Month: April 2022

High Plains Library District Receives GFOA Budget Award

(Chicago, Illinois) — Government Finance Officers Association is pleased to announce that High Plains Library District, Colorado, has received GFOA’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

  • a policy document
  • a financial plan
  • an operations guide
  • a communications device

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual(s) or department designated as being primarily responsible for having achieved the award. This has been presented to Finance Department.

There are over 1,700 participants in the Budget Awards Program. The most recent Budget Award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, are posted quarterly on GFOA’s website. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 21,000 members and the communities they serve.

Standalone Fantasy (Read a fantasy that’s not part of a series)

Have you avoided starting fantasy books because the series are too long? You don’t have to feel guilty! Fantasy series can be quite the undertaking. Why not check out these standalone fantasy novels? Enjoy the fantasy genre without committing to an entire series.

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

Linus Baker is a quiet and solitary man who works for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Upon traveling to an island orphanage to visit a particularly dangerous set of magical children, Linus discovers the truth about these children, their caretaker, and himself. Heartwarming and offbeat, this book is great for those who love a big cast of characters.

Book / Audio eBook

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

This witty and zany book follows an unlikely team, an angel and a demon, who join forces to prevent Armageddon. Why? Because it would ruin their cushy lifestyles! Their mission: find the Antichrist, who is an 11-year-old boy.

Book / eBook / CD Audiobook / Audio eBook

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

Jessamyn Teoh is moving back to Malaysia with her immigrant parents. When Jess arrives, she starts hearing a voice in her head. She chalks this up to stress, but the voice claims to be her estranged grandmother who was a spirit medium in life. On top of juggling her long-distance relationship with her girlfriend, which she must hide from her parents, she has to deal with an overbearing ghost forcing her into the world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets.

Book

The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox

Taryn has penned a successful book about the proper care of libraries and has a connection to a sought out scroll which can survive fires. She is approached by a police officer to solve a case involving the scroll and a fire in her grandparents’ home.

Book / eBook

The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner

The sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants, deep in the woods of Hungary. These descendants have the power to perform small miracles, the most gifted of whom are Rabbi Isaac’s daughters. As a darkness creeps across Europe which threatens the lives of every Jewish person in their village, this family must make tough choices to survive.

Book

Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston

The sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants, deep in the woods of Hungary. These descendants have the power to perform small miracles, the most gifted of whom are Rabbi Isaac’s daughters. As a darkness creeps across Europe which threatens the lives of every Jewish person in their village, this family must make tough choices to survive.

Book / Audio eBook

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Princess Sarene travels to the kingdom of Arelon to enter an arranged marriage. She discovers that her betrothed has died, and she is considered his widow. This leaves her alone to confront a religious fanatic with ambitions of taking over the kingdom.

Book / Audio eBook

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 

With world building, court intrigue, magic, and battles between good and evil, this book has it all! A queen survives an assassination attempt and continues her ruling line with the protection of magic from a court outsider. Meanwhile, a secret society does all it can to prevent a dragon war.

Book / eBook

Red Country by Joe Abercrombie

Shy South and her stepfather are tracking a cold-blooded killer who murdered Shy’s siblings and is rounding up other children and taking them north. Their journey leads them to a rough frontier town and a precarious alliance with an infamous soldier of fortune.

Book / Audio eBook

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Shy South and her stepfather are tracking a cold-blooded killer who murdered Shy’s siblings and is rounding up other children and taking them north. Their journey leads them to a rough frontier town and a precarious alliance with an infamous soldier of fortune.

Book / eBook

2022 Writer in Residence: Rob Walker

 The High Plains Library District Foundation is proud to announce the 2022 Writer in Residence. Rob Walker was selected by a volunteer committee to serve as the Foundation’s seventh Writer in Residence.

Rob Walker is a former funeral D.J., failed birthday magician, and future ghost. He is also a writer who has written for 5 of Paste Magazine’s 7 Humor Sites You Should Be Reading, including The Hard Times, Points in Case, and SlackJaw, among other outlets. His short stories are featured in the anthology series Crash Philosophy by Nerdy Things Publishing and Ahoy Comics. Rob’s scripts have also been Official Selections at FilmQuest, Mile High Horror Film Festival, Paragon Science Fiction and Fantasy Play Festival, and the Austin Comedy Short Film Festival. He lives in Greeley with his family in a 110-year-old house with monsters in its walls (probably).

Rob will spend his residency working on his playscript, Utopia!. The playscript asks the question, “What happens when the future comes to Weld County?!”. Utopia! is a theatrical playscript comprised of a collection of vignettes and one-act plays set in Weld County, Colorado. These scenes take place in government and industrial space, the Eastern plains, and in the homes of the people who live here.

The playscript is a mix of science fiction, comedy, and drama. It takes inspiration from such media as Parks & Recreation, Avenue 5, Rutherford Falls, Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, and Resident Alien. Utopia! uses genre to examine local issues like cultural differences, expanding industry, and how these things interact.

For more information about the Writer in Residence, as well as updates on Rob’s writing project and upcoming library programs, visit mylibrary.us/writer-in-residence