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Category Archives: General
Children Completing Nebraska Summer Reading Programs to Be Entered to Win More Than $11,000 in NEST 529 Scholarships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2014
Contact:
Christina Kahler
Director of Marketing, NEST
402-602-6549
ckahler@fnni.com
Jana Langemach
Director of Communications
402-471-8884
Jana.langemach@nebraska.gov
NEST partners with libraries statewide on scholarship program, demonstrating that Books Are Just the Beginning at Nebraska libraries
Omaha, Neb. (June 5, 2014) – Nebraska’s 529 College Savings Plans (NEST), First National Bank of Omaha, Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg and the Nebraska Library Commission announced today the NEST Read to Win $529! Drawing as part of library summer reading programs across the state. More than $11,000 in NEST 529 College Savings scholarships and donations will be awarded.
Fifteen summer readers, five in each of Nebraska’s three congressional districts, will be randomly drawn from those who complete a summer reading program. Each winner will receive $529 in a NEST college savings account. The library of each winner will receive a $250 donation. To enter, children must register for the summer reading program at their libraries and complete the program as defined by their libraries.
“The Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office is happy to help sponsor the NEST Read to Win program this summer in local libraries all across Nebraska. Libraries are special places where children and teens can explore, learn, and dream. These early experiences in their local hometown libraries help children foster a love of reading and learning and set the stage for their years of formal education, from kindergarten through a four-year college, community college, or technical school. We here at NEST wish the very best for all the young readers in Nebraska and for their educational futures,” State Treasurer Stenberg said.
“NEST is proud to support the educational efforts of Nebraska’s children as well as the great work of the libraries statewide,” said Deborah Goodkin, Managing Director of NEST at First National Bank of Omaha, the NEST Program Manager. “With the libraries encouraging leisure reading during the summer, children can daydream and think of places they want to go and what they want to be. We hope this scholarship program encourages children and families to get involved in summer reading and complete the program with a little extra incentive for a possible scholarship.”
“Nebraska public libraries’ summer reading programs are great opportunities for children and teens to have the time to enjoy reading while maintaining and improving reading skills. They can also enjoy the many science-themed activities that are part of this year’s programs,” said Nebraska Library Commission Director Rod Wagner. “As places for learning, libraries are a natural partner for NEST—helping to illustrate the importance of children and their parents setting aside money for college education. The Nebraska Library Commission is pleased to join with the Nebraska State Treasurer, First National Bank of Omaha, Regional Library Systems, and Nebraska public libraries to promote lifelong learning, financial education and planning.”
Winners will be drawn from the names of children who complete the summer reading program as submitted at the end of their programs by libraries throughout Nebraska. Winners will be announced during college savings month in September.
For official scholarship rules, visit the NEST College Savings Plans at www.NEST529.com, the State Treasurer’s Office at www.treasurer.org/cs/or the Nebraska Library Commission at http://nlc.nebraska.gov.
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About NEST
NEST is a tax-advantaged 529 college savings plan and provides four plans to help make saving for college simple and affordable: NEST Direct College Savings Plan, the NEST Advisor College Savings Plan, the TD Ameritrade 529 College Savings Plan, and The State Farm College Savings Plan. The Nebraska State Treasurer serves as the Program Trustee. First National Bank serves as the Program Manager, and all investments are approved by the Nebraska Investment Council. Families nationwide are saving for college using the NEST 529 plans, which have more than 215,000 accounts, including 62,000 in Nebraska. Visit NEST529.com and www.treasurer.org/cs/ for more information.
About First National Bank
First National Bank of Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska, which is the largest privately owned banking company in the United States. First National and its affiliates have $17 billion in managed assets and nearly 5,000 employee associates. Primary banking offices are located in Nebraska, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota and Texas.
About 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.” Visit http://booksarejustthebeginning.com/ for more examples of how Books Are Just the Beginning at Nebraska libraries.
Investments Are Not FDIC Insured* No Bank, State or Federal Guarantee May Lose Value *Except the Bank Savings Individual Investment Option
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Recollections
How good is your memory? The town of Oshkosh NE was lucky to have a resident with a great memory and willingness to document and share what she remembered. In June of 1984 someone from the Garden County News office contacted Helen M. Robinson asking her to write about her personal memories of different business in Oshkosh beginning in 1920. After thinking it over Helen agreed but with one condition. “That condition is, that it would also become a community project, to attempt to get a written record of the Oshkosh businesses from 1920 to the present time – 1984.” (Chapter 1; Page 1) I don’t know if she realize when she agreed how large of a project this would turn into. Her articles appeared in the Garden Count News from June 14, 1984 to December 4, 1986.
In 1985 Helen’s children decided that their mom’s newspaper articles should be placed in a more permanent form. After the last article was printed in 1986 they began working on compiling the articles into a book. For continuity and ease of reading they combined the articles and created chapters. The completed book was finished in July 1987 which also happened to be about the same time Helen celebrated her 80th birthday.
Today everyone can read and enjoy Helen M. Robinson’s Recollections. In 2014 the Garden County Historical Society, along with the Oshkosh Public Library, worked with the Library Commission to digitize the book and make it available in the Nebraska Memories. The book can be found at: http://memories.nebraska.gov/cdm/landingpage/collection/gchs
Reading the book I learn that Oshkosh has supported a wide variety of businesses over the years including barbers, shoe & harness repair, department stores, flower & gift shops, bakeries, cream stations, sales barns, cafes, manufacturing, morticians, cleaning establishments, ice cream parlors, hotels, hardware stores and filling stations. The amount of information Helen provides about each business is amazing. Many of these businesses changed locations over time and she documented all of their different locations, the names of the owners and employees.
Oshkosh State Bank built in 1917
Here is just a small portion of what I learned just about the banks in Oshkosh. In 1917 a second bank opened in town and was named the Oshkosh State Bank. It was located in a small building on the east side of Main Street until a two-story brick building was completed on the southwest corner of Main and Avenue C. The picture at the right shows the building during construction. In 1924 the Oshkosh State Bank and the Nebraska State Bank merged under the name Nebraska State Bank. The Nebraska State Bank moved its offices from their building which was located a block north to the brick building built by the Oshkosh State Bank. The newly formed bank was managed by Mr. Farrell.
My short paragraph is far from the complete history of the banks in Oshkosh. There is almost 60 more years’ worth of information in the book just about the banks. The information includes the names of many of the owners and employees starting in 1904 and continues on until the early 1980’s. Helen even provided the maiden names for many of the female employees. More information about the banks can be found in Chapter 10 of the book.
On a side note I do wonder what type of negotiations took place in 1924 when the banks merged. How did they decide to go with the name Nebraska State Bank yet at the same time locate their business in a brick building that had the name Oshkosh State Bank written in stone above the door? Looking at Google Map’s Street View you can see that the bank building is still standing 97 years later with the name Oshkosh State Bank still visible.
Reading through the book I was happy to see that Helen got her wish and her columns did turn into a community project. Throughout the book there are multiple references to what other folks remembered. Helen also included letters other folks sent her. One letter that I enjoyed was from Betty (Brennan) Beam. Betty’s letter talked about the first tea house in Oshkosh. She described it as “dark and without paint. Within was the odor of burning coals and soot.” As you read you realize the tea house she was describing was actually Jim Monshan’s blacksmith shop where the farmers would gather for a cup of tea. Betty said “Jim Monahan was English enough to make the tea and Irish enough to be blessed with quick wit and a ready answer.” (Chapter 7; Page 25)
I hope my comments about the book Helen M. Robinson’s Recollections have piqued your interest. The book is over 300 pages long. There are a lot of great memories of businesses and business people of Oshkosh. If you don’t have time to read the book cover to cover you can always search the book for specific name, business or any piece of information you think maybe included in the book.
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.
Library Commission Approves Change in Regional Library System Areas
At its meeting on May 16 the Nebraska Library Commission approved a change in Nebraska’s regional library system structure based on recommendations from the Nebraska Regional Library Systems Configuration Task Force. As a result, Nebraska’s current six regional service areas will be re-organized into four regional areas. The regional changes are expected to be in place no earlier than January 2015.
State and federal budget cuts in past years and flat funding in recent years prompted consideration of reducing the number of Nebraska regional library systems. Failure to secure increased funding for the current state biennium budget led to formation of the task force to develop recommendations for regional organization. The task force met several times before proposing regional options. The regional options were presented for discussion at the Library Commission’s March 2014 meeting.
Library Commission staff, regional library system directors, and regional library system boards are working on implementation actions to create the new regional entities.
The Regional Library Systems Task Force Configuration report, questions and answers about regional changes, and the new regional map are available via the Library Commission’s website: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/systems/
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Data Doodles: New Statistics Edition
Have you been looking for Nebraska public library statistics for the 2012-2013 fiscal year? Well, search no longer because they are now available on the Library Commission’s website at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/stats/. Scroll down to the Library Statistical Data section for links to:
- An Excel spreadsheet with the complete data from the FY 2013 Public Libraries Survey,
- A one-page summary of the annual data in Excel or Adobe Reader format,
- An updated Nebraska Public Libraries Directory with the latest data, and
- A Nebraska map with location markers and pop-up statistics for each public library
I want to thank to everyone who completed and submitted an annual library survey, because this statistical information would not be available without your hard work.
What’s Sally Reading?
Great Websites for Kids —
ALSC, the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association has had for a while a section promoting the best websites for children they have found. Called “Great Websites for Kids” it is updated regularly, so check back if you haven’t visited it lately. The first page has categories listed you can select: “Sites of the Week,” “Recent Sites,” Most Popular,” and “Top Rated” and contains links to sites from The Crayola Home Page to Giggle Poetry and Farmer’s Almanac for Kids. If you are wondering what sites you are missing, here is a good place to start. I gave up trying to count the number of sites to which they link. There are also plenty of author sites included: Shel Silverstein, The Brown Bookshelf, Jan Brett, Avi, and Janet Stevens for a start.
My Bus by Byron Barton has a human bus driver picking up dogs or cats at each of the bus stops. The driver takes some of the animals to the boat, some to the train, and others to an airplane. A simple story that includes favorite animals and popular transportation machines. A little math is implied: addition as the animals board the bus and subtraction as they depart. Each illustration clearly shows the dogs and cats still on the bus, so counting how many are there is another activity for listeners. A good choice for story times.
(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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Register Now for June 4 Webinar for New Professionals
New or aspiring library professionals facing the challenges of finishing school, looking for a job, or working hard to succeed in a first position are invited to a free webinar, presented by LLAMA’s New Professionals Section (NPS).
The Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) will present “NPS 101: An Introduction to LLAMA’s New Professionals Section” from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. This free webinar will introduce participants to NPS, which launched at the American Library Association’s 2014 Midwinter Meeting.
NPS seeks to empower new professionals to lead from where they are, while also looking forward to what they hope to accomplish in the future. Through a variety of programs and initiatives, NPS aims to help LIS students and new professionals gain leadership and management skills so they can become leaders in their LIS programs, in their libraries and in the profession.
By the end of this webinar participants will:
- Understand the mission and goals of both NPS and LLAMA
- Learn about current and future NPS opportunities and initiatives
- Find out how to become involved in NPS and LLAMA
- Contribute to an ongoing conversation on new professional issues
Participants will also be encouraged to share ideas and offer their own visions of a successful New Professionals Section.
Presenters: Bethany Tschaepe, reference and instruction librarian, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas; Zara Wilkinson, reference and instruction librarian, Rutgers University-Camden, Camden, N.J.
Target audience: Current LIS students, recent graduates, new professionals and new or potential LLAMA members.
Register for “NPS 101: An Introduction to LLAMA’s New Professionals Section.”
About the Library Leadership and Management Association
The Library Leadership and Management Association (www.ala.org/llama) advances outstanding leadership and management practices in library and information services by encouraging and nurturing individual excellence in current and aspiring library leaders. LLAMA is a division of the American Library Association.
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Attend Free Webinar, Declaration for the Right to Libraries, on June 9
Nebraska library staff and supporters are invited to a webinar featuring a panel including Nebraska’s Mary Reiman, director of Library Media Services at Lincoln Public Schools. Learn more about how the Declaration for the Right to Libraries initiative has flourished as a successful public awareness, advocacy and community engagement tool since its launch last year. This final, free webinar in ALA President Barbara Stripling’s Libraries Change Lives series will feature case studies of how this initiative is being used to create positive change in libraries. The webinar takes place from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. CT on Monday, June 9, 2014.
Libraries of all types from coast to coast have hosted Declaration signings, and speakers for this session will discuss their approach and share examples of how they used the Declaration as a means to engage their communities in discussions about their needs, as well as the value of the library. Presenters include Hadi Dudley, library director of the Bentonville Public Library (Ark.), Jeff Simpson of Troy University and the Alabama Library Association, Mary Reiman, director of Library Media Services at Lincoln Public Schools (Neb.) and Lisa Hoenig, library director of the Redford Township District Library (Mich.). ALA President Barbara Stripling will moderate the webinar and discuss her vision for the Declaration during her presidential year and beyond.
Registration is mandatory and limited to the first 100 participants who arrive in the virtual room. Visit the Adobe Connect event page to sign up today.
This webinar is presented by the ALA Office for Library Advocacy and co-sponsored by Stripling’s Presidential Advisory Committee. For more information about this series or for questions about registration, please contact the ALA Office for Library Advocacy at advocacy@ala.org.
These webinars will be archived and accessible to ALA members, and are part of Stripling’s Libraries Change Lives 2013- 2014 Webinar Series.
These informative, timely sessions are intended to showcase best practices, successes, and to transfer knowledge among ALA members.
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Nebraska Library Friends Groups and Foundations Invited to IRS Webinar
This Thursday, May 29 at 1:00 p.m. CT, the IRS will host a free Webinar on Form 990-N and 990-EZ Filing Tips. Topics include:
To receive CE credit (and a certificate of completion) you must view the presentation for a minimum of 50 minutes. Register for this presentation. If you have a technical or procedural question relating to Exempt Organizations, visit the Charities and Nonprofits homepage on the IRS.gov Web site. If you have a specific question about exempt organizations, call EO Customer Account Services at 877-829-5500. |
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What’s Sally Reading?
Start Now and Be Ready for Teen Read Week
Teen Read Week is October 12-18 this year, the theme is Turn Dreams into Reality @ your library, and YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) has a website with a variety of items to help you and your teens be ready. Resources and incentives include:
- Downloadable low-resolution theme logo
- Forums: Discuss and share TRW related resources and experiences
- Ready to use planning and publicity tools
- Products: Posters, bookmarks, manuals, and more
- Showcase: Share your planned events
- Webinars : Free access to a live webinar to help you prepare for TRW, as well as archived webinars
- And more resources and perks to come
And remember the Teens Top Ten will be announced the week after Teen Read Week. Your teens can read the nominated books and vote for their favorites. Visit their website to find a PDF of the 25 nominated titles with descriptions.
How to Catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks finds orphan Birdie (10), in Victorian London, proud to be an apprentice to Alfred Bunce, the Bogler, this life is much better than being a rag picker. Her job is to act as bait to lure the bogle out for Alfred to catch and kill. Alfred lost one assistant to a bogle and is determined to never have that happen again. He is not the expected cruel master, he worries for Birdie’s safety however this is the only way he knows to catch the deadly bogles. Now something odd is about, orphans are disappearing and Alfred and Birdie may be in more danger than usual. This title has spookiness, concern for Birdie’s well-being, the social divisions in London, and the concept of considering other options for catching and killing dangerous bogles. For grades 4-7.
(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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Kooser Book Chosen to Represent Nebraska
House Held Up by Trees, by Ted Kooser with Jon Klassen (Illustrator), will represent Nebraska at the 2014 National Book Festival in Washington, DC. The book is the state’s selection for the National Book Festival’s “Discover Great Places through Reading Map.” Each state selects one title of fiction or non-fiction, a book about the state or by an author from the state that is a good read for children or young adults. The map is distributed at the Pavilion of the States at the Festival and lists “Great Reads about Great Places.”
Kooser’s children’s picture book offers a powerful view of the natural world. Though there’s a family involved, the real star of this multilayered modern parable is a plot of land…the artwork initially functions as stoic backdrop for the story, with wide-angle perspectives filled with plenty of open space and muted colors. But in the second part, as the trees take over, Klassen’s compositions command more and more attention, elbowing the text into the periphery and subtly reinforcing the themes in play… Unfolding with uncommon grace, the environmental heart of this story is revealed obliquely but powerfully.
Ages 5-8. -Publishers Weekly
Ted Kooser was the United States Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006 and won a Pulitzer Prize for his book of poems Delights and Shadows. He is the author of twelve full-length volumes of poetry and several books of nonfiction, including Nebraska Book Award winner Local Wonders, Seasons in the Bohemian Alps. His work has appeared in many periodicals. He is also the author of Bag in the Wind, his first picture book. Kooser lives in Garland, NE. For more information see http://tedkooser.net. Jon Klassen is the author-illustrator of I Want My Hat Back. The first picture book he illustrated, Cats’ Night Out by Caroline Stutson, won the Governor General’s Award for illustration in his native Canada. Klassen now lives in Los Angeles.
The National Book Festival will be held in Washington, DC at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday August 30, 2014. This year’s festival will feature authors, poets and illustrators in several pavilions. Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite poets and authors, get books signed, hear special entertainment, have photos taken with storybook characters, and participate in a variety of activities. The Pavilion of the States will represent reading and library programs and literary events in all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and territories. Children attending the festival are given maps to take to each state’s table to be stamped to receive a prize. Representatives from the Nebraska Library Commission and Nebraska Center for the Book will staff Nebraska’s table in the Pavilion. For more information see loc.gov/bookfest.
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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Over $5.7 Million in E-rate Funding Awarded to Nebraska Schools and Libraries
Today, USAC released the first Wave of Funding Commitment Decision Letters (FCDLs) for E-rate Funding Year 2014.
Wave 1 includes $5,742,491.16 in funding commitments for approved Priority 1 requests (Telecommunications Services and Internet Access) for 380 Nebraska school and library applicants.
Congratulations to all Nebraska schools and libraries funded in Wave 1!
You can check to see if you have a commitment by using USAC’s Automated Search of Commitments tool.
If you are on the list, watch your mail for your Funding Commitment Decision Letter (FCDL). After you receive your letter, you can go on to the next step in the E-rate process, filing your Form 486. Information and instructions on how to do that can be found on the USAC website.
If you are not on the Wave 1 list, don’t panic! There are many more weekly Waves to come as USAC processes more applications. This is just the start of Funding Year 2014, more approvals are coming.
If you have any questions or need any assistance with your E-rate forms, visit the NLC E-rate webpage or contact Christa Burns, 800-307-2665, 402-471-3107.
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SBA Launches Accelerator Competition to Award $2.5 Million for Small Business Startups
The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the SBA is launching a $2.5 million competition for accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models to compete for monetary prizes of $50,000 each. To award the prizes, an expert panel of judges will consider each applicant’s stated mission, founding team members and business goals among other core components. The deadline for applying is August 2, 2014.
The panel will give particular attention to, and the SBA encourages, applicants that fill geographic gaps in the accelerator and entrepreneurial ecosystem space. It is well known that the most successful accelerators to date were founded on the coasts. Through this competition, we are looking to support the development of accelerators and thus startups in parts of the country where there are fewer conventional sources of access to capital (i.e., venture capital and other investors).
In addition to accelerators which fill the gaps described above, we are also seeking accelerators which are run by and support women or other underrepresented groups. Lastly, special consideration will be given to any accelerator models which support manufacturing.
For the purposes of this competition, Growth Accelerators include accelerators, incubators, co-working startup communities, shared tinker-spaces or other models to accomplish similar goals.
Over the coming months, SBA will be working with a number of partners such as the Global Accelerator Network (GAN) and others to host a number of Demo Days across the country. Demo Days provide opportunities for networking and the sharing of best practices among accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models. The first Demo Day of 2014 was held in Austin, Texas at the Capital Factory and concurrent with the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival. Thirteen accelerators across multiple industries and geographies gave five minute pitches to a room full of their peers. SBA is working to develop more of these events to happen in different cities around the country in 2014. Finalists in the competition will also be participating in a Demo Day remotely, thus there is no requirement for applicants to participate in the in-person events.
To apply visit sba.gov or challenge.gov. For additional questions, contact accelerators@sba.gov.
Join the Nebraska CatExpress Group: A Fast, Easy, and Affordable Cataloging Solution for Your Library
If your library needs basic copy cataloging and MARC record delivery for up to 7,000 titles per year, OCLC CatExpress may be right for you. CatExpress provides web-based copy cataloging, with basic editing capabilities, at a low, flat-fee subscription price. And, when you join the Nebraska Group, you will receive discounted pricing on your CatExpress Subscription.
OCLC CatExpress is an annual subscription based on the maximum number of titles your library may catalog in a year. Subscriptions run from July 1 to June 30 each year. But you can join the group at any time, as subscriptions and pricing can be prorated.
The 2014-2015 group subscription cost is $1.07 per title.
Even if you have little or no cataloging experience, you’ll be amazed at how simple it is to use CatExpress with minimal training. And since it’s a Web-based product, there is no special software to install or maintain.
CatExpress accesses records in WorldCat, the OCLC Online Catalog, which contains over 319 million bibliographic records. By accessing WorldCat through CatExpress, you have available to you records for all formats, including sound recordings (spoken and music), videos, electronic resources, journals, maps, and microforms. You can achieve hit rates of over 98 percent for English-language materials – all through an easy-to-use Web interface. You also may expand your resource sharing capabilities by adding your own holdings information to bibliographic records.
CatExpress Features:
• Full search capabilities in WorldCat
• The ability to set or delete holdings in WorldCat
• Delivery of OCLC-MARC records for you to load into your local system
• Basic editing of your MARC records and printing of labels for your items.
• Affordable, predictable pricing options for all sizes of libraries
To learn more about CatExpress, and to join the Nebraska CatExpress Group, go to the NLC’s CatExpress webpage.
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$32,000 in Internship Grants Awarded to Nebraska Public Libraries
The Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Library Association recently awarded 21st Century Librarian internship grants totaling $32,000 to twenty-one Nebraska public libraries. These internship grants will support public library interns, who will contribute to the scope and value of the diverse programs and activities in Nebraska’s public libraries.
“The internships offer valuable work and learning experiences for the interns and helpful assistance to the participating libraries. We thank the participating libraries for their contributions to the internship program and we wish this year’s group of interns the very best for great and worthwhile experiences,” said Nebraska Library Commission Director Rod Wagner.
Funding for the project is provided through a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered through the Nebraska Library Commission. Such funding helps the Nebraska Library Commission and the Nebraska Library Association continue to support the missions and goals of libraries across Nebraska and statewide efforts to recruit the next generation of Nebraska’s librarians.
Student interns will learn about library work as they shadow and assist with day-to-day library operations and implement special projects. Interns will lead youth summer reading program activities, conduct training sessions to teach senior citizens to use technology, facilitate book discussion activities, help develop and update library Website and Facebook pages, create young adult library programs and spaces, work on publicity materials for library programs, sort and preserve archival materials, and assist in a host of other worthwhile activities.
In 2013, interns brought their technology skills to the forefront, much to the appreciation of the library staff, library customers, and their communities:
- One intern completed videos of summer reading activities as a promotional tool.
- Another intern created an instructional video on Overdrive (downloadable eBook and audio book collections) use, and added to the website.
- A third intern started a library Facebook page.
Said one intern: “I learned that librarians need to have very extensive knowledge regarding the operations of computers and their programs. It was very surprising, but I can see how necessary this knowledge is now that books, journals and magazines are becoming digitized.”
The following Nebraska libraries received internship grant funding in March 2014:
- Atkinson Public Library
- Bassett, Rock County Public Library
- Cozad Public Library
- Emerson Public Library
- Grand Island Public Library
- Grant, Hastings Memorial Library
- Howells Public Library
- Kimball Public Library
- La Vista Public Library
- Lincoln City Libraries
- McCook Public Library
- Neligh Public Library
- Norfolk Public Library
- North Bend Public Library
- Omaha Public Library
- Papillion, Sump Memorial Library
- Ponca Carnegie Library
- Schuyler Public Library
- Shelby Public Library
- Valparaiso Public Library
- Verdigre Public Library
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. For more information, visit http://nlc.nebraska.gov/.
The Nebraska Library Association is the cornerstone of the Nebraska library community. The Association advocates for its members, enriches their professional lives, advances the lifelong learning of all Nebraskans, and promotes all library interests in Nebraska. For more information, visit http://nebraskalibraries.org.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit http://www.imls.gov.
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Gardens Galore
I think the great botanist Luther Burbank had it right when he wrote: “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful: they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul.” This is the time of year when the gardeners amongst us delight in planning, purchasing for, and planting their gardens. In eastern Nebraska the onions, spuds and peas were planted weeks ago and the daffodils are over until next spring. Vegetable and flower seedlings are on sale everywhere–markets, grocery stores, building supply stores, and nurseries. Nebraskans of earlier times loved gardening too, as photos of gardens and nurseries in Nebraska Memories tell us. The color postcard above feaures 25 acres of gorgeous peonies abloom in the J.F. Rosenfield Peony Gardens in Omaha. Rosenfield had a farm near West Point, Nebraska, and bred many peonies, which he sold from his nursery.
Plumfield Nurseries in Fremont was in business for many years. In the photo on the left cannas are planted in front of the nursery wall. 
A mass planting of cannas is the centerpiece of the photo on the right at Westfield Acres, home of Frank and Jessie Fowler of Fremont.
Gardening is also good for the mind, and several Lincoln schools had gardens that students worked in. The McKinley School was located at 230 S. 15th Street and the children are shown posing with hoes and trowels in this 1913 photo.
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 information, or contact Beth Goble, Historical Services Librarian, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.
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Nebraska Librarians Invited to Celebrate Children’s Book Week May 12-18
Children’s Book Week is the annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading. Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, commemorative events are held nationwide at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes — wherever young readers and books connect! May 12-18, 2014 is the 95th anniversary of this nationwide celebration. For more information, see http://www.bookweekonline.com/about. Order free posters at http://www.bookweekonline.com/poster.
NEH Humanities Collections and Reference Resources – applications due July 17, 2014
Closing Date for Applications: July 17, 2014
Award Amount: Varies
Awarding Institution: National Endowment for the Humanities
The Humanities Collections and Reference Resources (HCRR) program supports projects that provide an essential underpinning for scholarship, education, and public programming in the humanities. Thousands of libraries, archives, museums, and historical organizations across the country maintain important collections of books and manuscripts, photographs, sound recordings and moving images, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, art and material culture, and digital objects. Funding from this program strengthens efforts to extend the life of such materials and make their intellectual content widely accessible, often through the use of digital technology. Awards are also made to create various reference resources that facilitate use of cultural materials, from works that provide basic information quickly to tools that synthesize and codify knowledge of a subject for in-depth investigation. HCRR offers two kinds of awards: 1) for implementation and 2) for planning, assessment, and pilot efforts (HCRR Foundations grants).
Details are available at http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/humanities-collections-and-reference-resources.
Preservation Week & MayDay Sale
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Join Us Online April 30 for Smart Investing: Reference Strategies and Resources
Learn how librarians can take advantage of “Smart Investing: Reference Strategies and Resources,” a self-paced course to promote confidence and competence in responding to library customers’ questions on personal finance and investments. The April 30 edition of NCompass Live: Smart Investing: Reference Strategies and Resources will give you a guided tour to the resources that can help you direct your library customers to the best in money management resources.
This online training course was originally developed for Santa Clara County Library District (SCCLD) reference staff. It is available to all Nebraska librarians who would like to improve their reference strategies and knowledge of financial literacy concepts and resources.
This online curriculum is being offered as part of the Nebraska Library Commission and Northeast Library System’s “Smart Investing @ your library® Builds Nebraska Communities” project funded by a $100,000 FINRA Investor Education Foundation grant. Although the 22 public libraries participating in that project will benefit by receiving Financial Literacy Resource Kits and customer financial literacy training in their libraries later this year, all of Nebraska’s libraries are welcome to participate in the online librarian training.
This program is made possible by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation through Smart investing@your library®, a partnership with the American Library Association. The project is coordinated in Nebraska by the Nebraska Library Commission.
Registration now open for Choose Privacy Week 2014 webinar,’Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts’
Dark forces conspire online to undermine privacy, compromise accounts, stalk, troll and just plain creep us out. Libraries have a longstanding tradition of protecting their users’ privacy and confidentiality, but often fail to take basic steps to protect patrons’ use of their public access computers and digital resources.
Registration is now open for “Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts,” the 2014 Choose Privacy Week webinar. Presenter Eric Stroshane, field services librarian for the North Dakota State Library, will discuss how online surveillance works, give practical tips on improving privacy on public computers and provide a better understanding of current legal threats to digital privacy and online anonymity.
Ann Crewdson and Helen Adams, co-chairs of the ALA-IFC Privacy Subcommittee, will provide a brief introduction to the newly revised ALA Privacy Tool Kit that includes new sections on the impact of emerging technologies on library users’ privacy.
The free, hour-long online webinar will take place from 2 – 3 p.m. Central time on Monday, May 5, 2014. Register for this free webinar: http://ala.adobeconnect.com/choose_privacy_2014/event/event_info.html. Space is limited, and registration is first come, first serve. Registrants will be able to access the recorded and archived webinar after May 5. For questions about registration or using the webinar platform, contact Deborah Caldwell-Stone at dstone@ala.org.
Choose Privacy Week 2014 takes place May 1-7 and asks librarians and library users to engage in a conversation about protecting privacy rights all year long, both inside and outside the library.
Sponsored annually by the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), Choose Privacy Week provides individuals with resources to think critically and make more informed choices about their privacy.
For information about Choose Privacy Week 2014, visit chooseprivacyweek.org or email Deborah Caldwell-Stone at dstone@ala.org.
Contact:
Deborah Caldwell-Stone
Deputy Director
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