Plattsmouth Public Library Upcoming Events

Zoo Passes Available Starting December 1

The Plattsmouth Library is giving away Henry Doorly Zoo passes. Only one pass per household will be allowed. Each pass will admit up to two adults and six children for one daytime admission. To request a pass, adults must have a library card and their account must be in good standing (no overdue items and no fees owed).

Persons using the passes at the Henry Doorly Zoo will need to present their pass AND a valid library card to be admitted. The passes are valid through January 31, 2024, and are made possible through the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium’s Library Program.

The library also has passes that can be checked out for use at Lauritzen Gardens, Fontenelle Forest, and Durham Museum. Explore our area’s great resources for free, courtesy of the library, the zoo, and the Friends of the Library!

Holiday Party, December 9

Get your face painted and visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the auditorium on Saturday, December 9, 10-11:30am. Santa is giving away gifts for everyone who talks to him. Colorful balloons, creative crafts, and refreshments will also be available.

Pokemon Gym Day, December 16

Prepare your Pokémon for the next Gym Day, Saturday, December 16, 1-3pm, in the library auditorium. Bring your Nintendo Switch to battle the gym trainers and gym leader in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Those who are able to beat the gym trainers advance to the next stage to battle the gym leader. Beat the trainers and receive a specialty badge! Collect all the badges for a special reward!

Outdoor Musical Instruments Coming Soon!

The library will soon be installing the outdoor musical instruments that have been purchased with city funds and grants!

The project was started in the fall of 2022 with the purchase of the first instrument. Since then, the instruments pictured have all been received and are awaiting installation in the back of the library, hopefully in mid-September. We’ll also be working with the schools to provide programming in the new space.

To top off the project, the library will provide a rubberized surface material to make it safer and easier to access in all types of weather.

This project was funded by city capital improvement funds, Cass County Tourism – visitcasscounty.com, and by state aid funding appropriated by the Nebraska Legislature, granted and administered by the Nebraska Library Commission.

Board Games Now Available for Checkout

Check out our board games! The library was lucky to receive a donation of dozens of fun board games from David Moore that are now available for check out. Titles range from Candy Land, Clue, and Sorry to Lexogon, Race for the Galaxy, and Fact or Crap. New games purchased by the library include Operation, Trouble, Hungry Hungry Hippo, Apples to Apples, Yeti in my Spaghetti, and Codenames.

Board games are not only great for a fun family game night, but they help build social skills and develop problem-solving skills. They also help expand your creativity and have been found to decrease stress. So if you’re looking for something fun to do at your next family or friend event, check out a board game from your library!

Reading Suggestions

Whether you're hunting for your next book, selecting for a book club, or getting ideas for kids, you'll find great selections in the Booklist Reader, a companion to the magazine that we use to select titles for our library. Enjoy a new issue each month free of charge.

FREE MONTHLY ACTIVITIES

Activity	Ages	Dates	Notes
Bingo	Adults	3rd Wednesday, 1:30-2:30pm Next date: December 20	We provide the bingo cards.
Needlecraft Club	All	1st Thursday, 6-7pm and 3rd Tuesday, 10am-noon Next date: December 7, 6pm	Beginners or seasoned pros, bring your crocheting, embroidery, quilting, or other projects to work on.
Animanga Club	Grades 5-12	2nd Thursday, 4-5:30pm Next date: December 14	Watch and discuss an anime or manga series. Snacks provided.
Bad Art Club	Ages 11+	2nd Wednesday, 4-5pm Next date: December 13
Bookworms & Beyond Homeschool Group	Homeschoolers	2nd and 4th Thursdays, 1-3pm Next date: December 14, 28	Connect with other homeschool groups.
Chess Club	Ages 10+	2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 3-4:30pm Next dates: November 28	Learn how to play or teach others to play
D&D Heck Fire Club	11-18 years	1st and 3rd Saturdays, 10am-2pm Next dates: December 2, 16 "One-Shot" sessions, 12-3pm, every Sunday	For novices and experienced players. More Dungeons Masters are needed.
Family Board Games	All	1st and 3rd Fridays, 6-8pm Next dates: December 1, 15	Play new and old games or bring your own. Hosts: Adam and Nicole Vraspir
Friday Friends	0-5 years	1st and 3rd Fridays, 10-11:30am Next dates: December 1, 15	Play on indoor playground equipment and make new friends.
Middle School Book Club	Middle school	2nd Saturday, 12:30-1:30pm Next date: December 9
Paws for Reading	All youth	3rd Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm Next date: December 20	Children read to certified therapy dogs. Registration preferred, not required.
Saturday Morning Cartoons	All youth	2nd and 4th Saturdays, 9:30-11am Next date: November 25, December 9	Family-oriented cartoons. Pajamas welcome. Cereal provided
Teen Book Club	Grades 8-12	4th Saturday, 12:30-1:30pm Next date: December 23
Teen Volunteers	Ages 13-18	Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30pm Next date: November 21	Discuss volunteer opportunities, upcoming programs, and Advisory Board.
Trading Cards	Grades 2+	3rd Saturday (odd-numbered months), 2:30-4pm Next date: January 20	Trade Pokemon, magic, sports, Yu-Gi-Oh and other cards.
Video Gaming	All youth	4th Saturday, 2-3:30pm Next date: November 25, December 23	Play your games or ours on 75" TV. Wii, Xbox 360, Switch, or your own.
Youth Bingo	All youth	1st Wednesday, 4-5pm Next date: December 6
Youth Chess Club	Ages 10 and up	2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 3-4:30pm Next date: November 28	Learn how to play or teach others to play, make friends, and build skills.

Free Passes to Area Attractions

The library has free passes to Lauritzen Gardens, Durham Museum, and Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. These library passes must be checked out and returned within one week. The only thing you need is a library card in good standing - no overdue materials or fees for lost or damaged items.

Each pass is a little different. The Lauritzen Garden pass admits 2 adults and their children under age 18 for one use. The Durham Museum pass admits 2 adults and children within that household or up to 4 grandchildren but only once every six months.

The Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods passes admit 2 adults and up to 5 children. Each pass is for a specific day of the week so, if you check out a Monday pass, you have to visit on a Monday. Visitors also receive $5 off a membership if purchased on the day you use the library pass. You can use the pass for a discount in the gift shop, attend special member-only events, and attend for free any programming on the day of your visit.

Sorry, but the library can't put a pass on hold, but you can call ahead to make sure one is available before you come.

Search Your Genealogy for Free at the Library

The library is now a FamilySearch Affiliate Library which means it has access to more genealogy resources. There are only a few hundred affiliate libraries in the country.

The popular web service has over 6 billion searchable names and 2 billion images of historical genealogical records. FamilySearch adds over 300 million free genealogical records and images online yearly from all over the world and manages the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City. It has amassed billions of birth, marriage, death, census, land and court records from more than 130 countries. Access FamilySearch from a library computer to set up your free account.

Besides FamilySearch, the library provides access to Ancestry Library Edition from computers in the library and to My Heritage from the library or home.

Read Any Size Print with New Video Magnifier

 The Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired has provided an ONYX Deskset Video Magnifier to all Nebraska public libraries to better serve our visually impaired patrons. You don't need a library card to use the machine, and it's very easy to use. It features the ability to change colors or display white text on black. It provides reading lines or a mask that helps you follow along on the page, and it can magnify up to 106x. It's also great for reading prescription bottles and viewing images. Stop by the library to use it or to see a short demo.

Plattsmouth Newspapers Online, 1857-2021

The library recently converted the remaining backfiles of the Plattsmouth Journal to microfilm so all Plattsmouth newspapers from 1857-2021 are accessible and searchable on the Internet or in the library. University of Nebraska-Lincoln's website, Nebraska Newspapers, has hosted eight newspapers from 1865-1939  for about 10 years. Last year, History Nebraska turned over its backfiles to newspapers.com which now includes 31 Plattsmouth newspapers from 1857-2008. To complete the archive, the library now offers the 2009-2021 Journal issues for searching in the library. The project to make the 2009-2021 Journal issues available was made possible in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Hot Off the Press!

In fall 2021, the library received a heat press and accompanying mug press! The library also has hundreds of shirts for children and adults, aprons, cloth bags, mouse pads, glass tiles, aluminum signs, coasters, and many more items to be imprinted with the presses.

Call the library for a 30-minute training or to make a reservation to make your own items. During training, you will be able to create your own design or use a sample design provided by the library. You can print one mug and one other item (shirt, mousepad, or any other material) for free. Beyond that, items cost anywhere from 25 cents to $4.

Made with a laser cutter:

Laser cutter user manual

Schedule Laser Cutter Training

The library has a laser cutter capable of etching on wood, glass, ceramic tiles, cork, metals, and many other materials. It can be used by anyone who has completed the one-hour training session. Call the library, 402-296-4154, ext. 24, to schedule training or to reserve time to work on your projects.

You don’t need to have a library card or even live in Plattsmouth to use it. It can be used for personal or business purposes, so think about how you might benefit from the opportunity!

See some of the items we've made with the Innovation Studio equipment!

Break Up the Boredom with an Escape Room!

Library Supervisor Kenneth Turner has created an escape room to help kick the indoor doldrums. Try your luck escaping from a world turned topsy-turvy. Additional digital escape rooms, some for free, can be found in this Library Journal article.

Charge Your Device While You Browse!

You can charge your phone, tablet, iPad, Kindle, or other device while you’re browsing or working on the computer in the library. You don’t even need a cord since the charger already has several different connectors for Apple, Android, and other devices. The charger is at the main circulation desk and can accommodate up to 8 devices at a time. The charger is plugged into an outlet, not a computer, so your data is secure.

The library also has a card reader that will allow you to read data from a camera memory card or other micro or mini SD card. The reader has slots for four different kinds of cards. It connects to the computer with a USB cord. You don’t need to have your own cord for your camera or other device. Just ask for the reader so you can download pictures or other files from your device while you're in the library.

Yearbooks, Newspapers Digitized

Read about the local newspapers and high school yearbooks that have been digitized and made available to the public.

Visit Our Patio!

The library has a patio in the back of the building! It was constructed in 2012 with bricks from Main Street and is shaded by a pergola. You can see how the patio took 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.