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Tag Archives: awards
JoAnn McManus: Nebraska Excellence in Leadership
JoAnn McManus (nee Jedlicka) was recently selected as a co-recipient of the Library Commission’s state of Nebraska Excellence in Leadership recognition award. She joined the Nebraska Library Commission in 2010 to work on the Library Broadband Builds Nebraska Communities Project funded through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). Currently, she is working with the Library Innovation Studios Project (funded through an IMLS grant) with a team of Library Commission staff.
JoAnn grew up on a farm just outside of Schuyler, NE and is one hundred percent Czechoslovakian. She graduated from Schuyler Central High School and is the youngest of thirteen children. Her mother was also from a family of thirteen. JoAnn was named after her first cousin, who was a child movie star named JoAnn Marlowe (Mares) who’s most famous picture was Mildred Pierce amongst the ten to her credit.
JoAnn earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and is a Graduate of the Economic Development Institute from the University of Oklahoma. She also completed coursework in Grant Writing and Research from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. JoAnn has held various positions, many in the economic development field and almost all in the area of project or grants management. Most of the organizations JoAnn worked for served counties throughout the state including NPPD, Nebraska Departments of Economic Development, and the Nebraska Department of Labor so JoAnn has done her share of traveling to Nebraska communities. JoAnn says the most challenging thing about her current assignment is that there is so much to do in a concentrated amount of time especially in the first few months. Luckily there are others on the team that are going through these same challenges to move the project forward. The best thing about working with librarians is serving Nebraska in a different way than in her former jobs,
If JoAnn could have dinner with anyone she would like to dine with Warren Buffett and should a winning lottery ticket find its way to her possession, she would retire and begin traveling with Hawaii and Ireland being top of her list. When she is not working at the Commission, JoAnn enjoys going to estate sales and is drawn to buying pretty objects. She has one case and two booths at the Aardvark Antique Mall and her family is always surprised when what looks like a useless purchase actually sells. JoAnn won’t be quitting her day job anytime soon, selling ‘treasures’ pencils out as more of a hobby.
JoAnn is married to Brian McManus and together they have a son Daniel. They also share their home with one cat named M&M. A perfect day would include spending time with her family enjoying adventures together. Congratulations JoAnn!
Nebraska’s Champions of Literature and Literacy to Be Honored
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
October 3, 2016
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Mary Jo Ryan
402-471-3434
800-307-2665
Nebraska’s Champions of Literature and Literacy to Be Honored
The Nebraska Center for the Book will present the 2016 Jane Geske Award to City Impact (Lincoln), Literacy Center for the Midlands (Omaha), and Platte Valley Literacy Association (Columbus) at the October 29 Celebration of Nebraska Books in downtown Lincoln. These organizations exemplify effectiveness and dedication to the cause of literacy in Nebraska. These three organizations are empowering Nebraskans through education, mentorship, and increased access to books and reading.
The Nebraska Center for the Book annually presents the Jane Geske Award to organizations, businesses, libraries, schools, associations, or other groups that have made an exceptional contribution to literacy, books, reading, bookselling, libraries, or Nebraska literature. The Jane Geske Award commemorates Geske’s passion for books, and was established in recognition of her contributions to the well-being of the libraries of Nebraska. Jane Geske was the director of the Nebraska Library Commission, a founding member of the Nebraska Center for the Book, a Lincoln bookseller, and a long-time leader in Nebraska library and literary activities. The award is supported by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress.
The Nebraska Center for the Book will also present the 2016 Mildred Bennett Award to Nebraska poets Twyla Hansen and Marjorie Saiser at the Celebration. Hansen and Saiser will be honored for their contributions to Nebraska writing and for their service in support of Nebraska’s writers and readers.
The Mildred Bennett Award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering the literary tradition in Nebraska, reminding us of the literary and intellectual heritage that enriches our lives and molds our world. The award recognized inspired leadership and service on behalf of Nebraska literature, highlighting how the recipients follow the example of Mildred Bennett, the charismatic founder and long-time President of the Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial and Educational Foundation. The award seeks to heighten awareness and interest in Nebraska’s literary heritage and to enrich the lives of Nebraskans and readers everywhere.
The October 29 Celebration, free and open to the public, will also feature presentation of the 2016 Nebraska Book Awards, and some of the winning authors will read from their work. A list of winners is posted at http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards.html. The Celebration will open with a program by Karen Gettert Shoemaker, author of The Meaning of Names, the 2016 One Book One Nebraska book selection, and the 2017 One Book One Nebraska selection will be announced. The Celebration of Nebraska Books is scheduled for 2:30 – 6:30 p.m. at the Nebraska History Museum, 131 Centennial Mall North, Lincoln NE, with the Nebraska Center for the Book Annual Meeting to be held prior to the Celebration at 1:30 p.m.
The 2016 Celebration of Nebraska Books is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, and the Nebraska State Historical Society Nebraska History Museum—with support from University of Nebraska Press and Humanities Nebraska. For more information see http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/celebration.html and www.facebook.com/NebraskaCenterfortheBook.
The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.
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.
Finalists Announced for the Nebula Award
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced the finalists for the Nebula Awards in six categories. Contenders for the awards are nominated and voted upon by members of the SFWA. Winners will be announced at the Annual Awards weekend the first weekend in June.
Nominees for best novel are:
The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Tor)
Trial by Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen)
Ancillary Sword, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Three-Body Problem, Cixin Liu ( ), translated by Ken Liu (Tor)
Coming Home, Jack McDevitt (Ace)
Annihilation, Jeff VanderMeer (FSG Originals; Fourth Estate; HarperCollins Canada)
Nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy are:
Unmade, Sarah Rees Brennan (Random House)
Salvage, Alexandra Duncan (Greenwillow)
Love Is the Drug, Alaya Dawn Johnson (Levine)
Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, A.S. King (Little, Brown)
Dirty Wings, Sarah McCarry (St. Martin’s Griffin)
Greenglass House, Kate Milford (Clarion)
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, Leslye Walton (Candlewick)
For a list of the nominees in all categories, and of past winners, see the Nebula Awards.
Nebraska Libraries Urged to Apply for $5,000 Award for Excellence in Library Programming
ALA is now accepting nominations for its 2015 ALA Excellence in Library Programming Award. The application deadline is December 1, 2014.
The $5,000 award, supported by ALA’s Cultural Communities Fund, recognizes a library that demonstrates excellence in library programming by creating a cultural/thematic program type or program series, presented during the preceding year (September 1 – August 31), that engages the community in planning, sponsorship and/or active participation, addresses an identified community need, and has a measurable impact.
The award will be presented during the ALA Awards Presentation at the 2015 ALA Annual Conference, June 25 to June 30 in San Francisco.
All types of libraries — school, public, academic and special — are eligible for the award, but the nominated program must have been for a public audience. Self-nomination is encouraged.
For more information on how to apply and to access the online application, go to: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/31960/apply.
RITA Awards Presented
The 2014 Romance Writers of America’s RITA
Awards for best romances of 2013 were presented Saturday night at the RWA Annual Conference. The winners are:
- Best First Book: The Sweet Spot by Laura Drake
- Contemporary Romance: Crazy Thing Called Love by Molly O’Keefe
- Erotic Romance: Claim Me by J. Kenner
- Historical Romance: No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean
- Inspirational Romance: Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano
- Paranormal Romance: The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
- Romance Novella: Take Me, Cowboy by Jane Porter
- Romantic Suspense: Off the Edge by Carolyn Crane
- Short Contemporary Romance: Why Resist a Rebel? by Leah Ashton
The 2014 RWA Librarian of the Year was Sean Gilmartin, The Anythink Library, Thornton, Colorado.
Hugo Award Finalists Announced
The Hugos are awarded for excellence in the field of science 
fiction and fantasy. This year’s finalists for Best Novel are:
- Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
- Neptune’s Brood, by Charles Stross
- Parasite, by Mira Grant
- Warbound, Book III of the Grimnoir Chronicles, by Larry Correia
- The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Finalists in other categories are available at the Hugo Awards Site. The Hugo Awards are voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon“), who are fans. The Awards will be presented at Loncon 3, on August 17, 2014.
The Hugo is one of the major U.S. awards for SF&F: the other is the Nebula, voted on, and presented by active members of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in May. The 2013 Nebula Nominees for Best Novel are:
- We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, by Karen Joy Fowler
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman
- Fire with Fire, by Charles E. Gannon
- Hild, by Nicola Griffith
- Ancillary Justice, by Ann Leckie
- The Red: First Light, by Linda Nagata
- A Stranger in Olondria, by Sofia Samatar
- The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker.
Edgar Nominees Announced
Sunday, January 19th, is Edgar Allan Poe’s 205th birthday. To celebrate, the Mystery Writers of America have announced the nominees for the 2013 Edgar Awards, “honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television.” The Awards will be presented at a banquet on May 1. Meanwhile, the lists of nominees in many categories, including Best Novel, Best Young Adult, and Best Juvenile, include some mighty fine reading. See all the lists at TheEdgars.com.
