrational ultimatum about Toby, and its cascade of consequences. Her goal may have been to hurt Toby and teach Finn he “couldn’t have everything,” but her daughter June suffers significant collateral damage. Disoriented upon learning how much she didn’t know about Finn, June questions the very foundation of their relationship – essentially losing him twice. And even though she gets some of Finn back through Toby, she struggles with feelings of humiliation at having thought herself the most important person in Finn’s life at a time when everyone else knew he had Toby.

While this book doesn’t come with a “happily ever after” ending, it does suggest that, moving forward, there is hope for redemption and reconciliation for June, Greta, and their mother. Perhaps more significantly, it serves as a powerful reminder to those of us muddling through the mess of our own lives to resist acting out of pain and instead choose love.

Brunt, Carol Rifka. Tell the Wolves I’m Home. New York: Dial Press, 2012.

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Throwback Thursday: Scottsbluff Carnegie Library

Scottsbluff

Exterior photo of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1921.

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The Data Dude on the Makerspace Survey (pt. 1)

makerspace items in nebraska libraries 2016Earlier this year, we launched a survey to gather data on library makerspaces. Today’s post, and this might have the capability to be milked, er, I mean stretched out — over the course of a few weeks, will provide a brief overview of the data collected. First off, there were 150 responses, which is splendid news. A number of the surveys were completed in the first few days after launch. Out of those 150 respondents, only 37 reported currently having a makerspace of some sort in their library (25%), and of that 37, only 14 reported having a permanent space set aside specifically for these activities (9%). The remaining 23 have spaces that are temporary (e.g. they function as meeting or conference rooms but sometimes have makerspace programs, presumably storing the equipment and supplies between events). Today, we will provide a brief synopsis of some of the items in those existing spaces, as illustrated by the bar chart at the right. Specifically, Legos and arts and crafts items make up more than 70% of all items in the spaces. That is a rather large percentage, and goes to show that you can do meaningful or relevant things on the cheap. When we think of big ticket items, we generally think about things like CNC routers, 3D printers, laser cutters, and other techy things; arts and crafts don’t typically come to mind. The point being that it doesn’t take a huge amount of investment to provide programs, and to reap the benefits of community collaboration.

The Dude recently read an article entitled “How to Start a Makerspace When You’re Broke”, which might be good reading for you naysayers that report limited or no funds to provide these sorts of activities. For those of you who have limited space, keep in mind that many libraries (as noted above) have dedicated spaces in those dual purpose areas (or temporary) that might function as a meeting room for some of the time, and maker events for the other. Load the stuff on a cart and wheel it in there, then wheel it back. With warm weather around the corner, head outside on nice days. These might be pragmatic solutions to get you in the game. Shaka.

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Throwback Thursday: Schuyler Carnegie Library

Schuyler

Exterior photo of the Schuyler, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1911.

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The Data Dude’s Reminder to Check Your Map Marker

mapAre you aware that the Library Commission has a number of public library maps available on its website? In addition to a number of other maps, this page includes the basic public library maps (both by population and library system), a map of libraries and legislative districts, and the Pioneer Consortium participating libraries map. Now for today, the Dude asks that you check your library marker on these public library maps to make sure it displays accurate information. The markers have some of the generic information but also links to the library’s website and social media pages. If you have not updated that information via our supplemental survey, your information on the map may not be up to date. So today is a short little reminder to check those things and let the Dude know if you notice any errors, or log in to your supplemental survey and review the information there. Shaka.

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Resources for Financial Literacy Month

cfpb_bullseye

April is Financial Literacy Month – a great time to think about money programs and displays. And, the last week of April is Money Smart Week, a national financial education recognition week. Here are some things you can consider as we head into this big money month:

Webinar: CFPB: Partnering with Libraries to Financially Empower Patrons

The CFPB has two webinars planned for later this month. The first will be hosted by the U.S. Government Printing Office’s Federal Depository Library Program. The CFPB will be providing an overview of our Community Financial Education Libraries Initiative. If you’re new to this program, or just want a refresher on what the program offers and how to access the free resources we provide, then register today.

The 60-minute webinar will begin at 2 p.m. (EDT) on March 23. The webinar is free, but you must register.

Webinar: Financial education resources for parents

The second webinar will focus on new resources we’ve developed just for parents and children. Parents and caregivers want to get their children off on the right financial footing, but many times don’t know where to start. So, we’re introducing the CFPB’s new Money as You Grow website, which provides the framework and resources to help.

This 60-minute webinar will start at 2 p.m. (EDT) on March 24. To join, access the webinar login page at the day and time of the event. For audio, dial 888-795-5920 and enter participant passcode 7173562.

Order free money books, brochures, worksheets and more

Now’s the time to place your orders for free money guides, worksheets and other materials from the CFPB and other government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social Security Administration, Department of Labor and others.

Plus, if you’re hosting a Money Smart Week event at your library, you can order free posters, bookmarks and more.

Need money related program ideas?

Stumped over what to do for Financial Literacy Month or Money Smart Week? Take a look at our list of program ideas for suggestions on topics, resources, partners and more.

Our webinar archive can also help you generate ideas. We have more than a dozen to choose from, including:
Retirement planning tools and resources
Helping patrons spot and avoid fraud
New home-buyers (and owners) toolbox
How to promote your financial education program

National my Social Security Week

One of our national partners, Social Security Administration (SSA) will hold National my Social Security Week April 4 – 13, 2016, during Financial Literacy Month.

To help raise awareness, SSA provides a toolkit that includes web graphics, social media posts, web banners, and other ready-to-use content to help us spread the word about the importance of opening a my Social Security account.

Creating a my Social Security account gives workers access to their personalized Social Security Statement. It’s free, fast, and secure. The Statement provides estimates of future benefits to help with financial planning. Workers can also use it to check their earnings information. This is important because we base benefit calculations on a worker’s earnings.

As an added feature this year, we are setting aside Thursday, April 7, 2016 as Check Your Statement Day, during which time we will encourage workers to access and review their Social Security Statement and join the millions who regularly check their Statement.

Digital resources

Promote financial education digitally with our free electronic graphics and marketing materials. Add financial screen savers to your computers or web banners to your website. Plus, access the CFPB’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages to share our posts, info-graphics and videos with your patrons, like this video from CFPB Director Richard Cordray.

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

Throwback Thursday: Ravenna Carnegie Library

Ravenna

Exterior photo of the Ravenna, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1918.

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The Data Dude on the Human Library

Gold Guy Surfing On Business ReportsIn order to meet the constraints of posting something at least weekly, sometimes these things need to venture out into the non-data world. Today is one of those days. Recently, the Dude was reading some news articles about human library projects. What a great idea for a library program. For those of you who might be unfamiliar with such an idea, as far as the Dude can tell, it originated as “Menneskebiblioteket”, the Danish word for Human Library, in Copenhagen in 2000. The idea is pretty simple. The “library” consists of various “books”, which aren’t books at all, but rather just different types of people, or people that have had different experiences and who are willing to share those experiences or knowledge with someone else. Some of these different people who are mentioned on the Human Library website include: naturist (no, that’s not naturalist, but maybe there’s one of those too), young single mother, solider (PTSD), Autism (ASD), Bipolar, Muslim, Unemployed, Refugee, and Homeless). Now if you are interested in such a program, you needn’t invest a lot of cash into purchasing or (in the spirit of the eBook model) leasing these “books”. Rather, it might be a fairly safe bet to say that these people already exist in your community. What a great program for kids. Perhaps you have WWII, Vietnam, or other veterans in your community? Check them out for an hour. Maybe the library could dedicate a space where the checker outer would have to buy the “book” a lunch or something. Make it worth their while. Although the Dude guesses that most of the “books” would definitely do this for free. It may take some coercion, though, as many of these people most likely have a degree of modesty (except for the guy who boasts that he was a big wave surfer, before he injured his knee of course). The most obvious byproduct of this is the connection that forms between the checker outer and the human book. Ideas are exchanged. Lives may be changed. The library is the facilitator. While perhaps listening to someone publically speak about their experiences may certainly be transformative, this type of a program is interactive because it’s a one on one conversation. And, let’s not fail to mention that you may be able to drum up more interest among those wanting to be “books” because they only have to do the one on one (no large crowds). Finally, the library involvement in this is merely the middle man, or the space provider, so let’s call it a low investment program. Shaka.

P.S. – The Criss Library at UNO is sponsoring a human library event on April 13, 2016

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