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A History of the Census in the United States : Part 1
The First Census: Census Day was August 2, 1790.
Authorizing Legislation
The first census began more than a year after the inauguration of President Washington and shortly before the second session of the first Congress ended. Congress assigned responsibility for the 1790 census to the marshals of the U.S. judicial districts under an act which, with minor modifications and extensions, governed census taking through 1840. The law required that every household be visited, that completed census schedules be posted in “two of the most public places within [each jurisdiction], there to remain for the inspection of all concerned…” and that “the aggregate amount of each description of persons” for every district be transmitted to the president.
Enumeration
The six inquiries in 1790 called for the name of the head of the family and the number of persons in each household of the following descriptions:
- Free White males of 16 years and upward (to assess the country’s industrial and military potential)
- Free White males under 16 years
- Free White females
- All other free persons
- Slaves
Under the general direction of Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of State, marshals took the census in the original 13 States, plus the districts of Kentucky, Maine, and Vermont, and the Southwest Territory (Tennessee).
Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson expressed skepticism over the final count, expecting a number that exceeded the 3.9 million inhabitants counted in the census.
Further Information
- A wide variety of historical statistics from this and other decades is available in Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970. It is available as a PDF [74.4MB] or 2-part ZIP file: Part I [52.2MB] | Part II [66.1MB].
- Publications and population statistics from the 1790 census
- History and Growth of the United States Census: 1790-1890 [PDF 117MB], by Carroll D. Wright and William C. Hunt
Information provided from Census.gov.
Throwback Thursday: Castelar School
This week’s #ThrowbackThursday takes a look at Nebraska education!
This black and white photograph shows students and teachers in front of Castelar School. Located at 18th and Castelar streets in Omaha, the school was opened in 1912. It served students from kindergarten through 8th grade.
The building pictured replaced the original structure in 1885 in the same location. The building went through multiple renovations. It was closed during the 1980s, remodeled and reopened in 1999. Currently, the school serves a new generation of South Omaha students.
This image is owned by the Educational Research Library and is part of the Omaha Public School Archive Collection.
Want to see more Nebraska-related materials? Visit 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.
E-rate Story
Special thanks to those public librarians who recently completed our technology and E-rate survey. As of today, we have received over 200 responses. While we are working on analyzing the results, here’s a little 2 minute video (see below), with special thanks to the Pawnee City Public Library. FREE tools were used to create this video using Adobe Spark. If you are interested in learning more about E-rate, consider attending one of the upcoming workshops:
October 21, 2019 – Columbus (Central Community College)
October 28, 2019 – Grand Island Public Library
November 5 – Online via GoToWebinar
The video has sound, so make sure to turn yours on. Here you go:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZr3hWzA3ME&w=560&h=315]
Throwback Thursday: Taking it Easy
Take it easy, it’s #ThrowbackThursday!
This black and white photograph was taken by John Nelson during the early 1900s. Nelson’s photographs tell the story of small town life in Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century. His subjects included local businesses, community activities, and early automobiles.
This photo is published and owned by History Nebraska.
Interested in Nebraska history? Check out Nebraska Memories for more Nebraska-related 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. 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.
Throwback Thursday: Nebraska in the fall
“Have you ever been in Nebraska in the fall?”
Fall is officially here and we thought this piece of sheet music would be perfect for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday! “Nebraska in the fall” was written in 1959 by Hazel Dolan of Louisville, Nebraska.
“Have you ever been in Nebraska in the fall?
Down a country road in Nebraska in the fall?
When the autumn leaves have turned to red and gold and flowers in the gardens are lovely to behold!
Have you seen the cornland when Harvest comes along?
Have you heard the blackbird’s farewell song?
Blue skies! Purple haze! Indian summer days!
Best place of all! Nebraska in the fall!”
This piece is provided and owned by the Polley Music Library. Over 250 pieces of Nebraska sheet music are available through the Nebraska Memories databases, as well as concert programs, manuscripts, theatre programs, photographs, and other Nebraska memorabilia which features an element of music. Searchers can also listen to a dozen performances of selections from this music collection performed by local musicians.
Interested in Nebraska history? Check out the Nebraska Memories archive to see more Nebraska-related 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. 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.
Celebrate Nebraska’s 2019 Book Award Winners at November 9th Celebration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 19, 2019
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Terry
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Celebrate Nebraska’s 2019 Book Award Winners at November 9th Celebration
Celebrate Nebraska’s 2019 Book Award winners with author readings and an awards presentation ceremony at the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Celebration of Nebraska Books on November 9th at the History Nebraska’s Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North, in downtown Lincoln. Winners of the 2019 Nebraska Book Awards will be honored and the celebration will include readings by some of the winning authors, designers and illustrators of books with a Nebraska connection published in 2018. And the winners are:
Children’s Picture Book: A is for Astronaut: Blasting Through the Alphabet by Astronaut Clayton Anderson. Illustrated by Scott Brundage. Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Young Adult: Squint by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown. Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Cover/Design/Illustration: Portraits of the Sandhills in Words and Watercolors by Richard Schilling. Publisher: Chinook Wind Books
Fiction: Lost Creed by Alex Kava. Publisher: Prairie Wind Publishing
Fiction Honor: The Sea of Grass: A Family Tale from the American Heartland by Walter R. Echo-Hawk. Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
Nonfiction Environmental History: Flood on the Tracks: Living, Dying, and the Nature of Disaster in the Elkhorn River Basin by Todd M. Kerstetter. Publisher: Texas Tech University Press
Nonfiction Essay: Five Plots by Erica Trabold. Publisher: Seneca Review Books
Nonfiction Local History: Robber’s Cave: Truths, Legends, Recollections by Joel Green. Publisher: Mighty’s Son Publications
Nonfiction Nebraska as a Place: Portraits of the Sandhills in Words and Watercolors by Richard Schilling. Publisher: Chinook Wind Books
Poetry: The Woman in the Moon by Marjorie Saiser. Publisher: The Backwaters Press
Poetry Honor: Where the Waters Take You by Neil Harrison. Publisher: Pinyon Publishing
Poetry Honor: Landscapes, with Horses by Mark Sanders and Charles D. Jones. Publisher: Stephen F. Austin State University Press
The Celebration of Nebraska Books, free and open to the public, will also honor winners of the 2019 Jane Geske and Mildred Bennett awards. The Mildred Bennett Award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering the literary tradition in Nebraska, reminding us of the literary and intellectual heritage that enriches our lives and molds our world. The Jane Geske Award is presented to a Nebraska organization for exceptional contribution to literacy, books, reading, libraries, or literature in Nebraska. It commemorates Geske’s passion for books, and was established in recognition of her contributions to the well-being of the libraries of Nebraska.
The 2019 One Book One Nebraska selection, This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm (W. W. Norton & Company) by Ted Genoways will be featured in a keynote presentation.
The Nebraska Center for the Book Annual Meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m.—just prior to the 2:30-6:30 p.m. Celebration. An awards reception honoring the winning authors, book signings, and introduction of the 2020 One Book One Nebraska book choice will conclude the festivities.
The Celebration of Nebraska Books is sponsored by Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from History Nebraska’s Nebraska History Museum. Humanities Nebraska provides support for One Book One Nebraska. The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”
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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.
Technology and E-rate Survey
NLC is currently collecting data from Nebraska public libraries regarding technology and E-rate. If you have not yet responded to the survey, please take a few minutes (it should take around 5 minutes to complete) to submit your survey response. Your input is essential. Here is a link to the survey:
Posted in General, Library Management, Technology, Uncategorized
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Throwback Thursday: Nebraska State Capitol Building
Check out what we found on the Nebraska Memories archive!
This week’s #ThrowbackThursday features an 8″ x 10″ acetate negative of the Nebraska State Capitol building in 1941.
This photo is provided by Townsend Studio. Townsend Studio has been in continuous operation since it was founded in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1888. It holds a collection of glass plate and acetate negatives of early Lincoln and early residents. Images also include University of Nebraska and high school teams, state governors and Lincoln Mayors.
Interested in Nebraska history? Explore this collection and many more 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.
Throwback Thursday: Men Playing Football
We’re kicking off the day with a little #throwback!
The Huskers take the field this weekend to start the new football season and we thought this black and white postcard would be perfect for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday.
This postcard from the early 1900’s is provided and owned by History Nebraska. History Nebraska digitized content from the John Nelson collection. His photographs tell the story of small town life in Nebraska during the first decades of the twentieth century.
Check out more Nebraska-related materials on the Nebraska Memories archive.
Nebraska Memories is a cooperative project to digitize Nebraska-related historical and cultural heritage materials and make them available to researchers of all ages via the Internet. The Nebraska Memories archive is brought to you by the Nebraska Library Commission. If your institution is interested in participating in Nebraska Memories, see http://nlc.nebraska.gov/nebraskamemories/participation.aspx for more information.
Throwback Thursday: Reading Room
Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!
This week we have a black and white photo of the adult reading room at Kearney Public Library from the early 1900’s. The library building was funded by Carnegie and completed in 1904.
This photo is provided and owned by the Nebraska Library Commission.
Interested in Nebraska history? Explore this collection and many more 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.
Throwback Thursday: Orpheum Theatre
Check out what we found on the Nebraska Memories archive!
This week’s #ThrowbackThursday features a 3-5/8″ x 4-3/4″ black and white acetate negative of the Orpheum Theatre in 1940.
This photo is part of the William Wentworth Collection provided by The Durham Museum. The collection consists of 4663 negatives of images that document life in Omaha, Nebraska from 1934 to 1950. William Wentworth worked as both a freelancer and a commercial photographer, providing a unique view of architecture, businesses, and community life in Omaha.
Check out this collection and many more 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.
The 2020 Census : Confidentiality, in English and Spanish
When you trust the Census Bureau with your information, their goal — and legal duty — is to keep it safe. Their mission is to serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy. They couldn’t produce this information without you.
Their privacy principles guide their actions so that they respect your privacy and
protect your confidentiality.
• They do not identify individuals in the data
• They can only publish statistics.
• Their Disclosure Review Board verifies that any data product
we release meets our confidentiality standards.
From the beginning of the data collection process through the final storage of
information, they protect your data following industry best practices and federal
requirements. They use data encryption and two forms of authentication to secure
system access. The security of their systems is a top priority and they continually refine
their approach to address emerging threats.
The information bulletin below is available in English and Spanish, and can be printed out as a handout or a poster.
2020 Census : Four Ways to Respond
There are changes to the 2020 Census that will make it easier than ever for everyone to respond. The information bulletin below gives the 4 ways people can answer the Census questions, and can be printed out as a handout or a poster.
2020 Census : Counting Young Children, What You Need to Know
The 2020 Census: Counting everyone once, only once, and in the right place.
An estimated 5% of kids under the age of 5 weren’t counted in the 2010 Census. That’s about 1 million young children, the highest of any age group. We need your help closing this gap in the 2020 Census. The information bulletin below tells us what research has discovered about why young children are missed and what you can do to help make sure they are counted. The information bulletin can be printed out as a handout, or as a poster:
Census 101 : What You Need to Know, in English and Spanish
The 2020 Census is closer than you think! Here’s a quick refresher of what it is and why it’s essential everyone is counted.
¡El censo del 2020 está más cerca de lo que piensas! A continuación te damos un
rápido repaso de lo que es y por qué es esencial que todos seamos contados
The information page below can be printed out as a handout or a poster:
Economic Census : What’s New For 2017 Data
The published data from the 2017 Economic Census will reflect many changes from the data that was published in the 2012 Economic Census. These changes mirror the ever-changing U.S. economy, communities, and data user needs. Below is a summary of these key changes and links to more information.
For a list of the data products for the 2017 Economic Census, see the high-level release schedule at: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/economic-census/about/release-schedules.html
Geographic Areas
The 2017 Economic Census will publish data to reflect the ever changing geographic areas as of January 2017. Reference materials that highlight the changes from the 2012 Economic Census will be provided on this site, including maps and documents that highlight the changes to:
- Metro Areas – the Core Based Statistical Areas in 15 states had some type of change
- Counties – Alaska, South Dakota, and Virginia had changes to 1 or more counties
- Economic Places – every state had places with area gain, loss, and/or code or name changes. There are 442 new Economic Places being recognized and 171 places that are being dropped for 2017, primarily due to population decline
NAICS
The 2017 Economic Census will be the first Census program to publish data on the 2017 North American Industry Classification System. 6 of the 18 sectors covered by the Economic Census will see changes to the codes published. These changes include:
- One-to-one recodes – industries with no content change but with a code change
- Many-to-one combinations – 2012 NAICS codes that were combined to form a new 2017 code
- Many-to-many combinations – 2 or more 2017 codes that were created from parts of 2 or more 2012 codes
NAPCS
A key offering from the Economic Census are the detailed Product Lines data, which provides a more detailed breakout of the products made and sold and services provided by businesses. These data from the 2012 Economic Census were provided in separate data tables by sector that provided different information. For the 2017 Economic Census, these data are being consolidated and reformatted following the new North American Product Classification System.
Other Changes
The data products from the 2017 Economic Census will include a number of structural and content changes. These include:
- The new “First Look” report – this new report will feature data not available in the initial “Advance Report” release in prior Economic Censuses.
- Consolidated “Size” reports – These data tables which provide detailed breakouts based on the employment and sales/revenue size of establishments or firms were published in separate and disparate tables by sector. For 2017, these tables are being consolidated and standardized across sectors.
- Added and dropped Miscellaneous Subjects reports – 38 tables from the 2012 Economic Census are being dropped, and 7 new tables are being added. Also, the tables showing data by Class of Customer, Enterprise Support, and Exported Services are similarly being consolidated.
- New disclosure rules – In prior Economic Censuses, the number of establishments was published even when the other statistics for an industry and geography were withheld due to disclosure. For 2017, new privacy rules will result in the establishment count being suppressed when less than 3 or when the other statistics are suppressed.
- Local areas published by sector – Place-level data will no longer be available for the Manufacturing sector and the NAICS and geographic levels published for other sectors may be adjusted based on data quality and privacy issues.
- New data.census.gov platform – the data tables from the 2017 Economic Census will be published on this new dissemination platform. Historical data from the 2012 Economic Census will continue to be available on American FactFinder under they are migrated to the new platform.
Throwback Thursday
School is right around the corner!
As students across the state get ready for the new school year, we thought this throwback to 1970 would be perfect for this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!
This 10″ x 8″ black and white photograph comes from the Nebraska Wesleyan University, Cochrane-Woods Library collection on the Nebraska Memories archive. The collection consists of mainly exterior shots of individual buildings, along with several views of the campus layout as it evolved from 1891 through the 1970s.
Interested in Nebraska history? Check out 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.
Support local bookstores in August with the 2019 Bookwalk, a Nebraska Book Festival event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 31, 2019
CONTACT:
Rosemary Sekora
Book Festival Coordinator
Publicity Manager
University of Nebraska Press
rsekora@unl.edu / 402.472.7710
Support local bookstores in August with the 2019 Bookwalk, a Nebraska Book Festival event
Lincoln, NE – Beginning August 1, support your local Lincoln bookstores with the Bookwalk!
Throughout the month of August visit participating bookstores, receive a specialty bookmark, and get your bookmark hole-punched when you visit the Lincoln bookstores. Then take your completed bookmark to Zipline Brewery on Sept. 6 to receive happy hour pricing.
At 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 at Zipline Brewery the book festival will host a literary quiz to Bookwalkers. Entry and participation is free!
A list of participating bookstores is below. Please see the Facebook event for more information or the Nebraska Book Festival website. The inaugural 2019 Bookwalk is sponsored by the Nebraska Book Festival.
Badgers Bookstore
4730 Cooper Ave, Lincoln, NE 68506
Bluestem Books
137 S 9th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
UNL Campus Store
1500 S St, Lincoln, NE 68508
Francie & Finch Bookshop
130 S 13th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
Indigo Bridge Books
701 P St #102, Lincoln, NE 68508
A Novel Idea Bookstore
118 N 14th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
Trade-A-Tape Comic Center
145 S 9th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
University of Nebraska Press Pop-Up Bookstores
8/3/19 – 11:00AM-2:00PM – White Elm Brewing Co. (720 Van Dorn St.)
8/28/19 – 10:00AM-2:00PM – The Mill Coffee & Bistro at Nebraska Innovation Campus
Zipline Brewing Co. PUB. Library
2100 Magnum Cir #1, Lincoln, NE 68522
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The Nebraska Book Festival, taking place on Sept. 7 in UNL’s city campus union, is held to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors and to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. By gathering together contemporary writing talent of our state and surrounding areas, the festival provides an opportunity for participants to cultivate an understanding of our history, culture and community. Support for the Nebraska Book Festival comes from Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln City Libraries, Friends of the University of Nebraska Press, and Union Bank.
Throwback Thursday: Stinard Falls
Happy #ThrowbackThursday from Nebraska Memories!
This week we have a 14 x 9 cm color postcard of Stinard Falls near Valentine, Nebraska.
This photo is provided by Omaha Public Library. The items from Omaha Public Library in Nebraska Memories include early Omaha-related maps dating back from 1825 to 1922, as well as over 1,100 postcards and photographs in the Omaha area. The Omaha Postcard Collections show scenes of Omaha, spanning a time period from the 1890s to the 1920s.
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.
Throwback Thursday
It’s off to the races with this week’s #ThrowbackThursday!
This 3″ x 5″ acetate negative photograph is owned by the Thorpe Opera House Foundation. It is part of the Boston Studio Project collection.
Want to see more of Nebraska’s history? Check out 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.
