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Author Archives: Mary Sauers
25th Annual Data Users Conference
The Center for Public Affairs Research has announced that the date for the 25th Annual Data Users Conference is TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014. More information about the agenda and registration will be available soon.
CPAR is a research and community outreach unit of the UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service. Survey research support is a key component of CPAR’s mission. CPAR is also the lead agency for the Nebraska State Data Center (NSDC) Program. This program is a cooperative program between the U.S. Census Bureau and individual states, and has resulted in CPAR taking an active role in analyzing and disseminating information from the 2010 Census.
The State Data Center (SDC) Program is one of the Census Bureau’s longest and most successful partnerships. It is a cooperative program between the states and the Census Bureau that was created in 1978 to make data available locally to the public through a network of state agencies, universities, libraries, and regional and local governments. The SDCs and their networks are official sources of demographic, economic, and social statistics produced by the Census Bureau.
The NSDC network includes 4 coordinating agencies and 20 affiliate agencies located throughout the state. Download the list of NSDC Affiliates, including phone and email contact information to find an affiliate in your area
The NSDC makes data accessible to state, regional, local and tribal governments, and non-governmental data users at no charge or on a cost-recovery or reimbursable basis as appropriate.
Grant Money Available for Transporting Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
The Nebraska Department of Roads has announced funds are now available to private nonprofit organizations and governmental entities for transportation needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities for whom mass transportation services are unavailable, insufficient or inappropriate. Eligible applicants include private nonprofit organizations incorporated within the state and governmental entities. Governmental entities must certify that there are no nonprofit agencies in the service area readily able to provide the service.
The Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5310 program is a Federal Capital Grant program that requires a local match and is managed by the Department of Roads. The program is designed to provide assistance for purchase of vehicles and related equipment. Applicants may also request funding for operating assistance, purchase of service, and technology.
For further information and to request application forms, contact Wayne Masek at (402) 479-4369 or Kari Ruse at (402) 479-4694, Rail and Public Transportation Division, P.O. Box 94759, Lincoln, NE 68509-4759.
Requests for application forms must be received by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2014.
Doc Spot: Disaster Loans from the Small Business Administration
Did you know that the SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and most private nonprofit organizations? SBA disaster loans can be used to repair or replace the following items damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster: real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, and inventory and business assets.
To find out more, and to apply for a loan, visit SBA.gov Disaster Loans
GRANTS.GOV WEBINAR
GRANTS.GOV is the Federal Government’s online portal where all 26 Federal grant-making agencies go to post their grant funding opportunities and where applicants go to find and apply for those opportunities. There are three key areas with which applicants must become familiar: the registration process, how to find funding opportunities that match interests, and how to apply for those opportunities.
A FREE live Webinar, Everything You Want to Know about GRANTS.GOV, from the U.S. Census Bureau, will be offered Wednesday, June 25, 2014.
Register for “Everything You Want to Know about GRANTS.GOV“.
- Start Time: 1:00 pm Eastern Time (12:00 Central)
- Duration: 1 hour
Registration is required. Space is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Upon registering, an email confirmation of registration will include instructions for joining the webinar.
**ATTENTION! A special note for registrants with mail filters – especially Federal and military agencies**
Upon registration, you should almost immediately receive an email from our eLearning system. If you do not receive that email, it may be that security settings, firewalls, or spam filters prevent the transmission of this and other important notifications from the webinar system. Please notify GPO at FDLPOutreach@gpo.gov if you do not receive a registration confirmation in your email.
Registration confirmations for the webinar will be sent from sqldba@icohere.com. To ensure delivery of registration confirmations, registrants should configure junk mail or spam filter(s) to permit messages from that email address.
VA Fry Scholarship for Surviving Family Members
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and TAPS (www.taps.org) recently started working together to ensure surviving family members are connected to their VA benefits. This includes the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry scholarship (http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/docs/factsheets/fry_scholarship.pdf), which provides Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to children of Service members who died in the line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001. The benefit includes full in-state tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and a books and supplies stipend.
By working with non-profit organizations like TAPS helps us stay connected and ensure all eligible dependents know – and use – the Fry Scholarship, hosting economic competitiveness summits across the country, and launching new online employment tools, we continue to work hard to connect transitioning Servicemembers, Veterans and their family members with meaningful employment and rewarding careers.
Additional information can also be found at, http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/14212/program-works-with-va-to-support-family-members/.
SBA Launches Accelerator Competition to Award $2.5 Million for Small Business Startups
The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that the SBA is launching a $2.5 million competition for accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models to compete for monetary prizes of $50,000 each. To award the prizes, an expert panel of judges will consider each applicant’s stated mission, founding team members and business goals among other core components. The deadline for applying is August 2, 2014.
The panel will give particular attention to, and the SBA encourages, applicants that fill geographic gaps in the accelerator and entrepreneurial ecosystem space. It is well known that the most successful accelerators to date were founded on the coasts. Through this competition, we are looking to support the development of accelerators and thus startups in parts of the country where there are fewer conventional sources of access to capital (i.e., venture capital and other investors).
In addition to accelerators which fill the gaps described above, we are also seeking accelerators which are run by and support women or other underrepresented groups. Lastly, special consideration will be given to any accelerator models which support manufacturing.
For the purposes of this competition, Growth Accelerators include accelerators, incubators, co-working startup communities, shared tinker-spaces or other models to accomplish similar goals.
Over the coming months, SBA will be working with a number of partners such as the Global Accelerator Network (GAN) and others to host a number of Demo Days across the country. Demo Days provide opportunities for networking and the sharing of best practices among accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models. The first Demo Day of 2014 was held in Austin, Texas at the Capital Factory and concurrent with the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival. Thirteen accelerators across multiple industries and geographies gave five minute pitches to a room full of their peers. SBA is working to develop more of these events to happen in different cities around the country in 2014. Finalists in the competition will also be participating in a Demo Day remotely, thus there is no requirement for applicants to participate in the in-person events.
To apply visit sba.gov or challenge.gov. For additional questions, contact accelerators@sba.gov.
New Government Publications Received at the Library Commission
State government publications ranging from Administrative Services to Nebraska Press, received March and April, 2014.
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/archives/WhatsUpDoc/WUDMarApril2014.pdf
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Health Happens in Libraries: New Resources from WebJunction
Here are the newest resources to support your library’s efforts in connecting patrons with Affordable Care Act and other health information needs!
- Registration is now open for the May 28 webinar from the Health Happens in Libraries team focused on Technology Planning for eHealth (2 PM ET/11 AM PT). You can learn more and register here. We look forward to learning together about how public libraries can leverage their technology infrastructure to better serve the health information needs of patrons!
- Enroll America is hosting a webinar on April 23 on Shifting Gears: The Enrollment Landscape Post-March 31 (2 PM ET/11 AM PT). Learn more and register to join this timely conversation here.
The Health Happens in Libraries team has organized content to support libraries as they continue to help patrons Navigate the Marketplace. Although the official open enrollment period to sign-up for individual healthcare coverage through the Marketplace has ended, libraries can use these resources throughout the year to plan for future enrollment periods, connect with local partners, and to help patrons who may be eligible for special enrollment circumstances.
Webinar Watch: Older. Wiser. Want to start a Business?
Want to start a business and be your own boss? Be a ‘Boomer-preneur’. Free how-to webinar for 50+ entrepreneurs April 24, 2:00 – 3:00 PST.
Small business ownership is an attractive option for many baby boomers who want to do something they care about, are good at and enjoy. And entrepreneurship can be a way to turn a hobby or passion into additional income.
You’re ready for a new challenge …..….. and thinking about starting your own business. There is no time like the present, and now could be YOUR time!
- Find out what it takes to get started, and if owning a business is for you.
- Hear successful over-50 business owners tell how they got their business off the ground.
- Connect with free one-on-one face-to-face counseling to help you get started.
It’s free, but registration is required here: http://over-50nevada.eventbrite.com or call 775-827-4923
To Join the Webinar: 1-888-858-2144 Access Code: 7039554
ALSO: Log on to the website: https://www.teleconference.att.com/servlet/ATTClogin to view the presentation.
Webinar Watch: U.S. Geological Survey Library Access & Outreach
A live training Webinar, “U.S. Geological Survey Library: Access & Outreach” will be offered Wednesday, May 21, 2014.
Register today for “U.S. Geological Survey Library: Access & Outreach.”
- Start Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Speaker: Emily Wild
- Summary: The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Libraries Program provides access to geoscience print and online information sources, as well as instruction on finding and using the geoscience information. Learn how to find and use USGS publication and data sources available from USGS mission areas, programs, and projects. Highlights include: maps, reports, imagery, datasets, and applications.
Registration is required. Space is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Upon registering, an e-mail confirmation of registration will include instructions for joining the Webinar.
Registration confirmations for the Webinar will be sent from sqldba @icohere.com. To ensure delivery of registration confirmations, registrants should configure junk mail or spam filter(s) to permit messages from that email address.
Posted in What's Up Doc / Govdocs
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“April showers bring May flowers…”
…or so the saying goes. This Spring’s roller-coaster weather aside, it is always a pleasure to enjoy the many beautiful flowers that nature provides us. This is as true now as it was in years past. For example, if you search “flowers” in Nebraska Memories, you will find many photographs of flowers used in public parks and home gardens,
weddings and funerals,
parades,
and of course, hats!
So if you like flowers, have some fun discovering other pictures from the past like the ones above. Visit Nebraska Memories to search for or browse through many more historical images digitized from photographs, negatives, postcards, maps, lantern slides, books and other materials.
Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. Nebraska Memories is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information, or contact Beth Goble, Historical Projects Librarian, or Devra Dragos, Technology & Access Services Director.
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Doc Spot: FRED
Short for Federal Reserve Economic Data, FRED is an online database consisting of thousands of economic data time series from national, international, public, and private sources. Created and maintained by the Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED goes far beyond simply providing data: It combines data with a powerful mix of tools, new and old, that help the user understand, interact with, display, and disseminate the data.
For example, FRED now features new graphs. They are visually more appealing, and also have new capabilities. Users can share graphs easily, embed a graph into a blog, and also now create stacked graphs. If you are interested in seeing it in action, here’s an example of a stacked graph of the components of GDP (GDP = Consumption + Investment + Government + Net Exports).
FRED also has user dashboards. When a user creates an account in FRED, s/he may also create a dashboard of personally selected data. Users can create multiple dashboards, and they may be open to the public or kept private. US Economic Indicators is an example of a public dashboard.
Last, but not least, FRED now has a blog. It will have posts about twice a week, and will highlight interesting data and FRED graph features. It’s a great way to keep up on the latest features and data in FRED.
If you haven’t visited FRED recently (or ever), go take a look–you’ll be glad you did!
Free webinar “New Additions: The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications & Related Service Enhancements” now open for registration
Register today for the live training webinar “New Additions: The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications & Related Service Enhancements” which will be offered on Thursday, April 10, 2014.
- Start Time: 1:00 p.m. Central Time/Noon, Mountain Time
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Summary: Attendees will be guided through a tour of the latest additions and enhancements to the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. The New Titles feature, FDLP eBooks, and GPO’s MetaLib will all be explored.
Registration is required. Space is limited on a first-come, first-served basis. Upon registering, an e-mail confirmation of registration will include instructions for joining the Webinar.
Registration confirmations for the Webinar will be sent from <sqldba@ icohere.com>. To ensure delivery of registration confirmations, registrants should configure junk mail or spam filter(s) to permit messages from that email address
New Government E-Books Available
New government e-books are available on the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications website. While you’re there, be sure to check out other government titles available online.
Featuring the Film: How Book Adaptations Get Patrons Reading
“For many readers, news that their favorite book will be adapted to film can be thrilling. Films bring the words to life, create new worlds and transform beloved characters into living, breathing flesh and blood. Films make us see these books in new ways, especially when artistic license is taken in condensing and enlivening long books into neat, two-hour packages.
And yet… how often have we heard friends lament, or complain ourselves: the book was better! Sure, films are great, but they don’t offer the same inclusion of the book. Watching a film, the viewer is merely an observer, and doesn’t feel everything the character feels, as you would when reading the book. There are no limits, no restrictions, no computer-generated-images trying to suspend your disbelief.
However, what most people don’t understand is that the standoff between books and film is like trying to decide if chocolate bars or chocolate ice cream is better. They are two completely different mediums, and should be experienced differently, with different expectations. Once we settle on the fact that there is no reason to qualify one over the other, films can become a terrific resource for programs intent on the celebration of reading!
Film screening tie-ins are a wonderful addition to any community or all campus reads programming. Indeed, being introduced to the film first often encourages readers to pick up the book, enriches book discussions, and motivates reluctant readers to turn out. ” (Reprinted from Books in Common–http://www.booksincommon.org)
To get you started with some book-to-film ideas, here are a few titles available from the Book Club Kits at the Nebraska Library Commission:
National Archives to release more Clinton records
The National Archives plans to make public another 4,000 pages of documents from the Clinton White House on Friday, including previously unreleased records related to Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign and the 2000 recount in Florida.
The Clinton Presidential Library intends to make a second batch of records available to the public, part of about 30,000 pages of documents expected to be released from Bill Clinton’s administration in the coming weeks. The records have been highly anticipated as former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton considers a 2016 presidential campaign.
The National Archives said Friday’s installment will include a variety of topics, including the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, papers from health care adviser Ira Magaziner, the transition to the presidency of George W. Bush and records related to terrorism, including the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996.
The archives said other topics would include British Prime Minister Tony Blair, disability rights and documents from several presidential speechwriters.
The former secretary of state’s potential White House campaign has sparked interest in memos and records from her husband’s administration during the 1990s along with her work in public service. Clinton, a former New York senator, is the leading Democratic contender to succeed President Barack Obama should she seek the presidency again.
A first wave of documents released in February provided insight into the Clinton administration’s concern over the failed health care overhaul plan, which Hillary Clinton helped lead, and showed how advisers to the first lady tried to shape her public image. Magaziner was a top Clinton adviser during the health care effort so the new documents could offer more insights into that period.
The papers may also reveal details on the twilight of the Clinton administration, as Gore sought the presidency but ultimately lost to Bush despite winning the popular vote. The records could provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the White House viewed the recount saga in Florida and the abbreviated transition that took place before Bush’s inauguration.
Another topic of interest will involve records related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which established an assassination records review board during the Clinton administration to carry out release of records.
About 5 million pages of documents from the Kennedy assassination have been released thus far and all records are to be released by 2017, with some exceptions.
The Clinton records were previously withheld by the National Archives because they were exempt from disclosure under restrictions related to appointments to federal office and confidential advice among the president and his advisers.
Once the restrictions expired in January 2013, the National Archives notified Obama and Clinton’s offices that they intended to release the records so both offices could decide whether to invoke executive privilege on some records. Both offices recently signed off on the release of the documents.
For this story and much more, visit The National Archives.
Reprinted from The AP/Washington Post .
Small Business Administration Grants Available
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that it will award grants to state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, colleges and universities to support programs for innovative, technology-driven small businesses under SBA’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) partnership program. Applications for the grants are open now through April 11.
The FAST Program is designed to stimulate economic development among small, high technology businesses through federally-funded innovation and research and development programs like the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR). The project and budget periods are for a 12-month period.
FAST may provide up to $100,000 per award to pay for outreach and technical assistance to science and technology-driven small businesses. The program places particular emphasis on helping socially and economically disadvantaged firms compete in the SBA’s SBIR and STTR programs.
FAST funding awardees must demonstrate in their proposals how they will help support areas such as:
- small business research and development assistance,
- technology transfer from universities to small businesses,
- technological diffusion of innovation benefiting small businesses,
- proposal development and mentoring for small businesses applying for SBIR grants; and,
- commercializing technology developed through SBIR grants.
Proposals will be considered from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. Only one proposal per state may be submitted. Proposals must be submitted to http://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m on April 11.
Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of SBIR program managers. The SBA, the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation will jointly review the panel’s recommendations and make awards based on proposal merit. The grant requires varying levels of matching funds from each participating state and territory.
Companies supported by the SBIR and STTR programs often generate some of the most important breakthroughs each year in the U.S. For example, about 25 percent of R&D Magazine’s Top 100 Innovations come from SBIR-funded small businesses.
For more information about the SBIR and STTR programs, visit SBA’s website at: http://www.sba.gov/about-sba-services/7050.
Government Printing Office Offers Free Ebooks
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is expanding its ebook program to allow free public access to titles in the GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP), a finding tool for federal historical and current publications. About 100 ebooks are now available for download, with new additions each month.
Through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), the GPO distributes certain government documents freely to 1,200 U.S. libraries. The GPO’s expanded ebook program meets the growing needs of the FDLP.
The CGP provides the option to find nearby Federal depository libraries that have specific publications as part of the FDLP and also offers direct links to publications that are online. Topics include the military, agriculture, science, health, and national security.
“Expanding eBooks is another example of GPO’s commitment to serving as the digital information platform for the Federal Government,” says Davita E. Vance-Cooks, public printer of the United States and the GPO’s CEO. “GPO and the library community will continue to work together to provide the public with greater access to Government information in multiple formats.”
Survey of Current Business to be published online only
The monthly Survey of Current Business is Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)’s definitive source of information about its economic accounts. Articles in the Survey present the latest national, international, regional, and industry estimates; describe the methodologies used to prepare the estimates; provide information about major revisions; discuss on-going innovations; and generally keep users up to date on relevant BEA issues and initiatives. Each issue includes numerous tables and charts of various economic estimates. Each issue also includes a message from BEA’s director.
Beginning with the February 2014 issue, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) will discontinue publishing paper copies of the Survey of Current Business. BEA will continue to publish the Survey as a free online publication on its Web site (www.bea.gov). In recent years, usage of the print publication has declined, and budgetary pressures have increased, resulting in the decision to maintain the online publication only.
Sign up for email notifications when each issue of the Survey is available is on www.bea.gov.
Paper copies of SCB issues through February 2014 will continue to be available from the Government Documents collection at the Nebraska Library Commission.
Immigration and Citizenship Information and Resources
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) have recently entered into a partnership to provide immigration and citizenship information and resources to public libraries across the country. This agreement is founded upon the recognition that libraries serve as a vital resource for immigrant communities. Through the partnership, USCIS and IMLS seek to ensure that libraries have the necessary tools to refer their patrons to accurate and reliable sources of information on immigration-related topics.
For a general overview of the agreement and how libraries can get involved, I encourage you to visit the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center where you’ll find a section of the site dedicated to libraries (http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/organizations/libraries). On this page, librarians can find information on upcoming USCIS webinars, download educational resources, register for email alerts, and identify contact information for local USCIS Community Relations Officers who can help facilitate opportunities for further engagement.
