Search the Blog
Categories
- Books & Reading
- Broadband Buzz
- Census
- Education & Training
- Friday Reads
- General
- Grants
- Information Resources
- Library Management
- Nebraska Center for the Book
- Nebraska Libraries on the Web
- Nebraska Memories
- Now hiring @ your library
- Preservation
- Pretty Sweet Tech
- Programming
- Public Library Boards of Trustees
- Public Relations
- Talking Book & Braille Service (TBBS)
- Technology
- Uncategorized
- What's Up Doc / Govdocs
- Youth Services
Archives
Subscribe
Category Archives: Youth Services
NCompass Live: One Book For Nebraska Kids & Teens 2025
Join Sally Snyder, the NLC’s Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services; Aimee Owen, Information Services Librarian; and Bailee Juroshek, Office Specialist, to learn all about the One Book for Nebraska Kids and Teens program.
Our 2025 titles are: One Book For Nebraska Kids – Lions & Liars by Kate Beasley, and One Book For Nebraska Teens – Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- April 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech: Computers in Libraries 2025 Highlights & Trends
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025 Recordings Now Available
Recordings of all Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025 sessions are now available!
You will find the recordings and presentations on the 2025 Recordings & Presentations page.
Don’t forget to complete the conference Evaluation! We’re looking for input from people who attended the live conference and watched the archived recordings.
And mark your calendars now – Big Talk From Small Libraries will be back in 2026! Next year’s conference will be on Friday, February 27, 2026!
#BookFaceFriday “Very Bad at Math” by Hope Larson
You can always count on #BookFaceFriday!
Everything is adding up! This week’s #BookFace, “Very Bad at Math” by New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning author Hope Larson (HarperAlley, 2025) is a colorful middle grade graphic novel. Verity “Very” Nelson can do it all, except math! All seems lost until a teacher helps her discover the truth: Verity has dyscalculia, a learning disability that causes her to mix up numbers.
“Graphic novelist Larson has aimed her latest story at middle-grade readers who…will make a lot of readers feel seen. A solid addition.”
—Booklist
The Nebraska Library Commission receives a large number of children’s and young adult books sent to us as review copies from book publishers. When our Children and Young Adult Library Services Coordinator, Sally Snyder, is done with them, the review copies are available for the Library System Directors to distribute to school and public libraries in their systems. You can see some of her favorites of the past year in the recent NCompass Live webinar episodes: Best Teen Reads of 2024 and Best Children’s Books of 2024.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
ALA Building Library Capacity Grants
For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.
The American Library Association (ALA) announces the opening of the third year of the ALA Building Library Capacity Grants of $10,000 to public libraries assisting New Americans – immigrants and refugees.
Applications are due by April 9, 2025. Information on the grant can be found at the Building Library Capacity Grant website.
This opportunity is for public libraries that are or will serve New Americans – immigrants and refugees. It is open to libraries already serving New Americans or those who would like to use the grant to begin serving New Americans. ALA membership is NOT required.
The grants are to bolster library operations and services including literacy and other skill development, developing collections, staffing, expanding outreach, as well as maintaining and amplifying existing service strategies or adding new ones to make an impact.
The ALA Building Library Capacity Grants are supported through a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each year focuses on helping add capacity to different segments of the library community.
For questions, contact the American Library Association (ALA) Chapter Relations Office staff at cro@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 3200.
NCompass Live: Family & Community Programming: Major Successes & Epic Fails
The Lexington Public Library utilizes community partnerships and innovative ideas to reach a culturally diverse community. Family programming and community festivals are a major part of the ways in which the library serves the community.
Presenter: Jennifer Norton, Library Director, Lexington (NE) Public Library.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- March 19 – Pretty Sweet Tech – CANCELED
- March 26 – Creating Connection in Library Events
- April 2 – One Book for Nebraska Kids & Teens 2025
- April 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech: Computers in Libraries 2025 Highlights & Trends
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025 is tomorrow!
Join us tomorrow for the 2025 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference. Registration is still open, so head over to the Registration page and sign up!
We have a full agenda for the day, with speakers from academic, K-12, and public libraries presenting on a wide variety of topics: reader’s advisory, interactive library displays, school/public library partnerships, marketing, sustainability, a Library of Things, Sensory Gardens, and much more.
And, Nebraska library staff and board members can earn 1 hour of CE Credit for each hour of the conference you attend! A special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form has been made available for you to submit your C.E. credits.
This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries. So, come join us for a day of big ideas from small libraries!
Books Save Lives Grant
For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.
We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) is accepting applications for its Books Save Lives Grants, providing funding for school libraries, public libraries, and educational institutions in the United States to purchase diverse titles.
Each Books Save Lives Grant will provide up to $5,000 per recipient. Recipients will provide a list of requested titles to WNDB. WNDB will then vet the list and ship the approved books directly to the address provided.
Applications are due by March 14, 2025.
- Applicants must work full-time at a school library, public library, or educational organization within the United States to receive a Books Save Lives Grant.
- This is a United States-based grant. Nominated schools, libraries, and organizations must be located within a U.S. state.
- Applicants must be located in areas impacted by book challenges and censorship efforts, whether on a local or state level.
- The grant must be used to purchase diverse books. Recipients will provide WNDB with a requested list of titles. WNDB will then vet the list and ship the books directly to the recipient.
- Recipients must complete two evaluation surveys after the books have been circulated.
For more information and to apply, visit the website at https://diversebooks.org/programs/books-save-lives-grant
Posted in Books & Reading, Grants, Youth Services
Leave a comment
Only One Week Until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025!
Small libraries! Awesome ideas! FREE Online Conference!
There’s only one week until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025!
Check out the full schedule and register to join us next Friday, February 28.
Sponsored by the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) and the Nebraska Library Commission, this free one-day online conference is tailored for staff from small libraries – the smaller the better! All of our presenters are from libraries serving fewer than 10,000 people or are co-presenting with a small library. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
Everyone is welcome to register and attend, regardless of how big or small your library. But, if your library serves a few hundred to a few thousand people, this is the day for you!
Posted in Education & Training, Library Management, Programming, Public Relations, Technology, Youth Services
Tagged ARSL, BTSL2025
Leave a comment
What’s Sally Reading?
Mac Barnett has been named the 2025-26 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, the ninth author to hold this distinction.
He was inaugurated on February 6th and the 2023-2024 National Ambassador, Meg Medina, attended.As quoted in the article, Barnett said, “It’s a profound honor to serve as ambassador. When I got the news, I was speechless, which is unusual for me.” He has chosen to “celebrate the children’s picture book” and the way they “blend words and illustrations to create a uniquely powerful reading experience.”
Congratulations to Mac Barnett! Certainly a popular author with children and he has a lineup of over 60 books he has written. What is a favorite title with the children in your community?
I have read a lot, but not all of his books, one of my favorites is Sam and Dave Dig a Hole from 2014, illustrated by Jon Klassen and named a Caldecott Honor Book. Readers will be delighted by all things the diggers missed.
Another favorite of mine is Mac Undercover from 2018, the first book in his series titled “Mac B., Kid Spy” a novel for grades 3-6. Mac secretly helps the Queen of England – who is disgusted by his attire and “bad” English, but does appreciate his help. Silly and clever, Mac ends up in unexpected situations wondering how he will escape and solve the mystery.
I hope the young readers in your community will love the idea of Mac Barnett as the 2025-26 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature!
Posted in Books & Reading, Youth Services
Leave a comment
Friday Reads: I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff
One of the picture books School Library Journal included on their “Best Picture Books of 2024” list is I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff. Learning how to apologize, and mean it, is hard, and Jack is not yet convinced he should. But the teacher expects it.
Right off we know Jack must write a note of apology to Zoe, but the teacher must approve it first. His third attempt is the title of the book and he must try again. He is angry while working on the note and the other students have no trouble realizing it.
Through the rejected notes the reader/listener learns that Zoe’s castle was knocked over. And then we begin to learn the reasons this happened.
Finally Jack writes an acceptable note, and Zoe replies with a thank-you note. Maybe tomorrow they will build a castle together.
The artwork adds greatly to the story. In one illustration the pencil sharpener is roaring as Jack uses it – with a big frown on his face, the other students all noticing him. The reader/listeners can tell he is still mad. This is the complete package of story and art – and a great way to let young ones see someone practicing… fighting it… trying… and finally getting it right.
Lukoff, Kyle. I’m Sorry You Got Mad. Dial Books, 2024.
ALA Announces the Youth Media Awards
A number of awards honoring titles and media for children and young adults were announced this morning. The John Newbery Medal goes to The First State of Being written by Erin Entrada Kelly, with four other titles named as Newbery Honor Books.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal goes to Chooch Helped, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz and written by Andrea L. Rogers, with four additional titles named Caldecott Honor Books.
To see the ALA new release listing all the youth awards and titles, go here.
Life After Whale by Lynne Brunelle, was given the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children. This focuses briefly on the life of the blue whale (90 year old), and mostly on how it provides food and shelter to many creatures on its way to the ocean floor, and after it settles on the bottom of the sea. Lots of information paired with amazing art by Jason Chin. The author presents and explains the different phases of the whale fall – the total time of this whale fall ecosystem is more than 100 years. Additional information is found on the back pages, including more information on blue whales; the four phases of a whale fall listed on a two-page spread, and a brief bibliography. An amazing book.
#BookFaceFriday “Shark Teeth” by Sherri Winston
Sink your teeth into a good #BookFaceFriday!
Cue the Jaws theme song! This week’s #BookFace, “Shark Teeth” by Sherri Winston (Bloomsbury, 2024) was 1 of 193 titles featured in School Library Journal’s “Best Books of 2024.” A middle grade novel, geared towards readers in grades 5 and up, it’s the heart-wrenching tale of a young girl trying to keep her family together at any cost. The topics covered are heavy ones, but sadly very real issues for many kids.
“Driven by an intelligent and complex protagonist, this courageous story about strength in the face of neglect, and the bravery to demand what is best of one’s family and oneself, is potent and powerful.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
The Nebraska Library Commission receives a large number of children’s and young adult books sent to us as review copies from book publishers. When our Children and Young Adult Library Services Coordinator, Sally Snyder, is done with them, the review copies are available for the Library System Directors to distribute to school and public libraries in their systems. You can see some of her favorites of the past year in the recent NCompass Live webinar episodes: Best Teen Reads of 2024 and Best Children’s Books of 2024.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Best Books of 2024 According to School Library Journal
School Library Journal has announced their choices for Best Books 2024, 193 titles were selected. Ten sections were chosen: Picture Books, Transitional Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Nonfiction Elementary, Nonfiction Middle to High School, Poetry, Graphic Novels, Manga, and Top 10 Audiobooks.
You can download a spreadsheet PDF of the entire list, category by category. Every year different lists include titles I have recommended and titles I didn’t encounter anywhere – on blogs, through perusing the library, or in the batches of books publishers have sent to the Library Commission.
The titles I have read includes Medusa by Katherine Marsh. It is the first book in the Myth of Monsters series. Ava, 12, is sent to an institute for descendants of Greek monsters after an incident at her regular school ended with a boy being frozen. But she isn’t sure Medusa was a monster, and she and some new friends go on an unauthorized trip to find Medusa and ask her some questions. This book is for upper elementary school readers.
Ten Little Rabbits by Maurice Sendak is on their Picture Book list. It is copyrighted in 1970, but was never published until 2024. The text is mostly numerals from 1 to 10 and then back to 1. The boy is a showman, but the rabbits get rather hard to handle when there is a group of them. The rabbits, in colors of white, blue, gray, or yellow, keep popping out of the hat. You don’t see them disappear, they don’t go back into the hat, but on each page there is one less – and they are becoming more manageable. Listeners will enjoy the magic show.
I hope you find some good titles to add to your collection from the lists on the School Library Journal web page.
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grants Application Cycle is Open
For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is currently accepting grant applications for programs aimed at enhancing Adult, Family, and Summer Reading Literacy programs. The Foundation will also accept applications for its Youth Literacy grant program starting on March 6, 2025.The application deadline for Adult, Family, and Summer Reading Literacy Grant applications is February 6, 2025. Interested applicants may find eligibility information and apply by visiting the Dollar General Literacy Foundation Grant Programs website.
To be eligible for a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, your organization must be a nonprofit organization as determined by the IRS, a public library, school or college providing direct literacy services within a state that Dollar General Corporation operates in and is within 15 miles of a Dollar General store. Other eligibility requirements are specific to each grant type and can be found within the grants themselves.
For the Adult and Family literacy grant programs, the maximum grant amount is up to $10,000. The Summer Reading maximum is $3,000 and the Youth Literacy grant is $4,000. Applying for a grant does not guarantee that amount due to the large volume of requests we receive.
Adult Literacy Grants (Grant Application deadline: February 6, 2025)
Funding is awarded to organizations that provide direct services to adults in need of literacy assistance in one of the following areas:
- Adult basic education
- GED or high school equivalency preparation
- English language acquisition
Family Literacy Grants (Grant Application deadline: February 6, 2025)
Funding is awarded to nonprofit organizations who support the whole family in literacy, providing:
- Adult education instruction
- Children’s education
- Parent and Child Together Time (PACT)
Summer Reading Grants (Grant Application deadline: February 6, 2025)
Local nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries can receive funding to support the creation or expansion of summer reading programs that meet the following criteria:
- Target pre-K to 12th grade students who are new readers
- Target below grade level readers
- Assist readers with learning disabilities
Youth Literacy Grants (Grant Applications will be available on March 6, 2025. Application deadline: April 3, 2025)
Schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations who help students that are below grade level or having trouble reading may apply with funding provided to assist in the following areas:
- Implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs
- Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives
- Purchasing books, materials or software for literacy programs
Posted in Books & Reading, Grants, Programming, Youth Services
Leave a comment
2025 Big Talk From Small Libraries Schedule Now Available
The full schedule for the 2025 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference is now available!
You will find all the details on the Schedule page. Information about our presenters is available on the Speakers page.
If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to jump over to the Registration page and sign up – the conference is free and open to anyone in the world to attend! However, please be aware that all times are listed in US Central Time – UTC-6.
You are welcome to watch as an individual or to host a group viewing of the conference. If several staff members from the same library want to attend, you can just register for one seat and have staff members view/listen together via one workstation.
You can also host a viewing party this same way and invite staff from other libraries. For any group viewings, if you know who will be there, you can list your Additional Attendees on your one registration or you can send us a list after the event. Be sure to take all necessary health and safety precautions into account when planning group viewings.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2025 will be held on Friday, February 28, 2025 between 8:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (CT) via the GoTo Webinar online meeting service.
Posted in Education & Training, Library Management, Programming, Technology, Youth Services
Tagged BTSL2025
Leave a comment
NCompass Live: Best New Teen Reads of 2024
Sally Snyder, the Nebraska Library Commission’s Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, will give brief book talks and reviews of new titles recommended to school and public librarians, covering both middle and high school levels, that were published within the last year.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- Jan. 15 – Talking Book and Braille Service: Improving Accessibility to Books
- Jan. 22 – 2025 One Book One Nebraska: ‘The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific’
- Jan. 29 – Pretty Sweet Tech
- Feb. 5 – Fostering Healthy Communication in Your Library
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
#BookFaceFriday “First Dog’s White House Christmas” by J. Patrick Lewis and Beth Zappitello
You can keep the Christmas lights up till January with this #BookFaceFriday!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Nebraska Library Commission! As you’re setting up all those new tablets, Ereaders, and phones that were unwrapped on Christmas morning, don’t forget to download the Libby App and link your Library Card. You’re whole family can have access to free books through your library, and that includes picture books for your youngest kids like this week’s #BookFace “First Dog’s White House Christmas” written by J. Patrick Lewis and Beth Zappitello, and illustrated by Tim Bowers (Sleeping Bear Press, 2010). It’s available as a an eBook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries: Kids & Teens, and can be found in the specially curated collection “Get Wrapped Up in a Good Book??: Juvenile Holiday Reads,” which is filled with holiday themed titles for kids and teens.
“In this wonderful picture book, the authors give readers a delightfully dog-centric picture of a Christmas gala at the White House. Readers will learn about Christmas traditions from many lands around the world, and they will also come to appreciate that though traditions might be different, the meaning of Christmas is the same the world over, if you are human or canine.”
— Marya Jansen-Gruber, Through the Looking Glass
Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,898 audiobooks, 36,794 ebooks, and 5,133 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “All Wrapped Up” by Holly Smale
Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle it’s #BookFaceFriday!
Winter break is almost upon us and it’s the perfect time to get your kids set up to check out ebooks and audiobooks while they’re at home for holiday break. Even if winter weather ruins your regular trip to the library you and your kids can still enjoy new books like “All Wrapped Up: A Geek Girl Special” by Holly Smale (HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks, 2022). It’s available as an eBook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries: Kids & Teens, and can be found in the specially curated collection “Get Wrapped Up in a Good Book??: Juvenile Holiday Reads,” which is filled with Holiday themed titles for kids and teens.
“A feel-good satisfying gem that will have teens smiling from cover to cover, and walking a little taller after reading”
— Books for Keeps
Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,898 audiobooks, 36,794 ebooks, and 5,133 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
NCompass Live: Best New Children’s Books of 2024
Sally Snyder, the Nebraska Library Commission’s Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, will give brief book talks on titles published in the last year that could be good additions to your library’s collection. Titles for pre-school through elementary school will be included.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- Dec. 18 – Fostering Healthy Communication in Your Library
- Dec. 25 – NO NCOMPASS LIVE THIS WEEK – HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
- Jan. 1, 2025 – NO NCOMPASS LIVE THIS WEEK
- Jan. 8, 2025 – Best New Teen Reads of 2024
- Jan. 22, 2025 – 2025 One Book One Nebraska: ‘The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific’
- Jan. 29, 2025 – Pretty Sweet Tech
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Pretty Sweet Tech: New Dash Robot Winter Activities!!
Wonder Workshop sent out this fun new collection of Winter-themed activities for Dash Robot! If your library already has Dash, download the worksheets, or use these activity images as inspiration for your next round of activities!
Check out some kits from us: Through the Nebraska Library Commission’ Tech Kits Through the Mail service, you can check out between 1 and 15 copies of Dash & Dot Activity Pack (includes launcher & xylophone!). All you pay is return shipping. We’ve got everything else covered.
Reserve yours ASAP, before they’re all reserved for the season: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/tech/kits/kits.aspx
(There are other kits available, so give them a try too!)
Posted in Pretty Sweet Tech, Technology, Youth Services
Leave a comment
