When the Cranes Come Back to Kearney-strano
March 3, 2026
“Cranes carry this heavy mystical baggage. They're icons of fidelity and happiness. The Vietnamese believe cranes cart our souls up to heaven on our wings.” Mitchell Burgess, Northern Exposure, The Bad Seed, 1992
It’s that time of year. Crane fever has struck, and I’ve been finding myself singing, “When the Sandhills come back to Kearney-strano” (my version of “When the swallows come back to Capistrano"). Of course, being the bibliophile that I am, I must share with you what the library has available about these fascinating birds. I found some great resources and thought I would share some of the best ones with you.
“Crane Music: A Natural History of American Cranes”, “Those of the Gray Wind”, “Sandhill and Whooping Cranes: Ancient Voices Over America’s Wetlands”, and “A Chorus of Cranes: The Cranes of North America and the World” by Paul A. Johnsgard are excellent resources. Mr. Johnsgard was an ornithologist and Foundation Professor of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Nebraska. The books describe the seasonal migrations, natural habitats, breeding, biology, call patterns, and fascinating dancing.
Steve Groom’s “The Cry of the Sandhill Crane” is also full of interesting facts regarding the rituals of cranes. For instance, did you know that young Sandhill Cranes go on several dates before finally settling down to mate for life? Or that keepers of orphaned cranes hide their faces and wear crane puppets to help the birds fit in when released?
“Birding Crane River: Nebraska’s Platte” by Gary R. Lingle provides maps to the hotspots, a bird list of 300 species, a list of contacts, and the specialties of the area.
“On Ancient Wings: the Sandhill Cranes of North America” by Michael Forsberg is a coffee-table book full of colorful and beautiful photographs.
Peter Matthiessen's "The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranes" chronicles his journeys in search of the world's fifteen species of cranes, including a trip to Nebraska.
"Can You Dance Like John?" written by Jeff Kurrus and featuring photographs by Michael Forsberg, is a fictional account of a crane learning to cope with the loss of a mate.
Good titles for kids include “Sandi the Sandhill Crane” by Colleen Gage and “Luck” by Jean Craighead George. These books provide a good introduction to the physical characteristics, behavior, lifestyle, and natural environments of cranes.
Check out these books and many others on birds and birding at Kearney Public Library and enjoy watching the cranes. And watch out for drivers like me, craning their necks to look at the birds.
Help! I Have Writer's Block!
November 24, 2025
It’s been a while since my last “View from the Director’s Desk.” I’ve been stuck on what to write about. Usually, I get struck with an idea, and the column appears to me almost fully written in my mind. Not this time.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block? It can be very frustrating, especially if you are on a deadline. I started thinking about this and discovered the library has quite a few books on the topic of creative writing of all kinds, including literary, nonfiction, plays, crime fiction, fantasy fiction, and poetry. Here are three I found particularly compelling:
- Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd. Ms. Kidd draws from both her own experiences as a writer and the insights of other literary figures such as Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, and Harper Lee, exploring the creative and spiritual side of the writing process.
- Creative Writing by Maggie Harmand. In this book (part of the “Dummies Series”) you can learn about the elements of storytelling, including structure, dialogue, and plot.
- Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody. Ms. Brody presents a comprehensive story-structure guide for want-to-be novelists using the "Save the Cat!" screenwriting methodology in the world of novel writing.
While these books are a huge help, any book claiming to be “the last book you’ll ever need” might seem a bit too good to be true. Sometimes you need other people to bounce ideas and techniques off of. That’s why the library offers an informal Writer’s Block group that meets twice a month, as well as fantastic writing workshops led by people like Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers and best-selling author Karen Russell. I attended the workshop by Jewel Rodgers and was fascinated by how she taught us how to use “voice” to create a different feeling in a poem or story. How you read out loud can completely change what you think the meaning is.
In the end, I guess I managed to get this blog written after all. I just needed a jump-start. You can get one too, at Kearney Public Library.
Unplug and Read: Resist the pull of doom-scrolling!
October 3, 2025
I recently saw a movement afoot to unplug on October 18 and play your records. I heartily agree with the sentiment. Lately, I’ve thought a lot about unplugging from social media altogether, but I can’t seem to pull the trigger. I have been trying to move back to reading more, though. It calms me and clears my head to throw myself out of my own head and into a book.
When I was young, I lived in a fairly idyllic place. There were vistas of mountain peaks to the east, south, and west and a mesa rising to the north. And a creek (pronounced properly as crick) ran through it. I had three favorite things to do:
- Wander, explore, hike, climb the mesa, and innertube on the creek. In the woods I could be anyone I wanted to be. I could pretend to be an adventurer, I could think through problems, I could be inspired.
- Listen to music. I would listen to music on headphones or, later, on cassettes in my little pickup with my friends singing along. It was so invigorating and lifting!
- Read. I read, read, read. I became the protagonist in the story. I explored Middle-Earth, Narnia, Prydain, Camelot, EarthSea, and more. No matter what worries I had, they disappeared the moment I plunged into the other world; the world of books. They cleansed my mind of whatever distresses were going on in my little world. Books and music literally saved my life in the storm-tossed days of adolescence. And they continue to as an adult…when I let them.
I am so thankful I didn’t have social media when I was a kid. I would have missed out on a lot and become mired in worry and a never-ending fear of missing out if I didn’t continually look at my phone. I’m not a psychologist and I don’t play one on TV. I can only tell you, that through my personal experience we all need to back off the social media (after reading my blog) and detox through thinking, nature, music…and most of all books. If you can pull yourself away from constant doom-scrolling and game-playing, you will reap a vast reward from what you gain from reading. Read fiction, read non-fiction, but for crying out loud, read! Put your phone where you can’t reach it and let your parents or kids think you are dead in a ditch when you don’t respond immediately to a text (I plead guilty to this with my adult children). Unplug from the dissonance of social media and plug into books! You won’t regret it, I promise.
I believe in you! Read!
One Card, Endless Possibilities
August 27, 2025
September is library card sign-up month, and the theme is “One Card, Endless Possibilities.” I know that some people use their card for a bookmark and I’m pretty sure you could use it to part your hair. However, I don’t think that’s what it means by “endless possibilities.” I think it refers to the endless ways you can explore the world through books, DVDs, databases, and the internet.
Everyone knows you can use your card to check out physical items such as the over 158,000 books, magazines, Audiobooks, and DVDs the library houses. Did you know there is a group of 1,672 folks in the Kearney area who have checked out more than 1000 items since getting their cards. And, believe it or not, there are 9 individuals (who are not library employees) who have checked out over 10,000 items since getting their cards. In fact, last year patrons checked out 546,736 items making us the third largest public circulating library in the state after Omaha and Lincoln. That’s a lot of material no matter how you slice it. Speaking of which, another thing you might be able to do with a library card is slice cheese.
However, there are many other ways to explore using your card than just checking out physical material. Here are some other library type ways to use your library card or barcode number:
- Logging in to free internet at a library computer. If you use a library card instead of a guest pass you can get one dollar’s worth of printing free every month. Last year people used library internet 82,131 times.
- Checking out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks, eMagazines, and streaming movies. Using your card on Libby by Overdrive you can access literally tens of thousands of eBooks, audiobooks, and eMagazines and using Kanopy you can stream hundreds of movies and documentaries. Last year people checked out 55,359 eBooks, 89,181 downloadable audio books, 14,347 magazines, and streamed 5,419 movies. Kids also read 9,887 interactive books using Tumblebooks.
- Booking meeting rooms. Last year, nonprofit groups used our meeting rooms 938 times.
- Registering for library programs. Last year, 21,804 kids and teens attended library programs, and 13,409 adults attended library programs.
- Booking the library Makerspace (3D printers, Cricut machines, button makers, giant printer, sewing machines and more). Last year 1,577 people used the Makerspace.
- Logging in to library databases and newspapers. The library has around 50 different databases available to the public covering medicine, literature, history, consumer information, automotive and much more. We also have newspaper databases for newspapers around the country including the entire run of the Hub for free! People access NewsBank Newspaper database around 4,000 times each month.
So, next time you are sitting around the campfire using your library card to eat a can of beans because you forgot to bring a spork, think about all the wonderful things you can explore at KPL!
The Secret Lives of Librarians
August 1, 2025
Did you know that library employees exist outside of the library? I sometimes get the feeling that people are shocked to see us out of our native environs. And yet, I’m here to tell you that library employees have rich lives outside of work. While reading is, indubitably, a hobby for many of us, other hobbies fill our “free” time as well. The library’s August display is showcasing the hobbies of the workers here and I highly suggest stopping by for a look. In tandem with that display I’ve asked the staff to share their favorite books about their hobbies and pastimes, so you can get to know us and perhaps pick up a new hobby, yourself.
Antonio
Page
Hobby: Playing Clarinet
Title: The Rest Is Noise: Listening to The Twentieth Century by Alex Ross.
Call Number: 780.9 RO
Summary: “A history of the twentieth century through its music.”
April
Clerk
Hobby: Art
Title: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Ever Told You About Being Creative by Austin Keon.
Call Number: 153.35 KL
Summary: “A guide to creativity in the digital age, this book presents 10 transformative principles to help readers discover their artistic side and build a more creative life.”
Beth
Technology Librarian
Hobby: Solving Mystery Boxes. Every month one comes in the mail for family and friends to solve.
Title: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
Call Number: FIC OSMAN
Summary: “In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves The Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead they find themselves in the middle of their first live case.”
Caitlin
Clerk
Hobby: Plants
Title: Houseplants for All: How to Fill Any Home with Happy Plants by Danae Horst.
Call Number: 635.965 HO
Summary: “A guide to selecting and growing plants for your home, including a plant profile quiz.”
2nd Hobby: Stamp Collecting (Philately)
Title: The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon.Call Number: On Order
Summary: “When her ex-lover, wealthy real-estate tycoon Pierce Inverarity, dies and designates her the coexecutor of his estate, California housewife Oedipa Maas is thrust into a paranoid mystery of metaphors, symbols, and the United States Postal Service.”
Christine
Assistant Director
Hobby: Gardening
Title: The Midwest Native Plant Primer: 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden by Alan Branhagen.
Call Number: 635.9 BR
Summary: “This incomparable sourcebook includes 225 recommended native ferns, grasses, wildflowers, perennials, vines, shrubs, and trees. It’s everything you need to know to create a beautiful and beneficial garden. This must-have handbook is for gardeners in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.”
Emily
Clerk
Hobby: Garage Sales, Thrift Stores, and Flea Markets
Title: Big Thrift Energy: The Art and Thrill of Finding Vintage Treasures – Plus Tips for Making Old Feel New by Virginia Chamlee.
Call Number: 747 CH
Summary: “This book is a comprehensive guide that offers tips for thrifting that you never knew you needed: How to shop for the good stuff, how to upcycle and style vintage treasures in your home, and even advice for flipping your most-coveted items to turn a profit.”
Emily
Clerk
Hobby: Breadmaking
Title: Bread Science: The Chemistry and Craft of Making Bread by Emily Buehler.
Call Number: On Order
Summary: “Bread Science is the complete how-to guide to bread making. It covers the entire process in detail. With over 250 photos and illustrations, it makes bread making approachable and fun.”
James
Circulation Librarian
Hobby: Graphic Novels
Title: Justice League of America by Brad Meltzer.
Call Number: 741.59 ME
Summary: “The JLA has discovered that several members of the Legion of Super-Heroes from the 31st century are in the present. With the help of the JSA, Superman and his team must track down all seven Legionnaires to discover why these heroes of the future have traveled back in time!”
Jill
Clerk
Hobby: Long walks and photographing whatever catches her eye.
Title: A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart by Maria Alexander Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes.
Call Number: 779 VE
Summary: “Two bloggers on opposite sides of the US share their early morning photos over the course of a year.”
Julie
Clerk
Hobby: Dodgers Baseball
Title: Cheated: The Inside Story of the Astros Scandal and a Colorful History of Sign Stealing by Andy Martino.
Call Number: 796.357 MA
Summary: “The definitive insider story of one of the biggest cheating scandals to ever rock Major League Baseball, bringing down high-profile coaches and players, and exposing a long-rumored "sign-stealing" dark side of baseball.”
Katherine
Clerk
Hobby: Music
Title: For the Love of Music: A Conductor’s Guide to the Art of Listening by John Mauceri.
Call Number: 781 MA
Summary: “With a lifetime of experience, profound knowledge and understanding, and heartwarming appreciation, an internationally celebrated conductor and teacher answers the questions: Why should I listen to classical music? How can I get the most from the listening experience?”
Kathy
Clerk
Hobby: Jigsaw Puzzles
Title: Missing Pieces: 4 Puzzling Cozy Mysteries by Cynthia Hickey, Linda Baton Johnson, Teresa Ives Lilly, and Janice Thompson.
Call Number: LP FIC HICKEY
Summary: “Four short cozy mysteries...all involving jigsaw puzzles!”
Libby
Clerk
Hobby: Traveling and Hiking
Title: Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share.
Call Number: 917.3 SH
Summary: “The book includes depth and insight into the most popular parks, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia National Parks; anecdotes and tips from rangers; and much more about author Amber Share's personal love and connection to the outdoors.”
Marlana
Clerk
Hobby: Domestic Reptile Rescue
Title: Health and Welfare of Captive Reptiles by Clifford Warwick.
Call Number: On Order
Summary: “This book offers concepts, principles and applied information that relates to the wellbeing of reptiles.”
2nd Hobby: Pickleball
Title: Pickleball For Dummies by Mo Nard, Reine Steel, Diana Landau, and Carl Landau.
Call Number: On Order
Summary: “This covers it all from scoring, serving, dinking, places to play, and getting more involved in the community.”
Matthew
Director
Hobby: Vinyl Record Collecting
Title: The Vinyl Detective Series by Andrew Cartmel.
Call Number: FIC CARTMEL
Summary: “The series follows the Vinyl Detective, a record connoisseur and audiophile who earns a living by hunting out rare records and selling them on to other collectors. In the first book of the series it’s an elusive jazz record and in each book we’ve had a different genre – psychedelic rock, wartime big band music, electric folk, punk, Scandi death metal, electronic dance, and Italian movie soundtracks. The series also has a regular gang around our detective! Oh and there are cats.”
Michael
Technical Services Librarian
Hobby: Gravel Cycling
Title: Gravel Cycling: The Complete Guide To Gravel Racing And Adventure Bikepacking by Nick Legon.
Call Number: 796.6 LE
Summary: “A comprehensive guide to gravel biking covering all the gear, bike setup, riding tips, and outfitting strategies.”
Nicole
Administrative Assistant
Hobby: Cooking and Cooking TV Shows
Title: Ramsay in 10: Delicious Recipes Made in a Flash by Gordon Ramsay.
Call Number: 641.55 RA
Summary: “Enjoy quick and delicious meals as Michelin starred chef Gordon Ramsay presents your new everyday cookbook, featuring recipes that are max 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook.”
2nd Hobby: Sports (volleyball, basketball, and track and field)
Title: Dream Like a Champion: Wins, Losses, and Leadership the Nebraska Volleyball Way by John Cook.
Call Number: 796.325 CO
Summary: “Cook shares the philosophy behind Nebraska’s culture of success and reveals how he’s had to learn, evolve, and be coached himself, even in his fifth decade as a coach. With openness and candor, he delivers insights about his methods and passes along lessons that can be used by leaders in any field. Cook also shares behind-the-scenes anecdotes about Nebraska volleyball moments and players—and how he coaches and teaches his players about life beyond the court.”
Preston
Page
Hobby: Rom-Coms
2nd Hobby: Pickleball
Title: All’s Fair in Love and Pickleball by Kate Spencer.
Call Number: FIC SPENCER
Summary: “When a young woman must win a pickleball competition alongside her longtime rival to save her family’s business, sparks fly on and off the court.”
Sarah
Reference Librarian
Hobby: Genealogy
Title: The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy: Trace Your Roots, Share Your History, and Create a Family Tree by Kimberly Powell.
Call Number: GENEALOGY 929.1 PO
Summary: “Packed with tips on using free databases, new websites, and a growing number of genealogy apps, The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy, 3rd Edition has everything you need to scour the Internet and find your ancestors, going back generations!”
Stacia
Clerk
Hobby: Road Trips with Family
Title: 125 Wacky Roadside Attractions by (National Geographic).
Call Number: J 910.202 ON
Summary: ”Going on a road trip? See the silly side of travel as you explore the wackiest landmarks from around the world -- a place where you can walk in real dinosaur tracks, a hotel where you sleep in an igloo, a crazy beard festival, a UFO museum, and so much more.”
2nd Hobby: Riding a Peloton Bike for physical and mental health.
Title: Live Learn Love Well: Lessons From a Life of Progress Not Perfection by Emma Lovewell.
Call Number: 796.6092 LO
Summary: “A memoir chronicling Emma Lovewell’s incredible path to physical―and mental―fitness that traces her journey to becoming a beloved Peloton instructor and inspires readers to live, learn, and love well.”
Music on my Mind
July 8, 2025
I am always interested in what people are reading and always amazed at the variety of genres and subjects covered. Sometimes it overlaps with my own tastes and interests, but many times it is well out of my usual zones. I suppose if you took all of the books I read and averaged them, I would turn out to be a decidedly middle-brow reader. You might find me reading a classic novel one day and a fantasy novel the next. I love mysteries, classics, science fiction and a variety of non-fiction. Working at the library, I am definitely a victim of eye-catching titles.
Music is a great interest of mine, and I enjoy reading music biographies and memoirs. Lately, I’ve read The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir by Neko Case, Heartbreaker: A Memoir by Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), and No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir by Ani DiFranco. I highly recommend all of these titles.
You may have noticed there are no classical or jazz titles in my recommendations. I confess most classical music bores me and I’m not much into jazz (there are, of course, exceptions). I listen to NPR for the news not the music. You might be thinking that I’m not a particularly musically sophisticated fellow. Be that as it may, I enjoy a wide variety of roots music, including folk, rock, Americana, Appalachian, and more — and I enjoy learning about it.
Which brings me to the book I am currently reading. Mike Tye, a friend, recommended Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes. Zanes holds a Ph.D. in Visual and Cultural Studies and is the author of the excellent Petty: The Biography, so I knew it would be good (he is also a member of The Del Fuegos).
I am a Springsteen fan (though not anywhere near on the level of Mike) and particularly of Nebraska which is an anomaly in his canon of works. If you are wondering, the album isn’t a celebration of our state. The title song recounts the murder spree of Charles Starkweather in first person and was inspired by the loose interpretation of what happened in the movie Badlands. The mood goes down from there which is exactly the kind of music that cheers me up. Nebraska is rough and unfinished, recorded on cassette tape with a simple four-track recorder by Springsteen, alone in his bedroom, just as the digital future was announcing itself. It came as a shock to those accustomed to listening to albums like Born to Run or The River and has stood the test of time as one of his best, if not the best. I am thoroughly enjoying this read and highly recommend it.
Recommended Reads:
- The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir by Neko Case
- Heartbreaker: A Memoir by Mike Campbell
- No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir by Ani DiFranco
- Petty: The Biography by Warren Zanes
- Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes