Tag Archives: America 250

#BookFaceFriday “John Adams” by David McCullough

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Tessa Timperley

A government of #BookFaces, and not of men.

Start the celebration early for America’s 250th birthday with this week’s #BookFaceFriday, “John Adams” by David McCullough
(‎ Simon & Schuster, 2002). You can find this title as well as McCullough’s “1776” and “The American Spirit” as a book club kit for your library. It’s also available as an Audiobook through Nebraska OverDrive Libraries. If you want to find more titles related to this topic check out the “America 250: Revolutionary Reads” collection on the Nebraska OverDrive Libraries main page.

Our model this week is a new addition to the Nebraska Library Commission! Welcome to Michael Richey, our new Library Technology Support Specialist. He came here from North Platte, Nebraska where he worked as a Technology Assistant at the North Platte Public Library. It was there that he discovered his passion for working with technology as well as designing and creating things. His favorite types of books are fantasy books, specifically ones that go into depth about the ecology of the fictional world and its inhabitants. His current favorite book is A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan. In his free time he can often be found taking pictures with his camera, playing video games, making things, or whatever other hobby of the week he’s fallen into (which lately has been calligraphy). Welcome aboard Michael!

“In tracing Adams’s life from childhood through his many critical, heroic, and selfless acts during the Revolution, his vice presidency under Washington, and his own term as president, the full measure of Adams a man widely regarded in his time as the equal of Jefferson, Hamilton, and all of the other Founding Fathers is revealed. This excellent biography deserves a wide audience.”

―Library Journal

Book Club Kits Rules for Use

  1. These kits can be checked out by the librarians of Nebraska libraries and media centers.
  2. Circulation times are flexible and will be based upon availability. There is no standard check-out time for book club kits.
  3. Please search the collection to select items you wish to borrow and use the REQUEST THIS KIT icon to borrow items.
  4. Contact the Information Desk at the Library Commission if you have any questions: by phone: 800/307-2665, or by email: Information Services Team

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 26,898 audiobooks, 36,794 ebooks, and 5,133 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? We suggest checking out all the titles available for book clubs at http://nlc.nebraska.gov/ref/bookclub. Check out our past #BookFaceFriday photos on the Nebraska Library Commission’s Facebook page!

Posted in Books & Reading, General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrate the Semiquincentennial @ Your Library

Posted on February 9, 2026 by Aimee Owen

July 2026 marks the country’s 250th birthday, and communities all over the country are planning celebrations throughout the year. Is your library looking for ideas to get in on the festivities? We’ve found some resources to help you out. A few highlights:

  • PBS has posted their “America250 Reading List: Stories That Shaped a Nation.” We have several of these titles in our Book Club Kit collection, plus many more books on past presidents, plus history and historical fiction, so you can host your own Semiquincentennial Book Club.
  • Challenge your young patrons to be creative with the “My Nebraska, Our America” Public Art Design Challenge, coordinated by the Nebraska Art Council, Nebraska Department of Education, and the Semiquincentennial Commission. Submissions are due by April 1, 2026 and a selection of artwork will be included in a touring exhibition that starts at the state capitol building this July.
  • Host a group reading of the Declaration of Independence. On July 8, 2026, people all across the country will be “Sharing the Spirit of America” by reading this founding document aloud at the same time. You can add your location to the map!
  • Get your steps in. The Nebraska Department of Games and Parks is holding a 250 Mile Challenge to encourage outdoor recreation. The challenge runs (no pun intended) from January 1 – December 31, 2026, so you’ve got plenty of time to lace up those sneakers or hiking boots and hit the trails.
  • The American Association for State and Local History has a free program handbook with “more than 30 low-cost, sustainable program ideas to help organizations planning to commemorate the United States’ Semiquincentennial anniversary.”

Check out our American250 resource page for even more ideas and events. If your library has something fun planned, we’d love to hear about it!

Posted in General, Information Resources, Programming, What's Up Doc / Govdocs | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment