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Category Archives: General
The Data Dude – Wednesday Watch: Lilyhammer
This week will be the beginning installment of Wednesday Watch. At first, the Dude was going to focus exclusively on what he’s currently watching, namely: (1) Lilyhammer (Netflix streaming); and (2) Boardwalk Empire (HBO via DVD from the local public library). And while the focus will be (yes, I did in fact start this sentence with And, and I did read Richard Miller’s Friday Reads post last week about the Grammar Lady—sorry, Richard, this is a low-brow column) on Lilyhammer, I decided to take a look at Nebraska public library holdings (at least those cataloged on WorldCat) of the top original series DVD’s from Netflix, HBO, and Showtime. The reason for this is that while streaming services are becoming more and more affordable, many (including the Dude) still simply cannot afford to buy subscriptions to premium content, including the newly available HBO Now. The chart includes the four Netflix original dramas (Hemlock Grove, Lilyhammer, Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards), and two of the most viewed drama series offerings from both HBO (Sopranos and Game of Thrones) and Showtime (Dexter and Homeland). But let’s first turn our attention to some filler material.
Lilyhammer, billed as a Netflix original drama series, is actually part drama part comedy (just like some of the others in the chart). The main character, underboss Frank “the Fixer” Tagliano (played by Steven Van Zandt –Silvio Dante from the Sopranos), flips on his mob boss and enters the witness protection program. As a part of the deal, he requests to relocate to Lillehammer, Norway. The show originally aired on Norwegian TV, even though it is generally known as the first Netflix original series. It’s probably more appropriate to label this as a joint venture between Norwegian TV and Netflix. Anyway, Frank adopts his new identity as Giovanni “Johnny” Henriksen (born to Italian and Norwegian parents). The show is as much about his integration into the Norwegian town and culture as it is about Johnny’s criminal ways. As Jimmy Darmody said in Boardwalk Empire: “You can’t be half a gangster.” The Dude would venture to say that in Lilyhammer (at least at the point where he is at in the series) Johnny has more relatable than detestable qualities, if that is possible for a gangster. The show is a mix of Norwegian and English languages, so expect many subtitles. While the typical comedic mafia elements exist, it doesn’t come across as completely recycled, and the Norwegian elements add a freshness that is, well, refreshing. The Dude finds himself nodding at times during Boardwalk Empire; he hasn’t had that problem with Lilyhammer. One thing to note, though, is that the budget for Lilyhammer (16 million per season) is obviously much less than say House of Cards (60 million per season), and that is apparent.
OK, so I extracted the holdings figures from Worldcat for the chart to at the top right. HBO’s Game of Thrones tops the list. Surprisingly, (at least to the Dude) House of Cards (tied with Homeland – another great offering from Showtime) beats HBO’s the Sopranos and Showtime’s Dexter for the number of holdings by Nebraska libraries. I also extracted the holdings information for the corresponding books (see the chart to the right of this paragraph). House of Cards is the only one where the DVD holdings exceed book holdings, with DVD holdings 3 times more than the book.
The Dude should mention that sans Hemlock Grove (he gets a little skittish with Horror) he’s seen and recommends all the series titles mentioned in the charts. He’s only read some of the Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) books (got bored about midway through A Feast for Crows), and frankly, does not have the desire to read on, or any of the other titles mentioned. And that’s OK. All in all, any of these DVD series titles would be a welcome addition to your library collection. Shaka.
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Throwback Thursday: Carnegie Library in Havelock, Nebraska built in 1907
Carnegie Library in Havelock, Nebraska built in 1907. Havelock has been incorporated into Lincoln and is located on the Northeast side of town. The library is no longer in existence.
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Young Nebraskans Win Writing Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 1, 2015
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 8, 2015 at a proclamation-signing ceremony celebrating National Library Week, April 12-18, 2015. 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. 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
- Emma Harner, Lincoln, for a letter to Karen Hesse
- Owen Morrow, Omaha, for a letter to Mike Lupica
- Ashley Xiques, Omaha, for a letter to Leigh Bardugo
Alternate Winners
- Grace Gutierrez, Omaha, for a letter to Deborah Wiles
- Clio Reid, Lincoln, for a letter to Lewis Carroll
- Morgan Curran, Arapahoe, for a letter to Beatrice Sparks
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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The Data Dude – New Public Library Maps
Shaka. Buried in the depths of the data services page of the NLC website is a section devoted to mapping. There are two new maps that were added to this section this week. Both are maps of Nebraska public libraries. The first is organized by service population, the second by library system. Similar maps have been on the website before, but these differ in that the information bubbles contain revised library photos, links to the library’s social media accounts (if those exist), and links to the library website. Please check your library marker and information bubble to make sure everything is up to date. There is a new section on the library supplemental survey called “Internet Services” where you can update any web links. Incidentally, it should be noted that whenever any of this information changes, you can update it from the supplemental survey at any time (it doesn’t necessarily have to be survey time). If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about the maps, please let me know.
New Government Publications Received at the Library Commission
New state government publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for March 2015. Included are titles from the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, the Foster Care Review Board, Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, and University of Nebraska Press, to name a few.
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/archives/WhatsUpDoc/WUDMar2015.pdf
Focus on Nebraska authors: Roger Welsch
I’m not sure many of us could remember who gave our high school commencement address, but I do remember that Roger Welsch spoke at my Senior Honor Banquet. What’s more, I still remember one of the jokes he told; still use it too. I also have fond memories of living in Texas and relishing Roger’s Postcards from Nebraska on CBS Sunday Morning News. And, after working my way straight through college and graduate school with no break and no time for reading anything other than what was assigned, I remember the first book I really enjoyed reading after graduation; It’s Not the End of the Earth, But You Can See it From Here, by Roger Welsch.
We often hear that book clubs are looking for a break from serious titles. If you’re familiar with Welsch’s style, you know that his works might be just the ticket! You can find the following Welsch titles in our book club collection: Catfish at the Pump: Humor and the Frontier, Everything I Know About Women I Learned From My Tractor, From Tinkering to Torquing: A Beginner’s Guide to Tractors and Tools, It’s Not the End of the Earth, But You Can See it From Here: Tales of the Great Plains, A Life With Dogs, and Shingling the Fog and Other Plains Lies. Please consider selecting one of these books for your book club and let us know when we can reserve them for you.
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Nebraska Memories: A Collection of Collections
Did you know that Nebraska Memories is a collection of Nebraska cultural heritage collections? When you visit Nebraska Memories, instead of searching for a particular item or person, try clicking on “View Collections.” As a result, you will find Nebraska historical collections from (almost) A-Z. The histories of Nebraska hospitals, cities, towns, counties, public schools, colleges, libraries, musicians, authors, sports and historical events are all represented in the collections found in Nebraska Memories.
For example, the first collection listed is the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center. The rich and well documented history of Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska is shown in the images of the early buildings, people and artifacts. The archive of thousands of photos, papers and items has been maintained for over 120 years, carefully stored and currently housed at the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center campus.
Other collections in Nebraska Memories include city and county historical societies, such as the Crawford, Fairmont/Filmore County, Hastings, Antelope County, Butler County, and Phelps County, to name a few.
Historical materials related to the Lincoln Public Schools have been collected and saved in some form in various offices, library sites, and schools since the inception of the first school in Lancaster county. Over the years, LPS Library Media Services has made great progress in collecting, preserving, and archiving the history of LPS for the staff and the public.
There are other unique collections in Nebraska Memories as well: the Omaha Community Playhouse (pictured right), that includes digitized images of the Playhouse and some of its performances; the Lincoln Police Department, that includes digitized images of police officers from 1885-1907; the Durham Museum in Omaha, with the William Wentworth Collection that consists of 4663 negatives of images that document life in Omaha, Nebraska from 1934 through 1950; and the Bess Streeter Aldrich House and Museum in Elmwood, Nebraska (pictured below), images of which have been selected to give the viewer a deeper understanding of the influences and inspirations that Bess Streeter Aldrich drew upon when writing the 1928 novel “A Lantern in Her Hand.
Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.
Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see Introduction to Participating in Nebraska Memories for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Historical Projects Librarian, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.
What’s Sally Reading?
A Few Web Sites on Reading Aloud …
Here are some web sites with helpful information to share with parents.
Mem Fox & her “Ten read-aloud commandments” also her talk about books and television, to name only two of the valuable things one her web page. Her book Reading Magic is in the Commission collection for loan to librarians.
Nebraska has its own group, Read Aloud Nebraska, which offers occasional workshops by nationally known speakers, the opportunity to sign-up to be a Read Aloud Community or a Read Aloud School (sign-up will begin again on April 1), and then the chance to ask for books free to you to give to the students or children who come into your library.
Read To Them is a national organization that currently is promoting the great idea of “One School, One Book.” Families read a chapter a night at home and students answer the trivia question(s) about it the next day. Everyone talks about the same book!
Juna’s Jar by Jane Bahk: Juna and her best friend Hector take her kimchi jar to the park every day and find things to put in it. A caterpillar, rocks or bugs. But one day Hector and his family have moved away. She then has a series of adventures with the different things she puts in her jar. Her older brother bought her a fish, and Juna swims with it in the ocean that night. The night she rides a cricket she caught, they stop at Hector’s new house, and she sees he is all right—then she is happy. This is another good read-aloud for Story time.
(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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Friday Reads: Eat and Run by Scott Jurek
A few years back I discovered a documentary movie called Running on the Sun, about a brutal footrace called the Badwater 135 (that’s a 135 mile run through Death Valley, CA, in mid-July, often referred to as “the world’s toughest foot race”). If you have a chance, check it out. You can watch it all online, complete with German subtitles. It is a bit dated and there are other videos out there that might also be of interest (just do a search). Let’s just say up front that I never had any desire for these kinds of things, but after watching Running on the Sun, I became moderately interested in ultramarathon runners (defined as any running event that is longer than a marathon). My own running has waxed and waned over the years, settling on moderate amounts of mileage and hit and miss unstructured workouts. My interest in these ultra-events (sans particpation in them) extended to books and documentaries, including the self-promoting “Ultramarathon Man” Dean Karnazes. I don’t know if I’d describe him as outright arrogant or a just a peacock – the term given to guys who frequent running races or triathlons and strut around with their shirts off. I heard about another ultra guy named Scott Jurek when I read Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run, which seemed much less arrogant and peacock free.
Jurek has written a book called Eat and Run. The appeal of Jurek is that he comes across as a down to earth modest guy, the antithesis of Karnazes. Jurek writes about his upbringing in Minnesota, candidly describing the care he gave to his mother during her suffering from multiple sclerosis. He also describes how he got started in the world of ultramarathon racing, and his climb to the near top, if not the top. The stories are entertaining, not just for the incredible racing feats, but because of the authenticity and humility that bleeds through in his writing. The other piece to Eat and Run is that Jurek only eats plant based foods, and some of his favorite vegan recipes are scattered throughout the book. Even if you are carnivorous and have no desire to change that fact, you might be motivated to try some of his recipes. I liked the Holy Moly Guacamole and Hemp Milk. Like many endurance athletes, Jurek has a great philosophy of life. A couple of notables:
“Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something he isn’t sure he can accomplish. It can be running a mile, or a 10K race, or 100 miles. It can be changing a career, losing 5 pounds, or telling someone you love her (or him).”
And:
“We all lose sometimes. We fail to get what we want. Friends and loved ones leave. We make a decision we regret. We try our hardest and come up short. It’s not the losing that defines us. It’s how we lose. It’s what we do afterward.”
Book Fest Highlights Nebraska Authors
The 2015 Nebraska Book Festival, April 25 at the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Weitz Community Engagement Center, will feature ten Nebraska authors. Public admission is free.
The festival begins at 9:30 a.m. with writing workshops:
- Lucy Adkins: “Poetry and Inspiration: Imaginative Ways to Write Your Best”
- Mary Avidano: “Poems by You.” Attendees are invited to bring a poem they’ve written.
- Traci Robison: “From Draft to Digital: How to Prepare and What to Expect as a Self- Publisher”
- Laura Wiseman: “You’re No Body Until Some Body Loves You: Writing the Body”
Workshop seating is limited and early arrival is recommended. Advance registration is not necessary.
Readings, book sales, and book signings will take place from noon to 3:30 p.m. Authors will read and discuss their work, allowing time for questions. Scheduled authors include:
- Mark Langan, Busting Bad Guys: My True Crime Stories of Bookies, Drug Dealers and Ladies of the Night
- Marsha Davis, One Man’s Voice
- Sydney Olson, The Curse of the Fates
- John Price, The Tallgrass Prairie Reader
- Timothy Schaffert, The Swan Gondola: A Novel
- Karen Shoemaker, The Meaning of Names
Prior to a 3:45 p.m. reception, the Nebraska Center for the Book will announce the 2015 recipient of the Mildred Bennett Award, recognizing an individual who has made significant contributions to fostering literary tradition in Nebraska.
The festival concludes, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. with the NeBooks Project Student & Teacher Showcase. The NeBooks Project is a partnership between schools, state agencies, and non-profit organizations across Nebraska to provide quality instructional materials. Nebraska students and teachers developed eBooks this school year, with the goal of becoming published authors in the NeBooks Project eBook Library. Attendees will spend the evening learning from these newly published authors, along with special guests. Hear directly from Nebraska students and teachers how they created their iBooks, the struggles that they faced, and what it means to be a published author.
The Bookworm and University of Nebraska Press will offer books by Nebraska authors for sale throughout the event. The Nebraska Book Festival is presented by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Humanities Nebraska, and Nebraska Library Commission. Visit http://bookfestival.nebraska.gov/2015/index.aspx for a complete schedule of free readings and workshops and other information.
Throwback Thursday: Children’s room, Kearney Carnegie Library
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The Data Dude – Public Library Survey Thank You
The IMLS public library survey is now locked and Bibliostat will be compiling all the data from the submitted surveys. Thank you all for completing these. Our response rate was around 85%. Please send me any feedback on the survey, tweaks that can be made to next year’s report, or any suggestions about how the survey experience might be more pleasant. I also want to send an additional reminder to complete your supplemental survey if you haven’t done so already. Use your Bibliostat ID and password to access this. Actually, the supplemental survey it is more like a directory update, and it can be done at any time throughout the year. Please update it when your information changes (e.g. board members, staff members, phone numbers, etc.). This information is used to keep websites and directories up to date, and it won’t take you too much time to review this information. Shaka.
Throwback Thursday: dedicated OCLC terminal from the early 1980’s
Dedicated OCLC terminal at NLC from the early 1980’s.
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The Data Dude – Wednesday Watch
In order to keep up with the demands of writing something for every Wednesday, the Dude has been brainstorming ideas for filler material. Unlike Lori Sailors (Throwback Thursday), the Dude doesn’t have drawer after drawer full of interesting stuff to post. It’s quite possible that simple or complex graphs and charts… ahem, I mean data displays, could be regurgitated each week. But let’s face it; doing so would be at least unnecessarily repetitive and at best moderately boring. That’s not to say there won’t be blog posts on data displays, but the Dude needs something somewhat relevant to draw from in the case he suffers from lack of inspiration. Welcome to the Wednesday Watch. The idea here is that the Commission has somewhat regular sorts of columns, such as Throwback Thursday, Friday Reads, What’s Sally Reading, and others. Aside from Throwback Thursday, the others focus on books in library collections. Wednesday Watch will focus on video. As some may ask: What’s Sally Reading? I’ll ask: What’s the Dude Watching? The Wednesday Watch column will likely be similar to Friday Reads, except the Dude ain’t reading it, he’s watching it. In some (but not all) cases, it’s possible he may read it and watch it. And the Dude isn’t going to apologize for the fact that he might not have read or even wanted to read it (or for the fact that he started a sentence with the word And). Please e-mail me if you’re interested in being a guest columnist in this buffoonery. The Dude could use the help.
Perhaps some of these things can be used in your collection development, or turn you or the visitors to your library on to something new. Now, before the librarian in you gets a little figety, let me clarify, the Dude still likes to read, and while he may choose not to read some evenings in favor of a video banquet, there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. So, let’s start this Wednesday Watch by listing a few movies that are generally known to be better than the books. Or, let me clarify, perhaps some of these were better than the books, perhaps others weren’t necessarily better, but they at least did the books justice. It is, however, a matter of taste, and let’s acknowledge that.
So for today, let’s just say that in some instances, the book may not always better than the movie (rule #1: There are no universals in our world). And let’s also say that sometimes the movie or TV series is in higher demand than the printed material. Deep down you know that it’s true, but for some reason the librarian gene (or the librarian learned pretentiousness in you) says it’s wrong to think so. The Dude is telling you its ok, or at least it’s ok with the Dude. On to the list:
The Godfather
Psycho
Blade Runner
Die Hard (have you ever even heard of the book? ‘Nuff said)
Jaws
Apocalypse Now
Shawshank Redemption
Requiem for a Dream
Silence of the Lambs
Stand by Me
Goodfellas
Shaka.
Posted in General, Library Management, Uncategorized
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What did it really look like?
It seems like every few weeks a news story about a photo of a model or celebrity being retouched makes the rounds. The topic of photo manipulation or retouching is not new but did you realize that the manipulation of images has been going on since the 1800’s? I don’t know a lot about how this early manipulation was done but they used many techniques including hand-coloring black and white photos and negatives and combining pieces of multiple pictures and negatives to create a new image.
What I do know is that there are many great examples of postcards in Nebraska Memories that feature images that have been manipulated.
Let’s start by looking at an obvious manipulation. This postcard is captioned “Fishing on Pibel Lake, Nebraska”. Look at the size of that fish. It is almost as big as the boat. If you want to try catching a big a fish like that you can visit Pibel Lake as it is a Nebraska State Recreation Area. (Update – The Pibel Lake Recreation Area is now owned by the Lower Loup Natural Resources District)
Looking at this postcard captioned “Among the cattle pens, stock yards, South Omaha, Neb.” you can see that color has been added but I think they got something wrong. Have you ever seen healthy green vegetation growing in an active stockyard? Growing up I drove past these stockyards many times. I don’t remember them ever being this lush and green looking when they were filled with cattle.
Sometimes looking at a single postcard you may realize that color has been added unless you can compare it to the original black and white image or you notice something odd you may think the coloring looks good. It would be fun if we could compare the original image to the enhanced version but unfortunately we don’t have that option. In Nebraska Memories we do however have multiple postcards of the same scenes.
There are two postcards in Nebraska Memories captioned “Partial view of stock yards, South Omaha”. One is black and white while the other one has had color added. Looking at these postcards is a great way to see how adding color changes an image.
These next two postcards appear to be created from the exact same image however the manipulation that was done to them is slightly different. The postcards are captioned Stock pens, South Omaha, Neb. and Stock pens, south side, Omaha, Neb.. Some of the differences between these two postcards are obvious such as making the roofs have a reddish cast to them. Also the postcard on the top has an overcall darker feel to it. 
To see these next differences you may need use to above links to look at the actual items in Nebraska Memories where you will be able to zoom in on the postcards. Starting at the bottom left on the postcards do you see the animals in the pen? On one postcard they clearly look like pigs while on the other they look like black blobs. Moving to the right do you see the man standing behind the cattle? On the postcard with the pigs that you can see you will notice that the man is carrying some type of stick over his shoulder while on the other postcard the stick has been colored black and it blends in with the cattle. Next follow the fencing until you locate the man standing on top of the fence. Do you see that there is a tall object next to the man that has been removed from one of the postcards? The last differences I want to point out are the color of the taller fence posts next to the train cars. On one postcard the tops of the posts were left white while the train cars around them were colored. On the other card the posts were colored to match the train cars.
Finally I want to highlight a selection of postcards picturing the Old City Hall and Bee Building. The Old City Hall building was located on the northeast corner 18th & Farnam Streets. The Bee Buidling stood next to it. Both buildings were torn down in 1966 to make way from the Woodmen Tower. Shown here are just a few of the postcards in Nebraska Memories that feature both of these buildings. After looking at all of these postcards I wonder what these buildings really looked like. Because these buildings were not torn down until early in 1966 I would think that there is a color photo of one or both of these buildings available someplace. If you have a color photo of either of these building stashed away or you know where I can see a color photo I would love to see them!
Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.
Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Historical Projects Librarian, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.
Posted in General, Information Resources, Nebraska Memories, Technology
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Throwback Thursday: Early 1980’s personal computer at NLC
Early 1980’s PC at the Nebraska Library Commission complete with the dot matrix printer.
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The Data Dude on Data Visualizations
The Nebraska Library Association’s Advocacy Day was yesterday. The purpose of this post today is to give you a link to the handouts that were provided for the event, including summaries of the NLC’s new budget request items. Of course, the purpose is also to reiterate the importance of gathering statistical data from surveys and how the collected data might be used. The survey data that Nebraska public libraries provide (e.g. the IMLS public library survey, digital inclusion survey, etc.) make these handouts possible. Another invaluable contributor to the handouts includes public librarians and library visitors, who provided testimonials and photo images. I won’t list all of you that contributed, but you know who you are. Even if you provided something that didn’t ultimately make it into the handout, thank you for your time and efforts. Special thanks go out to Pete and Jaden Ferguson, and the Foundation for the Lincoln City libraries. Pete and Jaden’s flyer from the LCL Foundation’s Idea Place campaign provided the theme for the general handout, and for that reason I would like to express my gratitude and thanks.
If you didn’t attend Advocacy Day, you can see the handouts online. They might be helpful by giving you more information about the current budget requests, as well as some of the statistics and data about Nebraska public libraries. Hopefully, it will also provide some degree of validation for all the work to gather and report public library statistics, especially for those of you that have just completed your public library surveys. Shaka.
InnovateHER: 2015 Innovating for Women Business Challenge
InnovateHER is a cross-cutting women’s business challenge to unearth innovative products and services that help impact and empower the lives of women and families.
We know that our workforce looks very different from 50 years ago. Women now make up nearly half of the labor force and play a critical role in our nation’s economic prosperity. Most children live in households where all parents work. And as our population ages, families are increasingly caring for aging parents while balancing the needs of work and home. As demands on women and families grow, the need for products and services that address unique challenges increases. This Challenge will provide that platform.
Challenge Criteria
InnovateHER provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to showcase products or services that have a measurable impact on the lives of women and families (30%), have the potential for commercialization (40%), and fill a need in the marketplace (30%).
Participants must be at least 18 years of age, U.S. citizens or permanent residents, and meet other requirements as defined in the Competition Rules.
How to Participate
Throughout the month of March, universities, accelerators, resource partners and other organizations will host local competitions. A month after going live, each host will select and submit one local winner to the SBA, who will then identify no more than 10 finalists. Finalists will make a live pitch to a panel of expert judges during National Small Business Week, May 4 – 8, 2015, in Washington, D.C. where they will compete for top three awards and prize money totaling $30,000.
Finalists will be responsible for covering their own travel costs to DC for the national competition.
2015 InnovateHER Local Competitions – Updated
View a map of InnovateHER host organizations
Download the list of locations and contacts as a spreadhseet
SBA will continue to update this list as additional host organizations are confirmed.
More Questions?
- Read our Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact us at womenbusiness@sba.gov (link sends e-mail)
Grand Island to Host Conference Dedicated to Growing Women Entrepreneurship in Nebraska
To help celebrate Women’s History Month in March, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Rural Enterprise Assistance Project’s Women’s Business Center will host a day of speakers designed to inspire and offer down-to-earth advice for women to start or grow a small business.
The Women Entrepreneur Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the YWCA of Grand Island, 211 East Fonner Park Road.
Patricia Brown-Dixon, Region VII Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration and Rebecca Greenwald, Region VII Advocate for the SBA, will offer remarks. Additionally, among those on the agenda are:
- Jennifer Rosenblatt of Argyle Octopus, a marketing firm which took home the award as the SBA’s Small Business of the Year for the 1st Congressional District in 2014;
- J’Nan Ensz, Accounting & Business Consulting Group, LLC;
- Speakers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic;
- And, Kitty Vacha, owner of Tasteful Indulgence, Cake Art of Seward; Megan Gewecke of Stepping Stones Psychological Services, LLC; and Sally Jurgensmier, owner of sculptures by SALLY, will serve on a panel of local entrepreneurs who will share their challenges and successes as women small business owners.
The event also will offer a half-hour fun and fast networking event hosted by Lisa Tschauner and Megan Arrington of Open For Business Magazine, to connect entrepreneurs with resource providers and other small businesses.
According to figures provided by the SBA Office of Advocacy, 6.6 percent of women in Nebraska are self-employed, and women represent 32.5 percent of all small business owners. Small businesses significantly impact Nebraska’s economy. They represent nearly 97 percent of all employers and employ 48 percent of the private-sector labor force. The latest data shows 167,678 small businesses in the state.
The $35 registration fee also covers lunch and may be paid at the door. Register online at http://events.sba.gov/eventmanagement/EventRegistration.aspx?id=9bc4ad23-d99c-e411-8f7e-02bfa56e2a24.
For more information, please call Monica Braun, REAP Women’s Business Center Director at (402) 643-2673 or Elizabeth Yearwood, Economic Development Specialist at the SBA, at (402) 221-7200.
For more information regarding SBA, please visit our website at: www.sba.gov/ne.
New Government Publications Received at the Library Commission
New state government publications have been received at the Nebraska Library Commission for February 2015. Included are titles from Administrative Services, Colleges and Universities, Education, and Public Power, to name a few.
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/archives/WhatsUpDoc/WUDFeb2015.pdf
