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Category Archives: Youth Services
2020 CARES Act Grants Available from the Nebraska Library Commission
To assist Nebraska public libraries in responding to the coronavirus pandemic, the Nebraska Library Commission has been allocated $165,000 in federal funds to provide grants to libraries through a competitive grant process. These funds are administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, from the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Public Law 116-136). The funding is available to help libraries prepare to reopen to the public and adapt services to reduce the impact of COVID-19.
Online applications will be accepted through 11:59 PM (CT) on June 30, 2020 at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/grants/caresact/
All legally established Nebraska public libraries (both accredited and non-accredited) are eligible to apply. Other organizations can partner with an eligible entity for purposes of submitting a grant application for a collaborative project. Partnerships with museums are encouraged. A local match is not required.
The spending principles for these funds are driven by the language in the CARES Act:
- To prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19; and
- To expand digital network access, purchase internet accessible devices, and provide for technical support services.
To achieve these purposes, the funding is to be used as follows:
Primarily to address digital inclusion and related technical support, using the following types of data to inform targeted efforts:
- Poverty/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);
- Unemployment; and
- Broadband availability.
Here are some examples of projects that would fit this grant. This list is not exhaustive, but rather intended as a general guide or resource for allowable projects:
Connectivity: Laptops, Chromebooks, tablet computers, or other devices for use inside or outside of the library; hotspots, devices with data plans; Wi-Fi extenders and repeaters; and other equipment upgrades.
Digital content: eBooks; Audiobooks; and databases.
Unemployment related: Online unemployment resources; assistance with job searches; training librarians to assist in unemployment; and partnerships with unemployment related organizations.
COVID-19 response supplies: Disinfectant sprays and wipes; masks; gloves; sneeze guards for desks and counters; and keyboard covers.
Virtual programming: Summer reading and other programs to reach at-risk, educational, or other targeted populations (partnering with museums and tribes, if possible).
**NOTE: Construction projects are not allowable. This includes broadband infrastructure projects that require construction equipment, trenching, construction related trades, and “last mile” projects.
Posted in Grants, Technology, Youth Services
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NCompass Live: Automating Virtual Student Library Cards
Learn about ‘Automating Virtual Student Library Cards’ on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar, on Wednesday, June 3 at 10:00am CT.
This session will describe how Scott County Library and Shakopee Public Schools collaborated to automate virtual student library card creation in Shakopee, MN. Participants will learn how to:
- Plan, partner, and collaborate with project stakeholders, including the Library, school district administrators, and technology departments.
- Deploy technical process for automating student library card creation in a SirsiDynix Symphony system. Code discussed is open source and freely available on GitHub.
- Educate the school community about how to use this new resource.
Presenters: Kristy Rieger, Library Technology Manager, Scott County (MN) Library; Sandra Reishus, 6-12 Media Specialist / Innovation Hub Coordinator, Shakopee (MN)Public Schools; Nathaniel Strauss, IT Manager, Shakopee (MN) Public Schools.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- June 10 – Identity and Impostor Syndrome in Library Makerspaces
- June 17 – Who are These People & Why are They in My Library? Using Empathy & UX to Understand Your Library Patrons
- June 24 – 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.
Friday Reads: The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young
I don’t know about you, but reading during this pandemic has been a challenge. Between working from home, keeping a school-age kid on track with his lessons and a preschooler out of the cookie jar, not to mention feeding everyone 3-5 times a day (why are we so hungry?!?), and the constant blare of the news, I just don’t have the time or attention span to concentrate on a book. Is it just me? (Apparently not).
Fortunately, my public library recently started contact-less pickup and I got a load of middle-grade novels and picture books for the aforementioned children. The Pumpkin War by Cathleen Young was at the top of the pile.
Set on Madeline Island in Lake Superior, this is the story of a half-Irish, half-Ojibwe girl named Billie who is determined to win her town’s annual pumpkin race and get revenge on her former best friend for sabotaging her attempt the previous summer. It is also the tale of how every story has two sides, growing pumpkins is a full-time job, and sometimes winning isn’t something we do on our own. It was the perfect book to kick off my summer reading and yours too!
Young, Cathleen. The Pumpkin War. Random House, 2019.
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
Tagged #FridayReads, cathleen young, Friday Reads, middle grade, pumpkin war, Summer Reading
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ALA Partners with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission to Donate 6,000 Book Sets to Libraries
CHICAGO – The American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to partner with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) to distribute 6,000 women’s suffrage youth book sets to libraries across the country. Public and school libraries are encouraged to apply for the book sets by June 15, 2020.
This generous donation celebrates the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment and highlights the importance of libraries as hubs of civic education and engagement.
Created by Congress to mark the centennial of women’s suffrage, WSCC selected the books and is providing funding for the project. Each set consists of three books corresponding to different reading levels: “Around America to Win the Vote” by Mara Rockliff for elementary readers; “The Woman’s Hour: Our Fight for the Right to Vote” by Elaine Weiss for middle schoolers; and the “National Park Service Women’s Suffrage Reader,” an anthology of essays for high school readers.
A working group representing members and staff from ALA’s offices and three youth divisions—American Association of School Librarians , Association for Library Service to Children, and Young Adult Library Services Association —will field the requests and have created a recommended list of diverse books, as well as program and display ideas to accompany the book donations. In addition, ALA and the WSCC will co-host a series of virtual women’s suffrage herstory times.
ALA and the WSCC look forward to getting books to libraries and into the hands of young readers, and to commemorating the diverse suffragists on whose shoulders we stand today.
Contact Jazzy Celindro, jcelindro@ala.org, for more information about the project or with questions about the application.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the foremost national organization providing resources to inspire library and information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more than 140 years, the ALA has been the trusted voice for academic, public, school, government and special libraries, advocating for the profession and the library’s role in enhancing learning and ensuring access to information for all. For more information, visit ala.org.
About the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission
The Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission was created by Congress to coordinate the nationwide commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women’s constitutional right to vote in 2020. Led by a bipartisan group of women leaders, the WSCC has a nonpartisan mission to make sure Americans across the country have the chance to participate in centennial commemorations and to learn about this important but often overlooked history. Through digital events, educational programs, media campaigns, and collaborative partnerships, the WSCC is working to ensure that the centennial is honored nationwide. Learn more about the centennial and the WSCC on our website, www.womensvote100.org
Posted in Books & Reading, Youth Services
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Grant Opportunity: The STAR Net STEAM Equity Project
STAR Net STEAM Equity Project: Enhancing Learning Opportunities in Libraries of Rural Communities
Applications Open Now; submit your Notice of Intent by July 20 at http://www.ala.org/tools/programming/steamequity
Eligibility: Public libraries serving rural and Latino communities
The STAR Net STEAM Equity Project will help public library workers in rural communities offer outstanding, culturally responsive STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) programming and exhibitions for their patrons, especially often-underreached Latino populations.
Twelve creative librarians/library workers will be chosen to lead their libraries’ participation in a project at the intersection of transforming library services, gender equity and cultural inclusion (especially with Latino families), STEAM learning and positive youth development.
Those interested in applying on behalf of their library are invited to complete a brief Notice of Intent (NOI) about your community demographics and needs. Eligible libraries that submit a successful NOI will be invited to submit a full proposal by the October 15, 2020 deadline.
Selected libraries will receive support at the national level from the project team as well as local partnerships, and $15,000 to participate in professional development activities, support community partnerships and purchase materials as they customize STEAM learning experiences for their communities. In partnership with library staff and their community collaborators, the project will engage families to empower tweens in STEAM culture and learning.
Participating library workers will learn STEAM programming and outreach strategies through virtual and in-person workshops. Starting in 2021, they will host three traveling STEAM exhibitions; facilitate three STEAM programs annually; create and lend three STEAM outreach kits; and develop a STEAM exploration space in their library.
The STAR Net STEAM Equity Project is funded the National Science Foundation (NSF) and offered by the Space Science Institute’s National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL/SSI), the American Library Association (ALA), Twin Cities PBS (TPT), Institute for Learning Innovation (ILI) and Education Development Center (EDC).
Posted in Grants, Programming, Youth Services
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Friday Reads: Star Wars: Ahsoka
I am simultaneously mourning the end of The Clone Wars animated series and thrilled over the announcement that Rosario Dawson may be playing the live-action version of Ahsoka in season 2 of The Mandalorian.
So, in honor of both of those events, I am sharing the novel Ahsoka, by E.K. Johnston. It is part of the new series of novels that are being published in conjunction with the new films and TV shows.
Ahsoka Tano is my favorite Star Wars character, after the Rebel Princess Leia. She first appeared in the Star Wars world in The Clone Wars animated movie and series, as Anakin Skywalker’s padawan, training under him to become a full Jedi.
Ahsoka takes place a year after the end of The Clone Wars and Order 66, the order enacted by Chancellor/Sith Lord Palpatine declaring Jedi as traitors to the Republic and ordering their execution, which was carried out by their own clone troopers. Ahsoka was one of the few Jedi to survive. The novel explores how Ahsoka dealt with her personal fallout from that devastating event. And reveals how she ended up as a secretive but integral member of the Resistance 14 years later, in Rebels.
Being a huge fan of Ahsoka, I was thrilled to learn what happened to her between her two series appearances. And I was not disappointed. It is a well written story, portraying Ahsoka’s struggle to find her place in the galaxy and decide what her future will look like.
The book was published in 2016, before the final season of The Clone Wars was released this year. So, there are some references and specific dialogue in the book that does not match up exactly with the ending of the series. But, I find them minor issues that do not detract at all from my enjoyment of both the book and the final season of the show.
And the audiobook is narrated by none other than Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka in The Clone Wars and Rebels. Bonus!
Posted in Books & Reading, Youth Services
Tagged #FridayReads, Friday Reads, FridayReads
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NCompass Live: Reading for Justice: A Database for YA & Youth Literature
Join us to learn about ‘Reading for Justice: A Database for YA & Youth Literature’ on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar, on Wednesday, May 20, 10:00am-11:00am CT.
The Reading for Justice Database aims to provide librarians and patrons with better access to YA and children’s literature book subjects centered around social justice. This database began as a project in Dr. David McKoskey’s Database Management course at St. Catherine University. The project then continued to develop through an independent study where the goal was to build a website and user interface for the database. The website includes a search page, report page, and an administrative page for editing.
The presentation will cover the initial stages of the database’s development, the challenges of gathering data, preventing a “default” from skewing our data, and the overall process of connecting the database to our user interface. We hope we have created something that librarians and patrons would find useful for identifying books centered around themes of social justice.
Presenters: Laura Bell, St. Catherine University; Katie Retterath, Visual Resources Specialist, Macalester College; Dr. David McKoskey, St. Catherine University, Adjunct Professor.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- May 27 – Pretty Sweet Tech – How to Make Digital Literacy Less Boring
- June 3 – Automating Virtual Student Library Cards
- June 10 – Identity and Impostor Syndrome in Library Makerspaces
- June 17 – Who are These People & Why are They in My Library? Using Empathy & UX to Understand Your Library Patrons
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.
Friday Reads: Squint by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown
Flint, 13 and in 6th grade, is losing his eyesight. It has been deteriorating for a while and now he sits alone at lunch working on his entry for the “Find a Comic Book Star” contest – hoping to finish it before his eyesight is completely gone. His former best friend now bullies him, since Flint can no longer play on the football team as he used to, and now they call him “Squint.”
Then one day the new girl, McKell, sits with him at lunch. He first thinks it must be some kind of a trick, since she is friends with the popular group. When he realizes it is not a trick, Flint and McKell begin to develop a friendship – focused on McKell’s brother Danny’s, challenges on YouTube. She needs help to keep her promise to him – to complete certain challenges.
Hitting topics such as: bullying, empathy, loss, and friendship, as SLJ says, “Recommend for any library serving middle grade readers.”
Set in Lincoln , NE, this title is the 2019 winner of the Nebraska Center for the Book, Teen Novel Award.
Morris, Chad & Shelly Brown. Squint. Shadow Mountain, 2018.
Posted in Books & Reading, Nebraska Center for the Book, Youth Services
Tagged Friday Reads
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What’s Sally Reading?
Teens’ Top Ten!
The Teens’ Top Ten overall list was announced yesterday. The 25 titles are listed on YALSA’s blog, The Hub, and on the YALSA website. Titles must have been published between Jan. 1, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2019 to be selected for the overall list by designated teen book groups. Encourage your teens to read from this list so they can vote for their favorite when voting is opened: August 15 – October 12, 2020.
Some of the listed titles I have read are Pumpkinheads by Nebraska author Rainbow Rowell, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe, and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. I talked about Pumpkinheads in my post about the 2020 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (on 1/9/20), so now I will share my thoughts about the other two titles.
Ben Phillippe, was born in Haiti and grew up in Montreal, Canada. The Field Guide to the North American Teenager tells of Norris Kaplan, a Black French Canadian, now living in Austin, Texas. He is smart, clever, and a little pessimistic – a tough combination for the Texans to handle. Norris, in a new high school, is constantly sweating profusely (he is unaccustomed to the hot weather). He steps back from everyone and judges who they are and what they do. Over time he begins to see the other students as people, some he likes and some he does not. After he makes a bad mistake, he realizes he has to step up, face the music, and see what he can do with his life. In January this book was named the winner of the 2020 Morris Award, for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo shares the life of Emoni Santiago, who is Afro-Latina, now in her senior year at high school. She is thinking of the future but also about her daughter Emma, 2, and her abuela, with whom they live. She loves cooking in the kitchen and has an almost magical touch. Those who eat what she has cooked always comment on how the food helps them with whatever issue is in their lives. She wants to become a chef, but is aware of all the factors that make it impossible.
A new elective offered during her senior year is just what she needs, including a chance to go with the class to Spain and work with a chef there for a week. Emoni takes on so much, and is still not sure it will result in what she wishes for, until the very end of the book.
(The Nebraska Library Commission receives free copies of children’s and young adult books for review from a number of publishers. After review, the books are distributed free, via the Regional Library Systems, to Nebraska school and public libraries.)
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
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#BookFaceFriday “Undercover Princess” by Connie Glynn
Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo it’s #BookFaceFriday!
Life isn’t exactly a fairytale right now, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get lost in one. Is your little prince or princess in need of a mental escape? Don’t forget eBooks and Audiobooks are for kids too! Nebraska OverDrive is full of YA, Juvenile, and Children’s books, like this week’s #BookFaceFriday! “Undercover Princess” by Connie Glynn (HarperCollins, 2018) is available to all Nebraska OverDrive Libraries in both eBook and Audiobook format. 173 libraries across the state share this collection of 16,670 audiobooks and 28,473 eBooks. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use.
If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
“With a message of kindness, YouTube star Glynn’s middle grade debut, a series opener, is a story of devoted friendship and fierce loyalty that is sure to win readers over.” (Publishers Weekly)
This week’s #BookFaceFriday model is Princess Elsa! Or maybe it’s princess Margot, disguised as Elsa…. we may never know.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
Tagged Book Art, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Childrens Books, Connie Glynn, Kid Lit, OverDrive, Reading, Undercover Princess, Young Adult
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NCompass Live: Escaping Online – Virtual Escape Rooms and Other Online Programs
Hop on the Hogwarts Express! On next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar we’ll be ‘Escaping Online’ to learn about ‘Virtual Escape Rooms and Other Online Programs’ on Wednesday, April 22 at 10am Central Time.
The current health crisis has caused libraries and schools around the world to shut their doors and turn to virtual programming and learning opportunities online. Libraries and educators have responded with innovative programming that is shared and viewed beyond their own communities. One such program that has made its rounds has been the Hogwarts Digital Escape Room. Learn about the inspiration, creation, and challenges of this virtual experience from its creator Sydney Krawiec.
Presenter: Sydney Krawiec, Youth Services Librarian, Peters Township (PA) Public Library.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- April 29 – Pretty Sweet Tech – HTML5 & CSS3: Basic Building Blocks of the Web
- May 20 – Reading for Justice: A Database for YA & Youth Literature
- June 3 – Automating Virtual Student Library Cards
- June 10 – Identity and Impostor Syndrome in Library Makerspaces
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.
#BookFaceFriday – “Will Giraffe Laugh?”
It’s basically a zoo in here for #BookFaceFriday.
We’re taking a walk on the wild side with this week’s #BookFace. Take your virtual storytime to a whole new level with “Will Giraffe Laugh?” by Hilary Leung (Cartwheel Books, 2019) and a virtual field trip to the zoo. This title comes from our large collection of children’s and young adult books sent to us as review copies from book publishers. When our Children and Young Adult Library Services Coordinator, Sally Snyder, is done with them, the review copies are available for the Library System Directors to distribute to school and public libraries in their systems. Public and school library staff are also welcome to stop by and select some titles for their library collections. We think this one would be a great addition to any library. Contact Sally Snyder for more information.
“A clear and winning guide to a key social grace; share and repeat as necessary.” — Kirkus Reviews Starred Review
This week’s #BookFace model is, well, a giraffe. I didn’t get a name, but you can still visit the giraffes at the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium with their “Do the Zoo at Home” program. Looking for other things to do with your kids from the living room? Check out the list of resources we’ve put together for families!
Love this #BookFace & reading? We suggest checking out all the titles available in our Book Club collection, permanent collection, and Nebraska OverDrive Libraries. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, Youth Services
Tagged Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, Childrens Books, Hilary Leung, Will Giraffe Laugh?
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#BookFaceFriday “The Wednesday Wars”
Eek! It’s #BookFaceFriday!
Looking for a middle grade read for your newly housebound kids? Check out this Newbery Honor-winning novel by Gary D. Schmidt! Join the unforgettable antihero Holling Hoodhood as he tackles the 7th grade in this week’s #BookFaceFriday! “The Wednesday Wars” (HMH Books, 2009) is available to all Nebraska OverDrive Libraries in both ebook and Audiobook format. So no matter how you like to read, this book is for you. 173 libraries across the state share this collection of 12,407 audiobooks and 24,143 eBooks, with new titles added weekly. If you’re a part of it, let your users know about this great title, and if you’re not a member yet, find more information about participating in Nebraska Overdrive Libraries!
“Schmidt…makes the implausible believable and the everyday momentous…a gentle, hopeful, moving story.” —ALA Booklist, starred review
This week’s #BookFaceFriday model is Hollin Attendola, one of our Talking Book & Braille Service Library Readers Advisors. Unfortunately, (well maybe fortunately) we were unable to find a rat or mouse willing to pose with Hollin.
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
Tagged Book Art, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, books, Gary D. Schmidt, OverDrive, Reading, Wednesday Wars
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Nebraska Library Commission Awards Grants for Youth Library Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 3, 2020
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sally Snyder
402-471-4003
800-307-2665
Nebraska Library Commission Awards Grants for Youth Library Service
The Nebraska Library Commission recently awarded $18,500 in grants for Excellence in Youth service. Of the grants awarded to twenty-two Nebraska libraries, several addressed the need for materials like LEGO®, STEAM, and other activities to encourage creativity in young people. The Nebraska Library Commission congratulates the public libraries listed below as they develop new and innovative programs to ensure excellence in library service for Nebraska young people.
The recipients are:
- Atkinson Public Library, Preschool learning materials, books, and activities
- Battle Creek Public Library, LEGO® kits and STEAM kits
- Bayard Public Library, ten group activities and programing, and Makerspace equipment
- Bellevue Public Library, iPads for youth patrons for hands-on learning opportunities including Spanish, Photography, and Music Composition
- Blue Hill Public Library, Teen Nights at the Library
- Burwell, Garfield County Library, Teen Space renovations and Teen Advisory Board creation
- Central City Public Library, Summer Reading Program presenters
- Columbus Public Library, Coding Clubs and Teen Game Nights
- David City, Hruska Memorial Public Library, Imagination Play Area supporting STEM learning for young children
- Franklin Public Library, LEGO® Club, Teen programing, and Summer Reading Program
- Genoa Public Library, Youth materials, and programming for afterschool and summertime
- Hastings Public Library, STEAM focused activities, Mega-Brain Kidz Club, and Summer Reading Program presenters
- Kimball Public Library, Expanding STEAM at the Library, Makerspace technology, and supplemental equipment
- Madison Public Library, 1000 Books before Kindergarten
- Mead Public Library, Summer Reading Program
- Minden, Jensen Memorial Library, expanding diversity at story time using multilingual materials
- Neligh Public Library, Teens After Hours program
- Ord Township Library, afterschool activities for youth
- Plattsmouth Public Library, Golden Sower Awards programs
- Lied Randolph Public Library, STEM activities, Youth programs, Learning toys & stations
- Superior Public Library, themed Reading kits (backpacks) for young children
- Wausa, Lied Lincoln Township Library, STEAM kits for youths
Youth Grants for Excellence are made available by the Nebraska Library Commission with funding from the State of Nebraska. 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.
Posted in General, Grants, Library Management, Public Relations, Youth Services
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NCompass Live: The Healing Library: Responding to Trauma in Your Community Through Nontraditional Lending
‘The Healing Library: Responding to Trauma in Your Community Through Nontraditional Lending’ is the topic of next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, March 4 at 10am Central Time.
An overview of The Healing Library and our free downloadable resources which have been downloaded almost 3,000 times since our launch in 2017! We create nontraditional lending kits for families who have experienced trauma and provide free pdf’s for libraries to create their own kits or, in response to requests from smaller libraries, we now offer kits for purchase. All kits include the following: A Discussion Guide, Activities Guide, Acts of Kindness Guide, Community Helpers Guide, Curated Book Suggestions with Discussion Guides, and How to Use This Kit Guides – for both families and lending organizations.
Presenter: Megan Schadlich, Creator, The Healing Library.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- March 25 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Chatbot Demonstration Using Scratch
- April 1 – Beta Testing for Social Wellbeing
- April 15 – Amplified Advisory with Video Book Talks
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 Books & Reading, Education & Training, Youth Services
Tagged #healinglibrary, libraries, NCompLive
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Big Talk From Small Libraries 2020 is tomorrow!
Small libraries! Awesome ideas! FREE!
Join us tomorrow for the Big Talk From Small Libraries 2020 online conference. Registration is still open, so head over to the Registration page and sign up!
We have a great agenda for the day, with seven 50 minute sessions plus five 10 minute lightning round sessions. You can log in and out of the conference as you like throughout the day, based on your interest and availability.
Topics range from technology to programming to new roles for the library. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
And, Nebraska library staff and board members can earn 1 hour of CE Credit for each hour of the conference you attend! A special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form has been made available for you to submit your C.E. credits.
So, come join us for a day of big ideas from small libraries!
Only One Week Until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2020!
Small libraries! Awesome ideas! FREE Online Conference!
There’s only one week until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2020!
Check out the full schedule and register to join us next Friday, February 28.
Sponsored by the Nebraska Library Commission and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL), this free one-day online conference is aimed at librarians from small libraries; the smaller the better! Each of our speakers is from a small library serving fewer than 10,000 people. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
Everyone is welcome to register and attend, regardless of how big or small your library. But, if your library serves a few hundred to a few thousand people, this is the day for you!
Posted in Education & Training, Library Management, Programming, Public Relations, Technology, Youth Services
Tagged BTSL2020
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Friday Reads: A Wrinkle in Time
Suddenly there was a great burst of light through the Darkness. The light spread out and where it touched the Darkness the Darkness disappeared. The light spread until the patch of Dark Thing had vanished, and there was only a gentle shining, and through the shining came the stars, clear and pure. Then, slowly, the shining dwindled until it, too, was gone, and there was nothing but stars and starlight. No shadows. No fear. Only the stars and the clear darkness of space, quite different from the fearful darkness of the Thing.
“You see!” the Medium cried, smiling happily. “It can be overcome! It is being overcome all the time!”
As this very timely quote illustrates, A Wrinkle in Time still resonates as strongly today as it did when it was first published almost 60 years ago.
This classic battle between good and evil is told through a unique, creative story. With the assistance of various supernatural beings, three children travel through space and time to save the universe from a dark force. It is sometimes depicted as being just a fantastical tale, but there is also hard science in there.
Madeleine L’Engle had a hard time getting it published, one reason being they couldn’t decide if it was for children or adults. I think that just makes it a perfect title for anyone to read.
If you are struggling with difficult events, and worried that nothing can be done to save us, A Wrinkle in Time gives us hope. Light will always triumph over darkness and evil. With the help of family and friends, we can be strong and brave, even when frightening times are upon us. Just have faith that we will battle and beat the demons in the end.
A Wrinkle in Time was also released as a very nice graphic novel in 2012. It’s not written word for word of course, but it is quite faithful to the main plot and themes of the original. I really enjoyed how the illustrations, done in only blue, black, and white, helped to enhance rather than distract from the story.
NCompass Live: Best New Teen Reads of 2019
Discover the Best New Teen Reads of 2019 on next week’s FREE NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, February 5, 10:00am-11:00am CT.
Brief book talks and reviews of new titles recommended to school and public librarians, covering both middle and high school levels, that were published within the last year.
Presenter: Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, Nebraska Library Commission.
Upcoming NCompass Live events:
- Feb. 12 – Legal Research for Non-Lawyers and Librarians
- Feb. 19 – 2020 One Book One Nebraska: All the Gallant Men
- Feb. 26 – Pretty Sweet Tech – Which Coding Language Should I Learn?
- March 4 – The Healing Library: Responding to Trauma in Your Community Through Nontraditional Lending
- March 11- Holiday Break at the Library!
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.
Apply for a 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grant
From the American Library Association News & Press Center:
Underfunded libraries, schools and non-traditional organizations that provide educational services to children are invited to apply to receive one of three Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants. Every year, in the process of choosing the Coretta Scott King Book Award winners and honor books, the Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) of the American Library Association receives multiple copies of approximately 60-100 titles by African American authors and illustrators.
Awarded by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee, the grant program provides books submitted for consideration for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards to libraries and other organizations to expand their collections.
Each year, three organizations that demonstrate need and potential benefit from receiving the collection are selected. All three libraries will receive copies of titles submitted for consideration for the 2020 awards, including a full set of the 2020 winning titles.
Applications will be accepted through January 31, 2020 and winners will be announced by late March. For more information, and to apply, please visit http://www.ala.org/rt/emiert/cskbookawards/bookgrant
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee of the ALA’s Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) to encourage the artistic expression of the African-American experience via literature and the graphic arts.
Contact: Monica Chapman, Coretta Scott King Book Awards Coordinator, Office for Diversity, Literacy and Outreach Services, mlchapman@ala.org
Posted in Books & Reading, Grants, Youth Services
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