Ainsworth Public Library

The featured title for the February Book Disucssion Group will be “The Bend in the River” by Susan Gibbs. We have several titles for check out at the library if you are interested in reading this historical fiction book.

Kansas: 1877: After the sudden, tragic death of her parents, seventeen year-old Emma is left an orphan and must leave her home. As she heads for the safety of a remote trading post, she becomes last in a blizzard and hovers near death. Shea Hawkshadow, a mixed-blood Cheyenne warrior, rescues her and takes her the Cheyenne reservation. Following an impulsive love affair, Emma and Shea marry. Their marriage sparks condemnation amongst settlers and soon such intolerance escalates to attempted murder. Escaping with their lives and little else, they risk a journey across the vast western frontier. Many trails await the couple in their search for a life free from persecution. Emma’s transformation from a guileless girl into a complex woman with an unflinching will to survive is remarkable and moving. “The Bend in the River” is an absorbing saga of savagery, love, secrets, and healing.

The reading group will be meeting on Feb. 11th at 2 p.m. to share thoughts on the book. Please join us!

The Ainsworth Library Board held their regular monthly meeting on January 9, 2019 at the Ainsworth Public Library. This meeting was advertised in the local newspaper, radio, at the Library, and on the Library’s website. President Traci Ganser called the meeting to order at 5 p.m. Notice was given on the posting of the Nebraska Open Meeting Act. Roll call showed four members present. They included Todd Flynn, Traci Ganser, Phyllis Leach, and Alane Lentz. Member Pedro Bordes was absent. Library Director, Gail Irwin, was also present for the meeting.

Phyllis Leach made the motion to approve the minutes of the last meeting. Alane Lentz seconded this with all members voting in favor of. Traci Ganser moved to pay the claims. Todd Flynn seconded this with all members voting in favor of. The Board reviewed the budget spending sheet from the City Office. A list of titles purchased was also shared as well as the Monthly Library Report for November and December. It was noted that Brown County paid the $11,000 for their part of the funding of library.

The 2018 Nebraska Public Library Survey and the Public Library Data Survey Supplement has been submitted. A copy was presented to the City Clerk’s Office for their file. The Board spend some time reviewing the completed form.

The Nebraska Library Commission has accredited our library at the Gold level through December 31, 2021. We had a total of 252 points. The Community Needs Response Plan was also approved. The library will start to work on the goals listed on this plan.

The Board was informed that a Heat Press/printer and supplies had been ordered by the Library Foundation for our Makerspace. The equipment just arrived and staff is in the process of learning how to fill the ink supply system with the pigment ink. There will be no cost to use the machine just for the transfer sheets/supplies as stated in our Makerspace Policy.

The Summer Reading Program theme will be “A Universe of Stories”. The program manual has arrived and staff has started to look it over for planning programs this summer. Materials to use with the June programs have been ordered.

It was noted that on December 4th, Three River Communications put in new equipment to run the internet and our Wi-Fi system. We had a few bugs to deal with at first but everything is working well now.

Cammie Waits from the Women’s Club had contact the library to see the library was open to the possibility of putting some of the lighted Christmas decorations around the library (mainly the snowman and kids). The creation of the Veteran’s Wall will take some of the area that they have used in previous years. The Board is open to this idea but wondered if there would need to be electrical boxes installed and how that would look in the yard around the library. More discussion would be held with Cammie on this matter.

Various workshops and meetings that staff and board members attended in the last several months were shared. It was noted that Gail Irwin had attended the Delving into OverDrive workshop in O’Neill on Nov. 14th, the Nebraska State Library Advisory Council Meeting in Lincoln on Nov. 16th, and the NCompas Live: Public Library Survey Using Bibliostat on Nov. 30th. Information was shared on the Library Foundation Board Meeting held on Nov. 14th. Traci Ganser and Pedro Bordes did an On Board or Overboard meeting on the 15th of November for CE hours towards Board Certification. Traci stated that she had just completed several other programs for CE as well. One of these was on social network. Traci suggested that Library Staff take more photos of them working on various jobs and post to Facebook. Library Staff plans to attend the Full Steam Ahead Workshop in Atkinson on Feb. 6th and the Summer Reading Program Workshop in Ravenna on March 29th.

Under correspondence, we had information from the American Library Association saying that Congress passed the Museum and Library Services Act and to thank us for writing our Senator’s to vote in support of this. Our library has sent letters to Senator Benjamin Sasse and Deb Fischer to oppose the S. 1010 the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act. A letter has been received back from Fischer on this matter. The Nebraska OverDrive Libraries group will be revisiting the OverDrive Reading Room options. A vote will take place in January to see
1. If libraries would like to keep a combined “Kids & Teens” room or separate to “Kids” and Teens” rooms.
2. If libraries would be interested in setting up an Audiobook eReading Room separating the ebooks from the audiobooks.
After the hearing the pros and cons, the Board did not care either way on the Kids and Teen room but they did think it would be nice to have the audiobooks in a room by itself away from the ebooks.

Articles from various library journals and newsletters were shared with the Board on the state of net neutrality, America’s Star Libraries, and on information literacy and the Hispanic community.

The next meeting was set for Feb. 6th at 5 p.m. Since there was no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:55 p.m.

The Book Discussion Group will be meeting on January 14th at 2 p.m. to share thoughts on the title “Go Set A Watchman” by Harper Lee. If you have read the book, please come join us!

The Ainsworth Library Board will be meeting on January 9, 2019 at 5 p.m. This meeting is open to the public. The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

1. Call meeting to order

2. Notice of the posting of the Nebraska Open Meeting Act

3. Roll call

4. Approve minutes of last meeting

5. Approve claims for payment/Budget spending review

6. Monthly Library Report for November and December/List of Titles Purchased

7. Accreditation of Library
a. Community Needs Response Plan approved
b. Approved at Gold Level through 12-31-21 with 252 points

8. 2018 Nebraska Public Library Survey and Supplement Public Library Survey
Submitted 12-5-18

9. Makerspace Heat Press/printer and supplies ordered 12-26-18

10. Summer Reading Program A Universe of Stories material ordered

11. Internet Network System Updated

12. Meetings/Workshops:
a. Delving into OverDrive Marketplace-O’Neill Nov. 14, 2018
b. Library Foundation Board Meeting-Nov. 14, 2018
c. On Board or Overboard-Traci & Pedro for Board C/E hours-Nov. 15, 2018
d. Nebraska State Library Advisory Council Meeting-Nov. 16, 2018
e. NCompass Live: Public Library survey using Bibliostat-Nov. 30, 2018
f. Full Steam Ahead-Atkinson-Feb. 6, 2019
e. Summer Reading Program Workshop-Ravenna-March 29, 2019

13. Correspondence:
a. Museums & Library Services Act passed
b. Letters sent to Sen. Sasses and Fischer on S. 1010 the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act
c. Nebraska OverDrive Reading Room Options
d. Articles of interest from library newsletters and journals

14. Set the next meeting date and time

15. Adjournment

The Ainsworth Pubic Library will have an early closing on Monday, December 31st, at 2 p.m. The Library will be closed all day on Tuesday, January 1st.

Happy New Year greetings to all!

The Ainsworth Library will be closed over the holidays the following days:
December 24th
December 25th
January 1st

Please note that We will have an early closing of 2 p.m. on December 31th.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Due to the weather, the library will be closed on Saturday (December 1st).
Stay home where it is safe and warm!

The Ainsworth Public Library will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd, for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Library will be open on Friday and Saturday as usual.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

The Ainsworth Public Library will be closed on Monday, November 12th, in observance of Veteran’s Day.

The Ainsworth Library Board held its regular monthly meeting on November 7, 2018 at the Ainsworth Public Library. This meeting was advertised in the local newspaper, on the radio, and posted at the Library. The meeting was called to order by President Traci Ganser at 5 p.m. Notice was given on the Nebraska Open Meeting Act. Roll call showed all members present. They included Todd Flynn, Traci Ganser, Phyllis Leach, Alane Lentz, and Pedro Bordes. Library Director, Gail Irwin, was also present for the meeting.

Traci Ganser made the motion to approve the minutes which Todd Flynn seconded. Vote showed all members in favor of. Alane Lentz made the motion to approve the claims for payment. Phyllis Leach seconded this with all members voting in favor of. The Board spent time doing a budget spending review. The Monthly Library Report for October was presented as well as List of titles purchased. The Summary for Fiscal Year (October 2017 to September 2018) was presented. It was noted that the Director is currently working on the State/Federal Public Library Survey for 2017-2018. This will be shared with the Board when completed.

The Nebraska Library Commission sent out a Participant/Maker Survey for the Library Innovation Studio that we hosted last winter/spring. All Board members should have received the survey and were encouraged to complete and submit it. All the library staff has completed it.

Our month long theme of “Sink Your Teeth Into Reading” was discussed. It was noted that Traci Ganser did the float for the Homecoming Parade and passed out vampire teeth. The Fundraiser was held from October 15-18th raising a total of $1500. A few photos of people wearing the teeth were posted on the Library’s Facebook page. The sink was used for the booth at the Trunk and Treat downtown on Halloween. Library staff handed out books and vampire teeth to children. A donate button currently on Facebook will direct people interested in giving a donation to the library to the Library’s website. We are working on getting donations to go directly to Facebooks.

The 2019 One Book One Nebraska title has been released. “This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Family Farm” has been selected. Our library will be purchasing a copy for our library. The Book Club will feature this book in the fall of 2019.

Under upcoming meetings/workshops, it was noted that the Ainsworth Library Foundation Board would be meeting on Nov. 14th at 5 p.m. Gail will be attending the State Library Advisory Council Meeting in Lincoln on Nov. 16th. The new certificate was received for the Board. The Public Library Board Certification was renewed until September 30, 2021. The Board as a whole must acquire 20 hours of continuing education credit during the next three years.

Under correspondence, we had information from the Cornhusker State Industries on new library furniture they are now making. Articles of interest from Library Journal, American Libraries, NCompass, and The Voice for America’s Libraries were shared.

Holiday closing was discussed. The Library will be closed on Nov. 12th (Veteran’s Day), Nov. 22nd (Thanksgiving Day), Dec. 24th and 25th (Christmas), and on Jan. 1st (New Year’s Day) with an early closing on Dec. 31st (New Year’s Eve).

Since the Board does not meeting in the month of December, the next meeting date/time was set for January 9th at 5 p.m. Since there was no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m.