#BookFaceFriday “Furia: A Novel” by Yamile Saied Méndez

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Tessa Timperley

Calling all YA readers with this week’s #BookFaceFriday!

Attention! Attention, please! We have an announcement: Book clubs are not just for adults. That’s all, thank you for coming to my TED Talk. But seriously, here at NLC, we have Book Club Kits for a wide range of readers. From fiction to nonfiction, translated books to Nebraska authors, and kids chapter books to adult titles. One such YA title is “Furia: A Novel” by Yamile Saied Méndez (Algonquin Young Readers, 2020.) This title is a Reese Witherspoon & Hello Sunshine YA Book Club pick and was a recipient of the 2021 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Medal. Whether your a school librarian, teen advisory group, or just looking to facilitate a summer reading group, we’re here for you. You can search our Book Club Kits collection by grade level or by choosing Young Adult in the Genre dropdown.

“Weaving rich cultural specifics and electric energy into her prose, Méndez crafts a dynamic, feminist narrative that commands attention from the very first line. At its core, this novel is a full-hearted love letter to Argentina and “incorrigible girls” everywhere, emboldening readers to stand up for themselves and chase the dreams they hold dear.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

Rules for Book Club Kits

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

This week’s model is NLC’s Technology Innovation Librarian, Amanda Sweet! She’s our go-to model when a book cover needs a beautiful head of hair. Thank you, Amanda!

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

 
 
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Throwback Thursday: Line for the slide

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Kayla Henzel

It’s another #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week we have a 3″ x 4 3/4″ black and white photograph from 1970 of children playing on the playground at the Nebraska Children’s Home Society.

This image is published and owned by the Nebraska Children’s Home Society. Chartered in 1893, the Society founders challenged the practice of placing abandoned, abused and neglected children in orphanages and “poor houses”. NCHS Founders had a vision for a better future and believed that every child deserved a family.

See all the materials in this collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

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. The Nebraska Memories archive 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.

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United for Libraries Learning Live, June 29 – Gift Acceptance Policies Part 1: When “Free” Isn’t Free

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Christa Porter

All Nebraska public libraries are members of United for Libraries through the Statewide Group Membership purchased by the Nebraska Library Commission. The Commission provides this membership to ensure that public library staff members, Friends, Trustees, and Foundations can take advantage of United for Libraries’ services to enhance fundraising, advocacy, and public awareness.

United for Libraries’ monthly virtual series, Learning Live, will continue with “Gift Acceptance Policies Part 1: When “Free” Isn’t Free” at 11 a.m. Central on Tuesday, June 29. Featured presenters will include Charity Tyler, executive director at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Public Library Foundation, and Clare D. Membiela, library law consultant at Library of Michigan. 

United members should register for the session at https://airtable.com/shrNWC0KRwvDL5Zv8

When it comes to donations to the library, free isn’t always “free.” Find out how to craft or revise your library or group’s gift acceptance policy. Participants will learn how to ensure they are prepared for navigating how to handle proposed gifts and donations. The presenters will conduct a Q&A session, so bring your questions on this topic.

Charity Tyler is the 2021-2022 president of United for Libraries. She has been executive director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation since 2015. For the foundation, she has created policies and improved governance structures to support fundraising on behalf of the Cedar Rapids Public Library, and to support Foundation-funded programs including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. For United for Libraries, she has led the Programming Committee and Governance Task Force.

As the library law consultant at the Library of Michigan, Clare Membiela helps public libraries understand and manage legal issues that impact library services. Before joining the Library of Michigan in 2016, she was the associate director for library and instructional support for the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Libraries. Before moving to Michigan, she worked at the University of Miami Law Library as the head of reference services. Prior to her academic library work, she worked for two major law firms as a librarian in their Miami offices. She has an MLS. from Southern Connecticut State University, a JD from the University of Miami, and 30 years of law library experience. She is excited about helping public libraries by connecting them to the legal information they need.

United for Libraries Learning Live sessions take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Each month’s session will cover a hot topic of interest to Trustees, Friends and/or Foundations, followed by a Q&A and/or discussions. Sessions are open to all personal and group members of United for Libraries.

United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. For more information, visit www.ala.org/united/ or call 312-280-2160.

Posted in Education & Training, General, Public Library Boards of Trustees | Leave a comment

NCompass Live: Bedbugs in the Library?!

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Christa Porter

Yes, bed bugs can be found in a library. Learn how to deal with ‘Bedbugs in the Library?!’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, June 23 at 10am CT.

Dr. Jody Green from the Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties will discuss bed bug biology and behavior. Lincoln City Library Staff, Jen Jackson and LeeAnn Sergeant, will discuss how LCL approaches the possibility of bed bugs in the library.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • June 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Spatial for Librarians: A 3D Meeting Space
  • July 7 – History Nebraska: Taking History Online
  • July 14 –Finding Partners & Preparing Staff: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 3)
  • July 21 – Accessing Census Data
  • July 28 –Marketing & Follow-Up: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 4)
  • August 4 – Small Libraries Will Save the World! Implementing Sustainability at the Library
  • August 11 – The Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund: Grants to Nebraska’s Small-Town Public Libraries

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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#BookFaceFriday “The Brightsiders” by Jen Wilde

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Tessa Timperley

It’s Jem and the Holograms meets #BookFaceFriday!

We see your true colors shining through with this week’s Pride-themed Bookface! Nebraska OverDrive Libraries has a special collection this month “Rainbow Reads” dedicated to books, both fiction and nonfiction, telling LGBTQ+ stories. Just one title from the collection is “The Brightsiders” by Jen Wilde (Blackstone Publishing, 2018) it’s available as an Audiobook. Join teen drummer Emmy King in this rock and roll fantasy about the trials of stardom, friendships, and love.

“The author adeptly captures the essence and confusion that young people may go through when trying to figure out their identities. This inclusive romance features multiple LGBTQ+ protagonists, including a nonbinary character who uses the pronouns they/them… Perfect for collections seeking high drama and romance.” ― School Library Journal

Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries. 180 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 25,520 audiobooks, 32,303 eBooks, and 3,403 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!

This week’s model is NLC’s Information Services Librarian, Aimee Owen, she’s the better half of this Bookface duo. Aimee’s back in the office after a year of working from home, and I gotta say, I’m really excited to have her here!

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

 
 
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Friday Reads: The Anthropocene Reviewed Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, by John Green

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Shoshana Patocka

If you have never heard of John Green where have you been, living under a rock? Just kidding, but seriously this man is prolific writer of young adult fiction, creator of video content with his brother Hank, and is a great philanthropist. His books always seem to land on the New York Times bestsellers lists, winning numerous awards, and a number of them have been adapted for the screen. The video ventures he does with his brother Hank, specifically “Crash Course”, have won the highest acclaim of teachers who use their YouTube content in class. I could go on and on, so to learn more about John start with his website at https://www.johngreenbooks.com/

“The Anthropocene Reviewed” is a departure from his other works as it is not strictly geared towards young adults and, probably more importantly, it is his first work of nonfiction. John has taken his wonderfully cozy prose writing style to share his thoughts our modern age, specifically the current geological age – the Anthropocene, by rating the seemingly most mundane things on a five star scale. Everything from diet Dr. Pepper, to sunsets, to Super Mario Brothers gets a chapter. He uses the Anthropocene as a lens to focus the reviews as it the first age in which humans have played a huge roll in how the world is shaped.

I loved everything about this book! The writing style makes me feel like I’m back on my grandma’s lap listening to her read me a story, but the content makes you think and look at the world differently. John’s choice of items to review, his silly little footnotes1, and how each chapter is a story unto itself is just perfect.

Covid-19 and quarantine have probably affected every single person on the planet. The “Anthropocene Reviewed” is the first book that I have read where the author is aware of this and shares its effect on themselves, to remind us that we are not alone in what is shaping our world right now.

I give “The Anthropocene Reviewed” by John Green four and three quarters stars.

_____

1 The footnotes are probably the best thing about this book! Do not miss his footnote on the copyright page that reviews… well, the copyright page! I give John’s use of footnotes one million stars out of five.

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Throwback Thursday: Production Discussion of “The Country Girl”

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Kayla Henzel

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s image features a group of six sitting around a table at the Omaha Community Playhouse. This group, including Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, and Dorothy McGuire, is discussing the product of “The Country Girl” in 1955. The production was a benefit performance used to raise money for the new Playhouse building.

This black and white photograph is owned and published by the Omaha Community Playhouse. This collection includes digitized images of the Playhouse and some of its performances.

Check out all the materials featured on the Nebraska Memories archive.

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. The Nebraska Memories archive 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.

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FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund Program: Resources, Training, and Application Window Announced

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Christa Porter

In addition to the USAC training sessions listed below, the Nebraska Library Commission held an ‘FCC Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) – Overview and Q&A‘ webinar on June 24, 2021. Registration for the original session is not required to view the archived recording and presentation slides.

Get ready! The Emergency Connectivity Fund Program will provide up to $7.17 billion in support to schools and libraries for the purchase of laptop and tablet computers, Wi-Fi hotspots, modems, routers, and broadband connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic for use by students, school staff, and library patrons who would otherwise lack connected devices and/or broadband connections sufficient to fully engage in remote learning.

The FCC and USAC will open the first Emergency Connectivity Fund Program application filing window on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at noon ET, which will fund equipment and services for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. The first application filing window will be open for 45 days, during which applicants will be able to submit requests for funding for purchases to be made between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022 to meet the needs of students, school staff, and library patrons who would otherwise lack access to basic educational opportunities and library services. The FCC’s announcement of the funding window is available on their website.

Stay Informed
USAC will conduct outreach and training about the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program. Register for an Emergency Connectivity Fund Program overview training. USAC will repeat the training several times to allow all potential program participants to join a session and will post recordings of webinars when they are completed.

  • Wednesday, June 16 @ 2:00 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview Webinar for E-rate Participants – Register
  • Thursday, June 17 @ 2:00 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview Webinar for New (Non E-rate) Participants – Register
  • Thursday, June 17 @ 4:00 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview for Tribal Applicants – Register
  • Wednesday, June 23 @ 3:00 p.m. ET: Emergency Connectivity Fund Overview for Potential Applicants – Register

USAC will post Program e-learning modules on the website and host weekly office hours where applicants and service providers can ask questions and get information about the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program application process.

Visit the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program website to view trainings, access e-learning modules and register for office hour sessions.

Get Ready
To help you prepare for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program filing window, there are two steps you can take now, before the window opens:

  1. Obtain an FCC Registration Number or locate your existing registration number if you already have one.

Schools, libraries, and consortia of schools and libraries that intend to submit a funding application for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program, as well as service providers that agree to invoice on behalf of applicants, should make sure they have an FCC Registration Number.  If a program participant previously registered with the FCC, they do not need to complete this step again. Schools. libraries, and services providers can obtain an FCC Registration Number by visiting the FCC Commission Registration System (CORES) and completing the registration process. 

  1. Register with SAM.gov so that you can receive support through the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.

Applicants can apply for the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program before their SAM.gov registration is approved, but will not be able to receive program funding until they have completed their registration. Applicants and service providers who agree to invoice on behalf of applicants must have an active registration with SAM.gov to receive support through the Program. 

Emergency Connectivity Fund Program participants do not need to re-register at SAM.gov if they already have an active SAM.gov registration.

Processing a SAM.gov registration request can take more than a week, so USAC recommends schools, libraries, and service providers who are invoicing on behalf of applicants begin the process early.

More detail on the Program is available in the FCC Order that established the Emergency Connectivity Fund Program.

To learn more, please visit EmergencyConnectivityFund.org and sign up for Emergency Connectivity Fund Program emails.

Posted in Broadband Buzz, Education & Training, Technology | 2 Comments

NCompass Live: How Do People Learn?: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 2)

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Christa Porter

How Do People Learn? Find out on Part 2 of Teaching Technology in the Library, on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, June 16 at 10am CT.

This four-part webinar series works with the Teaching Technology in the Library course offered by the Nebraska Library Commission. The course is designed to help libraries connect communities with technology and digital skills that matter at home, work, school and everywhere in between. The webinar series will introduce the topics and framework used in the course.

Course materials are available for free to libraries in and out of Nebraska. Only Nebraska libraries will be able to take the materials for CE credit towards Nebraska Public Librarian certification. One credit is earned by attending the introductory webinar, additional credits are earned by completing the course materials and contributing to a shared digital skills resource. Tackling technology is easier when we all work together!

This is the second webinar in the series.

Here is a preview of the online course. The Overview is available now. Course content will become available by the start of each webinar as the material is continuously piloted and tested. Your feedback is greatly appreciated to make sure these materials work for as many people as possible. I look forward to teaching and learning with everyone!

Other sessions in the ‘Teaching Technology in the Library’ series:

Presenter: Amanda Sweet, Technology Innovation Librarian, Nebraska Library Commission.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • June 23 – Bedbugs in the Library?!
  • June 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Spatial for Librarians: A 3D Meeting Space
  • July 7 – History Nebraska: Taking History Online
  • July 14 –Finding Partners & Preparing Staff: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 3)
  • July 21 – Accessing Census Data
  • July 28 –Marketing & Follow-Up: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 4)
  • August 4 – Small Libraries Will Save the World! Implementing Sustainability at the Library
  • August 11 – The Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund: Grants to Nebraska’s Small-Town Public Libraries

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, Pretty Sweet Tech, Technology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Friday Reads: We Are Watching Eliza Bright, by A.E. Osworth

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Chelsea Lemburg

            We Are Watching Eliza Bright is, for all intents and purposes, a dark read. It deals in plot devices as disturbing as any Stephen King novel, with an update for the Reddit age. We witness Eliza take a real issue of workplace sexual harassment to management, where she is given a lukewarm response and told that the incident will not result in the firing of either offender. Nor, it seems, will it herald a shift in the culture at Fancy Dog Games, where a supposed commitment to transparency and productive conversation dissolves in front of Eliza’s eyes. It does not matter how capable, headstrong, or courageous she is—and she is all three—the culture of male violence she faces almost leads to her undoing, though not without bringing down some of the novel’s other key players, some of whom were integral to the initial campaign against her.

            There are few things on earth as chilling as the loss of your personal safety and security. This central theme dominates the narrative in We Are Watching Eliza Bright, as the protagonist finds herself in unique danger due to her gender and prestigious role at a successful, fictitious video game development studio in New York City. The work is written almost entirely in the third person from the perspective of a group of anonymous, unreliable, and increasingly violent misogynists, who critique Eliza’s every move as she moves through the world, offering to the reader misguided and offensive commentary about her status as a woman in the gaming industry. We are to believe, if you trust the narrators’ voice at all, that women don’t belong in the male world of video games—or, for that matter, any public or private space where women and marginalized people get to make their own choices and have agency in any meaningful way. This includes the real world—which is referred to in actual gaming circles and the book as Meatspace—as well as the internet, which we come to understand represents as extension and only an extension of who we are in real life, with none of the grittier or more evil parts of our psyches left out.

            On the defensive, we are met with another group of narrators toward the middle of the work who give Eliza a home at their security and unity-minded feminist art collective in the city. These individuals try to represent and uphold the best of what cobbles together a community, including guaranteeing each person physical safety, the space and comfort they need to process trauma, ritualistic tradition and healing, and undying compassion in times of both joy and profound stress. It is a refreshing break from the anonymous cabal of mean and, frankly, ridiculous Reddit and 4chan narrators, whose occasional moments of humanity and empathy hint at glorious change on a wider scale.

            I would recommend this book to anyone in need of a change of pace or to anyone looking for an indictment on internet culture, the work of feminism in 2021, and what it means to be and feel secure in our bodies and identities, though with a heavy dose of caution as this work includes graphic physical, emotional, and sexual violence.

Osworth, A. E. (2021). We Are Watching Eliza Bright. Grand Central Publishing.

#FridayReads #WeAreWatchingElizaBright #A.E.Osworth

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#BookFaceFriday “Next Year in Havana” by Chanel Cleeton

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Tessa Timperley

Things are heating up with this week’s #BookFaceFriday!

As summer temperatures rise so does our search for the perfect summer read, and maybe the perfect summer drink. A Tequila Mockingbird or Margarita Atwood anyone? We think this week’s title “Next Year in Havana: A Novel” by Chanel Cleeton (Berkley, 2018) has excellent potential, and would pair perfectly with an ice-cold Cuba Libre. Even if you don’t leave your backyard this summer, you can still take a trip with this Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Find all the most recently added books with the Browse New Additions search tool. We can’t wait to see what all of our book clubs think of our newest additions.

“A flat-out stunner of a book, at once a dual-timeline mystery, a passionate romance, and paean to the tragedy and beauty of war-torn Cuba. Simply wonderful!”

—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress

Rules for Book Club Kits

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

This week’s model is NLC’s Accountant, Laura Stueck! She might be the most important person at the NLC, because she’s the one who makes sure we all get paid!

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

 
 
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Small-Town Libraries Encouraged to Apply for 2022 Kreutz Bennett Grants

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Christa Porter

Nebraska Community Foundation once again encourages small town libraries to apply for grants through the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund, which has awarded more than $665,000 to libraries in the last nine years.

Grants will be made to libraries located in communities with populations below 3,000. There are three different areas of support available. Each grant requires a one-to-one match in local funding.

Planning for Accreditation Grants

The fund advisory committee encourages all eligible, unaccredited libraries to view the recently updated grant guidelines. A number of additional activities and expenses are now eligible for funding through a “Planning for Accreditation Grant.”

  • Grant amount per year: $500 minimum; $2,500 maximum
  • Match required: 1:1 ($1 in other funding to $1 Kreutz Bennett grant. In-kind match not allowed)
  • Timeframe: Multi-year grants possible

Enhancement Grants

Accredited libraries may apply for program support leading to the creation or improvement of library services and/or outreach. Eligible activities will enhance or create community education and outreach programs or services. Preference will be given to programs or services that benefit low-income individuals or families, new Americans or underserved populations. Existing or new programs may be considered.

  • Grant amount per year: $1,000 minimum; $10,000 maximum
  • Match required: 1:1 ($1 in other funding to $1 Kreutz Bennett grant. Up to 50% of the match amount may be contributed in the form of in-kind service or products)
  • Timeframe: Multi-year grants possible.

Facilities Grants

Accredited libraries may request funding for new facilities or the renovation, restoration or rehabilitation of current libraries. Eligible activities include construction of a new facility or rehabilitation or expansion of an existing facility. Preference will be given to rehabilitation of historic libraries and to projects with a long-term sustainability plan.

  • Grant amount: $5,000 minimum; $10,000 maximum
  • Match required: 1:1 ($1 other funding to $1 Kreutz Bennett grant; in-kind match not allowed)
  • Timeframe: Multi-year grants are possible over several grant cycle years; not to exceed a total of $10,000 per applicant.

Grant applications are simple to complete. A short-form proposal is due October 1, 2021, and a full proposal is due in January 2022. Due to the effort’s tremendous success over the past decade, the Fund is close to spending down available money. This could be the last year the opportunity is available. Grant seekers may review and download the guidelines and application procedures on the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund website.

For more information, contact Kristine Gale, Nebraska Community Foundation Community Impact Coordinator, 402.822.0466 or kgale@nebcommfound.org. Kristine will also be talking about the Kreutz Bennett Grants on NCompass Live on August 11. Sign up on the NCompass Live website.

About the Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund

The Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund was established in 2010 by the estate of Shirley Kreutz Bennett. A life-long learner, Kreutz Bennett graduated from Harvard High School in 1941, earned a BA from the University of Washington, Seattle, plus an MA and PhD from Columbia University, New York. Shirley was a retired Professor of Education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

In accordance with Kreutz Bennett’s wishes, a Fund Advisory Committee composed of her nieces and nephews recommends grants in three areas: planning for accreditation grants to support steps taken toward gaining accreditation; enhancement grants to improve library services; and facilities grants for new construction or the renovation, restoration or rehabilitation of current libraries.

About Nebraska Community Foundation

Nebraska Community Foundation unleashes abundant local assets, inspires charitable giving and connects ambitious people to build stronger communities and a Greater Nebraska.

Headquartered in Lincoln, the Foundation serves communities, donors and organizations by providing financial management, strategic development, education and training to a statewide network of 1,500 volunteers serving 270 communities.

In the last five years, 45,313 contributions have been made to Nebraska Community Foundation and its affiliated funds. Since 1994, Nebraska Community Foundation has reinvested $393.1 million in Nebraska’s people and places. For information, visit NebraskaHometown.org.

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Throwback Thursday: “Mark Twain”

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Kayla Henzel

All aboard for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!

This week, we have a 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inch black and white photograph from 1935 of “Mark Twain” the diesel train at the McCook C.B.&Q. Railroad station.

This image is published by McCook Public Library and is owned by the High Plains Historical Society and Museum. They worked together to digitize photographic images from the historical society’s collection. These images document early growth of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad in McCook, Nebraska. The collection spans from the early 1800s through the 1960s.

See the full collection on the Nebraska Memories archive.

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. The Nebraska Memories archive 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.

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Friday Reads: Crying in H Mart: A Memoir, by Michelle Zauner

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Susan Knisely

Michelle Zauner was born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Eugene, Oregon, by her American father and Korean mother. She is already well known as an indie pop singer/songwriter, who performs and records under the name Japanese Breakfast. (Her third studio album is scheduled for release later this month, and she will be in Omaha on July 31 at the Maha Music Festival.) Her debut book, Crying in H Mart, is an expansion of an essay of the same name that she published in the New Yorker in 2018.

If I had to sum up Crying in H Mart in a single sentence, I’d say it’s a memoir by a daughter about a fraught relationship with her late mother. But that’s reductive. It’s also an exercise in grieving, a culinary celebration, and an exploration of what it’s like to straddle two cultures, not feeling like you completely belong in either one. There’s also a love story slipped in.

H Mart, Zauner tells us on the opening page of her book, is a U.S. supermarket chain that specializes in Asian food, “where parachute kids go to get the exact brand of instant noodles that reminds them of home.” It’s also frequently a trigger for Zauner’s grief over the loss of her mother, who died in 2014, at the age of 56, after a brief, brutal battle with cancer. This death is the animating event of the memoir, but Zauner’s narrative stretches backward and forward in time. She recounts both the prickly relationship she had with her mother growing up and the love of Korean food they shared. She also addresses the alienation she feels from her Korean self after losing her mother: “Am I even Korean anymore if there’s no one left in my life to call and ask which brand of seaweed we used to buy?” she asks herself at one point, while shopping at H Mart.

Zauner’s writing is often visceral, which leads to a powerful reading experience: Her descriptions of food—how it tastes, what it feels like to share it, the yearning to be able to prepare it—are transporting; however, her descriptions of the hands-on care she provided to her mother in her final days, as her body deteriorated, are raw and gut wrenching. The latter may be too much for someone who has recently gone through something similar, but it’s a testament to Zauner’s talent that she is able to bring all types of experiences to vivid life.

Zauner, Michelle. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir. New York: Random House Audio, 2021.

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NCompass Live: Mental Maintenance

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Christa Porter

Mindfulness and self-care are well-intentioned buzz terms, but, how often do we really have the time or extra energy to follow through with them? Learn some ‘Mental Maintenance’ tips and tricks on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, June 9 at 10am CT.

Now more than ever, keeping your emotional well-being afloat can mean the difference between surviving and thriving, and not just at work. Drawing from various sources and personal experiences, including both successes and failures, discover how one hot-headed and persnickety librarian found a slice of inner peace (and can even sleep at night). Ideas and examples for self-care and stress management will be given. Handouts will include an extensive bibliography. This session asks tough questions and addresses the stress in our lives; however, it is not intended to replace professional care and/or advice.

Presenter: Jeremy Bolom, Assistant Director/Head of Public Service, Lincoln Parish Library (LA).

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • June 16 –How Do People Learn?: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 2)
  • June 23 – Bedbugs in the Library?!
  • June 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Spatial for Librarians: A 3D Meeting Space
  • July 7 – History Nebraska: Taking History Online
  • July 14 –Finding Partners & Preparing Staff: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 3)
  • July 21 – Accessing Census Data
  • July 28 –Marketing & Follow-Up: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 4)
  • August 4 – Small Libraries Will Save the World! Implementing Sustainability at the Library

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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#BookFaceFriday “The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Tessa Timperley

Sit back and relax with this #BookFaceFriday!

Every week the Nebraska Library Commission adds new titles to our Book Club Kits Collection! Some we purchase, some are donated by libraries and book clubs. We’ve recently gotten in some great titles, like “The Authenticity Project” by Clare Pooley (Penguin Books, 2020). From the Book Club Kits main page you can narrow your search to New Additions, browse by genre or subject matter, find copies of large-print or audio options, or dive into the list of read-a-likes we’ve compiled to help you find your group’s next book. Take a little time and explore all the Nebraska Library Commission’s Book Club Collection has to offer, we promise, you won’t be disappointed!

“The Authenticity Project reads like a gorgeous box of chocolates: sweet, surprising and impossible not to love.  I found myself cheering, cringing, laughing and crying as I read this book and – above all – remembering the true value of community and human connection.”
—Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romantics

Rules for Book Club Kits

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

This week’s model is NLC staff member Chelsea Lemburg, she’s been working as our Library Innovation Studios Project Assistant but will be transitioning into her new position as Federal Documents Staff Assistant in July! We are so glad she’ll be staying with the NLC when the Library Innovation Studios grant is finished!

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

 
 
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Throwback Thursday: Group of Sioux in War Paint

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Kayla Henzel

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s image features a group of Sioux Indian men and women dressed in native costume. This was taken by J. A. Anderson at the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, which is located about nine miles north of Valentine, Nebraska.

This black and white photograph is published and owned by History Nebraska. This collection features digitized content from John Nelson and J. A. Anderson. John A. Anderson was born in Sweden in 1869. He came to Nebraska with his parents and settled in Cherry County. He worked as a civilian photographer for the army at Fort Niobrara and later worked as a clerk at the Rosebud Reservation trading post.

See more historic materials on the Nebraska Memories archive.

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. The Nebraska Memories archive 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.

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NCompass Live: Who is Learning & Why?: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 1)

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Christa Porter

Find out ‘Who is Learning & Why?’ as we start our four-part series, Teaching Technology in the Library, on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, June 2 at 10am CT.

This four-part webinar series works with the Teaching Technology in the Library course offered by the Nebraska Library Commission. The course is designed to help libraries connect communities with technology and digital skills that matter at home, work, school and everywhere in between. The webinar series will introduce the topics and framework used in the course.

Course materials are available for free to libraries in and out of Nebraska. Only Nebraska libraries will be able to take the materials for CE credit towards Nebraska Public Librarian certification. One credit is earned by attending the introductory webinar, additional credits are earned by completing the course materials and contributing to a shared digital skills resource. Tackling technology is easier when we all work together!

This first webinar will cover the following:

  • How the course works to “choose your path” to Teaching Technology in the Library
  • User experience research techniques to uncover who is learning and why
  • Design thinking approaches to identifying problem areas and defining user needs in the library
  • How to provide course feedback and leverage course materials.

Here is a preview of the online course. The Overview is available now. Course content will become available by the start of each webinar as the material is continuously piloted and tested. Your feedback is greatly appreciated to make sure these materials work for as many people as possible. I look forward to teaching and learning with everyone!

Other sessions in the ‘Teaching Technology in the Library’ series:

Presenter: Amanda Sweet, Technology Innovation Librarian, Nebraska Library Commission.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • June 9 – Mental Maintenance
  • June 16 –How Do People Learn?: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 2)
  • June 23 – Bedbugs in the Library?!
  • June 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Spatial for Librarians: A 3D Meeting Space
  • July 7 – History Nebraska: Taking History Online
  • July 14 –Finding Partners & Preparing Staff: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 3)
  • July 21 – Accessing Census Data
  • July 28 –Marketing & Follow-Up: Teaching Technology in the Library Series (Part 4)
  • August 4 – Small Libraries Will Save the World! Implementing Sustainability at the Library

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, Pretty Sweet Tech, Technology | Tagged | Leave a comment

#BookFaceFriday “The Soldier’s Wife” by Margaret Leroy

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Tessa Timperley

Hats off on this #BookFaceFriday, we salute you.

As we get ready to celebrate Memorial Day and the start of summer, we wanted to highlight some of the great war and veteran themed titles we have to offer. Titles just like “The Soldier’s Wife” by Margaret Leroy (Hachette Books, 2011) available as both an eBook on Nebraska OverDrive Libraries and in our Book Club Kits. We don’t just offer novels though, Nebraska OverDrive Libraries has a collection of over 500 Nonfiction Military reads for all of those history buffs out there too.

“Leroy’s beautifully rendered tale demonstrates how longing for normalcy during wartime can vanquish, even briefly, distrust and uncover common ground. Highly recommended.”

—Library Journal Starred Review

Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive. 180 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 25,520 audiobooks, 32,303 eBooks, and 3,403 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!

Rules for Book Club Kits

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

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Friday Reads: The Signature of All Things

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Mary Sauers

The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert.

I love reading historical novels, especially ones that are based in fact and teach me about a subject I previously knew little about. The Signature of All Things is just such a book. Elizabeth Gilbert’s descriptions of the botanical world, and how plants were discovered, acquired, and improved, are truly masterful.

Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family, led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life.

Exquisitely researched and told at a galloping pace, The Signature of All Things soars across the globe—from London to Peru to Philadelphia to Tahiti to Amsterdam, and beyond. Along the way, the story is peopled with unforgettable characters: missionaries, abolitionists, adventurers, astronomers, sea captains, geniuses, and the quite mad. But most memorable of all, it is the story of Alma Whittaker, who—born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution—bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas. (Amazon.com)

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