Book Sale, May 17-19

Come to the library auditorium to see all the books, movies, and music for adults and children on sale during the Friends of the Library used book sale Friday through Sunday, May 17 through 19. If you have materials you would like to donate to the sale, please bring them to the library any time it's open. The Friends also need help transporting the books to the library on May 14 and setting up the sale May 15-16. If you're interested in helping, please contact Diane Berlett at 402-298-8484. Book sale hours are:

• Friday, May 17, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Saturday, May 18, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
• Sunday, May 19, 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Lego Club on May 18

The Lego Club is held the third Saturday of the month, 10:30 am - 12:00 noon, at the library. It's for Lego fans of any age. No registration is required, and the library supplies all the Legos! Join us on Saturday, May 18, for our next Lego Club!

Library Closed for Memorial Day

The library will be closed on Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day. Normal business hours will be observed on Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26. 

Computer Classes in May and June

The following regularly scheduled computer classes are being offered in May and June and will be repeated on a regular basis: Basic Computers, Basic Internet, Using the Internet Wisely, Word Processing, Intermediate Email, and Excel. A different class will be held each week on Thursdays, generally 1:00-3:00 pm, beginning May 2. Brief descriptions and a schedule for the classes can be found on this class schedule. The classes are free, but class size is limited. Please call the library to register for any of the sessions or if you have questions.

Adult Game Nights will Resume in October

There will not be any adult game nights at the library until fall. Many people are out of town during the summer and those that stay in town take advantage of the nice weather to listen to music at the Plattsmouth Entertainment Center on Fridays. We hope to see our avid gamers when we resume adult game nights in October.

Library Receives Three Grants to Digitize Plattsmouth Newspapers

On March 14, the Plattsmouth Community Foundation announced that it was awarding $2,000 to the Plattsmouth Public Library Foundation to help the library continue its digitization of the Plattsmouth newspapers from 1865-2003! Pat Meisinger, President of the Library Foundation, and Library Director Karen Mier were present at the ceremony.

This most recent award brings the total funds raised to $43,892 or approximately 47% of the goal! Other funds have come from the Nebraska State Records Board ($23,742), Midlands Community Foundation ($5,000), the Plattsmouth Public Library Foundation ($2,000), the Friends of the Plattsmouth Public Library ($2,000), budgeted City funds ($5,000), and donations received by the Library from individuals or groups (approximately $4,150).

The cost to digitize the entire collection of Plattsmouth newspapers at the library, 1865-2003, is approximately $92,610. The library has already had 52 reels of microfilm digitized and is working with University of Nebraska at Lincoln to incorporate the data from 1865 to September 1939 into the Nebraska Newspapers project. Because standards set by the Library of Congress are being used, the Plattsmouth newspapers can be incorporated into the Nebraska project and considered for inclusion in Chronicling America, a national database of digital newspapers hosted by the Library of Congress.

By converting the Plattsmouth newspapers on microfilm to a digital format, they will be accessible on the Internet and can be searched online from any computer with Internet access. You won't have to know the date an article was published in order to find any information like you do with microfilm. With a digital format, you can search the newspapers by keyword, just like you do on Google. The digital format also allows you to access the newspapers from home and print them from home if you have a printer.

If you would like to donate to this project, there are two ways you can help. One way is to donate to the Plattsmouth Public Library Foundation, 401 Avenue A, Plattsmouth, NE 68048; every dollar helps us reach our goal sooner. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your donations are tax-deductible.

The second way you can help is to donate old newspapers which are missing from the microfilm reels. The library has created lists of the issues that are missing from The Plattsmouth Journal, the Plattsmouth News-Herald, and the Plattsmouth Daily Herald. If you find any of the needed issues, please let us know. You can either donate them to the library or you can loan them to us until they are microfilmed by the Nebraska State Historical Society, then they would be returned to you. We hope you can contribute to the success of this project. We look forward to hearing from you!

Visit Our New Patio!

The library has a new patio in the back of the building! It was constructed between June 27 and July 5 with bricks from Main Street, but it is now complete and is shaded by a pergola. You can see the patio take shape by looking at these pictures. It was made possible with a grant from the Cass County Visitors Promotion Committee and donations from the Plattsmouth Public Library Foundation and the Friends of the Library. The city donated the bricks. It's a great place to stop and read a book or to listen to storytime, at least when the weather is cooler. Thanks to Midwest Outdoor Design for installing it.