Meridian Library System August 13 Newsletter

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MERIDIAN LIBRARY SYSTEM AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2013

MERIDIAN MONITOR

Your System Board:Sherry Crow

Kristi HagstromAnn Matzke

Debra MoningerLinda Nickel

Megan SvobodaKathy Thomsen

Janet Wilke

Laurie YocomJoan Davis, Emeritus

Meridian Library SystemSuite 7

816 East 25th StreetKearney NE 68847

Phone: 800-657-2192Phone: 308-234-2087

Fax: 308-234-4040Email:

[email protected]:

http://libraries.ne.gov/mls/

Nebraska Library Leadership Institute 2013

RIP Barbara Mertz,aka Elizabeth Pe-ters and BarbaraMichaels, who diedlast week at the ageof 85. You will besorely missed!

Vision Statement

As leaders in librarianship,we open eyesto open minds

with open heartsthrough open doors - wherever they may be.

We commit ourselves to bravely craft the future of librar-ies:

We cultivate curiosity from age 1 to 101.We champion freedoms to learn, to read, and to share.We construct physical and virtual portals to premier

sources of information.We meet patrons at any place and any stage of life.

WE'RE IN!

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Take a lesson from Douglas County Libraries:

DCL uses texting and tweets to alert library users of upcoming programs. Here is a sample of arecent text. Perhaps you can do something similar to let your customers know of upcomingevents at your library.

Author After Hours: C.J. Box & BBQAugust 2, 6pmReserve Your Spot

Douglas County Libraries invites you to enjoy mouthwatering BBQ and an evening with New York Timesbestelling author C.J. Box on August 2. Come early to enjoy a BBQ plate for $12 from Brad's Pit, who is knownfor his Texas style slow-cooked brisket and pork. Cash is appreciated; partial proceeds with benefit DouglasCounty Libraries Foundation. (If you are interested in attending the BBQ, please indicate in the Notes field

of the registration that you plan on purchasing a plate). C.J. Box will talk about his newest thriller, The High-wayand a book signing will follow his presentation. Books will be available for sale courtesy of the Tattered Cov-er Book Store.

Event starts at 6 PM. C.J. Box will speak at 7 PM. Like us on Facebook for a chance to win a copy of CJ Box'sThe Highway. The two winners will be able to cut the line to get their books signed first at our event.

From Wilson Public Library, Cozad Director Laurie Yocom

Wanted to share.summer reading is going FANASTIC at Wilson Public Library. We have two dinosaurshanging out in the librarythe community is amazed. Please feel free to share the link to other librarieswho may not have begun their programs yet. You know those little basla wood puzzles that you pop outthe pieces and put them together? Thats what we bought for about $5 eachone stegosaurus and one T-Rex. Then Sandy & Ann enlarged the pieces, traced them onto cardboard (a LOT of refrigerator boxeswere used), cut them out & painted them. The kids got the fun of putting them together. Now theyre ondisplay & held up by quite a bit of fishing line.

We had a local amateur paleontologist talk last week as well as had everyone visit our local nursery andlearn about planting stuff.

Were taking a break next week for the fourththe staff has earned it!, but still having a family swim nightunder the stars at the local pool. Last year we had 85 kids/family members. Obviously were expectingmore this year as the city installed two new HUGE slides that the kids just love. We are then rounding outJuly with two more weeks of summer reading for over 160 kids, including our community partnership withthe Henri Museum to do another Movie Under the Stars. This year, were showing Nancy Drew. BlindDate with a Book is a smashing success on both the adult and young adult levels. Our teen advisory boardhas been watching the young book clubs and have decided that they want their own for this fall.

Its all in pictures on Wilson Public Librarys Facebook site. This summer ROCKS! Hope everyone else ishaving a great summer!

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New Public Library AccreditationGuidelines in Effect

The Nebraska Guidelines for Public LibraryAccreditation , which the Nebraska LibraryCommission will begin using in July 2013,were developed by a group of eleven librari-

ans working for more than two years to re-vamp the guidelines. The group was co-chaired by Stan Schulz from York and JoanBirnie from Broken Bow. We have stream-lined the Accreditation process to make itas quick and easy as possible. Fifty librariesacross Nebraska are due to be reaccreditedthis year. An additional 40 public librariesthat are currently unaccredited, but whichsubmitted their annual statistics last year,are positioned to seek accreditation thisyear. The Nebraska Library Commissionwill be working on this process with these90 libraries first.More information about the revised accredi-tation process is available at NebraskaGuidelines for Public Library Accreditation .

All public library directors and boards areinvited to use the information from this web-site to plan for future community activitiesleading to accreditation. This informationdetails: Timeframe Structure of the guidelines Changes in the guidelines 12 minimum qualifications Requirements, including strategic plan

List of all Nebraska Public Libraries withtheir accreditation standing and yearof expiration

Libraries not due to apply for accreditationthis year may look at the accreditationguidelines at Preview the Accreditation Ap-plication here. Please note that these guide-lines are interactive only for the libraries ap-plying for accreditation this year.However, if youd like to get started prepar-ing for accreditation in the future, you canbegin by initiating the strategic planningprocess. An up-to-date strategic plan foryour library is required. The accreditationprocess is based on the goals you set for

your library, in response to your communi-tys needs. If you do not already have astrategic plan or your plan is due to be up-dated, go to the following link on the Com-missions website for a simple strategicplanning kit which includes how-to videos,guides, and worksheets:http://

nlc.nebraska.gov/LibAccred/#Fill_For more information contact Richard Miller,

[email protected], 402-471-

3175, or 800-307-2665.

ALA Conference Handouts

20 Programs Under $20:

Although I did not attend ALA, many of theprograms have handouts that are now post-ed on the Conference webpage. One ofthese is the 20 Programs Under $20. Thehandouts provide information and links onthe programs presented and just might giveyou some great ideas for what will work inyour community. Heres the link:

http://ala13.ala.org/node/10082

Take Ten With Tweens and Teens:

How do you engage young library pa-trons with little or no budget for pro-gramming? This panel of successfulprogrammers from Anne ArundelCounty Public Library in Maryland willshow you how to present 10 fresh, funprograms with heavy appeal to

tweens & teens with very little out ofpocket expense.

http://ala13.ala.org/node/10121

For other handouts, go toala13.ala.org and click on SessionsWith Handouts. There will be a clicka-ble link if handouts are available.

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Excalibur Award for Outstanding Public Librarian

The Public Library and Trustee Section of the Nebraska Library Association is accepting nomina-tions for the Excalibur Award for Outstanding Public Librarian. This award honors the careeraccomplishments of a public librarian who has demonstrated an outstanding record of service to his/her local library and to the library profession. The following categories suggest areas in which thenominee may have rendered significant service. Preference will be given to those nominees whohave achieved excellence in more than one of these areas:

Development of outstanding service in field(s) of expertise. For example: reference, childrens,technical services, administrative, etc.

Involvement in statewide library service. Record of library leadership in local community, regional area or in the Nebraska Library Associ-

ation. Encouragement of community/institutional support for the library.

The nominee must be a member of the Public Library and Trustee Section of the Nebraska LibraryAssociation. The original letter of nomination should include the nominees name, street address,

email address, telephone number, the nominees accomplishments, and any relevant supportingdocumentation. The letter should also include the name, title, street address, email address andtelephone number of the person or group making the nomination. Also required are at least threeadditional letters which support and endorse the nomination. The award is presented at the busi-ness meeting at the PLTS NLA annual convention. Deadline for nominations is September 1, 2013.

Please send nominations and accompanying materials to the PLTS Awards Committee at:

PLTS Awards CommitteeAttn: Lauran Lofgren410 Pearl Street

Wayne, NE 68787

Electronic versions of documents can be sent to [email protected]

Cutting Machine Schedule:

August: Sunrise Middle School, KearneySeptember: Lexington Public Library

Open from October on

Dont forget the book sets that are available from each of the regional library systems.Here is the link to the full list of titles:

http://libraries.ne.gov/mls/book-sets/regional-library-system-book-sets/

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New Members Round Table is now acceptingnominations for the 2013 Houchen Bindery Begin-ning Professional Award and the 2013 HouchenBindery Mentor of the Year Award.

Houchen Bindery Beginning Professional

Award

The Houchen Bindery Beginning ProfessionalAwardis a cash prize sponsored by HouchenBindery LTD. It is awarded to a beginning librarianor media specialist who has made significant con-tributions to library and/or media services in theearly stages of his/her career. If you know a newprofessional who has: created innovative pro-grams or services which improved library servicein Nebraska, made exceptional use of local, state,or national library resources including special

grants, made significant contributions toward thebetterment of library and community relations, andbeen active in professional library organizationson a local, state or national level, then nominatethat person for the Houchen Bindery BeginningProfessional Award.

Houchen Bindery Mentor of the Year Award

The Houchen Bindery Mentor of the YearAwardgoes to an individual who has aided signifi-

cantly in the professional development of librari-ans, media specialists or library staff, and, by ex-ample, has influenced their careers. Thanks to thegenerosity of the Houchen Bindery, the award al-so comes with a $150 cash prize as of 2007. Ifyou know someone who has: had extraordinaryinfluence on the professional development of oneor more junior staff members, encouraged involve-ment of staff in professional endeavors, providedstrong leadership, and set a good example of pro-fessional involvement, then you know someonewho deserves the Mentor of the Year Award.

Houchen Bindery Mentor of the Year AwardHouchen Bindery Beginning Professional Award

Nominations must be received by September 1,2013.

Please download the PDF, fill it out, save it, and

email it along with supporting documentation to:

Lindsey BrayNMRT Awards ChairOmaha Public [email protected]

308-440-1837

BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafby Mary Simses is a delightful first novel. EllenBranford, a high powered Manhattan attorney,travels to small town Beacon, Maine to fulfill herdying grandmothers wish that she find a man sheonce loved and give him a letter. Ellen is engagedto a Kennedy type attorney who is starting his ca-reer in politics. However, she begins to rethinkher plans to marry him when she is rescued fromdrowning by carpenter Roy. Ellen becomes a lo-cal celebrity known as the Swimmer.

After following a number of leads, Ellen be-gins to unravel the story of her grandmotherastory that Ellen and her mother have never knownIt is the story of how choices change lives. As El-len says, I guess thats the lesson in all of thisnot to be eighty years old, looking back on yourlife, wondering if you made the right choice or howyour life might have been different if youd doneone thing and not another.

The writing flows smoothly making this aneasy read and it should interest fans of GuernseyLiterary Society, Debbie Macomber or NicholasSparks.

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NLLI 2013mages