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Category Archives: Library Management
E-rate Form 471 Application Filing Window Opens Today
Get your library’s piece of the E-rate pie!
The Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2021 opens today at noon EST and will close on Thursday, March 25 at 11:59 pm EDT. You may now log on to the E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) and file your FCC Form 471 for FY2021.
This makes Thursday, February 25, 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.
Apply now! Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries
The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers in small and rural communities to apply for Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries.
Up to 450 grants will be awarded in 2021 through ALA’s community engagement funding initiative. Participating libraries will receive training in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to 21st-century librarianship, and receive $3,000 to support community engagement efforts.
Register now for a January 26 pre-application webinar to learn about the application process. The webinar will be recorded. Learn more and apply online by March 4 at ala.org/LTCFocus.
This opportunity is open to libraries serving small and/or rural communities in the U.S. and U.S. territories. The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) defines small communities as those with a legal service area population of 25,000 or less and rural communities as those more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area.
Selected libraries will develop their facilitation skills through online training, host at least one conversation (virtually or in-person) with community members, and receive funds for related community engagement work. Grant funds may cover a range of expenses, including staff time and collections and technology purchases.
Visit ala.org/LTC and apply by March 4.
Questions? Contact ALA’s Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org.
Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries. The initiative is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).
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ARSL Leadership Institute Applications Are Now Open!
From ARSL:
We are excited to announce that applications for ARSL’s pilot leadership institute, Outstanding In Their Field, are officially open! We are looking for 30 outstanding people who are currently working in rural and small libraries to join us for this special professional development opportunity.
Applications will be accepted through February 24th, 2021.
Participants, a.k.a. “Outfielders,” will undertake 18 months of online and in-person interactive sessions.
It’s a BIG commitment, and rewarding! Participants will gain:
- skills and confidence as leaders
- a network of colleagues throughout the country
- experiences at two ARSL conferences
The ARSL Leadership Institute is for accidental library leaders: people who may not have a Masters in Library and Information Science and maybe not even a college degree. They work in a small and/or rural library who are now are ready to grow as leaders. These folks came into the library from various jobs: the cashier at the local Mini-Mart with good customer service skills, the cataloger who worked at the library for 12 years and just became the new library director, or the schoolteacher who ends up running the public library.
They already are informal leaders and are ready for change.
If they don’t find a way to step up as leaders, they may leave libraries. We want to catch them and help them find new ways to be outstanding in the field!
All participant travel, materials, and instructional expenses (worth approximately $8000) are covered by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) . So while there are no monetary costs for participants, they will outlay their time, consistent engagement, and dedication to growing themselves and others as leaders. The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) seeks applicants representing a wide variety of communities and has a commitment to the representation of groups that have been historically marginalized or excluded due to ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, economic background, educational attainment, and age.
E-rate Form 471 FY2021 Application Filing Window Dates Announced
From the USAC website:
FY2021 Application Filing Window Dates Announced
The FCC Form 471 application filing window for Funding Year 2021 will open Friday, January 15, 2021 at noon EST and close at 11:59pm EDT on Thursday, March 25, 2021. 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 don’t need to wait for the 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.
- Thursday, February 25 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 13, 2021, 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 now unlocked and available for you to insert any further updates but will be locked again before the 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.
You can find additional resources and instructions for using the EPC on the USAC website and on the NLC’s E-rate website.
Please contact Christa Porter if you have any questions or need any assistance submitting your E-rate forms.
Call for Speakers: Big Talk From Small Libraries 2021
The Call for Speakers for the 10th annual Big Talk From Small Libraries is now open!
This free one-day online conference is aimed at librarians from small libraries; the smaller the better! We are looking for speakers from small libraries or speakers who directly work with small libraries. Small libraries of all types – public, academic, school, museum, special, etc. – are encouraged to submit a proposal. We’re looking for seven 50-minute presentations and four 10-minute “lightning round” presentations.
Do you offer a service or program at your small library that other librarians might like to hear about? Have you implemented a new (or old) technology, hosted an event, partnered with others in your community, or just done something really cool? The Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference gives you the opportunity to share what you’ve done, while learning what your colleagues in other small libraries are doing.
Here are some possible topics to get you thinking:
- Unique Libraries
- Special Collections
- New buildings
- Fundraising
- Improved Workflows
- Staff Development
- Advocacy Efforts
- Community Partnerships
- That great thing you’re doing at your library!
Submit your proposal by Friday, January 8, 2021.
Speakers from libraries serving fewer than 10,000 people will be preferred, but presentations from libraries with larger service populations will be considered.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2021 will be held on Friday, February 26, 2021 between 8:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (CT) via the GoToWebinar online meeting service. Speakers will present their programs from their own desktops. The schedule will accommodate speakers’ time-zones.
This conference is organized and hosted by the Nebraska Library Commission and is co-sponsored by the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
NCompass Live: Migrating to an Open-Source ILS in an Academic Library
Learn how to celebrate successes and bounce back from problems while ‘Migrating to an Open-Source ILS in an Academic Library’ on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar, on Wednesday, October 21 at 10am CT.
Open source integrated library systems are becoming increasingly popular with academic institutions, a trend that is expected to continue as these systems, including Koha and Folio, mature and become widely available. Their popularity is partially attributable to the increasing costs of proprietary systems and the growing availability of affordable third-party support for those libraries that don’t have the staffing or funding to fully support an open source system. For libraries that are considering migrating to an open source product, we present two examples: the University of Montevallo, which moved from Horizon to Koha in 2018, and Colorado College, which moved from Millennium to Koha in 2020. In this session, we will discuss the preparation of data for migration, the design of the OPAC and the patron experience, the implementation of supported Koha, the process of working with staff and faculty on a major migration, and, of course, communication. By describing the ways in which this process differs across public and private institutions, this session will help librarians to understand the process of migration, the many ways in which migrations can go right, and some ideas of what to do when something inevitably goes wrong.
Presenters: Charissa Brammer, Metadata & Discovery Systems Librarian, and Cate Guenther, Digital Scholarship and Repository Librarian, Tutt Library, Colorado College.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- Oct. 28 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Computers in Libraries 2020 – Greatest Hits
- Nov. 4 – Letters About Literature
- Tues. Nov. 10 – Creating an Open Educational Resource: Grenzenlos Deutsch, German Language Online Curriculum
- Nov. 18 – Summer Reading Program 2021: Tails and Tales
- Nov. 25 – Pretty Sweet Tech
- Dec. 2 – Reading Diversely
- Dec. 9 – Esports and Evidence-Based Connected Learning
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.
Libraries Transforming Communities: A Special Grant Opportunity for Small and Rural Libraries
The American Library Association (ALA) invites libraries in small and rural communities to apply for grant funding to help them address issues of concern in their communities.
Through ‘Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries’, up to 650 U.S. libraries in small and rural communities will receive $3,000 each to tackle issues ranging from media literacy to COVID-19 safety to unemployment. Grants will be awarded in two waves in 2020 and 2021.
Applications will be accepted from Sept. 21 to Dec. 2, 2020 at http://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/focusgrants
Selected libraries will develop their facilitation skills through online training, talk with community members (virtually or in-person) about local needs, and undertake a project that benefits their community. Grant funds may cover a range of expenses, from hotspot purchases to personal protective equipment to staff time to undertake community engagement work.
Grant recipients will also receive a copy of “Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement,” edited by Mary Davis Fournier and Sarah Ostman (ALA Editions, 2020).
Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members – be they library patrons, residents, faculty, students or partner organizations – to address issues for the betterment of the community.
In February, ALA released a set of free professional development materials to help workers in small and rural libraries prepare for and lead discussions and overcome common challenges that arise when people gather to speak in groups. Available materials include:
- “Leading Conversations in Small and Rural Libraries,” a practical 30-page guide that covers the basics of leading discussions in the library, including roles and responsibilities, setting ground rules and managing group dynamics, with a section about leading virtual conversations.
- “Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Training for Small and Rural Libraries,” an e-course available on ALA’s eLearning platform, with a module about leading virtual conversations.
‘Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries’ is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries. The initiative is offered in partnership with the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL). It is supported by a private donor and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Questions? Contact the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office staff at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5045, or publicprograms@ala.org
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NCompass Live: NLC Grants for 2021
Do you have a program or project you would like to see funded? Learn how to apply for the ‘NLC Grants for 2021’ on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, September 23 at 10am CT.
The Nebraska Library Commission has made funding available for grants for 2021: Youth Grants for Excellence, Internship, and Continuing Education & Training. Join Christa Porter, Sally Snyder, and Holli Duggan, from the Nebraska Library Commission’s Library Development Team, as they provide an overview of the grants, including eligibility requirements, the application process and grant review, timelines and deadlines. They will also share some tips on writing effective grants.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- Sept. 30 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Revamping Your WordPress Website
- Oct. 21 – Migrating to an Open-Source ILS in an Academic Library: How to Celebrate Successes and Bounce Back from Problems
- Tues. Nov. 10 – Creating an Open Educational Resource: Grenzenlos Deutsch, German Language Online Curriculum
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.
How Much Do Libraries Benefit the Community?
Did you ever wonder what how valuable libraries are to communities? This week, let’s take a look at some of the basic services libraries provide, and imagine a community where a library (gasp!) doesn’t exist. What would residents have to pay for those services in the absence of the library? Well, those are hard numbers to come up with, as libraries often provide valuable programs and services that are difficult to quantify. However, we have tried, and came up with this summary for the entire state. Many thanks to my colleague, Allana Novotny, for all of her assistance.
To summarize this handout a bit, we looked at the total local government revenue, or cost to taxpayers, and it should be noted that the library data we used is from the most recent annual public library survey, fiscal year 2019. Next, we looked at the population of the service areas of public libraries within the state, which is a bit less than the overall population of Nebraska, because there are some areas that are unserved by a public library. This gave us an annual cost to each taxpayer of $41. Finally, we looked at the number of times that things in the library were used (e.g. books, electronic books, Audiobooks, computers, and Wi-Fi uses) and assigned a conservative value to those things. For instance, if someone didn’t have access to a book and had to purchase it on their own, what would they typically have to pay for it.
It should be noted (as the handout mentions on page 2) that in addition to the things itemized, libraries provide numerous other programs and services that are valuable but difficult to quantify. While the handout lists the number of programs offered and attendees in FY2019, page 2 also lists a number of other things that libraries often provide that are valuable to the community, such as meeting room use, printing services, fax services, homework help, outreach services, makerspace equipment, reference services, magazines, and newspapers.
Regional Library Systems Newsletters
Stay informed with your Regional Library System’s most recent newsletter, or find out what libraries across the state are up to! You can find all archived newsletters on the NLC Regional Library Systems’ Newsletter webpage.
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The Nebraska Regional Library Systems consist of four non-profit corporations governed by boards representative of libraries and citizens in the region. The four systems were established to provide access to improved library services through the cooperation of all types of libraries and media centers within the counties included in each System area. Each system offers a variety of services such as regular newsletters, meetings of library staff, workshops, consulting, and planning reflective of the needs within the region. The systems help the Nebraska Library Commission meet its goals on a more localized level.
Nebraska’s Great Broadband Divide: Living Without High-speed Internet Access
On August 2, 2020 CBS Sunday Morning aired a story called “The Great Broadband Divide: Living Without High-speed Internet Access.” The story is about tens of millions of Americans in rural areas who are unable to obtain broadband internet and illustrates how it hampers business development and people trying to make a living in rural areas across the country. It also puts students at a distinct disadvantage when competing with others who don’t have these limitations, especially in this time of a pandemic.
Broadband is defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as achieving a speed of 25 mega bits per second (Mbps). The highest broadband speed available in the US right now is 2000 Mbps, the average speed is 129 Mbps, and 25 Mbps is what the FCC defines as broadband, which is not very fast, especially when streaming video or downloading/uploading large files. According to the FCC there are 20 – 23 million people in the U.S. without broadband, but Microsoft did a study that showed 162 million Americans lack broadband access. Gigi Sohn, who worked at the FCC during the Obama administration explained that “the FCC says is, if you serve one person in a census block, that means you’re serving everybody in the census block.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-great-broadband-divide-living-without-high-speed-internet-access/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6i&linkId=95801518#app
A new report on the homework gap by Common Sense Media “Closing the K-12 Digital Divide in the Age of Distance Learning,” published in 2020, shows that 29% of Nebraska students, 95,834 of them are lacking adequate high-speed connection. This report also cited that 21%, or 68,888 of all Nebraska students, lack a device to access the internet.
Because the data is not collected at the address-level by student household the measures are elusive, however school districts are being encouraged to collect the data this fall. State Senator Tom Brandt of Plymouth, District 32, who introduced a bill (LB996) https://journalstar.com/legislature/fcc-to-invest-20b-in-rural-broadband-senator-wants-nebraska-to-be-first-in-line/article_6d4b173a-d93c-5da7-84cc-a68369a56736.html to create the Broadband Data Improvement Program, will help Nebraska identify areas without high-speed internet. However, we do have the following information from the U.S. Census – American Community Survey from 2018.
This lack of broadband availability in libraries is a focus of the Library Commission’s “Better Broadband for Nebraska Libraries” initiative. Holly Woldt & Cynthia Nigh, along with other agency team members on the Library Infrastructure Broadband Committee are working towards assisting with discovering, advocating and assisting with obtaining funding and providing information to libraries looking for ways to improve their internet speed.
If you would like to see specific information about your county’s broadband statistics follow this link and select your county.
http://nlc.nebraska.gov/stats/broadband/
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E-rate Adding Multifactor Authentication to Login Process
From the weekly USAC Schools & Libraries Program News Brief:
MFA for EPC Users and BEAR Form Filers Is Coming on July 27
USAC is adding multifactor authentication (MFA) to increase the security of Universal Service Fund (USF) IT applications. MFA is a method of authenticating a computer user during the login process by requiring the user to enter two or more separate pieces of information, such as a password known to the user and a code we generate and send to the user to enter in order to gain access.
Tonight (July 24) starting at 9:00 pm EDT, we will be uploading the necessary software, creating accounts for EPC users and BEAR Form filers in One Portal (our MFA security system), and then testing everything. This work will continue through the weekend. We plan to send out emails notifying you that you can log in to your new One Portal accounts starting on Monday, July 27.
After you log in to One Portal, you will see a dashboard with links to the application(s) you can access (your “entitlements”). For example, if your username in EPC is also the email address you use to file BEAR Forms, you will see links to EPC and the BEAR Form after you log in to One Portal.
Please keep the following in mind:
- Add noreply@usac.org to your safe senders list so that you can receive your verification code.
- We are creating a One Portal account for each unique EPC username or BEAR Form email address. If you use the same email address for both applications, we will create a single One Portal account that will provide access to both.
- For the near term, BEAR Form filers will need to retain their BEAR login information – Billed Entity Number (BEN), Personal Identification Number (PIN), email address, and last name. Your One Portal username will not carry over into the BEAR Form, and you do not need multiple One Portal accounts if you file BEAR Forms for more than one billed entity.
You can refer to previous editions of the SL News Brief for information about MFA: June 26, July 10, and July 17. USAC will send an email on July 27 to all program participants who have new One Portal accounts with information on how to log in to One Portal for the first time.
If you need assistance, you can call the Client Service Bureau (CSB) at (888) 203-8100.
United for Libraries Virtual: Trustees – Friends – Foundations
Registration is now LIVE for “United for Libraries Virtual: Trustees – Friends – Foundations,” August 4-6!
Visit www.ala.org/united/virtual to register.
This interactive three-day virtual event, free for United for Libraries members (including Statewide Group Members), will feature expert speakers on current topics facing library Trustees, Friends, Foundations, and staff who work with them.
- Participate in live Q&A sessions with presenters.
- Network with colleagues across the country in roundtable discussions.
- Enjoy exclusive access to keynote speakers and authors.
- Receive a certificate of attendance (for live participation or on-demand viewing).
- Access the recorded programs for 12 months following the virtual event.
Program topics will include:
- Advocacy and Equity: How Library Boards Can Create Lasting Impact through Compelling Cases and Outreach
- Understanding Donor Data Analytics: Why it Matters and What You Can Do With It
- Strategies for Solving Board Problems
- Great Boards Don’t Happen by Accident: A Proactive Approach to Building an Effective Board
- Working with Friends and Foundations: Playing for the Same Team
- Ask, Listen, Plan: Engaged Planning for Trustees, Directors and Other Library Leaders
…and more!
Keynote speakers include:
- Jim Taylor, Vice President of Leadership Initiatives, BoardSource [Integrating Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity into Your Board Culture]
- Jan Masaoka, CEO, California Association of Nonprofits
…and more!
Visit www.ala.org/united/events_conferences/virtual for details, registration form, and schedule.
United for Libraries
The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations
A division of hte American Library Association
312-280-2160
www.ala.org/united
NCompass Live: The Taming of the Site: Helping Users Find What They Need Where They Expect It
Learn how to help your users find what they need on your library website on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar, ‘The Taming of the Site: Helping Users Find What They Need Where They Expect It’ on Wednesday, July 15 at 10:00am CT.
Helping users find the need-to-know information on a library website can be difficult, especially if the site’s structure itself confuses them or leads them to unexpected places. A library site may start small but grow larger and more unwieldy every year until users are lost in a maze of disconnected, outdated, or even missing pages. In this episode, you’ll find out how to update your site’s information architecture (IA) and simplify your navigational structure. You’ll also learn how identifying content owners makes content clean-up easier to finish and simpler to maintain. We’ll walk through steps to make sure your IA informs site navigation in a way that leads users the way they need to go. We’ll also discuss how to identify important content and distill it in a way that helps users get what they need without becoming frustrated. After this episode, you’ll be able to help users easily find what they need and make sure it’s still relevant when they get there!
Presenter: Jessica D. Gilbert Redman, Online Resources & Services Librarian, School of Medicine & Health Sciences Library Resources, University of North Dakota.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- July 22 – Creating Accessible Materials for Library Instruction
- July 29 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Technology vs. Human Values: How To Take Control
- Aug. 5 – The Kreutz Bennett Donor-Advised Fund: Grants to Nebraska’s Small-Town Public Libraries
- Aug. 19 – Drive-Thru User Testing
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.
NCompass Live: Here’s What Python Does for Us: What Can it Do for Your Library?
Learn how to save library staff time on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar, ‘Here’s What Python Does for Us: What Can it Do for Your Library?’ on Wednesday, July 8 at 10:00am CT.
Programming with Python can alleviate the burden of routine, time-consuming tasks for library workers. In this session, attendees will learn how Python is being used at North Carolina State University Libraries to query GOBI and produce automated monthly reports for the Collections & Research Strategy department. GOBI, our print and ebook ordering vendor platform, does not offer an API, so reports used to be compiled through manual title-by-title searching. What used to take up to 15 hours per month (and was the cause of much frustration) now takes just 30 minutes and one press of a “run” button, all thanks to Python’s diverse set of libraries and abilities. Following a presentation of this script and how it was developed, attendees will learn methods for identifying the right Python packages and methodologies for their unique needs and project ideas, even if they are new to programming.
Presenter: Katharine Frazier, University Library Technician, North Carolina State University Libraries.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- July 15 – The Taming of the Site: Helping Users Find What They Need Where They Expect It
- July 22 – Creating Accessible Materials for Library Instruction
- July 29 – Pretty Sweet Tech
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.
Free ALA webinar: “Last Chance for a Complete Count”
| ALA is offering a webinar for library staff: 2020 Census: Last Chance for a Complete Count, on July 8 at 2 pm ET. Registration is free. After the session, the recording will be posted at ala.org/census. New guide on adapting census outreach in response to COVID-19: ALA released a new publication, “Libraries and the 2020 Census: Adapting Outreach in Response to COVID-19 (PDF).” The free guide explains changes to the 2020 Census process and highlights opportunities for libraries to adapt census outreach activities. Check your community’s response rate: How does your area compare in its response rate to date? Which neighborhoods are lagging behind? Find current data to inform your outreach and messages on the 2020 Census Response Rate Map or the Census 2020 Hard to Count Map. Share your event on the Census Counts calendar: Is your library planning a 2020 Census event (including virtual events)? Submit it to the national Census Counts calendar. Check the calendar for other events from partners in your community. |
Accreditation Suspended, Data Available
This year, the accreditation cycle has been suspended due to COVID-19. However, our FY2019 data, what would have been used on your accreditation applications, is available. For those libraries that might be planning and want to see how you compare to what would have been your peers, contact me and I will send you your customized data set. Keep in mind that if you are up for re-accreditation next year, your peers may change. Typically, your peers are libraries that are within 15% of your legal service area. While there may be some exceptions to this, generally speaking those are the libraries that yours is compared to.
Open by Appointment beginning Monday July 6th
Beginning Monday July 6th, the Nebraska Library Commission will be open by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling 402/471-2045, 800/307-2665, or emailing nlc.ask@nebraska.gov. Staff will be wearing masks to protect you, and we ask that you wear a mask to protect staff. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided. Use of hand sanitizer is required of all visitors upon entry. Public restrooms and water fountains will be unavailable to visitors so please plan accordingly. All pickups and drop offs can be transacted at a designated table near the front door.
Posted in General, Library Management
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NCompass Live: Nebraska Libraries in the Time of COVID: Planning for Reopening
Join us on NCompass Live next Wednesday, July 1 at 10am CT, for ‘Nebraska Libraries in the Time of COVID: Planning for Reopening’.
Public libraries are major hubs of activity in our communities, so staff must take extra precautions when they start offering more in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join us to hear what ‘reopening’ looks like in some Nebraska libraries. Library staff will share their planning processes, strategies, experiences so far, and lessons learned as they ensure that their libraries are safe for both their staff and patrons.
Presenters: Cecelia Lawrence, Director, North Platte Public Library; Steve Fosselman, Director and Celine Swan, Youth Services Librarian, Grand Island Public Library; Denise Harders, Director, Central Plains Library System.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- July 8 – Here’s What Python Does for Us: What Can it Do for Your Library?
- July 15 – The Taming of the Site: Helping Users Find What They Need Where They Expect It
- July 22 – Creating Accessible Materials for Library Instruction
- July 29 – Pretty Sweet Tech
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.
Posted in Education & Training, Library Management, Public Relations
Tagged NCompLive
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Enter Your Library to Win the 2020 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize
Deadline: July 15, 2020 (Submissions close at 11:59 p.m. EDT.)
The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, was created in 2019 to recognize the public library as a vital community asset. When libraries, civic entities, organizations, and the people they serve become close partners, their communities thrive.
Prize: One winning library will receive $250,000 in unfettered grant monies from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation. The winning library will also be profiled in the November issue of Library Journal and online.
The winning library will be identified based on the degree of its impact on the community in the following key areas:
- Engagement – a) How do the local government and other civic institutions partner with the library—and vice versa—to support the service area’s defined civic goals? b) How does the library use deep engagement and co-creation with community individuals and non-governmental organizations to drive library services?
- Recognition – What does the community recognize are positive outcomes from the library, and how is that recognition given? How is that reflected in support?
- Inclusion – How does the library go the extra mile to meet the needs of marginalized or underserved populations among its community and to promote social cohesion and connection across differences?
- Leadership development – How does the library ensure its own organizational strength and dynamism?
- Environmental sustainability – How does the library lead on sustainable thinking for the library itself and the community at large to ensure future resilience?
- Inventiveness – How are the library services original, both strategically and tactically?
Application Requirements
- Nominations will be submitted via an online form.
- Nominations should include the following:
- Nominee data: Library name, primary contact and contact mailing address, phone number, email.
- Library data: population in service area, physical area served, per capita budget, number of patrons served, number of FTE, number of volunteers, days and hours open per week, types of existing funding sources with their relative percentages within total funding.
- Multiple-author submissions are permitted. For submissions with multiple authors, please include the names and affiliations of all of the group members.
- An overview summary of no more than 1,000 words pertaining to the goals and criteria listed above.
- Detailed answers to focused answers on each of the criteria driven questions above (via fields in the online submission form).
- Three letters of support from community partners and/or civic leaders, with at least one from a civic official.
- Optional: Supporting materials such as photographs/images of the library and surrounding community; press coverage, brief videos (not exceed three minutes), etc.
Read about the 2019 winner, Sacramento Public Library.
Eligibility: All U.S. Public Libraries are eligible for the prize, whether in a single building in a small town or a multi-branch system serving an entire region. Previous winners are asked to take a ten year hiatus from submitting again for consideration.
Application Deadline: The deadline for consideration for the 2020 Community Impact Prize is July 15, 2020. (Submissions close at 11:59 p.m. EDT.)
Please submit nominations via the form found here.
Questions? Please contact Meredith Schwartz, Editor-in-Chief, Library Journal at mschwartz@mediasourceinc.com
Posted in Grants, Library Management, Public Relations
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