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Category Archives: Youth Services
#BookFaceFriday “Two Tribes” by Emily Bowen Cohen
This #BookFaceFriday is the best of both worlds!
It’s a picture perfect #BookFace, with “Two Tribes” by Emily Bowen Cohen (Heartdrum, 2023) it is a graphic novel geared towards YA or tween readers based on the author’s real life. You can hear all about it on our Children and Young Adult Library Services Coordinator, Sally Snyder’s, “Best New Teen Reads of 2023” NCompass Live presentation. You can watch the recording and find out all about her book lists on the NCompass Live webpage. In this episode, Sally and Dana Fontaine, Fremont High School Librarian, give 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.
“In Mia’s struggle to reconcile her ancestries, the creator develops a credible portrayal of self-image and acceptance. Plentiful panels rendered in earth tones further enhance this nuanced portrait of Mia’s search for identity.”
—Publishers Weekly
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Nebraska Library Commission Awards Grants for Youth Library Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 8, 2024
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 $30,000 in grants for Excellence in Youth service. Of the grants awarded to thirty-nine Nebraska libraries, several addressed the need for educational programs, Summer Reading programing, and materials like LEGO®, STEAM, and other activities to encourage creativity in young people. The Nebraska Library Commission congratulates all the libraries who received grants as they develop new and innovative programs to ensure excellence in library service for Nebraska young people.
You can find the full list of grant recipients on the Nebraska Library Commission grants database.Proposals include:
- Adventure Backpacks
- STEAM programing and materials
- Book Club activities
- Tween Makerspace Camp
- Summer Reading programs
- Music and movement class
- Creative Coding for Kids
- Makerspace items for children/youth
- Builders’ Club with Lego
- 1000 Books Before Kindergarten
The following 39 Nebraska public libraries were awarded 2024 Youth Grants for Excellence funding:
Bancroft Public Library
Bayard Public Library
Beatrice Public Library
Bellevue Public Library
Broken Bow Public Library
Central City Public Library
Clearwater Public Library
Columbus Public Library
Hruska Public Library, David City
Elmwood Public Library
Falls City Library and Arts Center
Fullerton Public Library
Genoa Public Library
Grand Island Public Library
Hastings Memorial Library, Grant
Lincoln City Libraries
Louisville Public Library
Madison Public Library
Mead Public Library
Jensen Memorial Library, Minden
Norfolk Public Library
North Bend Public Library
CB Preston Memorial Library, Orleans
Osmond Public Library
Papillion Public Library
Plainview Public Library
Ravenna Public Library
St. Edward Public Library
Sargent Township Library
Shelton Public Library
Maxine White-Sutherland Public Library
Lied Tekamah Public Library
Valley Public Library
Valparaiso Public Library
Verdigre Public Library
Lied Lincoln Township Library, Wausa
Maltman Memorial Library, Wood River
Kilgore Memorial Library, York
Yutan Public Library
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
Tagged Youth Grants for Excellence
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#BookFaceFriday “Between the Lines” by Nikki Grimes
Extra! Extra! Read all about this #BookFaceFriday!
This week’s #BookFace is the 2024 selection for One Book for Nebraska Teens “Between the Lines” by Nikki Grimes (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2019).
In case you missed it, this week’s NCompass Live was all about our One Book for Nebraska Kids and Teens program, you can still watch the recording and find out all about the program on the NCompass Live webpage. This book is available as a part of our Book Club Kit collection; we have ten copies along with a discussion and activity guide. The Nebraska Library Commission has a large collection of children and young adult titles available to school and library book clubs. You can even search the collection based on grade level to find age and reading level appropriate books.“These complex students use poetry to find their truest voices and write their own stories. . . . Each character occupies his or her own space and no one character or voice monopolizes the story. The narratives of immigrants, foster children, families effected by incarceration, and teens taxed with familial burdens are thoroughly explored in a thought-provoking way. The poems and voices are a perfect blend of the many facets of American teens’ lives. An excellent companion book that lends itself easily to a teacher’s poetry unit, this is great choice for school and public libraries.”
—School Library Journal
Book Club Kits Rules for Use
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “Nothing but the Truth” by Avi
You can’t handle the #BookFace!
This week’s #BookFace is Newbery Honor Book, “Nothing but the Truth: A Documentary Novel” by Avi (Scholastic, 1991). It’s available as a part of our Book Club Kit collection; we have ten copies along with study questions.
The Nebraska Library Commission has a large collection of children and young adult titles available to school and library book clubs. You can even search the collection based on grade level to find age and reading level appropriate books.“Structured as a series of journal entries, memos, letters and dialogues, this highly original novel emerges as a witty satire of high school politics, revealing how truth can easily become distorted.”
—Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
Book Club Kits Rules for Use
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
While we don’t have this particular title available through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries, we do have a significant number of the author’s other works available. You can find twenty books by Avi in the Kids and Teens section. Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,174 audiobooks, 36,611 ebooks, and 5,210 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. 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!
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 Avi, book club kit, Book Covers, bookfacefriday, libraries, Newbery Honor, Nothing but the Truth, Reading, YA books, Young Adult
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NCompass Live: One Book for Nebraska Kids & Teens 2024
Wouldn’t it be great if kids all over Nebraska were talking about books? Hear about the Nebraska Library Commission & the Regional Library Systems’ program where kids can all read and discuss the same book on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, May 1 at 10am CT.
Join Sally Snyder, the NLC’s Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, and Aimee Owen, Information Services Librarian, to learn all about the One Book for Nebraska Kids and Teens program.
Our 2024 titles are: One Book For Nebraska Kids – Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang, and One Book For Nebraska Teens – Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- May 8 – The 2024 Public Library Accreditation Process
- May 29 – Pretty Sweet Tech
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
NCompass Live: Improving the Quality of Childcare Through STREAM
Discover new and exciting ways to make learning fun with interactive S.T.R.E.A.M. program boxes on next week’s NCompass Live webinar, on Wednesday, April 3 at 10am CT.
Joanne Neemann, Director, Beatrice (NE) Public Library is joining us to talk about the library’s S.T.R.E.A.M. program boxes. With each themed activity box, students will have the opportunity to engage their minds and creativity on a multi-faceted journey exploring the Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Math of a chosen topic.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- April 10 – Program Planning with a Marketing Mindset
- April 17 – 2024 One Book One Nebraska: Dancing with the Octopus
- April 24 – Pretty Sweet Tech: Computers in Libraries 2024 Highlights & Trends
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
#BookFaceFriday “No Summit Out of Sight” by Jordan Romero
Off we go, into the wild blue #BookFaceFriday!
Get ready to climb every mountain with this week’s #BookfaceFriday,”No Summit Out of Sight: the True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits” by Jordan Romero (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014)!
This title is available as a book club kit, and fits right into the theme of the the 2024 Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP): “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” You can find even more tales of adventure and survival by choosing that genre in the drop-down menu on our Book Club Kit page – just right for those young readers looking for a vicarious thrill!Our Youth Services Librarian, Sally Snyder, has been traveling all across Nebraska in recent weeks presenting Summer Reading Program (SRP) workshops for librarians. Didn’t make it to a workshop? Check out Sally’s NCompass Live: Summer Reading Program 2024: Adventure Begins at Your Library and learn about nature- and adventure-themed books perfect for your library’s SRP.
“The emotional pitch of the story remains high as Romero contends with extreme weather, frustration, exhaustion, and homesickness to reach, with almost palpable exhilaration, each peak.”
—Publishers Weekly
Book Club Kits Rules for Use
- These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
- Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
- Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
- Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team
Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive! Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,174 audiobooks, 36,611 ebooks, and 5,210 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. 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!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
Big Talk From Small Libraries Presentation Rescheduled
Good News! We have a new date for the Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024 presentation that was canceled at the last minute, “No More Summertime Blues: Shaking Up SRP to Make It Work For YOU!”.
Chelsea Price has graciously agreed to do their presentation on March 20 on NCompass Live from 10-11am Central Time. This is the Nebraska Library Commission’s weekly webinar series. The presentation will be recorded if you are unable to watch it at the scheduled time.
This was one of the 10 minute Lightning Round sessions for the conference, but will be expanded to fit the longer, hour-long, NCompass Live format.
You can register for this new date at No More Summertime Blues: Shaking Up SRP to Make It Work For YOU!.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024 is tomorrow!
Small libraries! Awesome ideas! FREE!
Join us tomorrow for the 2024 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference. Registration is still open, so head over to the Registration page and sign up!
We have a full agenda for the day, with speakers from academic and public libraries presenting on a wide variety of topics: fundraising, Memory Cafes, summer reading, accessibility audits, afterschool meals programs, DEIB: diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and much more.
This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
And, Nebraska library staff and board members can earn 1 hour of CE Credit for each hour of the conference you attend! A special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form has been made available for you to submit your C.E. credits.
So, come join us for a day of big ideas from small libraries!
Only One Week Until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024!
Small libraries! Awesome ideas! FREE Online Conference!
There’s only one week until Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024!
Check out the full schedule and register to join us next Friday, February 23.
Sponsored by the Nebraska Library Commission and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL), this free one-day online conference is tailored for staff from small libraries – the smaller the better! Each of our speakers is from a small library serving fewer than 10,000 people. This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries.
Everyone is welcome to register and attend, regardless of how big or small your library. But, if your library serves a few hundred to a few thousand people, this is the day for you!
Posted in Education & Training, Library Management, Programming, Public Relations, Technology, Youth Services
Tagged ARSL, BTSL2024
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Smokey Bear Reading Challenge
To celebrate Smokey Bear’s 80th Birthday the National Forest Service has set up their Smokey Bear Reading Challenge. To learn more about the Challenge, visit here.
The Forest Service is going to ask how many children signed up and filled in a log of the challenge, so please keep a count if you promote it to your community.
We have received the items the National Forest Service mailed to the Library Commission for their Smokey Bear Reading Challenge. Each public library is welcome to receive the following items:
One roll of 500 Smokey Stickers
One package of 50 Smokey Cards
One Smokey Stamp
I plan to deliver what I can at the Library Systems’ Summer Reading Program workshops. If you do not plan to attend the workshop, or if your system’s workshop has already met, we will be working on a way to get the items to you if you want them.
Also, take a look at the digital toolkit prepared by the National Forest Service.
Amanda Shelton, Director of the Franklin Public Library, made a QR code for their website. Thank you Amanda!
Posted in Books & Reading, Youth Services
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#BookFaceFriday “Rez Ball” by Byron Graves
This #BookFaceFriday is a slam dunk!
Get your game face on, because it’s #BookFaceFriday! If you’re interested in staying up-to-date on the latest and greatest in young adult books, check out this week’s episode of NCompass Live, Best New Teen Reads of 2023, presented by NLC’s Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, Sally Snyder, and Fremont High School librarian, Dana Fontaine. Today’s #BookFace selection, “Rez Ball” by Byron Graves (Heartdrum, 2023), was one of the titles featured in Sally’s teen list. Sally does two presentations like this each year on NCompass Live, one on YA books and another on children’s books. “Rez Ball” is a William C. Morris Debut Book Award winner and an American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Award winner. You can find it as both an eBook and audiobook in Nebraska OverDrive Libraries. If you’re looking for more information about NCompass Live or Sally Snyder’s Best Books lists, check out the NCompass Live Archive.
“Debut author Graves, who is Ojibwe like Tre, doesn’t shirk from showing his community’s ugly experiences, but he never languishes in them. Well-paced and exciting—the action of the basketball games is exceptionally well written—this is a solid piece of sports fiction.”
— Booklist
Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive! Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,174 audiobooks, 36,611 ebooks, and 5,210 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. 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!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
2024 Big Talk From Small Libraries Schedule Now Available
The full schedule for the 2024 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference is now available!
You will find all the details on the Schedule page. Information about our presenters is available on the Speakers page.
If you haven’t registered yet, now is the time to jump over to the Registration page and sign up!
You are welcome to watch as an individual or to host a group viewing of the conference. If several staff members from the same library want to attend, you can just register for one seat and have staff members view/listen together via one workstation.
You can also host a viewing party this same way and invite staff from other libraries. For any group viewings, if you know who will be there, you can list your Additional Attendees on your one registration or you can send us a list after the event. Be sure to take all necessary health and safety precautions into account when planning group viewings.
Big Talk From Small Libraries 2024 will be held on Friday, February 23, 2024 between 8:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (CT) via the GoTo Webinar online meeting service.
Posted in Education & Training, Library Management, Programming, Technology, Youth Services
Tagged BTSL2024
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ALA Announces the Youth Media Awards
A number of awards honoring titles and media for children and young adults were announced this morning. The John Newbery Medal goes to The Eyes and the Impossible written by Dave Eggers, with five other titles named as Newbery Honor Books.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal goes to Big, illustrated and written by Vashti Harrison, with four additional titles named Caldecott Honor Books.
To see the ALA new release listing all the youth awards and titles, go here.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, set in Nebraska, was named both a Newbery Honor Book and a Schneider Family Book Award honor book for middle grades. This title is hilarious, heart-breaking and goofy – an amazing book. Simon and his parents move from near Omaha to a part of Nebraska that is a National Radio Quiet Zone (fictional, the real one is in West Virginia). There is no Internet access and the town (Grin and Bear It, NE) lives with it. Simon has been homeschooled for the past year and now is back in public school for the 7th grade. He makes a couple of friends and begins to settle in. His mom is undertaker for the town and they live in the mortuary. His dad works for the Catholic Church. Amazing writing, quirky people and animals, unusual situations will keep the students reading. Spoiler: a school shooting has happened in the past and is revisited. It will break your heart.
NCompass Live: Best New Teen Reads of 2023
Hear about the ‘Best New Teen Reads of 2023’ on next week’s NCompass Live webinar on Wednesday, January 24, at 10am CT.
Brief book talks and reviews of new titles recommended to school and public librarians, covering both middle and high school levels, that were published within the last year.
Presenter: Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, Nebraska Library Commission and Dana Fontaine, Librarian, Fremont High School.
Upcoming NCompass Live shows:
- Jan. 31 – Pretty Sweet Tech: WordPress Website Refresh
- Feb. 7 – WiFi in the Library
- Feb. 14 – ConnectEd Nebraska: Bridging the Digital Divide through Innovative eduroam Expansion
- Feb. 21 – Using Creativity to Grow & Develop
To register for an NCompass Live show, or to listen to recordings of past shows, go to the NCompass Live webpage.
NCompass Live is broadcast live every Wednesday from 10am – 11am Central Time. Convert to your time zone on the Official U.S. Time website.
The show is presented online using the GoTo Webinar online meeting service. Before you attend a session, please see the NLC Online Sessions webpage for detailed information about GoTo Webinar, including system requirements, firewall permissions, and equipment requirements for computer speakers and microphones.
#BookFaceFriday “I’m Going to Build a Snowman” by Jashar Awan
Bundle up it’s #BookFaceFriday!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, because we have access to all the books we could want! No matter the age group or reading level, you can find great books on Nebraska OverDrive Libraries. Just like this week’s #BookFaceFriday, a picture book perfect for a snow day, “I’m Going to Build a Snowman” written and illustrated by Jashar Awan (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 20231.) It’s a great reminder that just because the building is closed the library still has plenty to offer. It’s available for checkout as an ebook from Nebraska Overdrive Libraries.
“When a little boy wakes up to see a blanket of snow covering the world outside, there’s only one thing to do: make a snowman, and not just any snowman—he wants the best snowman ever. But when his perfectly packed and powdery dreams clash with cold, slushy reality, he realizes the best snowman ever may be out of reach…but he can make his best snowman yet.”
— Book Jacket
Find this title and many more through Nebraska OverDrive! Libraries participating in the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries Group currently have access to a shared and growing collection of digital downloadable audiobooks and eBooks. 194 libraries across the state share the Nebraska OverDrive collection of 26,174 audiobooks, 36,611 ebooks, and 5,210 magazines. As an added bonus it includes 130 podcasts that are always available with simultaneous use (SU), as well as SU ebooks and audiobook titles that publishers have made available for a limited time. 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!
Love this #BookFace & reading? Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!
#BookFaceFriday “The Christmassy Cactus” by Beth Ferry
I’m dreaming of a #BookFaceFriday!
We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays with this week’s #BookFace! And surprise, surprise, books are our preferred way to celebrate the holidays! Reading a fun book all snuggled up on the couch with a hot drink is the perfect tradition, so if your looking for a new book option for the younger readers in your life check out “the Christmassy Cactus” written by Beth Ferry and illustrated by N.A. Kang (HarperCollins, 2023.) This picture book is full of delightful illustrations and a fun story for all ages.
“Little readers will be delighted by the holiday magic …This succulent successfully steals the spotlight from the ever-present evergreens.” —Kirkus Reviews
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.
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 A, A.N. Kang, Beth Ferry, Book Covers, bookface, bookfacefriday, Childrens Books, Christmas, Picture Books, Reading, The Christmassy Cactus
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ALA National Gaming Survey
American Library Association’s Games and Gaming Round Table National Gaming Survey
To improve relationships between libraries and vendors, gain donations and sponsorships for ALA Play and International Games Day, and grow collaborations with industry partners, the executive board of the Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) has created a short survey to collect data related to games in libraries:
https://airtable.com/appZRUFreMs3AtdZC/shrGHBICGAyqXY8XA
This short (10 question) survey will not only help with publisher relationships but will help GameRT understand the evolving nature of games in libraries. If your library does not collect or use games, we still ask that you take the survey to help us gain a better understanding of the field. Contact information will only be used to follow up for clarifications. Non-anonymized data will be kept separate and retained for a maximum of one year.
If you have any questions before or after taking this survey, please contact the GameRT executive board at gamert@ala.org
Posted in Programming, Youth Services
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Pretty Sweet Tech: Holiday & Winter Tech Kit Activities
Most of you probably know we offer Tech Kits Through the Mail to school and public libraries in Nebraska. But did you know that many of those kits have really fun holiday and winter themed activities? Check out a kit and try one one or all of these activity ideas this winter:
- Dash & Dot Winter Activities (age 6+): Design your own winter parade floats and program them around a parade obstacle, record your own winter theme song, challenge your friends to a snowball fight, and more!
- Finch 2.0 Robot Winter (age 6+): Turn your robot into a snowplow, build a holiday parade and add a green screen backdrop if you’re feeling fancy, or create a fun winter window display.
- Hummingbird Bit Premium (age 8+): Take your winter window display up a notch, craft and program an interactive winter story scene, or add a moving background to your winter parade video!
- Ozobot Evo Robot (age 4+): Design a Winter Wonderland and challenge others to navigate your creation, create a fun snow maze, use the plow attachment to clean the streets, or use your imagination to visit Narnia!
- Micro:bit (age 8+): Make an LED snow globe animation using the built-in display, blow out an LED candle or program your micro:bit to let you know when the sun is finally out again.
Find a full list of kits, or check out a Tech Kit Through the Mail using this link. Here are the loan program details:
- Kits can be checked out for 30 days at a time.
- You can check out multiple kits at once.
- Kits are shipped to you for free, and use of the kits is free.
- You only pay return shipping. (Some library systems may help offset these costs. Ask your system director if this is an option near you.)
- Check out the Tech Kit Loan Policy for more details.
I hope you have some winter wonderland fun with the Tech Kits Through the Mail!
Posted in Pretty Sweet Tech, Programming, Technology, Youth Services
Tagged Pretty Sweet Tech, stem, Tech Kits, Tech Kits Through the Mail
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Penguin Random House Grants for Small Libraries Application Deadline: Dec. 15
For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.
Applications for the 2024 Association for Rural & Small Libraries/Penguin Random House Grants for Rural & Small Libraries are open!
Through the generosity of Penguin Random House, ARSL is pleased to announce this grant opportunity for small, rural libraries nationwide! This grant is available to libraries that meet both the IMLS definition for small libraries (a service population of 25,000 or fewer) and the definition for rural libraries (libraries located 5 or more miles from the nearest town of 25k or more).
Applicants may request:
One (1) monetary grant in support of a community-oriented project for up to $1,000.
or
An in-kind grant donation of up to $1,000 in equivalent value to support a circulating collection in your library.
Deadline for applications is December 15, 2023.
Notifications of funding decision will be sent to applicants by March 8, 2024.
Funded projects must be completed by December 31, 2024.
Project reports must be submitted by February 1, 2025.
The program will award grants to libraries that demonstrate a true need. Monetary grants are not limited to literacy and may be used for everything from library programming and books to resources like hotspots that help community members access important information. Library seeking support for digital collections should request a monetary grant.
View the Grant FAQ and Apply for the Grant online. Contact the ARSL Office with any questions at info@arsl.org
Posted in Grants, Library Management, Programming, Technology, Youth Services
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