Announcements and Press Releases


Teen Read Week
Teen Read WeekTeen Read Week is October 18-24, but we'll be celebrating it through November! Be sure to check out Susan's Teen Read Week Book List 2009!

Here are the special events we have planned:

Monday, October 19, 2009
3:30 - 5:00 PM
Walt Branch Library
For grades 6-12
Ghost Hunting 101 - a "Read Beyond Reality" Teen Read Week Event: Come meet two real ghost hunters who will share information, stories, and the instruments they use to communicate with the paranormal.

Friday, October 23, 2009
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Eiseley Branch Library
For ages 10-16
Jinkies! It’s a Zombie! The gang and our favorite canine hero are back! Scooby and his friends visit Zombie Island, where they find themselves menaced by a ghost and zombies! Come dressed as your favorite Scooby character or as a zombie or if you’re feeling really creative, your favorite zombified Scooby character. Pre-registration is necessary; call 441-4250 or stop by the Eiseley Youth Services desk..

Make a Monster at the Library!Thursday, November 5, 2009
4:00 - 5:30 PM
Eiseley Branch Library
For ages 10-15
Make a Monster at the Library! November spawned a monster! Now’s your chance to make your own little monster. Come to Eiseley Branch Library to create your creature! All materials will be provided and all participants will make something to bring home. Please call 441-4250 or stop by the Eiseley Youth Desk to register.

Sunday, November 15, 2009
2:00 - 3:00 PM
Eiseley Branch Library
For all ages
Pride and Prejudice and ZombiesPride and Prejudice and Zombies Book Group: First published in 1813, Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice, has remained ever popular, spawning several adaptations in both book and movie. In its most recent adaptation, zombies are added into the mix. Join us as we analyze Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. This discussion is open to anyone who has read the book; pick up your copy at your local Lincoln City Library branch.

Saturday, November 21, 2009
12:30 - 5:30 PM
Gere Branch Library (Please see this note about Gere's room capacity)
For teens and young adults (anyone is welcome, but those under 12 should be accompanied by a parent)
Teen Read Week Movie Party! Dress as your favorite out of this world character. Vampire? Werewolf? Zombie? Anything goes. Come and celebrate Teen Read Week 2009 "Read Beyond Reality" with a movie marathon including Coraline and various selections from the Val Lewton  Horror collection (Cat People, Revenge of the Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie...).


Nebraska Students Invited to Write Letters to Favorite Authors
Call for Student Entries!

Letters About Literature, a national reading and writing promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, in partnership with Target,  invites young readers in grades 4 – 12 to enter this year’s Letters About Literature letter writing competition. Young readers simply write a personal letter to an author explaining on that author’s work somehow changed the readers’ view of their world.

Letters About Literature awards both state and national prizes on three competition levels: Level 1 for grades 4 – 6; Level 2 for grades 7 – 8; and Level 3 for grades 9 – 12. Six national winners will each receive cash awards and will nominate a school or community library to receive a $10,000 LAL Reading Promotion grant. Twelve national honor winners will likewise receive cash awards and also nominate a school or community library to receive a $1,000 LAL Reading Promotion grant. Nebraska winners are honored in a Proclamation-signing ceremony and receive cash awards and gift certificates.

Teachers, librarians, and parents can download free teaching materials on reader response and reflective writing at www.lettersaboutliterature.org. Submission deadline is postmark December 12, 2009. State winners will be notified in March 2010 and national winners by mid-April. Nebraska-specific information (including letters from Nebraska winners of past contests) is available at http://www.nebraska.gov/publications/lal/aboutcontest.html. Letters About Literature is sponsored in Nebraska by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from Houchen Bindery Ltd. and Lee Booksellers.

Letters About Literature supports national standards for teaching language arts & reading as recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.

Libraries Offer Parent-Child Book Groups

Parent-Child Book GroupsLincoln City Libraries is offering parent-child book groups for children and their adult reading partners starting this fall. These groups will meet once a month and will be led by a trained facilitator. Register by calling the library where you would like to participate.

Information about this year's groups is available here.