The deadline to submit the second form in the E-rate process, Form 471, for Funding Year 2024 is Wednesday, March 27. The application filing window for Form 471 opened on January 17.
However, we do not recommend waiting until the last day to submit your Form 471! 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 could miss the deadline and lose out on E-rate altogether.
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!
Today’s E-rate News Brief has last-minute tips and links to instructional videos. USAC also conducted a series of webinars focused on E-Rate topics related to FCC Forms 470 and 471 – you can watch the recordings on the USAC Webinars webpage. To keep up on E-rate news, subscribe to the USAC E-rate News Brief.
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.
While every library is unique, they all seem to share one thing in common: they could use more money! Get tips for ‘Winning Grants for Your Library Programming’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, March 13, at 10am CT.
Grant funding might be the just thing to help buy technology for STEM programming, get a new service initiative off the ground, or complete a renovation. But applying for grants can be overwhelming – and that’s assuming you can even find one for which you qualify. This session aims to introduce you to the tools to make the grant application process more easily navigable. In this session, Kathryn will provide tips for putting your best foot forward when it comes time to submit your proposal. Handouts include a roadmap to success and descriptions of various sections of the application.
Presenter: Kathryn Brockmeier, Grant Consultant.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
March 20 – No More Summertime Blues: Shaking Up SRP to Make It Work for YOU!
March 27 – Pretty Sweet Tech: Computers in Libraries 2024 Highlights & Trends
April 3 – Improving the Quality of Childcare Through STREAM
April 10 – Program Planning with a Marketing Mindset
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.
In February 2020, Max Miller posted his first Tasting History video to YouTube. A week later COVID-19 hit, and he was furloughed from his job. As the world entered the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, people went online, looking for entertainment, distraction, and connections. Tasting History was there. And the rest is, well, history.
Now, his viral video series has become a cookbook, Tasting History, Explore the Past through 4,000 Years of Recipes. Full disclosure: I haven’t cooked anything from this cookbook yet, I’ve just been enjoying reading through it so far.
We have been watching the Tasting History videos almost from the beginning, so when Max announced there would be a cookbook coming out, I knew we had to have it. And I was not disappointed.
The videos are a combination of recipe demo and history lesson, and that format has been carried over into the cookbook.
The book is arranged by geographic area: The Ancient World, The British Isles, Continental Europe, The Near & Far East, and The New World. Within each section the recipes are from oldest to newest. The oldest being Stew of Lamb, from Babylon, c. 1740 BC. The most recent recipes are both from 1914: Simnel Cake from England and Pecan Pie from Texas. Each recipe includes a few paragraphs about the history of the dish and the area of the world it originates from.
Since many old recipes do not provide precise measurements, or ingredients that we may recognize or have access to today, Max has re-created them as best as he can, based on his own cooking and historical knowledge. If you watch his videos, he does taste each dish, and he doesn’t always like them. But, that’s part of the fun and experimentation.
I think Tasting History, both the cookbook and the video series, is perfect for foodies, history buffs, or foodie history buffs. Max is still making videos, and I look forward to watching the new ones every week. A fun tip: he is a big Pokemon fan, and there is always a figure or plush in the background of each video that relates to the dish he is making. See if you can find them all!
Good News! We have a new date for the Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024 presentation that was canceled at the last minute, “No More Summertime Blues: Shaking Up SRP to Make It Work For YOU!”.
Chelsea Price has graciously agreed to do their presentation on March 20 on NCompass Live from 10-11am Central Time. This is the Nebraska Library Commission’s weekly webinar series. The presentation will be recorded if you are unable to watch it at the scheduled time.
This was one of the 10 minute Lightning Round sessions for the conference, but will be expanded to fit the longer, hour-long, NCompass Live format.
Brian Pichman of the Evolve Project will be Amanda’s guest on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, February 28, 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.
Brian Pichman of the Evolve Project is the man behind the scenes, transforming how libraries engage with technology. Here at the Commission, he helped a lot with the Tech Kits Through the Mail. If you’ve gotten a kit from us, it’s because he tracks tech trends, works with tech gadget startups, and helps build solid strategies to connect communities with transformative technology.
Honestly, he’s helped me a lot over the years. But I can’t be selfish. I decided to share his expertise with you all! Turns out Brian does way more than I ever knew possible.
In this session we will get Brian talking about all the cool things he has going on:
Explore how his pilot programs of new games & gadgets are shaping the future of libraries through makerspaces, innovation spaces, and leading edge programming
Learn how Brian helps libraries embrace AI, VR and AR to revolutionize library services and enhance accessibility and engagement for all.
Discover his passion for open-source solutions to drive positive change, and his recent endeavors with ByWater Solutions, a leading provider of open-source library software.
Dig into his work with libchalk, a web hosting platform designed specifically to help libraries host digital content, websites, courses, and online resource libraries.
The real question is, what doesn’t he do? He can help your library too. Find out how.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
March 13 – Winning Grants for Your Library Programming
March 27 – Pretty Sweet Tech
April 3 – Improving the Quality of Childcare Through STREAM
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.
Join us tomorrow for the 2024 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference. Registration is still open, so head over to the Registration page and sign up!
We have a full agenda for the day, with speakers from academic and public libraries presenting on a wide variety of topics: fundraising, Memory Cafes, summer reading, accessibility audits, afterschool meals programs, DEIB: diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and much more.
This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
And, Nebraska library staff and board members can earn 1 hour of CE Credit for each hour of the conference you attend! A special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form has been made available for you to submit your C.E. credits.
So, come join us for a day of big ideas from small libraries!
On next week’s NCompass Live, Justin Hoenke shares his experiences moving from the super creative world of youth services in libraries to the still creative but not the same kind of creative world of leading a library.
Sign up to join us for ‘Using Creativity to Grow & Develop’ on Wednesday, February 21, at 10am CT.
Justin discusses the pros and cons of moving into leadership and managing teams and how to use your creativity to engage your team and community.
About the Presenter: Justin Hoenke is a human being and a librarian. He’s worked in public libraries in the USA and New Zealand, and is currently looking for his next work-related adventure in life. His professional interests include creativity, youth services, public libraries as community centers, and content creation. He offers library consultancy services for public libraries and can be contacted at https://justinthelibrarian.com/
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
Feb. 28 – Pretty Sweet Tech: Evolve Project: Shaping the Libraries of the Future
March 13 – Winning Grants for Your Library Programming
March 27 – Pretty Sweet Tech
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
Sponsored by the Nebraska Library Commission and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL), this free one-day online conference is tailored for staff from small libraries – the smaller the better! Each of our speakers is from a small library serving fewer than 10,000 people. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
Everyone is welcome to register and attend, regardless of how big or small your library. But, if your library serves a few hundred to a few thousand people, this is the day for you!
Do you have WiFi questions? Sherm has the answers! Join him to learn all about ‘WiFi in the Library’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, February 7, at 10am CT.
On this episode on NCompass Live, the Nebraska Library Commission’s Library Technology Support Specialist, Andrew ‘Sherm’ Sherman, will cover:
The current standards of WiFi technology
What WiFi standards and equipment libraries should be utilizing
The pros and cons of the different WiFi configurations in a library environment
The assistance Sherm can provide to libraries with their WiFi and other technology needs
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
Feb. 14 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
Feb. 21 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
Feb. 28 – Pretty Sweet Tech
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
The full schedule for the 2024 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference is now available!
You will find all the details on the Schedule page. Information about our presenters is available on the Speakers page.
If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to jump over to the Registration page and sign up!
You are welcome to watch as an
individual or to host a group viewing of the conference. If several staff
members from the same library want to attend, you can just register for one
seat and have staff members view/listen together via one workstation.
You can also host a viewing party this same way and invite staff from other libraries. For any group viewings, if you know who will be there, you can list your Additional Attendees on your one registration or you can send us a list after the event. Be sure to take all necessary health and safety precautions into account when planning group viewings.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024 will be held on Friday, February 23, 2024 between 8:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (CT) via the GoTo Webinar online meeting service.
Hear about the ‘Best New Teen Reads of 2023’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, January 24, 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 and Dana Fontaine, Librarian, Fremont High School.
Feb. 14 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
Feb. 21 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
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.
The E-rate Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2024 opened today at noon EST and will close on Wednesday, March 27 at 11:59 pm EDT. You may now log on to the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) and file your FCC Form 471 for FY2024.
This makes Wednesday, February 28, 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!
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.
Have you wondered if your library’s website needs some work? How do you decide that, without being subjective? How do you know what to measure, or how to measure it?
Learn about ‘Auditing Library Websites’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, January 17 at 10am CT.
There are many current standards for content, images, navigation, usability, and more that can be readily applied to your website, allowing for a more objective analysis of what you currently have. A website audit can provide a valuable framework, especially before beginning a full or even partial redesign of your library’s site. Learn about data-based principles that can guide your future work and discover some tools that can provide concrete specifics for elements that may need attention.
Presenter: Laura Solomon, MCIW, MLS is the Library Services Manager for the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN). She has been doing web development and design for more than twenty years, in both public libraries and as an independent consultant. She specializes in developing with Drupal. She is a 2010 Library Journal Mover & Shaker. She’s written three books about social media and content marketing, specifically for libraries, and speaks nationally on both these and technology-related topics. As a former children’s librarian, she enjoys bringing the “fun of technology” to audiences and in giving libraries the tools they need to better serve the virtual customer.
Feb. 14 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
Feb. 21 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
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.
Join us for next week’s NCompass Live webinar, where you will ‘Meet the NLC’, on Wednesday, January 10 at 10am CT.
To kick off 2024, we will introduce you to the people and departments of the Nebraska Library Commission.
In Part 2, you will meet Christa Porter, Library Development Director; Tessa Terry, Communications Coordinator; Gabe Kramer, Talking Book & Braille Service Director; and Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
Jan. 17, 2024 – Auditing Library Websites
Jan. 24, 2024 – Best New Teen Reads of 2023
Jan. 31, 2024 – Pretty Sweet Tech
Feb. 14, 2024 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
Feb. 21, 2024 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
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.
Join us for the first NCompass Live webinar of 2024, where you will ‘Meet the NLC’, on Wednesday, January 3 at 10am CT.
To kick off 2024, we will introduce you to the people and departments of the Nebraska Library Commission.
In Part 1, you will meet Rod Wagner, Library Commission Director; Vern Buis, Computer Services Director; Lisa Kelly, Information Services Director; and Mary Sauers, Government Information Services Librarian.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
Jan. 10, 2024 – Meet the NLC, Part 2
Jan. 17, 2024 – Auditing Library Websites
Jan. 24, 2024 – Best New Teen Reads of 2023
Jan. 31, 2024 – Pretty Sweet Tech
Feb. 14, 2024 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
Feb. 21, 2024 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
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.
That’s right, you heard it here first, the Tech Kits Through the Mail service has some new tech kits available! Learn all about them on next week’s ‘Pretty Sweet Tech’ NCompass Live webinar, on Wednesday, December 27 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.
For anyone new to the Tech Kits, the Nebraska Library Commission circulates drones, robotics, circuit kits, virtual reality headsets, and more! The kits are designed to introduce communities to the Industry 4.0 technologies that are changing the way we all live, work and interact with one another. Attend this session to:
Learn about the newly added kits.
Explore updated resources & activities.
Learn how the service works.
Explore practical ways Industry 4.0 tech is being used to solve real problems.
I hope to see you there as you follow the tech kit saga! If you’re not in Nebraska, you can still access the supplementary resources, and gather ideas for which tech kits you want in your own library!
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
Jan. 3, 2024 – Meet the NLC, Part 1
Jan. 10, 2024 – Meet the NLC, Part 2
Jan. 17, 2024 – Auditing Library Websites
Jan. 24, 2024 – Best New Teen Reads of 2023
Jan. 31, 2024 – Pretty Sweet Tech
Feb. 14, 2024 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
Feb. 21, 2024 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
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.
American Library Association’s Games and Gaming Round TableNational Gaming Survey
To improve relationships between libraries and vendors, gain donations and sponsorships for ALA Play and International Games Day, and grow collaborations with industry partners, the executive board of the Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) has created a short survey to collect data related to games in libraries:
This short (10 question) survey will not only help with publisher relationships but will help GameRT understand the evolving nature of games in libraries. If your library does not collect or use games, we still ask that you take the survey to help us gain a better understanding of the field. Contact information will only be used to follow up for clarifications. Non-anonymized data will be kept separate and retained for a maximum of one year.
If you have any questions before or after taking this survey, please contact the GameRT executive board at gamert@ala.org
The FCC Form 471 Application Filing Window for Funding Year 2024 will open on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at noon EST and close on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 11:59:59 EDT. You can read the USAC announcement for full details.
To prepare for the window opening:
If you haven’t already done so, file your FCC Form 470 now! You do not have to wait for the Form 471 window to open.
To file your FCC Form 470, log into the E-Rate Productivity Center (EPC). You must wait 28 days after your FCC Form 470 is posted to the USAC website before you can close your competitive bidding process, select a service provider, sign a contract (if applicable), and submit an FCC Form 471. If you issue an RFP after the FCC Form 470 is posted, you must wait 28 days from the release of the RFP to select a service provider.
Wednesday, February 28, 2024 is the deadline to post your FCC Form 470 to the USAC website or issue an RFP and still complete all of these actions before the window closes.
Update Your EPC Profile During the Administrative Window – Update your EPC profile by January 12, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Review your EPC profile and confirm all of your information is accurate including your organization’s name, address, and other details. Your profile is currently unlocked and available for you to insert any further updates, but will be locked again before the 471 Filing Window opens. Libraries should confirm their square footage, main branch, and public school district of the main branch information is correct and that any bookmobiles or kiosks are included. View the EPC Administrative Window webinar slides to learn more.
Please contact Christa Porter , Nebraska State E-rate Coordinator for Public Libraries, if you have any questions or need any assistance submitting your E-rate forms.
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.
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 2024 E-rate application.
If you have any questions or need any assistance with your E-rate forms, visit the NLC E-rate webpage or please contact Christa Porter, 800-307-2665, 402-471-3107.
Applications for the 2024 Association for Rural & Small Libraries/Penguin Random House Grants for Rural & Small Libraries are open!
Through the generosity of Penguin Random House, ARSL is pleased to announce this grant opportunity for small, rural libraries nationwide! This grant is available to libraries that meet both the IMLS definition for small libraries (a service population of 25,000 or fewer) and the definition for rural libraries (libraries located 5 or more miles from the nearest town of 25k or more).
Applicants may request:
One (1) monetary grant in support of a community-oriented project for up to $1,000. or An in-kind grant donation of up to $1,000 in equivalent value to support a circulating collection in your library.
Deadline for applications is December 15, 2023.
Notifications of funding decision will be sent to applicants by March 8, 2024. Funded projects must be completed by December 31, 2024. Project reports must be submitted by February 1, 2025.
The program will award grants to libraries that demonstrate a true need. Monetary grants are not limited to literacy and may be used for everything from library programming and books to resources like hotspots that help community members access important information. Library seeking support for digital collections should request a monetary grant.
