Month: December 2020

Contributions to the Weekly Wrap-up are from all SWKLS staff.

Future Dates & Training Opportunities

Dates relating to the SWKLS Unity Project are in orange…SWKLS U.P.!

December 31 & January 1 – Auto-Graphics will be closed. To contact AG for emergencies only use: emergencysupport@auto-graphics.com

January 1, 2021 – SWKLS Office will be closed.

January – 1st week: SWKLS U.P.! calendar will be distributed. Recordings of Auto-Grpahics Q&A Sessions 1-4 will become available on wiki.swkls.org.

January 5, 2021 – Directors Forum at 2:00 pm – Discuss the State Survey Report for new directors as part of the forum / Zoom Link – https://kslib.zoom.us/j/735791720

January 6, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Email Session at 2:00 pm / Registration Link

January 6, 2021 – Rural Library Network Launch Registration

January 13, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Desktop Session at 2:00 pm / Registration Link

January 12, 2021 AT 11AM – SWKLS U.P. : How to digitize your ILL tracking system / Registration Link

January 15, 2021 – Full Board Meeting (Online with Zoom) at 10:00 am / Registration Link

January 20, 2021 at 10AM – AG training for new directors #1: a general introduction.

January 20, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Privacy Session at 2:00 pm / Registration Link

January 21, 2021 – Jody and Kelly hope to visit Scott County and Lane County Libraries.

January 26, 2021 at 10AM – AG training for new directors #2: VERSO

January 27, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Methods Session at 2:00 pm / Registration Link

January 28, 2021 at 10AM – AG training for new directors #3: SHAREit (Rhonda Machlan from the State ILL Dept. will also be present.)

January 29, 2021 – Jody and Kelly hope to visit Stevens County and Haskell Township Libraries.

IRS issues standard mileage rates for 2021

Beginning January 1, 2021, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be, .56 cents per mile driven for business use, down 1.5 cents from the rate for 2020. Link to full IRS Statement

Kansas State Library 2019 Survey Report

The Kansas State Library has posted the 2019 Survey Report, link to 2019 Library Survey Report webpage, just in time for libraries to begin gathering information for the 2020 Library Survey Report after the new year.

In the month of January, we will have four sessions all at 2:00 pm. We will present tips and tricks on how to get yourself organized for 2021. If you attend all four sessions your name will be placed in a drawing. If you unable to attend the session and can carry out the task your name can still be placed in the drawing. Simply take a screenshot of the process and email it to jhattrup@swkls.org. Instructions will be added to SWKLS wiki soon after each session.

• January 6 – Clean-Up & Clean Out Emails
• January 13 – Clean-Up & Clean Out Desktop
• January 20 -Cling Onto – Privacy
  Perfect time of the year to review privacy settings and how to protect yourself.
• January 27 – Cling Onto – Methods
  Directors will discuss some methods they cling to throughout the year. We will have Holly Mathes (Grant County Library) a veteran director and Sara Koehn (Haskell County Library) a novice director as a presenter.

New Additions to the SWKLS StoryWalk Collection

Use this phrase as a subject search to view the entire collection: SWKLS StoryWalk Collection. To order a StoryWalk, use a blank ILL request on SHAREit.

Trouble adding new barcodes? Three cataloging quick tips:

When many VERSO users are cataloging simultaneously, searching for new barcodes can sometimes yield zero results. Three of our members reported this issue within the last week, which is an “indexing” problem on Auto-Graphics’s end. Here are three quick tips to solve this problem:

1. During times of high traffic, VERSO has time to fully add new information during slower periods. If you are having trouble searching for newly added barcodes, waiting overnight can often solve the problem. If, in the day after your cataloging activity, you are still unable to search for new barcodes, proceed with step two.
2. From the Staff Dashboard – CAT Admin – Edit Item – Enter the barcode to view the item record. Click Submit to force “re-indexing”. If steps one and two do not work, proceed to step three.
3. Compose a list of problematic barcodes and their titles to send to Kelly. She will forward the list to AG for further resolution.

Future Dates & Training Opportunities

December 23-25, 31, & January 1 – Auto-Graphics will be closed. To contact AG for emergencies only use: emergencysupport@auto-graphics.com

December 24 – 28, 2020 – SWKLS Office will be closed.

December 29 SWKLS Office will be back open.

January 1, 2021 – SWKLS Office will be closed.

January – 1st week: SWKLS Unity Project (SWKLS U.P.!) calendar will be distributed. Recordings of Auto-Grpahics Q&A Sessions 1-4 will become available on wiki.swkls.org.

January 5, 2021 – Directors Forum at 2:00 pm

January 6, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Email Session at 2:00 pm

January 6, 2021 – Rural Library Network Launch Registration https://berea.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_le7ScXcTTBihnuIi7AMmCA

January 13, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Desktop Session at 2:00 pm

January 12, 2021 – SKLWS U.P. : How to digitize your ILL tracking system at 11:00 am – Open to all ILLers.

January 15, 2021 – Full Board Meeting (Online with Zoom) at 10:00 am

January 20, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Privacy Session at 2:00 pm

January 27, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Methods Session at 2:00 Pm

Cloud Library: New eAudio titles are here!

SWKLS has added these eAudio titles to the State’s Cloud Library collection. They are available now!

• Titles in Spanish:
  • (Children’s) Los Cerditos = The Three Little Pigs by Charles Perrault
  • (Children’s) Las aventuras de Peter Pan = The Adventures of Peter Pan by James Barrie
  • (Children’s) Aladino = Aladin by Anonymous
  • (Juvenile) Cuentos de tia Lola = The Tia Lola Stories by Julia Alvarez
  • (Juvenile) Las aventuras más morrocotudas de Geronimo Stilton 1 = The Adventures of Geronimo Stilton #1 by Geronimo Stilton
  • (Juvenile/Teen) El ladrón del rayo: Percy Jackson 1 = The Lightening Thief: Percy Jackson, book 1 by Rick Riordan
  • (Adult) El Alquimista = The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
• Titles in English
  • (Juvenile) Hard Gold by Avi
  • (Teen) The Left-handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
  • (Western) From Missouri by Zane Grey
  • (Western) Missouri Guns by Larry Names
  • (Inspirational) The Divided Family by Wanda & Jean Brunstetter
  • (Inspirational) The Forbidden by Beverly Lewis
  • (Inspirational) Amish Quilt Shop Mystery by Samantha Price
  • (Romance) Guilt Ridden by Marie Johnston
  • (Romance) Her Cowboy Billionaire Bodyguard by Liz Isaacson
  • (HistFic) How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
  • (Inspirational) Secrets of the Amish Diary by Rachael Philips
  • (Inspirational) Simple Lies by Jan Fields
  • (Western) To Keep a Promise by B.N. Rundell
• Kansas-related Titles:
  • (Family) Night Beat: The Girl From Kansas by Larry Marcus (old timey radio show)
  • (Juvenile) Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
  • (Western) Leaving Kansas by Frank Roderus
  • (Adult Nonfic) Chris Porter: A Man from Kansas by Christ Porter

In the month of January, we will have four sessions all at 2:00 pm. We will present tips and tricks on how to get yourself organized for 2021.

• January 6 – Clean-Up & Clean Out Emails
• January 13 – Clean-Up & Clean Out Desktop
• January 20 -Cling Onto – Privacy
  Perfect time of the year to review privacy settings and how to protect yourself.
• January 27 – Cling Onto – Methods
  Directors will discuss some methods they cling to throughout the year. We will have Holly Mathes (Grant County Library) a veteran director and Sara Koehn (Haskell County Library) a novice director as a presenter.

Contributions to the Weekly Wrap-up are from all SWKLS staff.

Activities and Training on the Calendar:

December 23-25, 31, & January 1 – Auto-Graphics will be closed. This email address is valid only for emergencies during the holidays to contact AG directly: emergencysupport@auto-graphics.com

December 24 – 28, 2020 – SWKLS Office will be closed.

December 29 SWKLS Office will be back open.

January 1, 2021 – SWKLS Office will be closed.

January – 1st week: SWKLS Unity Project (SWKLS U.P.!) calendar will be distributed. Recordings of Auto-Grpahics Q&A Sessions 1-4 will become available on wiki.swkls.org.

January 5, 2021 – Directors Forum at 2:00 pm

January 6, 2021 – Rural Library Network Launch Registration https://berea.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_le7ScXcTTBihnuIi7AMmCA

January 15, 2021 – Full Board Meeting (Online with Zoom) at 10:00 am

January 12, 2021 – SKLWS U.P. : How to digitize your ILL tracking system at 11:00 am – Open to all ILLers.

Rural Library Network:

Partners for Education at Berea College and Save the Children are also pleased to announce the creation of a Rural Library Network, a cradle to career initiative. Through the network participants will have access to online webinars offering training in core principles of place-based work and the opportunity to connect with practitioners working in rural communities across the country. Membership in the network is free. Simply register here.  The first webinar will take place on January 6, 2021, featuring Jennifer Garner and Mark Shriver – we hope you’ll join us for this exciting conversation and invite others to join who might be interested!

Thanks to Colleen, Stanton County Library, for sharing this opportunity that you might want to take part in.

VERSO Housekeeping

• In VERSO’s advanced search, the resource labeled “One Click” provides a link to RBDigital, which now needs to be deleted. During the first week in January, Kelly will remove this option from the resources list for all SWKLS libraries.

• At the end of an item record in VERSO, there appears a long list of features, such as “more about this title”, “shelf browse”, “Good Reads reviews”, etc. These features are populated by an EBSCO web-based program called NoveList. Some libraries have expressed their desire to turn NoveList off. AG has assured us that this is possible. If your library no longer wishes to see these features at the bottom of a record, let Kelly know.
• If you have not already done so, please update your 2021 calendars in VERSO and SHAREit.
• Some of our members have reported errors when they scan a barcode in VERSO. Sometimes, when one barcode is scanned, more than one item is displayed in the results. This is an imperfection that AG is aware of, and they have assured us it will be resolved shortly.

Cloud Library: New eAudio titles are coming soon!

SWKLS will purchase many new eAudio titles in English and Spanish via Cloud Library. A list of titles will be posted on December 23rd’s Weekly Update. Stay tuned!
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Contributions to the Weekly Wrap-up are from all SWKLS staff.

Activities and Training On the calendar:

No Directors Forum for the Month of December

December 14 – Taxing and Contract Funding Task Force:
9:30 am CT Morning Session Link: https://kslib.zoom.us/j/97542481080 
1:00 pm CT Afternoon Session Link: https://kslib.zoom.us/j/91596977611

December 16th at 10AM CT: AG Q&A Session #4 – Register here. All are welcome! Submit your questions to Kelly by noon on 12/14.

January 5, 2021 – Directors Forum

January 6, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Email Session

January 13, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Desktop Session

January 15, 2021 – Full Board Meeting (Online with Zoom) at 10:00 am
Recordings from Sessions 1 & 2 are available on the SWKLS wiki, along with a list of topics discussed. Click here.

January 20, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Privacy Session

January 27, 2021 – Clean Up, Clean Out, Cling Onto – Methods Session

Congratulations to Library Journal’s STAR Libraries in the Southwest Kansas Library System area!!  

This is the 13th year of the Library Journal index of Public Library Service and Star Library ratings.  The LJ index rates U.S. public libraries based on selected per capita output measures.  The 2020 scores and rating are based on FY18 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS).  This year, 5,608 U.S. public libraries qualified to be rated in the index. Kansas had a total of 10 Star libraries.  4 of the 10 came from the SWKLS region.  
These Libraries in the SWKLS region are:

5 Star      Cimarron City Library, Cimarron, Kansas

4 Star     Lane County Library, Dighton, Kansas     Morton County LIbrary, Elkhart, Kansas

3 Star     Montezuma Township Library, Montezuma, KS

Summer (Reading) Library Program:

Tandy has contacted Sam Ricke, By Grace Creative, to work up an alternate image for the Summer Library Program T-Shirts. Sam is still working up the design. We will let everyone know about the alternate design as soon as we hear back from Sam.

Website being Redesigned/Updated:

With the last meetings minutes being approved Jody and the Tech Department will continue to update the System’s website with updated information.

End of Year Activities to Prepare for:

Before the end of the year library boards will need to make their annual GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) resolution for the new year. The GAAP waiver is what allows libraries to operate on a “cash basis” accounting system. Contact the System Office if you have any questions.

Get ready to prepare your W2’s and if you have an accountant do this for your library, get it scheduled with them before the accountant’s calendar fills up.

If you library board chooses to move funds from the 2020 budget to the 2021 budget it will need to be done at the December board meeting. If you are unsure of how this works or need wording for the motion contact the office and Richard explain how this works and work up a sample motion for your board.

Set your calendars up within Verso for 2021.

Set your budget line items for 2021 in QuickBooks if you haven’t already done so.

If your library has it’s staff use all of their vacation and sick leave within the current year you need to make sure your staff takes their time off before they loose those hours.

Courier Information:

If you need to contact Caroline Handwork you will need to use her email chandwork@nekls.org.  She is in the process of getting a line in her home for a telephone.

Who to contact at SWKLS:

If you are uncertain who at SWKLS to contact with specific questions, we have created a sheet to assist. Here is the link to the sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14f3yUesarAyedYG7ShSyta_2-8R_WfLwioQOVUfvF4E/edit?usp=sharing

Auto-Graphics UPDATES:

• Verso Splash Page Inspiration:

AG has provided us with a list of beautiful Verso splash pages to inspire us. Click on each location to view.

Nephi City Public Library, UT

Millard Oakley Public Library, TN

Platteville Public Library, WI

Briggs District Library, MI

Mathews Memorial Library, VA

Spring Lake Public Library, NJ

• When looking at an item record in Verso, there used to appear a button on the left which said “request this item,” which was quite confusing, being as an ILL cannot be requested in Verso. Two weeks ago, AG changed the wording to “place hold.” Therefore, a hold can be placed by using either of these buttons:

In the month of January, we will have four sessions presenting tips and tricks on how to get yourself organized for 2021.

• January 6 – Clean-Up & Clean Out Emails
• January 13 – Clean-Up & Clean Out Desktop
• January 20 -Cling Onto – Privacy
  Perfect time of the year to review privacy settings and how to protect yourself.
• January 27 – Cling Onto – Methods
  Directors will discuss some methods they cling to throughout the year. We will have Holly Mathes (Grant County Library) a veteran director and Sara Koehn (Haskell County Library) a novice director as a presenter.