Pandemic Resources for Libraries

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Aimee Owen

As we reach the end of 2021 and get ready for a new year, the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on. Your patrons may need help navigating the ever-increasing glut of information (and misinformation) about the variants, vaccines, travel, and other coronavirus-related issues. We have rounded up some resources on identifying accurate information and other topics related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/libman/navigating_pandemic_information.aspx. As Mr. Rogers said, “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping”. There is no better place to turn for information literacy help than your local public library!

We’ve also been keeping track of the latest guidance and resources for libraries, businesses, and families. You can find more on our pandemic resource page: http://nlc.nebraska.gov/libman/pandemic.aspx.
We are always updating our pages, so if you notice that we are missing a crucial resource, please reach out to us.

 

Photo by Anton on Unsplash

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Seats are still available!

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Shoshana Patocka

Come join our free class on authority control, starting February 7th!

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Libraries use authority control to manage the names, uniform titles, series titles, and subject headings in their catalogs. Participants in this class will learn what authority control is and why it is needed, how to read a MARC authority record, and how to use the Library of Congress authority file. This class is one of the REQUIRED classes for the NLC Cataloging Certificate program.

Audience: Library staff with knowledge of AACR2/RDA, MARC records, and cataloging.

This class will be held online from February 7th to March 13th. To receive full credit, participants must complete all assignments and receive a 75% in the class.

Class participants will access the course website to read materials and complete assignments. The class is held asynchronously, which means that participants are not required to be online at any particular time during the five weeks; however, there is a class schedule with due dates that participants are expected to meet. The instructor will interact with the participants during the course to offer feedback and provide explanations of the material.

A few days before the class starts, class participants will be sent information about accessing the class.

To register: Go to Authority Control in the Nebraska Library Commission Training Portal. Registration closes on January 30th.

This workshop is approved for the NLC Cataloging Certification Program. Courses are open only to Nebraska residents or those who are employed by a Nebraska library.  

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Continuing Education & Training Grants: Applications Extended!

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Holli Duggan

The deadline for the Continuing Education and Training Grant applications has been extended to March 1, 2022!

This year we are offering grants in three different areas: taking an online course, attending an out-of-state professional conference, and other larger continuing education projects for library staff or library board members.

Continuing Education and Training Grants 2022:

Details and Applications

The purpose of these grants is to assist Nebraska libraries to improve the library services provided to their communities through continuing education and training for their library personnel and supporters. Successful applications will show how the continuing education and/or training proposed will support the library’s mission.

Applications and support forms are due March 1, 2022.

Recipients will be notified by March 15, 2022.

For more details about this and other NLC grants, the NCompass Live archived session “NLC Grants for 2022” is also available.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Holli Duggan

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NCompass Live Schedule Change – Sign up for “Booktalking – Before, During, & After the Pandemic”

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Christa Porter

Due to staffing issues, next week’s NCompass Live webinar “If You Build it, Will They Come? Makerspaces Work in Small, Rural Libraries” is being postponed to a later date. The new date has not been selected yet, but as soon as we have a new date, it will be announced and the webinar will be added back to the NCompass Live schedule.

But, we do have a replacement show on the schedule for next week!

You can register for “Booktalking – Before, During, & After the Pandemic”, to be held on Wednesday, January 19 at 10am CT, at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/scripts/calendar/eventshow.asp?ProgID=21439

This is an overview of basic booktalking skills for presentation to small-to-medium groups and/or for providing online content. Virtual programming can include: in-person programs that are streamed, broadcast, or recorded, or a combination of those; audio podcasts; book and media recommendations on a website; using Zoom or other interactive meeting software for book discussions, etc. Emphasis is on how booktalking programs and Readers Advisory resources have been kept viable remotely through use of technology that maintains existing access and also allows increased or new online consumption/attendance/participation and also with safety precautions in place for live events.

Between them, Becky and Scott have more than 80 years of work experience with Lincoln City Libraries. This includes: creating reading lists and book displays; appearing on local radio to give reading recommendations and promote library events and services; presenting live hour-long thematic book talks; recording book recommendation podcasts of various lengths for online access; conducting video-conferencing genre book discussions; and presenting toddler and pre-school storytime in person and via pre-assembled kits. When this presentation was in development, we had no idea the pandemic would still be such a huge consideration for library programming, so we are not fully in the “after” reality, but there is a variety of usable ideas and concepts contained here for vibrant ongoing booktalking.

Presenters: Becky Wurm Clark, Bess Dodson Walt Branch Library, and Scott Clark, Bennett Martin Public Library, Lincoln City Libraries.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Jan. 26, 2022 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Web Scraper 101
  • Feb. 2, 2022 – Intentional Design: Crafting a Mutually Beneficial Internship Program in a University Archives

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 Hound of the Baskervilles” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Tessa Terry

 Elementary, my dear #BookFace!

Elementary, that’s what we think the idea of Book Club Kits are for libraries in our state. A simple idea that just makes so much sense. The Nebraska Library Commission’s Book Club Kit Collection is available and easily accessible for all libraries and schools across the state. This service allows libraries and school librarians to “check out” multiple copies of a book without adding to their permanent collections, or budgets. Not sure what to read in the new year? Are all the hot bestsellers already checked out? Try a classic for your next book club read, like “The Hound of the Baskervilles: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery“ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Tribeca Books, 2010,) I mean, it’s a classic for a reason. This week’s #BookFace can be found on the NLC Book Club Kit webpage. This title is also available to our Nebraska OverDrive Libraries in both eBook and Audiobook format, along with many other Sir Arthur Conan Doyle titles.


”It is not going too far to say that in Sherlock Holmes we find one of the most interesting characters of contemporary fiction. The versatile pen of Dr. Doyle has never done better work than these capital detective stories, the best of which is the powerfully written novel here considered.”

—Book News

 

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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Friday Reads: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, by Patrick Radden Keefe

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Susan Knisely

Patrick Radden Keefe’s latest book, Empire of Pain, released on April 12, 2021, is a timely account of three generations of the Sackler family and the role they’ve played in the ongoing opioid crisis. It starts out as a classic American rags-to-riches story–three entrepreneurial brothers, born to poor immigrant parents in Brooklyn in the early 20th century, who succeed beyond their wildest dreams, winding up as billionaire philanthropists. It also tells a darker tale of corporate greed, coupled with personal hubris, leading to devastating social consequences.

Most of us know a bit about the Sacklers, due to media coverage of the multiple lawsuits filed against their privately owned company, Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin. Purdue Pharma introduced this highly addictive extended-release painkiller to the market in 1996, and it was a game changer. Indeed, many view its arrival on the scene as the most significant precipitating event leading to the now-decades-long opioid epidemic.

If you want to know more, Keefe’s extensively researched book provides compelling evidence of why this family and their pharmaceutical company are viewed as culpable. And sadly, it feels like a too-familiar narrative:

  • There’s the FDA employee who, shortly after overseeing approval of OxyContin, wound up accepting a well-paid position with Purdue Pharma.
  • There’s the misleading marketing strategy of touting OxyContin as less addictive and less prone to abuse because of its time-release coating, even though company insiders knew from monitoring online discussion groups that users were crushing and chewing the drug to get a bigger “hit.”
  • There’s the sales force that continued to call on and sell to doctors who were clearly running pill mills, because of unending pressure to increase revenue.
  • And finally, there is the pathological refusal of family members to accept any responsibility for the problems that proliferated in conjunction with OxyContin sales. They seemed to view reports of OxyContin-related addiction and overdose deaths as PR problems that unfairly sullied the reputation of Purdue’s prized product, not as human tragedies: Addicts were the victimizers and Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers were the victims.

If you’re a fan of corporate exposes, this book will be right down your alley. It would also be a good companion read if you are watching the limited series Dopesick, now streaming on Hulu.

Keefe, Patrick Radden. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. New York: Doubleday, 2021.

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Throwback Thursday: Bird Hunt

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Kayla Henzel

It’s Thursday and that means…#THROWBACK!

This week, we have an early 1900’s black and white photograph on a postcard of a hunter with his dog shooting at pheasants.

This image was created by John Nelson and is published by History Nebraska. John Nelson was born in Harestad, Sweden in 1864. He came to Nebraska with his parents when he was seventeen years old. His photographs show life in small town Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century. His subjects include local businesses, community activities, and early automobiles.

See more of his work 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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Elementary School Book Club reads Refugee by Alan Gratz

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Lisa Kelly

Sarah Castillo, media specialist at Logan View Public Schools in Hooper, borrowed copies of Refugee by Alan Gratz for her 4-6 Grade Enrichment Program Students from the Library Commission book club collection. This year students had 3 options to choose from: Book Club, Macrame, or creating Book Soundtracks. She sent us this photo and said “thank you again for supplying the books for us!”

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E-rate Form 471 Application Filing Window Opens Today

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Christa Porter

Get your library’s piece of the E-rate pie!

The Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2022 opens today at noon EST and will close on Tuesday, March 22 at 11:59 pm EDT. You may now log on to the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) and file your FCC Form 471 for FY2022.

This makes Tuesday, February 22, the deadline to post your Form 470 to the USAC website, meet the 28-day posting requirement for the competitive bidding process, and submit a Form 471 by the filing window closing date.

However, we do not recommend waiting until the last day to submit your Form 470! If there are any issues that day, like the E-rate servers are slowed down because it is the last day to submit, or you can’t submit the form due to reasons on your end, such as illness, weather, power outage, etc., then you would miss the deadline and lose out on E-rate altogether. So, get your E-rate Form 470 submitted as soon as possible!

IMPORTANT: Before you file your Form 471, check your Form 470 Receipt Notification for your Allowable Contract Date – the first date you are allowed to submit your 471. Do not submit your 471 before that date! Remember, after you submit your Form 470, you must wait 28 days to submit your Form 471. You can find your Notification within the EPC portal in your News feed.

Do you need help completing your forms? Do you have questions about E-rate? You’re in luck!

USAC has many resources on their website:

And more recorded webinars, demos, and training materials are available on the NLC E-rate webpage.

If you have any questions or need any assistance with your E-rate forms, please contact the State E-rate Coordinator for Public Libraries in Nebraska, Christa Porter, 800-307-2665, 402-471-3107.

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NCompass Live: 2022 One Book One Nebraska: ‘The Bones of Paradise’

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Christa Porter

Celebrate the 2022 One Book One Nebraska selection, The Bones of Paradise, with us on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar, on Wednesday, January 12 at 10am CT.

In this eighteenth year of One Book One Nebraska, Nebraska libraries and other literary and cultural organizations continue to plan activities and events to encourage all Nebraskans to read and discuss the same book. Join us to hear more about this state reading promotion activity, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Humanities Nebraska, and the Nebraska Library Commission.

We are very pleased to announce that our featured guest will be Jonis Agee, author of the 2022 selection The Bones of Paradise: A Novel (William Morrow, 2016).

Join Author Jonis Agee, Nebraska Library Commission Communication Coordinator Tessa Terry, Humanities Nebraska Director of Literary Programs Erika Hamilton, Nebraska Center for the Book President Christine Walsh, and Nebraska Center for the Book Board Member Becky Faber to:

  • Learn about how to create a successful local reading promotion using Nebraska’s year-long, statewide celebration featuring The Bones of Paradise, by Jonis Agee.
  • Brainstorm strategies to read and discuss The Bones of Paradise.
  • Find tools to help engage your community in local activities to encourage them to come together through literature to explore this work in community-wide reading programs.
  • Learn about the 2022 Celebration of Nebraska Books, which will celebrate this book, along with the winners of the 2022 Nebraska Book Awards.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Jan. 26, 2022 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Feb. 2, 2022 – Intentional Design: Crafting a Mutually Beneficial Internship Program in a University Archives

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 Chicken Sisters” by KJ Dell’Antonia

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Tessa Terry

 This #BookFaceFriday is no chicken!

Book Club Kits at the Nebraska Library Commission are a great resource for libraries in our state! The Nebraska Library Commission’s Book Club Kit Collection is constantly growing, either from purchases or donations. One of our newest titles is “The Chicken Sisters“ by KJ Dell’Antonia (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020) and we just couldn’t wait to share it with you! This week’s #BookFace 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. This title is also available to our Nebraska OverDrive Libraries in both eBook and Audiobook format, which one will you check out today?


“The Chicken Sisters is a pitch-perfect book with which to begin the New Year, when the spirit of starting anew and putting aside baggage (no matter how many centuries old it may be!), is exactly what we need. Well, that and a plate of fried chicken, of course.”

—Country Living

 

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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Friday Reads: The Forgotten Botanist : Sara Plummer Lemmon’s Life of Science and Art

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Mary Sauers

Every once in awhile, a book comes along that, even though it is non-fiction, is so well written that it reads like a novel. The Forgotten Botanist : Sara Plummer Lemmon’s Life of Science and Art, by Wynne Brown, is just such a book. I was drawn in immediately by Ms. Brown’s eye for detail and well written narrative of Sara Plummer Lemmon’s life, loves, and scientific contributions to the field of botany.

The Forgotten Botanist is the story of an extraordinary woman who, in 1870, was driven by ill health to leave the East Coast for a new life in the West—alone. At thirty-three, Sara Plummer relocated to Santa Barbara, where she established the town’s first library and taught herself botany. Ten years later she married botanist John Gill Lemmon, and together the two discovered hundreds of new plant species, many of them illustrated by Sara, an accomplished artist. Although she became an acknowledged botanical expert and lecturer, Sara’s considerable contributions to scientific knowledge were credited merely as “J.G. Lemmon & wife.”

The Forgotten Botanist chronicles Sara’s remarkable life, in which she and JG found new plant species in Arizona, California, Oregon, and Mexico and traveled throughout the Southwest with such friends as John Muir and Clara Barton. Sara also found time to work as a journalist and as an activist in women’s suffrage and forest conservation.

The Forgotten Botanist is a timeless tale about a woman who discovered who she was by leaving everything behind. Her inspiring story is one of resilience, determination, and courage—and is as relevant to our nation today as it was in her own time.

*Courtesy of University of Nebraska Press

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Throwback Thursday: View Looking Toward Union Depot

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Kayla Henzel

Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!

This week’s image features a view looking through fog and steam toward the Union train depot as seen from the Pacific Bridge in Omaha, Nebraska. It was taken on January 12, 1912 and the recorded temperature was -27.

This black and white photograph is published and owned by Omaha Public Library. The items in this collection include early Omaha-related maps dating from 1825 to 1922, as well as over 1,100 postcards and photographs of the Omaha area.

Check it out 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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NLC Staff: Meet Laura Stueck

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Tessa Terry

Questions and Answers with our Accountant, Laura Stueck. She started working with the NLC in September of 2019. Take a few minutes and get to know her better with a few fun questions!

What was the last thing you googled?
Valentino’s delivery

What’s your ideal vacation?
somewhere with no schedule

What do you do to relax?
workout and watch reality television

Describe your first car?
A red Ford Mustang

What was the first concert you remember attending?
AC/DC

What movie can you watch over and over again?
several – Friday, Forest Gump, Blind Side, and Save the Last Dance

What was the last book you read?
Fifty Shades of Grey

What was the last movie you watched?
I Still Believe

If you could have one superpower what would it be?
to be able to fly

What’s the last thing you do before you got to bed?
play games on my phone

Do you have any tattoos?
no

What is your favorite comfort food when you are sick?
ice cream

What’s your most treasured possession?
My son Devin – age 24

On what occasion do you lie?
when my son asks me for money

What posters did you have on your wall as a kid?
pictures of horses and Bobby Sherman

Do you love or hate rollercoasters?
no

Do you have any pets?
no

What is your guilty pleasure?
ice cream – I eat the whole container at once

Favorite technology you could not live without?
television

If you could get rid of one holiday – which one would you abolish?
Christmas

If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Salads

What do you get every time you go to the grocery store?
Jalapeno peppers

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Computers in Libraries 2022 Conference (March 29 – March 31) Discount

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Susan Knisely

The Nebraska Library Commission is offering a group discount to all Nebraska librarians who attend the Computers in Libraries 2022 conference. This year it will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA, on March 29 through March 31, 2022. Detailed information about the conference can be found on the conference web page.

This year the Gold Pass will be available for the group rate of $649 (regular rate is $899). The Full 3-day Pass will be $379 (regular rate is $599). (No discount rates are available for the preconference workshops, unless purchased as part of a Gold Pass.)

In addition, discount prices of $619 (regularly $749) on the Library Leaders Summit (includes all three days of CIL) is also available.

To receive the discount:

  1. Go to the Computers in Libraries 2022 Registration page: https://secure.infotoday.com/RegForms/ComputersinLibraries/
  2. Type priority code NLC22 in the Priority Code field at the top of the form, and click the “Activate Code” button. Discounted rates should appear on the registration form after you successfully activate the code. If you don’t see the discounted rates on the form, please contact Susan Knisely for assistance.
  3. Complete and submit the online form by the deadline.

Deadline: Online registrations can be made until February 25th to receive the discounted rates. Please Note: If the deadline is extended for regular registration, your deadline will also be extended. After this time, rates will go up by $20.

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Nebraska Arts Council announces new grant to advance creative aging programs for older adults

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Christa Porter

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

For additional information contact: Chad Dolezal, Communications Manager, 402.595.2122, Chad.Dolezal@nebraska.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 01/05/22

(Nebr.) – The Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) is pleased to announce a new grant to advance creative aging programs for older adults in Nebraska, funded by the Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging grant provided by the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and Aroha Philanthropies.

NAC’s new Creative Aging through the Arts Program (CAAP) funds artist-led workshops at senior centers, assisted living facilities, libraries, or nonprofit organizations serving older adults in Nebraska. Over the course of eight workshops, participants will hone their artistic skills in music, creative writing, drama, dance, or artmaking while engaging with peers. Programs end with a final performance, exhibit or reading, shared with the local community.

Older adults often face ageism and isolation, and have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The CAAP program was developed to combat these negative effects. CAAP encourages socialization, creativity, and opportunities to demonstrate important contributions by older adults to society.

For information about new creative aging activities taking place in Nebraska visit NAC’s website https://www.artscouncil.nebraska.gov/apply/creative-aging/.

Contact NAC Program Specialist Anne Alston at anne.alston@nebraska.gov for more information.

For additional information about NASAA’s Leveraging State Investments in Creative Aging initiative, visit https://nasaa-arts.org/communication/new-initiative-expands-creative-aging-nationwide/

About the Nebraska Arts Council:

The Nebraska Arts Council (NAC), a state agency, provides numerous grants, services and special initiatives that help sustain and promote the arts throughout Nebraska. NAC is supported by the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Nebraska Legislature and National Endowment for the Arts.

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United for Libraries Learning Live, Jan. 11: Friends and Foundations Working Effectively with the Library

Posted on January 4, 2022 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 on Tues., Jan. 11th at 12:00 noon Mountain Time/ 1 p.m. Central Time / 2 p.m. Eastern Time with “Friends and Foundations Working Effectively with the Library.” Register here

The Learning Live program is presented free to United for Libraries group, personal, and Statewide Group Members (MA, MD, MI, NE, SC, SD, TX).

This session will provide guidance on the tools and techniques needed for effective collaboration between Friends groups, Foundation members, libraries, and library directors. Presenters will discuss the roles of each group in relation to the library and provide resources on MOUs, guidelines for giving, and other subjects.

Speakers will include Judy Hills, President of the Friends of the North Carolina Public Libraries, and Peter Pearson, Founder/Senior Consultant at Library Strategies Consulting Group and a past President of United for Libraries.

Judy Hills is the President of the Friends of the North Carolina Public Libraries (FONCPL) and Vice-President of the Friends of the New Bern-Craven County Public Library. Now retired, her first career was as a registered nurse; her second career was in commercial real estate; and her third career was in nonprofit and quasi-governmental organizations (similar to regional library systems).  At the end of her career, she was the Executive Director of a nine-county planning organization. She helped secure many millions of dollars in federal, state, and other grants, and continues to provide grant opportunity information to the nonprofit community. 

Peter Pearson is lead consultant and co-founder of Library Strategies Consulting Group. He was president of the Friends of the Saint Paul (Minn.) Public Library for 25 years, and was a founder of Library Strategies. As president of the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, he led three capital campaigns and coordinated an annual grassroots advocacy campaign that added millions of dollars of public funding to the library’s budget. He also served as a Trustee for the Twin Cities Regional Library System for 10 years.

United for Libraries Learning Live sessions take place on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 12:00 noon Mountain Time/ 1 p.m. Central Time / 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.

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Authority Control Class

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Shoshana Patocka

Libraries use authority control to manage the names, uniform titles, series titles, and subject headings in their catalogs. Participants in this class will learn what authority control is and why it is needed, how to read a MARC authority record, and how to use the Library of Congress authority file. This class is one of the REQUIRED classes for the NLC Cataloging Certificate program.

Audience: Library staff with knowledge of AACR2/RDA, MARC records, and cataloging.

This class will be held online from February 7th to March 13th. To receive full credit, participants must complete all assignments and receive a 75% in the class.

Class participants will access the course website to read materials and complete assignments. The class is held asynchronously, which means that participants are not required to be online at any particular time during the five weeks; however, there is a class schedule with due dates that participants are expected to meet. The instructor will interact with the participants during the course to offer feedback and provide explanations of the material.

A few days before the class starts, class participants will be sent information about accessing the class.

To register: Go to Authority Control in the Nebraska Library Commission Training Portal. Registration closes on January 30th.

This workshop is approved for the NLC Cataloging Certification Program. Courses are open only to Nebraska residents or those who are employed by a Nebraska library.  

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NCompass Live: Teen Titles of 2021: Books They Will Read

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Christa Porter

Join us for the first FREE NCompass Live webinar of 2022, ‘Teen Titles of 2021: Books They Will Read’, on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 at 10am CT.

Brief book talks and reviews of new titles recommended to school and public librarians, covering both middle and high school levels, that were published within the last year.

Presenter: Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, Nebraska Library Commission.

Upcoming NCompass Live shows:

  • Jan 12, 2022 – 2022 One Book One Nebraska: The Bones of Paradise
  • Jan. 26, 2022 – Pretty Sweet Tech
  • Feb. 2, 2022 – Intentional Design: Crafting a Mutually Beneficial Internship Program in a University Archives

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 “Fifty-Four Things Wrong With Gwendolyn Rogers” by Caela Carter

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Aimee Owen

There’s nothing wrong with this #BookFaceFriday!

Woman with short hair poses with a book. The book is positioned so that the cover blends with the woman's body.

Writing your New Year’s Resolutions? Lots of folks create lists of things they’d like to accomplish or change about themselves. In this week’s #BookFace, “Fifty-Four Things Wrong With Gwendolyn Rogers” by Caela Carter (Quill Tree Books, 2021), our protagonist has a long list of things other people thinks she needs to change. But are they truly flaws, or are they just the traits that make Gwendolyn… Gwendolyn? This middle-grade book has a lot to say about acceptance of one’s self and others.

“This sensitive #OwnVoices novel balances the frustration and challenges being dealt with by all the characters. Particularly effective is the cadence of Gwendolyn’s thoughts and voice, creating a likable, realistic character that readers will gravitate to. Recommended to everyone, but particularly for those drawn to Kathryn Erskine’s Mockingbird and Ann M. Martin’s Rain Reign.” — 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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Apply for programming support with the second annual ALA Peggy Barber Tribute Grant

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Christa Porter

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

The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers to apply for the second annual Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, a programming grant named after the transformative ALA leader responsible for the creation of National Library Week and the Celebrity READ series.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant is an annual grant that recognizes, promotes, and supports meaningful programs in libraries that have limited and/or no access to budgetary support for programming. This grant aims to help ease budget challenges by annually awarding three libraries $2,500 to support a proposed program, program series, or programming effort.

Applications for the 2021 award will be accepted from December 1, 2021, to February 1, 2022. Read the grant guidelines and apply online.

Each year, the grant will focus on supporting a specific type of library programming. For the 2021–2022 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a grant to support humanities-based programming. Proposed programs may be in-person or virtual and should take into consideration local health and safety regulations related to COVID-19.

All library types — including public, academic, K-12, tribal and special libraries — in the U.S. or U.S. territories are eligible. Applicants must have a personal or institutional membership with either the American Library Association OR the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.

Peggy Barber served as ALA’s associate executive director of communications from 1970 to 2000. In that role, she established ALA’s Public Information Office, Public Programs Office and the ALA Graphics department. After leaving ALA, she was a principal consultant with Library Communication Strategies and served as co-president of Friends of Libraries USA, now known as United for Libraries. She passed away in August 2019.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant was created with donations from Barber’s friends and colleagues. To support the grant, make a contribution to the Peggy Barber tribute fund within ALA’s Cultural Communities Fund.

To stay informed about future grants and awards offered by ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian e-newsletter.

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