‘E-rate: What’s New for 2016?’ Workshops Scheduled

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Christa Porter

“E-rate: What’s New for 2016?” has been scheduled in locations across the state and online.

Big changes are coming again to E-rate, the federal program that provides discounts to assist schools and public libraries in the United States to obtain affordable Internet access and Connections. USAC has launched the E-Rate Productivity Center, EPC, for the 2016 Funding Year. This new online portal will be the main point of entry for all future E-rate interactions. With your organizational account you will use EPC to file forms, track your application status, communicate with USAC, and more.

What does your library need to know to use this new E-rate portal? In this workshop, Christa Burns, Nebraska’s State E-rate Coordinator for Libraries, will first cover the basics of the E-rate program and then show you how to access and use your account in EPC to submit your Funding Year 2016 E-rate application.

Dates and locations:

    • November 6 – Omaha Public Library, Abrahams Branch
    • November 9 – Norfolk, Northeast Community College
    • November 16 – Scottsbluff, Western Library System
    • November 17 – Kearney Public Library
    • November 19 – Lincoln, Nebraska Library Commission
    • December 1 – Online, GoToWebinar

To register for any of these sessions, go to the Nebraska Library Commission’s Training & Events Calendar and search for ‘e-rate 2016’.

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Throwback Thursday: Hartington Carnegie Library

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Lori Sailors

Hartington

Exterior photo of the Hartington, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1916.

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The Data Dude on the 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey Results

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Sam Shaw

Digital Inclusion SurveyShaka. The results from the 2014 Digital Inclusion Survey are now available. Here is a link to the press release and a number of the reports. The Nebraska page can be found here. You can view the specific data and profile for your library by typing your library name in the search box (just make sure your browser is up to date if you have problems). Digital inclusion addresses both the digital divide and digital literacy. Thank you for your participation in last year’s survey (our response rate was much higher than the previous year). Here is a brief summary of how Nebraska compares to the national average on some of the digital inclusion areas (for a complete list, go to the link on the Nebraska page and scroll down):

2014 Digital Inclusion Survey Results

Nebraska National Avg.
Avg. Download Speed 10 Mbps 16 Mbps
Avg. Number of Public Access Computers/laptops 13.3 18.8
eBooks 79.1% 90.3%
Online Health Resources 38.8% 76.8%
Mobile Apps to Access Library Services 25.9% 42.7%
General Computer Skills Training 81.9% 86.9%
General Familiarity with New Technologies (e.g. using eReaders, tablets) 59.0% 61.8%
Social Media (e.g. blogs, Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube) 62.3% 57.2%
Summer Reading for Children 90.5% 95.4%
GED or Equivalent Education 20.9% 34.9%
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Events 20.4% 34.2%
Applying for Jobs 66.2% 73.1%
Accessing and Using Online Business Information Resources 26.4% 47.9%
Providing Work Space(s) for Mobile Workers 39.3% 36.1%
Hosting Community Engagement Events (e.g., Candidate Forums, Community Conversations): 32.8% 40.2%
Hosting Social Connection Events for Young Adults (e.g., manga/anime, gaming, book groups): 43.3% 59.8%
Identifying Health Insurance Resources 48.3% 59.4%
Locating and Evaluating Free Health Information Online 57.2% 57.7%
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Protect Your Small Business Against Credit Card Fraud

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Mary Sauers

sba-logoYou’ve probably heard of people stealing, buying, and selling credit card information.  You don’t want your business to be the victim of such a transaction. But on any given day, your small business is now vulnerable.

The cardholder’s issuing bank previously took care of these situations.  Previously.

That’s the way it used to be.  Now your small business could be the one that is liable–not the issuer.  Starting October 1, the rules changed for Europay, Mastercard and VISA (EMV) cards.  Now, there are “chip cards”, and U.S. credit card companies set October as the deadline for the national adoption of their new chip cards.  So, if you have not integrated EMV technology that processes chip cards, your business will now become financially responsible for fraudulent transactions previously covered by the cardholder’s issuing bank.

Why are credit card companies taking this route?  Roughly 90 percent of credit card terminals in Europe are chip-enabled.  According to Barclays, the United Kingdom has seen nearly a 70 percent decline in counterfeit card transactions since making the transition. Meanwhile, America has 25 percent of the world’s credit card use, but 50 percent of the world’s credit card fraud,  and that’s enough reason for card companies to demand a shift from antiquated swipe-and-sign to microchips on credit cards.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is concerned that many U. S. entrepreneurs are still in the dark about this change.  It is estimated that about 20 percent of our nation’s payment terminals are currently equipped to accept chip cards, but most of these are at larger retailers. This means the majority of America’s small businesses will need to upgrade their payment systems as soon as possible. Depending on the cost of the goods and services that a small business sells, being held liable for fraudulent card use could have serious financial consequences.

Most small businesses can’t afford their own fraud departments and definitely can’t afford to be behind the curve while large competitors move forward with technology upgrades. That’s why the SBA has partnered with Square to educate small businesses about how to increase your payment security and to protect cardholder information. Visit the SBA website www.sba.gov/emv to read all about the change to EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) cards and what you need to do. You can learn how to prevent risk and protect both you and  your customers against credit card fraud and the liability that comes along with it.

Reprinted from SBA Nebraska District Office news release received October 19, 2015.

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Nebraska Then and Now Part 2

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Allana Novotny

 

Last month I wrote a post that showed 15 historical images of buildings that are part of the Nebraska Memories collection and are still standing today. As I mentioned, I’ve tried to take pictures of some of these historical buildings as I’ve traveled the state because I thought it would be fun to see how much or how little these buildings have changed. As I was going through my collection of photos I realized I had enough photos for at least one more post showing what Nebraska looked like then and now.

I hope you enjoy looking at these pictures to see how these buildings have and have not changed over the years.


Albion Public Library in Nebraska – 437 S 3rd St, Albion

Albion Public Library in Nebraska

Albion Public Library in Nebraska
Built: 1908
Picture: 1920-1930

Albion Public Library

Picture: 2015

 


Public Library, Alliance, Neb. – 204 W 4th St, Alliance

Public Library, Alliance, Neb.

Public Library, Alliance, Neb.
Built: 1912
Postcard: 1920-1930

Alliance

Picture: 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 


Burlington Station, Omaha, Neb. – 926 S. 10th Street, Omaha

Burlington Station, Omaha, Neb.

Burlington Station, Omaha, Neb.
Built: 1898
Postcard: 1910?

Burlington Station

Picture: 2015
Read about how the Burlington Station is being remolded.

 

 


Burlington Station – 925 S. 10th Street, Omaha

Burlington Station

Burlington Station
Built: 1898
Picture: 1910-1911

columns

Picture: 2015
The columns were removed from the Burlington Station during a renovation in 1930. The columns are now located on the UNL Campus near Memorial Stadium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Hardy’s Furniture Building – 1314 O Street, Lincoln

Hardy's Furniture Building

Hardy’s Furniture Building
The two-story addition was added in 1915
Picture: 1928

Hardy's Furniture Building

Picture: 2015


J. L. Brandeis & Sons Building, Omaha, Neb. – 16th and Douglas Streets, Omaha

J. L. Brandeis & Sons Building, Omaha, Neb.

J. L. Brandeis & Sons Building, Omaha, Neb.
Built: 1906
Postcard: 1900?

J. L. Brandeis & Sons Building

Picture: 2015


Library building, McCook413 Norris Ave, McCook

Library building, McCook

Library building, McCook
Built: 1908
Postcard: 1910-1920

McCook

Picture: 2010


Nash Building – 16th and Harney Streets, Omaha

Nash Building

Nash Building
Picture: 1920-1929

Nash Building

Picture: 2015


Ponca Public Library in Nebraska – 203 2nd St, Ponca

Ponca Public Library in Nebraska

Ponca Public Library in Nebraska
Built: 1912
Picture: 1913

Ponca Public Library

Picture: 2014


Scottish Rite Cathedral, Omaha, Neb. – 20th & Douglas Streets, Omaha

Scottish Rite Cathedral, Omaha, Neb.

Scottish Rite Cathedral, Omaha, Neb.
Built: 1912-1914
Postcard: 1914-1920

Scottish Rite Cathedral

Picture: 2015


Farnam St. looking east, Omaha, Nebr. – Farnam Street looking east from 18th Street, Omaha

Farnam St. looking east, Omaha, Nebr.

Farnam St. looking east, Omaha, Nebr.
Postcard: 1900?

Farnam Street

Picture: 2015


Hanson’s Cafe, Omaha, Neb. – 315 S. 16th Street, Omaha

Hanson's Cafe, Omaha, Neb.

Hanson’s Cafe, Omaha, Neb.
Postcard: 1908-1909

Hansons Cafe

Picture: 2015


Rose Building and Henshaw Hotel, 16th & Farnam Sts., Omaha, Neb. – 16th & Farnam St., Omaha

Rose Building and Henshaw Hotel, 16th & Farnam Sts., Omaha, Neb.

Rose Building and Henshaw Hotel, 16th & Farnam Sts., Omaha, Neb.
Postcard: 1920?

Rose Building

Picture: 2015


Mitchell Mercantile – 13th & Center Ave, Mitchell

Mitchell Mercantile

Mitchell Mercantile
Built: 1906
Picture: 1910

Mitchell Mercantile

Picture: 2012


Hotel Hill, Omaha, Nebraska – 505 South 16th Street, Omaha

Hotel Hill, Omaha, Nebraska

Hotel Hill, Omaha, Nebraska
Built: 1919
Postcard: 1920-1929?

Hotel Hill

Picture: 2015


Hardy’s Furniture Building – 1314 O Street, Lincoln

Hardy's Furniture Building

Hardy’s Furniture Building
A two story addition was added in 1915.
Picture: 1928

Hardy's Furniture Building

Picture: 2015


Dodge County Courthouse construction, Fremont, Nebraska – 435 N Park Ave

Dodge County Courthouse construction, Fremont, Nebraska

Dodge County Courthouse construction, Fremont, Nebraska
Built: 1917
Picture: 1917

Dodge County Courthouse

Picture: 2009


New York Life Ins. Bld., Omaha, Neb. – 17th & Farnam Streets, Omaha

New York Life Ins. Bld., Omaha, Neb.

New York Life Ins. Bld., Omaha, Neb.
Built: 1888-1889
Postcard: 1901-1907

Omaha Building

Picture: 2015

 

 


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, contact Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.

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NCompass Live: Introducing Two New Library Guides

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Christa Porter

NCompass live smallJoin us for next week’s NCompass Live, “Introducing Two New Library Guides”, on Wednesday, October 21, 10:00-11:00 am Central Time.

Take a look at the new Library Board Handbook—streamlined, updated, user-friendly, and chock full of great information. Sharon Osenga, co-director of the Central Plains Library System; Anneka Ramirez, director of the Three Rivers Library System; and Laura Johnson, Continuing Education Coordinator at the Nebraska Library Commission will show off the Handbook.

But that’s not all! A new library director has to handle a lot of new things. The Public Library Directors Guidebook is a compilation of information that should help to answer questions about who’s who and what’s what. Sharon, Anneka, and Laura will demonstrate this work-in-progress, and ask what information and features would be most useful to program attendees.

Upcoming NCompass Live events:

  • Oct. 28 – The Golden Sower Award: Nebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award
  • Nov. 4 – 2016 Nebraska Library Internship Grant Program
  • Nov. 18 – Inspire Your Community with an Innovation Lab

For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, 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 GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

 

 

 

 

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Throwback Thursday: Grand Island Carnegie Library

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Lori Sailors

Grand Island

Exterior photo of the Grand Island, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1905.

Posted in General, Nebraska Memories | Leave a comment

The Data Dude on chirs

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Sam Shaw

chirs“Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection and the path to the feeling of worthiness. If it doesn’t feel vulnerable, the sharing is probably not constructive.”

–Brene Brown

Recently, the Dude attended the Kaneko Information Exchange conference at Kaneko-UNO Library. It’s hard to describe the space there; it might be apt to say it’s a cross between a modern, technology infused library and a hip art gallery. At any rate, a lot of fresh ideas were exchanged at the conference, and the subject of today’s post is about the consumer health information resource service (chirs) offered by the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s McGoogan Library of Medicine. One of the panelists at the Information Exchange (Teri Hartman) was from McGoogan and talked about chirs.

But before we get to that specific part (and if you only care about the chirs service, skip to the last paragraph), here is a little filler material of the sort that Brene mentions in the quote above. A couple of years ago, the Dude found himself with a health issue that required attention. Middle age, evidenced not only by these sorts of health circumstances (it was a hernia) is now a reality but not necessarily a catalyst for an abnormally depressive state. The Dude has no intention of buying a sports car, bar hopping with women that are half his age, completing extreme sporting events (which may mean different things to different people), dyeing his hair, or trotting off to Burning Man. Middle age for the Dude means the replacement of long runs and bike rides with long walks and tai chi chuan sessions; early morning workouts replaced with early morning sleep and late night insomnia; and other assorted fortuitous activities such as growing tropical plants and fixing things. It also means other adjustments, such as the simple acknowledgement of how life experiences are now just a bit different, and that’s OK.

Now as far as health information goes, the Dude believes in the importance of a well-informed patient. Navigating these waters is often difficult; when the hernia diagnosis hit there was a lot of research and weeding through questionable sources of information online. You see, some camps surrounding the Dude were quite adamant about not having a surgical repair at all; others wanted the Dude to drive to a knife jockey at the earliest possibility. What the Dude really wanted (and didn’t get much of) was someone who would acknowledge and support his process of becoming (perhaps in a Kierkegaardian sense) health literate, and a medical professional that didn’t find a well informed patient  threatening. In the end, the Dude was fortunate enough to have an overall positive experience, and credits this to taking the time to become health literate and in finding such a patient and knowledgeable surgeon. For the record, if you want to know about things like Desarda or Bassini techniques, differences in brands and types of mesh typically used for repairs, and the journey to ultimately finding someone to fix the problem (the Dude had a good experience at Creighton Med. Center), let the Dude know. In the Dude’s case, being literate in the area of concern (that’s a runaround way of saying he wanted as much preferably unbiased information as possible about hernias) meant not only determining a course of treatment but also selecting a health care professional.

The point here is that two years ago, the chirs service was not on the radar and therefore it wasn’t utilized. In retrospect, the service could have been extremely helpful. At the Kaneko Information Exchange, Teri Hartman (Education and Research Services Librarian at UNMC’s McGoogan Library of Medicine) talked at length about the free service. And you should at least be aware of it, if not actively promoting it in your library. The chirs web page contains a summary of the service, links to sites containing health information, contact information, and the chirs online request form. You should also keep NebraskAccess in mind as a potential source of information. Finally, thanks to Teri Hartman and her contributions to the Kaneko Information Exchange. In case you didn’t catch it yet, the chirs service is free. Shaka, Teri.

 

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Finalists for 2016 One Book One Nebraska Announced

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Jennifer Wrampe

2015obonfinalistcovers (4)

Finalists for 2016 One Book One Nebraska Announced

Two nonfiction books, one poetry collection, and three novels—all stories with ties to Nebraska and the Great Plains—are the finalists for the 2016 One Book One Nebraska statewide reading program. The finalists are:

  • Backstage: Stories from My Life in Public Television by Ron Hull. University of Nebraska Press (2012)
  • The Meaning of Names by Karen Shoemaker. Red Hen Press (2014)
  • The Naked Mountaineer: Misadventures of an Alpine Traveler by Stephen Sieberson. University of Nebraska Press (2014)
  • Nebraska Presence: An Anthology of Poetry edited by Greg Kosmicki and Mary K. Stillwell. The Backwaters Press (2007)
  • The Plain Sense of Things by Pamela Carter Joern. University of Nebraska Press (2008)
  • While the Patient Slept by Mignon Eberhart. University of Nebraska Press (1995)

 The One Book One Nebraska reading program, now in its twelfth year, is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Humanities Nebraska, and Nebraska Library Commission. It encourages Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss the same book, chosen from books written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. A Nebraska Center for the Book committee selected the six finalists from a list of twenty-seven titles nominated by Nebraskans. In the coming weeks, Nebraska Center for the Book board members will vote on the 2016 selection.

Nebraskans are invited to attend the Celebration of Nebraska Books on November 14, where the choice for the 2016 One Book One Nebraska will be announced at 5:30 p.m. at the Nebraska Library Commission, 1200 N Street in downtown Lincoln. This year’s One Book One Nebraska, Death Zones & Darling Spies: Seven Years of Vietnam War Reporting, by Beverly Deepe Keever, will be featured at the Celebration in a presentation, “Beverly Deepe Keever: An Unconventional Woman for An Unconventional War,” by Thomas Berg, PhD, Dept. of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. See http://onebook.nebraska.gov or https://www.facebook.com/OneBookOneNebraska for more information about ongoing 2015 One Book One Nebraska activities.

The November 14 Celebration of Nebraska Books is scheduled for 2:30 – 6:30 p.m., with the Nebraska Center for the Book Annual Meeting to be held at 1:30 p.m. Awards will be presented to the winners of the 2015 Nebraska Book Awards, and some of the winning authors will read from their work. A list of Nebraska Book Award winners is posted at http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards.html. The Celebration of Nebraska Books is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and Nebraska Library Commission, with support from Friends of University of Nebraska Press. For more information, contact Mary Jo Ryan, maryjo.ryan@nebraska.gov, 402-471-3434 or 800-307-2665. Confirmed presenters will be announced at www.centerforthebook.nebraska.gov and http://www.facebook.com/NebraskaCenterfortheBook

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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National Book Award Finalists

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Lisa Kelly

Here is the list of fiction, non fiction, poetry, and young people’s literature nominations for the National Book Award revealed this morning. Winners in each category will receive a bronze sculpture and a purse of $10,000, at a ceremony in New York City on Nov. 18.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/10/14/448053224/finalists-unveiled-for-this-years-national-book-awards

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Friday Reads: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Lynda Clause

The Haunting of Hill House tells us the story of Eleanor anJacksond her visit to Hill House, where she has been invited to take part in the exploration of its possible haunting. Eleanor is in a bad place in a sad life as she travels to the house—she has been the caretaker for her recently deceased mother, and her remaining family is caught up with their own busy lives, and they don’t seem to care about her health or well-being. At Hill House, she meets colorful characters she never would have met otherwise. There is Dr. Montague, who wants to scientifically quantify any eerie occurrence they find, to finally connect science and the supernatural. There is Theodora, who is a free spirit who seems to have figured out a lot of things about life that continue to baffle Eleanor, but who still doesn’t have all the answers. And there’s Luke, who will inherit Hill House someday, and all the baggage the house represents—and symbolizes. The group of psychic adventurers has to work out their interpersonal dynamics with each other and with newcomers.

 
Jackson’s novel is a quick read of, as Dorothy Parker says in the blurb on the back, “beautifully written, quiet, cumulative shudders.” The text can be enjoyed as a breezy distraction, or there are plenty of plot points to reflect upon if the reader wishes. For example, Eleanor has been invited to the house by Dr. Montague because of a psychic experience as a child—what does it mean to have been a “special” child who grows up to be an adult that seems quite ordinary? How much can we rely on childhood memories and how do they affect us? How do we use memories to reconstruct traumatic family events?

 

This is one of those stories that will have you questioning what the characters believe—and will inspire you to think about what is really frightening in life. Ghosts? Loneliness? Bad architecture? Home ownership? Letting someone else do your thinking for you?

 
The Haunting of Hill House is a great example of the female gothic novel, where issues affecting women are explored through the themes of gothic literature. These themes include the influence of place, power dynamics, our struggle to reconcile logic with nature, and the reliability of memory, among other interesting issues.

 
This novel was adapted to make the 1963 movie The Haunting, which is enjoyably stylish but less nuanced than the novel. (The movie was remade in 1999 with an impressive cast and poor result.) Shirley Jackson is also the author of many other novels and stories, including “The Lottery,” which you may have had to read in school. If you already appreciate Shirley Jackson, you might enjoy this quiz: http://the-toast.net/2015/04/20/how-to-tell-if-you-are-in-a-shirley-jackson-story/

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Free Webinar –Marketplace.cms.gov: The Official Marketplace Information Source for Assisters and Outreach Partners

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Mary Sauers

fdlp_logoA live training webinar, “Marketplace.cms.gov: The Official Marketplace Information Source for Assisters and Outreach Partners,” will be presented on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

Register today for “Marketplace.cms.gov: The Official Marketplace Information Source for Assisters and Outreach Partners”

  • Start time: 2 p.m. (Eastern)
  • Duration:  60 minutes
  • Speakers:
    • Maria Everette, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Content Manager, Marketplace.cms.gov
    • Valerie Perkins, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Writer, Marketplace Consumer Products
  • Learning outcomes: Marketplace.cms.gov is the official online Marketplace resource for assisters and outreach partners. During this webinar, CMS staff will present an overview of the information that’s available on Marketplace.cms.gov. The site provides information about assister programs and tools to help existing and new Health Insurance Marketplace consumers. The presentation will highlight the outreach and education section of the website, where users will find materials for consumers, resources for presentations, and promotional tools. The webinar will include a walkthrough of the site.
  • Expected level of knowledge for participants: No prerequisite knowledge required.

The webinar is free, but registration is required. Upon registering, a confirmation email will be sent to you. This registration confirmation email includes the instructions for joining the webinar.

Registration confirmations will be sent from sqldba @ icohere.com. To ensure delivery of registration confirmations, registrants should configure junk mail or spam filter(s) to permit messages from that email address. If you do not receive the confirmation, please notify GPO.

GPO’s eLearning platform presents webinars using WebEx. In order to attend or present at a GPO-hosted webinar, a WebEx plug-in must be installed in your internet browser(s). Download instructions.

Visit FDLP Academy for access to FDLP educational and training resources. All are encouraged to share and re-post information about this free training opportunity with others.

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Throwback Thursday: Gothenburg Carnegie Library

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Lori Sailors

Gothenburg

Exterior photo of the Gothenburg, Nebraska Carnegie Library built in 1916.

Posted in General, Nebraska Memories | Leave a comment

2016 Health Care and Medicare Enrollment

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Mary Sauers

It’s that time of year again–time to start thinking about signing up for or renewing your Medicare or Health Insurance.  Enrollment for Medicare begins next week on October 15th, and Health Insurance enrollment begins November 1st.

MedicarelogoThe Medicare.gov website is the official online resource for Medicare, and has all the information you or your patrons need to answer questions and to apply.

health-insurance-marketplace-670x250                  The Healthcare.gov website is the official website for applying for, or changing, your healthcare insurance.  The site gives step-by-step instructions, as well as answers many questions about the process.

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SBA Awards $100,000 to GROW Nebraska to Support Native American Small Businesses

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Mary Sauers

sba-logoThe U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that it has awarded $100,000 to GROW Nebraska for projects promoting the development, success, and long-term survival of Native American firms eligible for assistance under the SBA’s 7(j) Management and Technical Assistance Program.  Project funding is provided by SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs.

The SBA grant program announcement sought unique and innovative proposals to provide specialized training, executive education, and tools to promote business development of Native American small businesses.  This funding will help to address some of the challenges Native American firms and other 7(j) eligible firms face, including teaming with other businesses; mastering the process of federal contracting; and reversing declines and re-energizing small businesses.

GROW Nebraska will work with partners Lakota Hope and the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) Extension to capitalize on the talents and interests of entrepreneurs on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and in the Whiteclay, Neb., area to create a group of entrepreneurs who work together and support each other as they build scalable small businesses that will generate a livable income for the business owner and his/her family, create jobs, and have a positive impact on Reservation residents.  With this grant, GROW Nebraska, Lakota Hope and UNL Extension will create an innovative, entrepreneur-focused program that builds and supports a powerful business strategy for each participant involved in the program.

To learn more about the SBA’s Office of Native American Affairs, please visit www.sba.gov/naa.

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The Data Dude – OverDrive Data Prefilled on Survey

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Sam Shaw

SurveyJust as the Dude was ready to start on a couple of rather extensive posts in response to some abstract concepts, he received a call from some overachievers who were compiling their OverDrive circulation data since their fiscal year has now ended. Actually, this was a good thing, because it led the Dude to revise the Bibliostat page of the NLC website and brought his attention to some material there that was just a tad outdated.  The pages should now be up to date, but if you notice any errors, please let me know.

This reporting on the survey is always confusing. For one, the survey asks for “Children’s” circulation, but OverDrive doesn’t use that same terminology. It uses Juvenile and Young Adult. Some might disagree, but the survey instructions indicate that you include young adult titles with children’s, so that is where they are counted.

Here’s the good news: You don’t even have to open that guide if you don’t want to. For OverDrive, all these numbers, for both consortium holdings and OverDrive circulations (both adult and children’s) should be prefilled on your survey. In past years, this was the source of a lot of undue stress and confusion about how to get these figures and how to do the necessary math to fit them into both adult and children’s categories. Well, math no more; prefill is our friend. It should be noted that if you have another service other than OverDrive, get out your calculators because you will need to add those numbers to the prefilled amounts. And for those of you who have a subscription to eBooks or Audiobooks with a patron-driven acquisition model (that’s a fancy way of saying that your library has access to a massive collection of eBooks or Audiobooks and you only pay for what your patrons want to read/listen to), then you need to get a bit creative.

For these types of things (we’re talking eBooks, Audiobooks, or videos here) the key is whether or not they are “returned” or permanently retained. Keep in mind that downloading something to a device only to have it disappear after a set period of time is the same thing as returned. For these things, you count the number of items circulated both as holdings and circulations. In other words, if you have access to a service that has a catalog of 1,000,000 eBooks and during the course of your fiscal year there are 10,000 eBooks that are downloaded, then you count 10,000 for your eBook holdings and 10,000 added to your electronic materials circulation. If the items are retained and not returned, then you count those under electronic collections (in the technology part of the survey). There is a guide on the website that was originally created by the state data coordinator from Arizona, and tweaked for use in Nebraska.  Shaka.

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Book Award Winners to be Honored at November 14 Celebration of Nebraska Books

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Jennifer Wrampe

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Book Award Winners to be Honored at November 14 Celebration of Nebraska Books

An awards presentation ceremony will highlight the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Celebration of Nebraska Books on November 14 at the Nebraska Library Commission, 1200 N Street, The Atrium, in downtown Lincoln. Winners of the 2015 Nebraska Book Awards will be honored and the celebration will include readings by some of the winning authors, designers and illustrators. And the winners are:

2015 Nebraska Book Award Winners

Anthology

The Wheeling Year: A Poet’s Field Book by Ted Kooser. University of Nebraska Press.

 Cover/Design/Illustration

As All My Fathers Were: A Novel by James A. Misko. Cover and design by Jonathan Friedman. Northwest Ventures Press.

Cover/Design/Illustration Honor

Intimates and Fools by Laura Madeline Wiseman. Art by Sally Deskins. Internal layout and design by Adam Wagler. Les Femmes Folles Books.

Fiction

Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert. William Morrow.

Fiction: Short Story

In Reach by Pamela Carter Joern. University of Nebraska Press.

Non-Fiction: Investigative Journalism

The Chain: Farm, Factory, and the Fate of Our Food by Ted Genoways. Harper.

Non-Fiction: Memoir

Leaving the Pink House: A Memoir by Ladette Randolph. University of Iowa Press.

Non-Fiction: Nebraska as Place

This Place, These People: Life and Shadow on the Great Plains by David Stark and Nancy Warner. Columbia University Press.

Non-Fiction: Nebraska History

Nebraska POW Camps: A History of World War II Prisoners in the Heartland by Melissa Amateis Marsh. The History Press.

 Non-Fiction: Nebraska Spirit

Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II by James J. Kimble. University of Nebraska Press.

 Non-Fiction: Reference

History of Nebraska by Ronald C. Naugle, John J. Montag, and James C. Olson. University of Nebraska Press.

Poetry

Morning: Last Poems by Don Welch. pigeonpress.

Poetry Honor

Always the Detail by Barbara Schmitz. Stephen F. Austin State University Press.

The celebration, free and open to the public, will also feature presentation of the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Jane Geske Award to a Nebraska organization for exceptional contribution to literacy, books, reading, libraries, and literature in Nebraska. The Jane Geske Award commemorates Geske’s passion for books, and was established in recognition of her contributions to the well-being of the libraries of Nebraska. Jane Pope Geske was a founding member of the Nebraska Center for the Book, former director of the Nebraska Library Commission, and a long-time leader in Nebraska library and literary activities.

This year the Celebration marks the eleventh year of One Book One Nebraska, selecting and promoting a book title for Nebraskans to read to celebrate the literary richness of our state. Death Zones & Darling Spies: Seven Years of Vietnam War Reporting, by Beverly Deepe Keever is the 2015 One Book One Nebraska, and Nebraska libraries and other literary and cultural organizations across the state are hosting activities and events to encourage all Nebraskans to read and discuss this book (see http://onebook.nebraska.gov.) The Celebration keynote will be presented by Thomas Berg, PhD, Dept. of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on “Beverly Deepe Keever: An Unconventional Woman for An Unconventional War” at 2:45 p.m.
The Nebraska Center for the Book Annual Meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m.—just prior to the 2:30-6:30 p.m. Celebration. An awards reception honoring the winning authors, book signings, and announcement of the 2016 One Book One Nebraska book choice will conclude the festivities.

The Celebration of Nebraska Books is sponsored by Nebraska Center for the Book and Nebraska Library Commission, with support from the Friends of the University of Nebraska Press. Humanities Nebraska provides support for One Book One Nebraska. 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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Celebrate National Reading Group Month!

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Lisa Kelly

October is National Reading Group Month and to celebrate I wanted to investigate what makes a group endure. I located plenty of information on starting a group, selecting titles, and leading a discussion but very little on how to keep it going through the years. My book group celebrates its anniversary in the fall so as we are wrapping up our 13th year, I interviewed them and posed the question, what makes you keep coming? The answers not surprisingly resemble the qualities of any other long-lasting and good relationship:

  • I keep coming because of the people and the chemistry of the group.
  • The discussions are rich and varied.
  • The group is respectful and agrees that completing and actually discussing the book is an important part of our gathering.
  • The frequency of the group (six times a year) keeps me coming because my personal reading isn’t always being interrupted.
  • The group is intimate because we’ve created trust which allows us to share things we otherwise might keep to ourselves.
  • The discussion can really turn around my opinion of a book. Sometimes it seems we have each read a different book with the same title!
  • I like the way the group selects titles (everyone takes a turn); it provides a variety of reading and makes each one of us take the roll of selecting very seriously.

The takeaway is, now that you’ve created a book group, how are you gauging their dynamics? Reading a book takes precious time and discussing it is an additional level of commitment.  Perhaps taking time to ask about your book group’s assessment might be worthwhile to iron out any kinks and keep it running satisfactorily for all.

Posted in Books & Reading, General | 1 Comment

Winners of NEST $529 Read to Win Recognized in Capitol Ceremony

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Jennifer Wrampe

 

Statewide Winners of NEST $529 Read to Win Drawing Recognized in Capitol Ceremony

More than $11,500 awarded to children and libraries across Nebraska

Lincoln, Neb. (October 5, 2015) – Treasurer Don Stenberg and First National Bank of Omaha presented $529 NEST college savings scholarships today to winners from Nebraska’s three congressional districts in the NEST Read to Win $529 Drawing, sponsored by the Nebraska Educational Savings Trust (NEST), First National Bank of Omaha, and the Nebraska Library Commission.

Winners were recognized today in the Capitol Rotunda. Not all winners were able to attend the ceremony.

More than 20,000 children and teens were entered in the drawing after completing summer reading programs at their local libraries across the state. Five winners were chosen in a random drawing from each of Nebraska’s three U.S. Congressional Districts. They were awarded $529 each in a NEST 529 College Savings account, and their respective library branches received $250 each.

First National Bank of Omaha, program manager for NEST, provided the prizes.

Winners and the libraries where they took part in summer reading are as follows:

District 1

Calleigh Chmelka, 5, Lincoln, Victor E. Anderson Library
Landon Bliss, 7, Lincoln, Charles H. Gere Library
Andrew Furasek, 10, Lincoln, Bethany Library
Taylor Searcey, 13, Lincoln, Victor E. Anderson Library
Haylee Young, 13, Lincoln, Victory E. Anderson Library

District 2

Ava Brooks, 4, Omaha, Millard Library
Keaton Irwin, 5, Omaha, Swanson Branch
Brayden Sanchez, 7, Omaha, Saddlebrook Branch
Landon Flora, 11, Omaha, Millard Library
Melia Minnich, 11, Omaha, Elkhorn Branch

District 3

Grace Eickhoff, 5, Grand Island, Grand Island Public Library
Jack Reents, 7, Hastings, Hastings Public Library
Taylin Rhoads, 8 Grand Island, Grand Island Public Library
Aydrien Vetter, 8 Ravenna. Ravenna Public Library
Lened Reyes Estrada, 10, Grand Island, Grand Island Public Library

Libraries receiving donations in the Read to Win event are as follows:

 

Omaha Public Libraries, $1,000, for four branch libraries
Lincoln City Libraries, $750, for three branch libraries
Grand Island Public Library, $250
Hastings Public Library, $250
Ravenna Public Library, $250

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NCompass Live: STEAM @ Your Library

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Christa Porter

NCompass live smallJoin us for next week’s NCompass Live, “STEAM @ Your Library”, on Wednesday, October 7, 10:00-11:00 am Central Time.

Libraries have started moving away from being places of consumption and are becoming places of production. Libraries are about discovery; giving people a safe and comfortable place to dream, think, and create is very important because it gives people a chance to explore various technologies and educational opportunities that they can use to enrich their lives. STEAM education refers to teaching and learning, mostly hands-on, in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. There are several ways to incorporate the STEAM educational framework into your libraries and this webinar will touch on the following and more:

  • Learn what STEAM is
  • Creating and managing a collaborative learning space, oftentimes referred to as a makerspace
  • Administering a robotics league
  • Organizing learning events
  • Partnering with businesses and other organizations
  • Assessing the success of your programs

Presenter: Chad Mairn, Information Services Librarian, adjunct professor, and Innovation Lab Manager, St. Petersburg College (FL).

Upcoming NCompass Live events:

  • Oct. 14 – NO NCOMPASS LIVE THIS WEEK – Enjoy the 2015 NLA/NSLA Annual Conference!
  • Oct. 21 – Introducing Two New Library Guides
  • Oct. 28 – The Golden Sower Award: Nebraska’s Children’s Choice Literary Award
  • Nov. 4 – 2016 Nebraska Library Internship Grant Program

For more information, to register for NCompass Live, or to listen to recordings of past events, 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 GoToWebinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoToWebinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

 

 

 

Posted in Education & Training, Programming, Technology, Youth Services | Leave a comment