NCompass Live: Dragons at the Library: An Exciting New Reading Program

Learn about ‘Dragons at the Library: An Exciting New Reading Program’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, October 16 at 10am CT.

Encourage reading all year long with Reading Dragons – a card collecting reading program where the more you read the more dragon cards you can collect! Learn how to implement this amazing low cost program at your library – Reading Dragons costs as low as $4/kid to run. Hastings Public Library had 201 kids participate in the 23/24 school year. Reading Dragons is an effective and fun way to engage your patrons in reading all year long!

Presenter: Rachel Mueller, Children’s Library Programming Assistant, Hastings (NE) Public Library.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Oct. 23 – Letters About Literature 2024
  • Oct. 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Nov. 6 – Summer Reading Program 2025: Color Our World
  • Nov. 13 – Nebraska Open Meetings Act: 2024 Overview and Update
  • Dec. 11 – Best New Children’s Books of 2024
  • Jan. 8, 2025 – Best New Teen Reads of 2024

To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.

The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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#BookFaceFriday “Healer & Witch” by Nancy Werlin

We’ll cast a spell on you with this #BookFaceFriday!

We’ve been at the Nebraska Library Association Conference this week connecting with Nebraska’s librarians and Library staff! Sally Snyder, NLC’s Children and Youth Services Coordinator, also had a table there full of her giveaway books, all available for libraries to take home with them. One of those books is this week’s #BookFace, “Healer & Witch” by Nancy Werlin (Candlewick Press, 2022). Perfect for middle grade readers, this  coming-of-age YA novel is a fantasy and historical fiction story all rolled into one. All in all the perfect October read!

Werlin’s first foray into middle grade is a thrilling and suspenseful experience; there are twisting reveals and adventure aplenty, though the story isn’t afraid to stop for lovely moments of
quiet contemplation and recollection along the way. A budding, respectful romance and hints of deeper powers will have readers hoping for a sequel. It’s well worth joining kind and clever Sylvie on her harrowing journey of discovery.”

Booklist (starred review)

This title comes from our large collection of children’s and young adult books sent to us as review copies from book publishers. When our Children and Young Adult Library Services Coordinator, Sally Snyder, is done with them, the review copies are available for the Library System Directors to distribute to school and public libraries in their systems.

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

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Friday Reads: Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley

With Halloween later this month, it seems appropriate to choose a story of magic, mayhem, and monsters for Friday Reads.

Living in a town on the fault lines of the magic sealed into the ground … this was every-day to Sid (she’s 17). Occasionally wisps of something floated up from the ground – this was what the tourists were hoping to see.

But then, one of the several Guardians of the sealed area is killed, his key taken, and is used to open one of the several fault lines.  Out comes threads of magic that attach themselves to people and animals.  Also, zombies and other monsters are now on the loose.

The person behind this event – murder and destroying one seal, so far – keeps claiming magic should be for everyone – but he is absorbing all the magic he can find to keep for himself.  He wants all the seals opened to absorb more magic.

Sid joins the remaining Guardians (her brother being one) and struggles to help make a difference in this situation.  Who will survive?  Who else will die?

As the December 1, 2023 issue of Kirkus says, “The thoughtfully developed characters grapple with issues of race, insecurities, self-absorption, isolation, connection, family, loss, grief, and empathy. …readers won’t want to put [it] down.”  This book is written for older teens.

Wasley, Robin. Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear. Simon & Schuster, 2024.

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Throwback Thursday: Library and Reading Room, State Industrial School, Kearney

Are you reading this week #ThrowbackThursday?

This 6-1/2″ x 4″ black and white plate from around 1916 shows the library and reading room in the State Industrial School located in Kearney, Nebraska. A number of boys in uniform sit in chairs reading while others look at books in wooden bookcases that line one long wall. The remodeling and refurbishing of the library in the 1915-1916 biennium (at a cost of $287.40) included new bookcases. At the end of the biennium, the collection included “1,080 volumes of choice literature.

This image is published and owned by the Nebraska Library Commission. The collections include material on the history of libraries in the state of Nebraska, items from the 1930s related to the Nebraska Public Library Commission bookmobile, as well as items showcasing the history of Nebraska’s state institutions.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

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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Book Club Spotlight – Bless Me, Ultima

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, and Banned Books Week (September 22-28), today’s Book Club Spotlight covers both occasions! Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya is considered a definitive American text by the National Endowment for the Arts, especially when representing the Chicano people, who embrace their Mexican identity culturally and politically in the United States. Winning the New Mexico Book Association Harris Award and the prestigious Premio Quinto Sol, Anaya, wrote from his life growing up in rural New Mexico for Bless Me, Ultima, highlighting and challenging predestination, prejudice, and the struggle to find where we belong.

Antonio Juan Márez y Luna is a perceptive six-year-old who feels as if he’s facing his destiny all too soon. His mother wants him to be a priest, his father wants him to be a farmer, and his brothers, now returned from the war, want him to take over their familial duties. But what does he want? Tony’s eyes are opened when the old curandera, Ultima, comes to live out the rest of her days with his family and takes him under her tutelage. From miraculous healings to finding gods in unassuming places, many paths now lay before him and he is torn between his burgeoning Catholic faith and the religion of the Earth. A young and tender boy with a lot of questions about the world, Tony learns from Ultima that there is so much more to his world hidden in the plains of the Vaqueros.

“The smallest bit of good can stand against all the powers of evil in the world and it will emerge triumphant.”

Rudolfo Anaya

Bless Me, Ultima is commonly taught in schools to middle-grade students and up. Exploring ideas of fate, right and wrong, and self-determination, Anaya’s novel is fit for anyone to discuss, making it a perfect choice for Book Club Groups of any age. Though its thoughtful discussions of religion, depictions of violence, and realistic language has led it to be the subject of book banning in the past. I encourage you to read PEN America’s incredible article arguing for the book, citing its impact and necessity as a fundamental educational text. To learn more about Bless Me, Ultima’s history of challenges, and how to implement the teaching into your group, visit its Book Resume courtesy of Penguin Random House.

If you’re interested in requesting Bless Me, Ultima for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 12 copies. (A librarian must request items)

Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. TQS Publications. 1972.

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Apply for PLA Digital Literacy Workshop Incentives

For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.

With support from AT&T, the Public Library Association (PLA) is offering incentives for public libraries to teach digital literacy workshops for library patrons and community members. Applications are open now through October 18, 2024,
for the below incentives.

PLA Digital Literacy Workshop Incentive

This program will award $10,000 to large public libraries and $5,000 to small public libraries, as well as provide the necessary training resources, to conduct workshops that teach basic digital literacy skills using PLA’s DigitalLearn courses and training materials.

PLA Digital Navigator Workshop Incentive

This new pilot program will award $4,000 to public libraries with digital navigators to utilize DigitalLearn materials and resources. Libraries must already have a digital navigator to apply.

About PLA’s Collaboration with AT&T

Each year, the Public Library Association (PLA), in partnership with AT&T, offers financial support to public libraries through digital literacy incentive programs. These competitive programs provide the funding and resources necessary for libraries to teach basic digital literacy skills using PLA’s DigitalLearn courses and training materials. Since 2022, PLA has helped nearly 400 public libraries conduct more than 3,800 workshops, training more than 19,000 learners across the country.

With support from AT&T as part of AT&T Connected Learning and the company’s commitment to bridge the digital divide, PLA has been able to add and update more than a dozen online DigitalLearn courses, and develop 9 new complete training packages. Materials are available in both English and Spanish. All DigitalLearn materials are free to use.

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Apply now for Round 3 of ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities Grant: Accessible Small and Rural Communities

For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.

The American Library Association invites applications from small and rural libraries for the second application period of the Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities grant.

Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities will offer more than $7 million in grants to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services, and programs to better serve people with disabilities.
ALA is now accepting applications for grants ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.

Applications will be accepted through December 11, 2024 at https://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/access

The opportunity is open to any type of library in the U.S. and U.S. territories that serves a small and rural community – to be eligible, a library must have a legal service area population of 25,000 or less and be located at least five miles from an urbanized area (town/city with a population of 25,000 or greater).

Participating libraries will first conduct community input-gathering sessions to assure that their work aligns with local needs. Libraries will be required to identify the primary audience they are hoping to reach (e.g., homebound seniors, children with autism, Deaf community members) and facilitate a community conversation with the impacted populations in order to guide improvement of the library’s services. Grantees would then use the funds to create services or improve their facilities based on the needs identified by their audience.

Selected libraries will receive $10,000 or $20,000 to support costs related to their community engagement project; virtual training to assist project directors in developing their community engagement, facilitation, and disability service skills; a suite of online resources developed to support local programs; and technical and project support from the ALA Public Programs Office throughout the grant term.

Questions? Contact the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office staff at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5045, or publicprograms@ala.org

Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries. The initiative is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).

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Friday Reads: Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender

You know those stories you (probably) read in your English 101 class? The ones that you still remember the experience of reading for the first time, decades later?

The Yellow Wallpaper; A Sound of Thunder; The Tell-Tale Heart; The Lottery?

Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender is that experience, on repeat. The Los Angeles Times called the anthology, “Hemingway on an acid trip; her choices are twisted, both ethereal and surprisingly weighty … Terrifyingly lovely.”

“Twisted,” “ethereal,” and “weighty” are all superb descriptors for these stories. I do disagree with “Hemingway on an acid trip,” not because of the Hemingway comparison — which I find mostly apt; Bender uses long, winding sentences that don’t end up where one might expect — but because of the acid trip. That, to me, implies a lack of control, and Bender’s prose is anything but. It’s sharp and witty, well-crafted, well-paced, and intentional. Her stories operate on her own internal logic. Now, the reader may feel like they are on an acid trip: the zany, kaleidoscopic stories are both vivid and vague, like a particularly striking dream that leaves one discombobulated upon waking, but fades to half-remembered images and emotions ten minutes after.

I first read this book in my very first semester as a college freshman, over a decade ago. I was gobsmacked. Awestruck. I didn’t realize that people could write like that. I have not read the collection in its entirety since then, and so I was eager to find out what I thought now. There are only one or two stories that I find to be weaker — “Jinx” and “I Will Pick Out Your Ribs (from My Teeth)” — but the rest are solid, achieving a response that I only experience when reading a particularly fantastic poem.

My favorite stories from this collection are mostly in Part Three: “Dearth,” the tale of a woman who finds her cast-iron pot filled with potatoes, which return every day after she gets rid of them, and which slowly grow potato arms and legs and heads like children, increasing her desperation to rid herself of them (yes, she does eat one). “Job’s Jobs” is the story of God’s vendetta against a writer, and how the writer wins. “The Leading Man” is about a boy who is born with nine keys instead of fingers (his pinkie being the only exception), and who goes through his life seeking the matching locks. “Hymn,” the final story, is one of my all-time favorite short stories and is about a series of strange births. It ends with the lines: “my genes, my love, are rubber bands and rope; build yourself a structure you can live inside. Amen.” and it makes me cry every time. In fact, as I re-read this collection for the first time in years, I was struck by how many of the stories’ final lines were an emotional gut-punch. It’s like coming out from under hypnosis and then being informed that your dog was just hit by a car.

These stories must be approached with an open-mind. You cannot resist their strangeness, even when it disgusts you, otherwise you will miss something. There may be the instinct to retreat, to write the surreal tales off as nonsense (or an acid trip), but that, in my opinion, trivializes what Bender might be trying to do. I use the word “might,” because I still don’t understand some of them, even the ones that have stuck fast in my mind (“End of the Line,” the story about a very tiny man who is abducted and abused by a regular-sized man). But I think Bender is saying something about the inanity of life while simultaneously wrestling with — or arguing for? — the meaning of life. There’s an undercurrent of grief running through every story — I can see the shape of that, more clearly, now that I am older (wiser? sadder.).

If you like Willful Creatures, you will probably enjoy Bender’s full-length novel, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. Somehow, Bender is able to maintain what she does in a 7-20 page short story through almost 300 pages. She has the range, darling.

Bender, Aimee. Willful Creatures: Stories. Anchor Books, 2005.

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#BookFaceFriday “Unthinkable” by Helen Thomson

This #BookFace will blow your mind!

Free your mind, and the rest will follow. If you love learning through reading or just nonfiction books in general check out this week’s #BookFaceFriday, “Unthinkable” by Helen Thomson, it’s a nonfiction journey through some of the biggest mysteries of the human brain. You can find this title as an Audiobook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, it’s a part of the “Talk Nerdy to Me” curated collection in Overdrive.

“Thomson has a gift for making the complex and strange understandable and relatable. Oliver Sacks is noted as an inspiration and, indeed, this book will appeal to his many fans.”

Library Journal (starred review)

Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,898 audiobooks, 36,794 ebooks, and 5,133 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries

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

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Throwback Thursday: “When the Frost is on the Corn”

Autumn is finally settling in #ThrowbackThursday!

Dated 1908, “When the Frost is on the Corn” is a song written by George Bigger, a barber who lived in David City, Nebraska. The sheet music lists the words as being by Merlin Baker, music by George Bigger, and arrangement by Emery Marshall.

Verse 1:

When the skies are turning gray,
Then my tho’ts begin to stray,
To that home down on the farm where I was born;
And my sweetheart’s face I see,
As I hear her say to me:
“You’ll come back, dear, when the frost is on the corn.”
When the autumn leaves are flutt’ring o’er the meadow,
And the robins for the south begin to fly;
Then in memory I roam back to you, and home, sweet home,
I’ll come back dear, in the happy bye and bye.

When the frost is on the corn,
And from all the autumn morn,
Mem’ries come that call me back, no more to roam;
I will come and see you, dear,
In the fading of the year,
When the frost is on the corn, I’ll come back home.

Verse 2:

Many years have passed away,
Since that happy summer day,
When we parted in the freshness of life’s morn;
And tho’ I am growing old,
Still my heart is never cold;
I’ll come back, dear, when the frost is on the corn.
Time’s cold hand has left the frost upon my forehead,
But in mem’ry still your smiling face I see;
And thro’ all the cruel years, still your voice my fancy hears:
“When the frost is on the corn, come home to me.”

When the frost is on the corn,
And from all the autumn morn,
Mem’ries come that call me back, no more to roam;
I will come and see you, dear,
In the fading of the year,
When the frost is on the corn, I’ll come back home.

This image and musical performance is published and owned by the Polley Music Library (Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska), which contains just over two hundred fifty pieces of Nebraska sheet music, as well as concert programs, manuscripts, theatre programs, photographs, and other Nebraska memorabilia which features an element of music. You can also listen to a dozen performances of selections from this music collection performed by local musicians. 

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

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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Young Readers Invited to Write to Favorite Authors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 2, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Timperley
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

Young Readers Invited to Write to Favorite Authors

Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Nebraska Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a state reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre: fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic
– explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s view of the world. Submissions must be completed online October 1 – December 31, 2024. Nebraska Letters About Literature is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from Lincoln City Libraries, Francie & Finch Bookshop, and Humanities Nebraska.

The Nebraska Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select a winner and an honorable mention per competition level (Level I for grades 4-6, Level II for grades 7-8, and Level III for grades 9-12) to be honored in a proclamation-signing ceremony at the state capitol during National Library Week in April 2025. Their winning letters will be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. Nebraska winners and honorable mentions will receive state prizes.

Teachers, librarians, and parents can download the contest guidelines, free teaching materials, information on the online entry system, and past winning letters on the Nebraska Center for the Book website. An informational NCompass Live webinar will air on October 23rd, discussing this year’s contest, the submission process, and judging criteria. For more information contact Nebraska Center for the Book.

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 national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and 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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‘E-rate: What’s New for 2025?’ Online Workshops Scheduled

‘E-rate: What’s New for 2025?’ workshops are now open for registration! All workshops will be held online only, via GoTo Webinar.

NOTE: This online workshop is being offered on several days and at varied times, to give participants
multiple opportunities to find a convenient time to attend. The same information will be provided at each workshop, so you only need to attend one session. A recorded version will also be made available after all of the live sessions have been held.

What is E-rate? How can my library benefit from E-rate? How do I apply for E-rate?

E-rate is a federal program that provides discounts to schools and public libraries on the cost of their Internet Access and Connections to make these services more affordable. This includes Broadband, Fiber, and Wi-Fi Internet access as well as Internal Connections, such as wiring, routers, switches, and other network equipment. And new for 2025: Wi-Fi hotspots!

The E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC) is your online portal for all E-rate interactions. With your organizational account you can use EPC to file forms, track your application status, communicate with USAC, and more.

In this workshop, Christa Porter, Nebraska’s State E-rate Coordinator for Public Libraries, will explain the E-rate program and show you how to access and use your account in EPC to submit your Funding Year 2025 E-rate application.

Dates and times:

  • November 20 – 1:00-4:00pm Central / 12:00noon-3pm Mountain
  • November 22 – 9:30am-12:30pm Central / 8:30-11:30am Mountain
  • November 25 – 1:00-4:00pm Central / 12:00noon-3pm Mountain
  • November 26 – 9:30am-12:30pm Central / 8:30-11:30am Mountain

To register for any of these sessions, go to the Nebraska Library Commission’s Training & Events Calendar and search for ‘e-rate 2025’.

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Bess Streeter Aldrich Book Available on BARD!

Mother Mason” by Nebraska author Bess Streeter Aldrich is now available on cartridge and for download on BARD, the Braille and Audio Reading Download service. BARD is a service offered by the Nebraska Library Commission Talking Book and Braille Service and the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled at the Library of Congress.

Molly Mason, 52, is a devoted wife, mother, and reliable standby for every organization in town. In fact, Mother Mason never has time to do just as she likes. Then one day she makes a headlong dash for liberty–and look out!

“A novel of home happiness, which, although it does not sentimentalize, will make many a family smile over its own humor and vicissitudes.” — Literary Review

TBBS borrowers can request “Mother Mason” DBC02032 or download it from the National Library Service BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) website. If you have high-speed internet access, you can download books to your smartphone or tablet, or onto a flash drive for use with your player. You may also contact your reader’s advisor to have the book mailed to you on cartridge.

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United for Libraries Learning Live: Building Effective Library Director & Board Relationships

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.

Tuesday, October 8th, 1:00 PM (CST)

Register Here

“A strong director-board relationship is essential to the success of the library. Find out how the best practices on the director and board working together on advocacy, community outreach, planning, succession, and more. Find out how to prevent and solve conflicts, and how to unite to advance the library’s mission.”

Statewide Group Members receive FREE registration for the live webinars and on-demand access for the duration of the active statewide group membership. These “Learning Live” sessions are recorded and can be accessed through the United for Libraries eLearning course.

For more information about previous sessions, please visit: Previous “Learning Live” Sessions

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NCompass Live: Pretty Sweet Tech: Digital Navigators & Digital Equity in Nebraska

Learn about Digital Navigation and Nebraska’s Digital Equity Plan on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, October 2 at 10am CT.

Special monthly episodes of NCompass Live! Join the NLC’s Technology Innovation Librarian, Amanda Sweet, as she guides us through the world of library-related Pretty Sweet Tech.

Digital Navigators have grown increasingly popular over the years. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance calls these Navigators “trusted guides who assist community members with ongoing, individualized support for accessing affordable and appropriate connectivity, devices, and digital skills”.

Some states have built out entire statewide platforms and training platforms for Digital Navigators. Nebraska has several smaller initiatives, and some missing gaps. This session will discuss Digital Navigation in Nebraska, including:

  • Quick overview of Nebraska’s Digital Equity Plan
  • Current digital skill-related programs
  • Digital Navigation resources, nationwide
  • Ideas for what your library can do

It’s time to work together to tackle that massive digital skill problem in all of our communities!

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Oct. 9 – NO NCOMPASS LIVE – ENJOY NLA!
  • Oct. 16 – Dragons at the Library: An Exciting New Reading Program
  • Oct. 23 – Letters About Literature 2024
  • Oct. 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Nov. 6 – Summer Reading Program 2025: Color Our World
  • Nov. 13 – Nebraska Open Meetings Act: 2024 Overview and Update

To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.

The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

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Friday Reads, The Book that Wouldn’t Burn, by Mark Lawrence

I’ll always pick up a book about a library or bookstore.  The Book that Wouldn’t Burn, by Mark Lawrence, is just such a book. The library is a character in itself, mysterious, magical, dangerous, not just for the information in it, but for what lies in its chambers, and the knowledge of all the races it encompasses.  Livira was born with a name but gained the name of a persistent weed of her arid homeland, because she’s just like it.  She’s tenacious, stubborn, with a mind like both a sponge and a steel trap.  Evar has only ever lived in one chamber of the library, like his found family of brothers and one sister. They were all put into a mechanism in the center of the library long ago, one each with a book, and came out long afterwards, with all the skills and even the mindset of the book and author.  Except for Evar.  He came out feeling as if someone was missing or had been taken from him.

The Book that Wouldn’t Burn

We meet Livira at her home in the Dust, at age 8, when a canine race overruns the small settlement and takes the children captive.  They are saved by a command of soldiers from a nearby city, and marched to the city, to be put to work there.  Livira, as is her way, decides to take matters into her own hands, and ends up working in the Library.  In a distant future, Evar is first found attempting to reach the ceiling of the chamber of the Library he & his siblings have never been able to leave, except through the Exchange, the mechanism that brought them together through time. He’s in his early 20s.  So of course, we see more growth in the character of Livira, as she grows older, working in the library.  There is more to Evar—he’s the only one of the siblings with a last name—Evantari.

Nowhere in the Library is safe—in either Livira’s time, or Evar’s. Mechanisms both helpful, neutral, and dangerous, wander the chambers that Livira’s time can access.  In Evar’s time, his family is protected by two such mechanisms, against monsters called Escapes. 

At the beginning if feels like a fantasy, or an end of empire or failing colony story.  The further into the book I read, the more interesting the themes became.  I hadn’t been acquainted with the author, but after reading reviews, discovered he was going to do something different (paraphrase from Grimdark Magazine, review by John Mauro), and even in the blended fantasy science fiction genre, it is different.  It does speak to many timeless themes—should knowledge be free to the masses, should advanced technology be accessible to less advanced societies.  Even the state of refugees in times of crisis.  It hints at mechanisms that span time and place, machines far above the current society’s technical level.  Even sayings like “we’re not in Kansas anymore” appear, even though they have no idea what or where Kansas is or was.  The Library, sometimes called the Athenaeum, has always been there.  It has rooms that only open to the species that it has books from.  So far, three species are known. My suspicion is that none is native to the planet, which is never named. 

I enjoyed The Book that Wouldn’t Burn so much that I read the next title in the trilogy, The Book that Broke the World, and am waiting for The Book that Held Her Heart, out in April 2025.

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, by Mark Lawrence, book 1 in The Library Trilogy, Ace (Penguin Random House), 2023, hardback, 9780593437919, 559 pages,

The Book That Broke the World, by Mark Lawrence, book 2 in The Library Trilogy, Ace (Penguin Random House), 2024, hardback

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#BookFaceFriday “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” by Emily M. Danforth

This #BookFace is outstanding in its field!

Freed between the lines! That’s the theme of this year’s #BannedBooksWeek. We are celebrating with a banned #BookFace! The Nebraska Library Commission supports readers and the freedom to read so we make sure our various collections reflect that. “The Miseducation of Cameron Post: A Novel” by Emily M. Danforth (Balzer + Bray, 2013) has been banned or challenged in the US since 2014, less than a year after it’s publication, cited for “inappropriate language, not appropriate for middle school age students.” It won The Montana Book Award and was a finalist for both the Morris Award and a Lambda Literary award. Emily Danforth was born in Montana and received her Ph.D in English-Creative Writing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln! A book is considered challenged when calls are made for it to be banned or removed from the public’s access. This is one of many banned or challenged titles NLC has available in our Book Club Kit Collection, titles like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Looking For Alaska by John Green, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, just to name a few.  This week’s #BookFace and other banned books can be found on the NLC Book Club Kit webpage. This service allows libraries and school librarians to “check out” multiple copies of a book without adding to their permanent collections, or budgets. NLC also has several banned or challenged titles available to our Nebraska OverDrive Libraries.

“This finely crafted, sophisticated coming-of-age debut novel is multilayered, finessing such issues as loss, first love, and friendship. An excellent read for both teens and adults.”

— School Library Journal (starred review)

You can find more information about Banned Books Week and the fight against censorship at ALA.org/advocacy/bbooks! What are you doing to celebrate Banned Books Week? Let us know!

Book Club Kits Rules for Use

  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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Throwback Thursday: U.P. Depot and Motor Car, Valley, Nebraska

It’s another #ThrowbackThursday!

This 5-1/4″ x 3-1/2″ colorized photograph shows the east side of the Valley Union Pacific depot with local passengers boarding the McKeen Motor Car for a trip to Omaha. The luggage car on the end held suitcases, luggage, boxes and mail. The McKeen Motor Car made two trips a day to the city. The car was built in Omaha, in early 1906, at the Union Pacific yards located where the Qwest Center is today. The motor car, invented by William R. McKeen for the U.P., was used to carry passengers. The car ran on gasoline which made it much cheaper than a steam engine. Nicknamed the “knife nose”, the cars were maroon enamel over a steel body. The motor car was discontinued in the mid-1930s and the depot was demolished in the 1980s.

This image is published and owned by the Valley Public Library. The Friends of the Valley Public Library, Valley, Nebraska, have digitized and described a collection of photographs depicting businesses and members of the local population between the late 1800s and 1900s in Valley.

See this collection and many more on the Nebraska Memories archive!

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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Book Club Spotlight – The Joy Luck Club

cover for The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Two mirrored Chinese dragons border the title.

Amy Tan’s debut novel, The Joy Luck Club, drifts between the stories of mothers and daughters like the four winds of mahjong. Originally written as disconnected pieces, Tan evolved her work into a sweeping novel of generations, loss, and perseverance. Today’s Book Club Spotlight is extra special because the author is in Lincoln tonight! “A Conversation with Amy Tan” will be hosted at the Lied Center for Performing Arts for free with an accompanying live-stream at 7:30 pm. Her talk is a part of “The 29th Annual Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities”, hosted by Humanities Nebraska and the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. Tickets and the live stream can be accessed, here: https://tickets.liedcenter.org/3342

The Joy Luck Club, a group of Chinese immigrant women who gather for mahjong and community, grow their lives and families together in 1980s San Francisco. When matriarch Suyuan Woo passes away, her daughter Jing-mei is invited to take her mother’s spot at the table. And there she learns a hidden truth about her mother- she never stopped searching for the children she had to abandon in China decades ago, and only now have they been found. Jing-mei struggles with the loss of her mother, someone she feels as if she hardly knew, and the sudden reunification with her resurrected sisters. And in turn, like Suyuan, each daughter and mother of The Joy Luck Club, have kept themselves secret to their loved ones. Hiding difficult and life-defining events as an act of piety or restraint, that could ultimately grow and foster their fraught relationships. 

“Then you must teach my daughter this same lesson. How to lose your innocence but not your hope. How to laugh forever.”

AMy Tan

The Joy Luck Club, while not an all-encompassing narrative of the Chinese Immigrant experience, shows four distinct paths taken. Suyuan Woo who fled from the war and left behind two children and her past. Lindo Jong, who escaped from a tyrannous marriage, believes in personal strength to her daughter’s detriment. An-mei Hsu, a passive player for most of her life, fears that she has bestowed those characteristics on her daughter. And Ying-ying St. Clair, a woman of means and wealth, is forced into poverty and silence, teaches her daughter to expect the same. All women with stories in equal measure, display their unresolved trauma to their daughters through words and actions, creating an endless cycle that must be broken. Tan’s work is essential to American literature (and media!), earning her the National Humanities Medal for “expanding the American literary canon. By bravely exploring experiences of immigrant families, heritage, memories, and poignant struggles”.  Book Club Groups from High School to Adulthood can discuss her dissection of the immigrant experience, womanhood and perseverance, generational trauma, and what do we share with our loved ones? 

If you’re interested in requesting The Joy Luck Club for your book club, you can find the Request Form here. There are 14 copies. (A librarian must request items)

Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. Ballantine Books. 1989

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NCompass Live: NLC Grants for 2025

Learn more about the NLC Grants for 2025 on this week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, September 25 at 10am CT.

Nebraska Accredited Public Libraries and State-run Institutions! Do you have an idea for a program or project you would like to see funded? Apply for an NLC Grant!

The Nebraska Library Commission has made funding available for four grants for 2025: Continuing Education & Training, Internship, Library Improvement, and Youth Grants for Excellence. Don’t let your library miss out on these opportunities!

Grant applications for all 2025 NLC grants opened on September 20 and will be due November 15, 2024.

Join Christa Porter, Sally Snyder, and Holli Duggan, from the Nebraska Library Commission’s Library Development Team, as they provide an overview of the grants, including eligibility requirements and grant guidelines, the application process and grant review, timelines and deadlines. They will also share some tips on writing effective grants.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Oct. 2 – Pretty Sweet Tech: Digital Navigators & Digital Equity in Nebraska
  • Oct. 9 – NO NCOMPASS LIVE – ENJOY NLA!
  • Oct. 16 – Dragons at the Library: An Exciting New Reading Program
  • Oct. 23 – Letters About Literature 2024
  • Oct. 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Nov. 6 – Summer Reading Program 2025: Color Our World
  • Nov. 13 – Nebraska Open Meetings Act: 2024 Overview and Update

To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.

NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.

The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.

Posted in Books & Reading, Education & Training, General, Grants, Information Resources, Library Management, Now hiring @ your library, Preservation, Programming, Public Library Boards of Trustees, Public Relations, Technology, Youth Services | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment