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Category Archives: Youth Services
Visit from author Ellen Klages
I am thrilled to let you know that Ellen Klages, author of our current [obsolete link removed] One Book for Nebraska Kids, The Green Glass Sea, would like to visit Nebraska! We are planning to have her arrive in Scottsbluff on Sunday, October 11, ready to talk with students and library patrons starting Monday morning. She will travel across the state (visits have not yet been determined) and leave from Omaha on Sunday, October 18. Yea! And the best part is she emailed me offering to come to Nebraska! Wow!
We have decided to ask public librarians and media specialists to let me know if you are interested in hosting a visit from Ellen Klages. Her route through Nebraska will be determined by 1) who is interested and 2) what is physically possible. So it will be a little bit like a raffle – having your name pulled out of a hat – with the addition of needing to be sure the route will not completely wear Ellen and I out.
We have only a few requirements:
1) You send an email to me stating that you are interested, and tell me you have already had a group of children/students/tweens read and discuss the book or will have before Ellen’s visit.
2) Reading her book is a requirement – copies are available from each of the library systems and from the Library Commission, some copies have already been reserved, it is first come, first served.
3) You agree to hold an “after” event, anything from a discussion session about what Ellen Klages shared with everyone during her visit to having your students research something about the atom bomb or World War II. What your event is, it is up to you.
4) If there is a great deal of interest we will end up pulling names out of a hat.
5) You are not eligible if you hosted Ben Mikaelsen during his visit (unless no one requests a visit from Ellen)
Please let me know if you are interested no later than 4pm CDT on September 4, 2009 so we can set up the route!
Sally Snyder
Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services
Nebraska Library Commission
1200 N Street, Suite 120
Lincoln, NE 68508-2023
800-307-2665 or 402-471-2045
email
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Youth Services
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NCompass Live is Back!
After a longer than expected hiatus, NCompass Live is back! NCompass Live is the Nebraska Library Commission’s weekly online event, covering NLC activities and library topics presented by NLC staff and guests. The free one-hour sessions are offered every Wednesday at 10:00AM (CT).
We are now using the GoToMeeting online meeting service to present NCompass Live. GoToMeeting sessions are live presentations that you access from your own computer via the Web. Audio is provided via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) using a microphone.
The first session is scheduled and we are working on adding more to the list. So, keep your eyes on our mailing list and blog for announcements of future sessions.
Our first new NCompass Live will be held next Wednesday, August 12 – All About Twitter, presented by Michael Sauers, Technology Innovation Librarian at the NLC. Register for this session on our NCompass Live website.
If you have any questions, please contact Christa Burns , 800-307-2665, or 402-471-3107.
NCompass Live Taking Brief Hiatus
On Wednesday, January 7, 2009, the Nebraska Library Commission premiered our new weekly online event, NCompass Live. Since the first broadcast, more than 230 people have attended NCompass Live sessions and the recordings have been watched over 125 times.
NCompass Live will be taking a short break while the Nebraska Library Commission switches to new online meeting software, Microsoft Live Meeting. We’re not sure how long the transition will take, but we hope to be back with new NCompass Live sessions sometime in July. As soon as the new system is ready, we will announce the new schedule via our mailing lists and blog.
Until we are back live again, you can watch archived recordings of our previous NCompass Live sessions.
Take the 2008 Library Gaming Census
It’s time for the census of 2008 library gaming programs!
Did your public, academic, school, or special library run a gaming program in 2008?
Did you have Chess, Scrabble, Computer games, Console games or ANY other type of gaming as a library program?
Then please take the Gaming Programs in Libraries – Census of 2008 Programs. The survey will be open until May 31st.
This is an annual survey done by Dr. Scott Nicholson, associate professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, and is designed to develop a better understanding of how libraries supported games and gaming activities in 2008.
The Library Game Lab of Syracuse has been collecting this data for the last two years, and it’s been very valuable in helping them to understand how libraries are using data. This data is useful in getting grant funding for the field and helps to demonstrate how we are taking gaming seriously.
If you have questions about the survey or the research, please contact Dr. Nicholson at srnichol@syr.edu
You can find publications that have come from the previous surveys on the Library Game Lab website.
Ten Libraries Receive Gaming and Literacy Grants
Looking for creative and innovative ideas for a gaming program in your library? Check out the winning proposals for the American Library Association’s (ALA) Libraries, Literacy and Gaming Grants, funded by the Verizon Foundation. You’re sure to find inspiration from these libraries!
The winners, representing a broad spectrum of libraries – seven public, two school and one academic – will use the funds to develop and implement gaming and literacy programs that provide innovative gaming experiences for youths 10-18 years of age. The 10 libraries were selected out of 390 that applied for the grant.
The following libraries were chosen:
- Anderson Public Library, Anderson, IN
- Brewster Ladies Library, Brewster, MA
- Cascade Middle School, Cascade, WA
- Henshaw Middle School Library, Anchorage School District, Anchorage, AK
- Indian Trails Public Library, Wheeling, IL
- Manhattanville College Library, Purchase, NY
- San Pablo Library, San Pablo, CA
- Sewickley Public Library, Sewickley, PA
- Wayne Country Public Library, Goldsboro, NC
- Weber Country Library System, Ogden, UT
“These library gaming programs will help tweens and teens build 21st-Century literacy and learning skills,” said Dale Lipschultz, literacy officer with the ALA’s Office for Literacy and Outreach Services.
Read the full announcement, with descriptions of each of the winning projects.
Legislation Introduced to Exempt Books from Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act
Legislation was introduced in March by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) to amend the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) to exempt ordinary books from the lead limit within the act. This is a welcome step toward ensuring libraries will not be adversely affected by the law.
In August 2008, Congress passed CPSIA, an important law to protect children from the real dangers of toys made with lead-based paint; however, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) misinterpreted the law to apply to ordinary books for children 12 years of age or younger.
The law was set to go into effect on February 10, 2009, but in late January 2009, the CPSC issued a one-year stay of implementation for enforcement of the new lead limits in children’s products, stating that the commission will not impose penalties against anyone for making, importing, distributing or selling a children’s product to the extent that it is made of certain natural materials, such as an ordinary children’s book printed after 1985.
Fortenberry’s bill, H.R. 1692, would remove the pre-1985 provision and states that CPSIA was not intended to apply to ordinary books – those books that are published on paper or cardboard, printed by conventional publishing methods, intended to be read, and lacking inherent play value. H.R. 1692 also states that testing has shown that finished books and their component materials contain total lead content at levels considered non-detectable, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that there is little risk to children from lead in ordinary books.
“We are grateful for this bill since it supports what the ALA, libraries, teachers and parents know to be true – books are safe and should not be regulated by this law,” ALA President Jim Rettig said.
“Reading is critical to child development, and libraries should be free to continue providing services to children without the fear of having to comply with unnecessary and expensive testing. Rep. Fortenberry’s bill corrects the CPSC’s misinterpretation that would deny our children access to books and limit their opportunities to learn.”
Read the full text of the bill here.
Foundation for Lincoln City Libraries Hosts Wine & Wii Fundraiser
Residents of Lincoln, Nebraska were invited to “Unleash your inner rock star or realize your dream of winning the Masters Cup at the Foundation for Lincoln City Libraries’ Wine & Wii Game Night and Silent Auction” this spring. And they did. The Lincoln Country Club was the site of the gathering featuring a silent auction and computer gaming.
People of all ages and walks of life played the most talked about games, competing against friends and neighbors at Wii gaming booths. Gaming equipment was donated by local sponsors and turned over to the library for youth programming activities after the event. Sponsors include Kingery Construction, Whitehead Oil Company, LaMar’s, Clark Enersen Partners, Carpets Direct, and Allergy Asthma & Immunology Associates, PC. The silent auction included items such as a lunch with Ted Kooser (U.S. Poet Laureate, 2004-2006), tickets to the Lied Center, tickets to a Cornhusker Football game and a Lincoln Stars game, autographed books, local art, vacation at an Inn in Jamaica, a Wii machine, hand-made wood furniture, and many gift certificates and unique items in all price ranges.
The Foundation for Lincoln City Libraries was founded in 1954 to provide private financial support for Lincoln’s public libraries. For more information about the Foundation and its programs and events, visit www.foundationforlcl.org or call (402) 441-0164. What fundraising events have your library foundations and friends groups held recently? Click on comment below to share ideas.
How Are You Celebrating El Día de los Niños / El Día de los Libros in April?
El Día de los Niños / El Día de Los Libros (Children’s Day / Book Day) is April 30
What is Día? According to children’s author Pat Mora’s Website, Día is a daily commitment to link all children to books, languages, and cultures. It was founded in 1996 by author Pat Mora who was enthusiastically and creatively assisted by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. Día is now housed with the American Library Association (ALA) and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Culminating Día celebrations are held across the country on or near April 30th.
Libraries across the Nebraska and the nation are celebrating Día…are you?
Be sure to register with the ALA and ALSC and post a comment to this blog entry to announce your participation or efforts.
Do you have an event, programming, or awareness campaign in place?
Día is an opportunity to celebrate bilingual literacy and diversity with your entire community. As you reach out to the Spanish-speaking community in particular, your library can also promote where your library is, your Spanish-language collections, Internet access, ease of signing up for a library card, your friendly, helpful staff, or the library as a place for the whole family to spend time together.
Whether you have a full day of activities planned, a brochure to hand out, or a press release, please share how you are making an effort to say that you celebrate children and bilingual literacy in your community.
Posted in Public Relations, Youth Services
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ALA Releases Gaming Toolkit
CHICAGO – Libraries are changing and dynamic places, and no better evidence of that exists than the spread of gaming in the nation’s public, school and academic libraries.
In recognition of this trend and the increasing value of gaming to literacy improvement, the American Library Association, with assistance from a $1 million grant from the Verizon Foundation, has developed an online toolkit to aid librarians in serving this growing constituency.
The Librarian’s Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming @ your library offers content contributed by expert gaming librarians across the country. The toolkit includes a wide range of resources to help librarians create, fund and evaluate gaming experiences in the library.
Games, from traditional chess games to authentic board games to popular video games, help libraries fulfill their mission by providing educational, cultural and recreational resources for patrons of all ages.
“Games of every type play an important role in developing fundamental competencies for life,” said ALA President Jim Rettig. “They require players to learn and follow complex sets of rules, make strategic and tactical decisions, and, collaborate with teammates and others, –all things they will have to do in college and in the workforce.”
By providing grant dollars to fund the project, Verizon recognizes the growing importance of gaming in promoting literacy.
“We at the Verizon Foundation believe that learning is not only for the hours between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the classroom,” said Albert J. Browne, national program director and vice president of education and technology for the Verizon Foundation. “We believe that libraries can help children learn more and continue to learn even when they are not in a classroom environment.
“We also think gaming in itself is a powerful tool that has an amazing ability to help in learning 21st Century skills,” he added.
Librarians are also recognizing the potential of gaming. On Nov. 15, hundreds of libraries across the country celebrated the ALA’s first annual National Gaming Day @ your library. Libraries of all types joined in the celebration by registering for two national gaming activities: a national video game tournament and board game challenge.
Evidence of the growing influence of gaming on library programming is backed by recently collected data. In 2007, a pilot study was conducted by Dr. Scott Nicholson, University of Syracuse.
Four hundred libraries randomly selected public libraries responded to the survey. The study found that at least seven out of every 10 supported gaming, four out of 10 public libraries run gaming programs, including both board and Web-based games, and more than eight out of 10 libraries allowed patrons to play games on library computers. Nicholson wrote, “Over the last few years, some libraries have been turning to gaming activities like Dance Dance Revolution as a way of bringing in new demographic groups and exposing them to library services.”
For additional information contact: Dale Lipschultz, Literacy Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, by phone, (312) 280-3275, or e-mail, dlipschultz@ala.org.
ALA Announces Ten Libraries, Literacy and Gaming Grants
The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Literacy and Outreach Services is seeking applications from public, school and academic libraries interested in developing and implementing innovative literacy gaming services for youth ages 10-18.
This program is part of ALA’s Libraries, Literacy and Gaming initiative funded by Verizon.
Ten $5,000.00 grants will be awarded to libraries clearly demonstrating creativity, capacity, sustainability and a strong commitment to literacy-related gaming services. In addition, the winning libraries will receive ongoing support and technical assistance from a team of nationally recognized library gaming experts. Winners will be announced during National Library Week April 12-18, 2009. The grant application is available online. All applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm, Friday, March 20, 2009.
“There is no doubt that gaming and literacy go hand-in-hand. Board and video games come with text of all kinds including instructions, menus and much more. Learning the language and mechanics of any game, from chess to Little Big Planet, involves acquiring a new vocabulary and a new set of 21st century literacy skills,” said Dale Lipschultz, Literacy Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services.
Gaming is one example of how libraries continue to change to meet the needs of their communities and users, offering innovative programs and services that educate, entertain and expand interaction with their patrons.
On Nov. 15, 2008, hundreds of libraries across the country celebrated the ALA’s first annual National Gaming Day @ your library. Libraries of all types joined in the celebration by registering for two national gaming activities: a national video game tournament and board game challenge.
For additional information about the grant contact: Dale Lipschultz, Literacy Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, by phone, (312) 280-3275, or e-mail, dlipschultz@ala.org.
Posted in Books & Reading, Youth Services
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NCompass Live to Premiere in January
On Wednesday, January 7, 2009, the Nebraska Library Commission will premiere a new weekly online event, NCompass Live.
NCompass Live will cover NLC activities and library topics presented by NLC staff and guests. The free one-hour sessions will be offered every Wednesday at 10:00AM (CT) and will include a mixture of presentations, interviews, book reviews, Web tours, mini training sessions, and Q & A sessions.
NCompass Live will be presented online using Centra Live eMeeting software. Centra sessions are live presentations that you access from your own computer via the Web. Audio is provided via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) using a microphone. Sessions will be recorded for anyone who may want to see it again or who cannot attend it at the scheduled time.
Check out NCompass Live for the schedule and to register for a session.
2009 Books for Babies Grants
FOULSA will award 20 matching grants during 2009 for $500 each to Friends of Library groups, librarians, women’s clubs and other official entities with an interest in early childhood literacy to purchase Books for Babies kits to distribute in their communities.
Applications for the first grant cycle are due by April 1, 2009. Recipients will be notified by April 15 and kits must be ordered by June 1. Applications for the second grant cycle are due by October 1. Recipients will be notified by October 15 and kits must be ordered by December 1.
More details are available online at www.folusa.org.
Posted in Books & Reading, General, Public Relations, Youth Services
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Digital Youth Project Finds Teens Learn from E-interactions
A 3-year study, underwritten by the MacArthur Foundation, has found that online social networks, online games, and electronic devices such as cell phones and i-pods are integrated into youth culture. Teens aren’t wasting time online, but are gaining technical and social skills. Read more about the study’s conclusion on the project site, Kids’ Informal Learning with Digital Media: An Ethnographic Investigation of Innovative Knowledge Cultures, or check out the New York Times report, “Facebook, MySpace Beneficial to Teens” on the study.
Especially interesting to librarians may be the report of the roles of adults in this teen culture.
Posted in Technology, Youth Services
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National Gaming Day @ your library
Can your patrons outwit other library gamers?
Hundreds of libraries across the country are preparing to celebrate the American Library Association’s (ALA) first annual National Gaming Day @ your library on Nov. 15, 2008. ALA invites libraries of all types to join in the celebration by registering for two national gaming activities: a national video game tournament and board game challenge. Libraries also can develop their own National Gaming Day activities by using free resources from the ALA Gaming Resources Website.
The national videogame tournament uses a GT System, a free service of the Ann Arbor (MI) District Library that provides web-based tools for running tournaments for players of any age or experience level. On National Gaming Day, library gamers will be able to see how they rank on local, regional, and national leaderboard.
In addition, libraries will try to set a record for the most number of people playing a board game at the same time. Through a generous donation from Hasbro, every public library branch in the U.S. will receive a free copy of Pictureka!”, a frenzied version of finder’s keeper’s. Hasbro will ship the games in early November. Libraries interested in participating in either activity and receiving additional products are encouraged to register online.
The ALA is also providing a National Gaming Day @ your library publicity tool kit to help libraries promote their gaming programs and events to the media. The online tool kit includes downloadable artwork, a customizable postcard, a sample press release, a sample letter to the editor, and much more.
To learn more about National Gaming Day @ your library, or to register for national activities please visit the ALA Gaming @ your library wiki.
Is Fall Career Fair Time in your Community?
When students are thinking about careers, do they entertain the idea of becoming a librarian or media specialist? We are looking for librarians, media specialists, career counselors, library supporters, and others who would like to staff exhibits at local career fairs to help young people think of library careers when they plan for their future. The Nebraska Library Commission project, “Recruiting the Next Generation of Nebraska Librarians @ the movies,” is funded by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services Librarians for the 21st Century initiative to increase the number of qualified professionals and recruit future librarians for employment in Nebraska libraries. It is designed to attract promising high school and college students to the profession.
Would you like to help by sharing your story and the joy you find in your work? If you would like to help with this effort, contact the Nebraska Library Commission now to reserve a recruiting kit. The kit includes everything needed to set up a display at a career fair: a poster with tear-off return cards and tripod, print materials, pencils, and a DVD of a sixty-second PSA that can be played on a laptop continuous loop. We also have materials suitable for a small counter display.For information or to reserve a recruiting kit, contact Mary Jo Ryan, Nebraska Library Commission Communications Coordinator, 402-471-4002, 800-307-2665; e-mail: Mary Jo Ryan.
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“Pimp My Bookcart” Contest On
Unleash teen creativity and win a new Smith System book truck! Unshelved, the library comic strip, is once again sponsoring their “Pimp My Bookcart” contest. Decorate a book truck and send a picture of your library ride to Unshelved by October 31, 2008. Winners will be announced in mid-November. For inspiration–they’re really great!–check out pictures of the winners from 2007 and 2006.
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See to Reader Now Available to Nebraska Public Libraries
Nebraska libraries offer summer programs for children of all ages to encourage their continued exposure to books and reading. The goal of See to Read is to highlight the resources offered to Nebraska’s young people through their local libraries, with the understanding of how healthy eyes are vital to the ultimate benefits of reading.
Complimentary copies of the See to Reader are available at Nebraska public libraries. Included in the Reader are:
• warning signs of vision problems,
• booklist for children relating to vision,
• first aid for eye emergencies,
• puzzles,
• ideas for developing a child into a strong reader,
• information for receiving a FREE professional vision assessment for any three-year old in the state, and
• reminders for parents with children entering kindergarten regarding vision evaluations now required by Nebraska law.
This information can also be found by visiting www.NEchildrenvision.org, under See to Read. One out of five children entering kindergarten in Nebraska has an undetected vision problem. This “unseen” health issue may greatly influence the outcome of a child’s academic and social behavior as they struggle to keep pace with other students. Parents and educators need to be aware of this potential link to poor reading performance and other developmental skill lags in children. Is raising this awareness a good role for public libraries? Have you heard the radio PSA about this partnership in your area?
For more information contact: Sally Snyder, 402-471-4003, 800-307-2665.
Posted in Books & Reading, Public Relations, Youth Services
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Nebraska Humanities Council Seeks New Prime Time Libraries
The Nebraska Humanities Council wants to expand Prime Time Family Reading Time to public libraries in Nebraska communities and neighborhoods where student reading scores are not meeting state standards. Since 2002, the Nebraska Humanities Council has funded Prime Time—a six-week reading and discussion program for low-income families with children ages six to 10—at 14 libraries and five schools in 13 communities across the state.
Last summer, Prime Time expanded beyond Spanish-speaking families to help fund sessions at Omaha’s Washington Branch library, serving African-American families from neighborhoods where poverty is high and student reading scores are low. According to John Bernardi, director of the Washington Branch, several participants told him that Prime Time was “one of the best programs the library offers and that it has become very important to them.”
For more information or to apply as a new Prime Time site, go to: http://www.nebraskahumanities.org/programs/prime.html or contact the NHC office at (402) 474-2131 or e-mail: nhc@nebraskahumanities.org.
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ALA Youth Media Awards Webcast Now Available
The American Library Association (ALA) Public Information Office blog, Visibility @ your library®, shows how ALA uses Google Video to promote libraries and literacy. It features a Google video (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4514698237320024574&hl=en) pulled from a live Webcast of the ALA Youth Media Awards held at this year’s ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia.
In an age when home video can “go viral,” reaching millions of viewers, the opportunities for using outlets like Google Video for promotional purposes are vast. I’m sure there are some Nebraska activities that we could make into a good, short video…any nominations?
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Celebrate National Library Week by gaming @ your library
During National Library Week, libraries of all types will host special gaming programs in support of a new literacy initiative called gaming @ your library.
Historically, libraries have provided print resources, but as new formats have been introduced, libraries have included them in their collections. Videogames are one more format, one that has grown in use and popularity during the last 30 years.
Interesting gaming facts:
- Adults of both sexes play games over seven hours a week
- The average age for players is 33
- 25% of game players are over 50 years old
- 38% of game players are female
Source: ESA’S 2006 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry
Visit gaming @ your library for Library Gaming Resources and a logo to use for your event.
For all the details, read the ALA Press Release.
You can also share photos of your event in the gaming @ your library Flickr group.
Leave a comment and share your gaming @ your library stories with us!
