“Librarian’s Shelf” by Robert Trautwein   It’s rare that Nebraska or a city in our great state is mentioned in a national publication that compares “quality of life.” I wasn’t expecting to see Elkhorn, Nebraska listed in the new book, “Best Places to Raise Your Family, the Top 100 Affordable Communities in the United States”. The authors, Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, are urban affairs specialists and have authored a number of books that compare states and cities for quality of life—“Best Places to Retire”, “Most Fiscally Fit Cities”, “Best Cities for Dating” and “Cities Ranked & Rated”. Not to get overly excited about Elkhorn’s ranking, I learned that the absolute ten best cities are Louisville, Colorado; Gaitherburg, Maryland; Roswell, Georgia; Lakeville, Minnesota; Flower Mound, Texas; Fort Collins, Colorado; Cary, North Carolina; Sugarland Texas; Columbia, Maryland and Noblesville, Indiana. Our fair city, Elkhorn, Nebraska, is quite a ways down the ranking. While it is not among the top ten cities, Elkhorn does rank within the top 100. The authors list Elkhorn second in the category of “Best for Standard of Living”. And why shouldn’t it be? Its median household income is $75,816. Twenty-five percent of the households have an income in excess of $100,000. The cost of living index is “99” which means it cost 99 cents for a dollar’s worth of produce or service. The median price of a home is $187,000. In a way, I’m glad that Nebraska doesn’t find itself on quality-of-life lists too often. I’d rather it be kept quite that it’s “The Good Life” state. I’ve driven past the Interstate highway “Welcome to Nebraska” signs many times and I always find myself nodding as I read the passing sign that reads, “Nebraska, The Good Life”. Somehow, just to be inside the Nebraska border makes me feel more at ease—like I’m home. I take our high quality of my life for granted and I assume that all Nebraskans would agree that we are living pretty “cushy” in this great state. About ten years ago, my family hosted a high school foreign exchange student from Paris, France. He had only lived with us for a few months before he saw the “Good Life” welcome sign as we were returning from a visit in Denver, Colorado. He howled. He ridiculed the sign and the very thought that we could possibly be satisfied with living where we do. Well, he eventually moved back to Paris with its high unemployment, outrageous cost of living, crime, and racial problems. Now, that smug Parisian thinks longingly about the kind of life he led the year he lived in the state that calls itself, “The Good Life” state. While I’m a bit miffed when I read surveys comparing states and don’t find Nebraska on the list, maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe we should keep our quality of life a secret. But then again, I know we are in desperate need of more workers and we have over 200 jobs just in Columbus that are going begging. So, how do we balance the “Good Life” with the need for more people? It’s probably a dilemma that faces not only Nebraska but many other states as well. Recent donations to the Columbus Library Foundation include those in memory of Ellene Saunders from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gangel, Mrs. Ron Saalfeld, and Louise Haney. A memorial was also received from Veronica Kobus in honor of Frances Henderson.