John Kopischke
- Photo courtesy of NLC Archives
b. Feb 28, 1928
John Kopischke was working for the U.S. Air Force during the fifties and sixties. He had done tours of duty in Libya, France and England. He decided he wanted to get back to the states and selected Scottsbluff, Nebraska because "it was only 35 miles from where my wife's family lived and then my kids [would] have grandparents." He became a consultant for the Nebraska Library Commission, as well as director of the Scottsbluff Public Library. The job gave him an early introduction to the development of regional service.
From there he went to work for the State Library in Wisconsin and stayed for nearly ten years. When the Executive Director's position opened up in Nebraska, Kopischke felt he knew the territory and so he applied for the job.
John Kopischke was appointed director of the Nebraska Library Commission in August of 1976. He was quoted in the August 20, 1976 Overtones from the Underground as saying that "climbing into the driver's seat at this point in the Commission's travels must be a little bit like jumping onto the running board of a rocket; the panorama is dazzling and the speed is exhilarating, but the flight plan takes awhile to perceive." Little did he know he was in for the ride of his life! The NLAQ sent their "intrepid reporter, Quink," to interview Kopischke at the beginning of his stint at the commission to get his views on life in Nebraska compared to life in those other places he had lived.
Getting into the computer age began in the late 70s and early 80s. Putting one's job on the line was what enabled Kopischke to get a computer for the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. NEBASE, the state network for access to OCLC was one early project that had its beginnings at this time.
NEUCAT, a microfiche format, replaced the old Union Catalog.
NEULIST became the serial component of the Union Catalog.
Struggling with change became part of the pattern of Kopischke's tenure. In 1984 the Legislature overrode a governor's veto and appropriated state general funds to support conversion of the regional networks into Library Systems. The Film Service was augmented when films from several other state agencies were absorbed into the Commission collection. The Publication Clearinghouse collection expanded and formal designation was made of State document depository libraries. The outmoded TWX system was replaced with NeLCms, an electronic communications network. Net lender agreements and grants to libraries to install OCLC services helped libraries to become more interconnected.
Library services to children were expanded and enhanced. Toybraries were set up in some libraries. There were six Juvenile Resource Centers. Summer reading programs were encouraged statewide through the use of a central theme, manuals and materials.
Times were hard in Nebraska during the 80s. Money problems plagued the people through job losses and the farm crisis. One response to this was from a grant by the Kellogg Foundation to set up Education Information Centers. These Centers provided materials and help for people seeking career information.
Everyone was looking for ways to keep the money flowing in. If you had some, others would like to get a piece of it. It was truly a time of change and everyone was caught up in it.
Kopischke resigned from the Commission in 1987 citing "irreconcilable differences" with the Commission Board.
Files of the Nebraska Library Commission Archives.
Biographical Directory of Librarians in the US and Canada, 5th ed. Chicago: ALA, 1970.
NLAQ, v. 7 #3, Fall 1976, pp. 13-14.
Interview: 7/22/1998; 11/3/1999