The Nebraska Center for the Book will present the 2015 Jane Geske Award at the November 14 Celebration of Nebraska Books in downtown Lincoln. Lincoln City Libraries’ One Book-One Lincoln Community Reading Program will be honored for their extraordinary contribution to Nebraska’s community of the book. One Book-One Lincoln began in 2002 and has been conducted every year by library staff and volunteers. They help select and purchase the titles, plan the programming, and create this constant and steady feature of the reading community for Lincoln, and Nebraska. The letter of nomination points out, “While entertainment and sporting options pull people in different directions, reading the same book together gives us a common experience. Reading—generally a private activity—changes completely when shared as a group, and discussing a book as a community brings us together.”  

The Nebraska Center for the Book annually presents the Jane Geske Award to an organization, business, library, school, association, or other group that has made an exceptional contribution to literacy, books, reading, bookselling, libraries, or Nebraska literature. The Jane Geske Award commemorates Geske’s passion for books, and was established in recognition of her contributions to the well-being of the libraries of Nebraska. Jane Geske was the director of the Nebraska Library Commission, a founding member of the Nebraska Center for the Book, a Lincoln bookseller, and a long-time leader in Nebraska library and literary activities. The 2015 award is a framed photograph by Steve Ryan entitled, “Woodcliff Lakes, NE.27.”  

The November 14 Celebration, free and open to the public, will also feature presentation of the 2015 Nebraska Book Awards, and some of the winning authors will read from their work. A list of winners is posted at http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/awards.html. The Celebration of Nebraska Books is scheduled for 2:30 - 6:30 p.m. at 1200 N Street, with this year’s One Book One Nebraska, Death Zones & Darling Spies: Seven Years of Vietnam War Reporting, by Beverly Deepe Keever, featured at the Celebration in a presentation, “Beverly Deepe Keever: An Unconventional Woman for An Unconventional War,” by Thomas Berg, Ph.D., Dept. of History, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The Nebraska Center for the Book Annual Meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. and an Awards Reception, book signings, and announcement of the 2016 One Book One Nebraska book choice conclude the festivities. The Celebration of Nebraska Books (http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/programs/celebration.html)  is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from the Friends of the University of Nebraska Press.

The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.

As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, bringing together people and information.
                                                                                           

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.