Weekly Wrap-U.P.! December 22, 2021

Future Dates & Training Opportunities


All times are in Central Standard Time (CST)

December 23- 27, 2022 – SWKLS Office will be closed

December 31, 2022 – SWKLS office will be closed

January 4, 2022 – Train U.P. Facebook Fives

March 4, 2022 – Summer (Reading) Library Program Workshop


Consulting


End of the Year To-Do-List

The end of the year is fast approaching. Here are a few things that you might need to do with your Library Board if you haven’t already done so:

1) GAAP Waiver Resolution;

2) If you do the yearly taxes for the library order W-2’s to prepare or if you have an accountant contact them to schedule in a date to do your end of year taxes and/or general audit;

3) If you have access funds that the board might want to move into the 2022 budget they will need to do this before the end of the year. If you are unsure of how this works please contact Richard and he can discuss the procedure with you;

4) Set up your calendars in Verso for 2022;

5) Set you budget line items in Quickbooks if you haven’t already done so;

6) If you or your staff need to take unused time that needs to be taken before the end of the year or you or they will lose it schedule it on your calendars; and

7) If you are going to give any type of raise that will begin in January your Library Board will need to make a motion to begin the new pay scale to begin January 1, 2022.

2022 Dates for the After Lunch Courses

Dates have been set for next year’s After Lunch Courses. Registration Links and times for the courses will be established as each course comes closer to its date of presentation. Here are the courses presenters and titles so you can mark your calendars:

March 10, 2022 – Andrew Smith presenting “Policy Writing and Review”;

June 9, 2022 – Martin Garner presenting “Intellectual Freedom”;

September 8, 2022 – Xan Goodman presenting “Cultural Humility: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion”; and

December 8, 2022 – Sharon Morris presenting “Lead From Where You Are”.

State Library Survey for 2021

Alice Smith, State Library of Kansas, informed the System directors that their will be two new questions on the 2021 State Library Survey.

One of the questions will be – how many libraries did “Grab and Go” bags and how many of the bags where distributed for said library. The other question will be over “Curbside Pickup” on how many you served with this venue.


Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL


CatExpress Usage Report: December 2021 / Link

6×6 Kits: Your Thoughts?

Vanessa at Morton County Library is collecting information regarding circulation and patron interest in 6×6 kits. We would be grateful for your thoughts about this programming option at your library. Send your feedback to: Circulation@mocolib.info Much obliged to you!


Technology


E-Rate

Toby Sykes (e-rate Solutions) is getting started on the 2022-2023 e-rate applications. The SWKLS tech team will begin reviewing Internet connectivity and network hardware needs after the first of the year. Once we have a handle on what everyone needs, Steve will reach out to each library to discuss the next steps.

Google Will Auto-Enroll 150 Million Accounts into 2SV

Google has announced that they will automatically enroll 150 million Google user accounts into 2SV (two-step verification) before year’s end. See their article here: https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/making-sign-safer-and-more-convenient/

National Data Privacy Day is January 28, 2022

As the line between our offline and online lives continues to blur, Data Privacy Day on January 28 is the little nudge we need at the beginning of each new year to make safeguarding our personal information a priority.  Although we live in an increasingly digital world, most of us give little thought to data privacy until after our personal data has been compromised. Our increased reliance on digital technologies to manage every facet of life necessitates the need to rethink what we share about ourselves, when and where we share it, and who we are sharing it with. Data Privacy Day is part of the global online safety, security, and privacy campaign called ‘STOP. THINK. CONNECT.’, — an initiative of the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). For more information about events, webinars and etc go to https://staysafeonline.org/event_category/data-privacy-week/.


System Spotlight


System Spotlight

If you would like to highlight your library, we’d like to hear from you. Whether it’s about your activities, programs or anything else that is going on that you’re proud of we can hold a spotlight on your library here in the Weekly Wrap UP if you email Jody at jhattrup@swkls.org


Stevens County Library Holiday Fun

The Stevens County Library is enjoying the holiday season! We participated in the Hugoton’s lighted Santa Parade. Our float was decorated as Rudolph, complete with an inflatable Santa. Several staff family members joined us and it was SO MUCH FUN!
Can you guess which Stevens County Library staff member decorated each stocking? It’s a lot trickier than you think! Your options are Stacey – DirectorLaurie – Adult ServicesKarina – ILL/CatalogingVeronica – Patron ServicesJaxen – Student AideEmily – Student Aide
The Stevens County Gas & Historical Museum received a gem in the mail and passed it on to us! This September 1956 edition of The Kansas Library Bulletin features an article about enhancements to the original adobe Stevens County Library building. We will be brutally honest with you…the shelves, chairs, table, and slanted table featured in the article are STILL in use in the library to this day.

Santa Clause Comes to Hamilton County Library

Hamilton County Library hosted its annual Santa Clause event on December 2, from 2:00-6:30 pm. They had an excellent turnout with over 157 families and 296 children taking photos with Santa and sharing their Christmas wishes. Each kid also received a long-standing tradition “Santa Candy Bag” with fruit and old-fashioned candy, also prepared by library staff. The photo is of Director Amy Brucker’s daughter, Harper, now 3. She had no desire to be close to Santa when the time came.

Weekly Wrap-U.P.! December 10, 2021

Future Dates & Training Opportunities


All times are in Central Standard Time (CST)

December 14, 2021 at 10:00 am – Auto-Graphics Montage Demonstration (email Steve for link)

December 14, 2021 at 12:00 pm CT – Steven Sheinkin Author Visit and Codebreaking Workshop/Registration Link

December 15, 2021 at 10:00 am – Laura Keyes of Historic Voices hosting Virtual Presenters Showcase/Registration Link

December 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm CT – PLA Webinar “Tackling Racism and Bias in the Library Catalog/Registration Link

December 17, 2021 – SWKLS Full Board Meeting Online Only/Registration Link

December 23-27, 2021 SWKLS office is Closed

January 4, 2022 – Train U.P.! Facebook Fives/ Registration Link

March 4, 2022 – Summer (Reading) Library Program Workshop


Consulting


Winner of the Fall Trivia is Heather Thompson (Haston City Library) & Stacey Strickland (Stevens County Library)!!

Full Board Meeting

The next Full Board Meeting will be held on December 17, 2021. It is a On-line meeting and will begin at 10:00 am CT. Please register here for the meeting.

End of the Year To-Do-List

The end of the year is fast approaching. Here are a few things that you might need to do with your Library Board if you haven’t already done so:

1) GAAP Waiver Resolution;

2) If you do the yearly taxes for the library order W-2’s to prepare or if you have an accountant contact them to schedule in a date to do your end of year taxes and/or general audit;

3) If you have access funds that the board might want to move into the 2022 budget they will need to do this before the end of the year. If you are unsure of how this works please contact Richard and he can discuss the procedure with you;

4) Set up your calendars in Verso for 2022;

5) Set you budget line items in Quickbooks if you haven’t already done so;

6) If you or your staff need to take unused time that needs to be taken before the end of the year or you or they will lose it schedule it on your calendars; and

7) If you are going to give any type of raise that will begin in January your Library Board will need to make a motion to begin the new pay scale to begin January 1, 2022.

Virtual Presenters Showcase

On Wednesday December 15, Laura Keyes of Historic Voices will be hosting a Virtual Presenters Showcase at 10:00 am CT. The showcase will be presenters that libraries might consider for general or adult programming. They are expecting at least seven speakers that will be attending covering a range of topics to possibly include: bicycles; pop music; Jane Austen; Harry Potter; and the Underground Railroad. If you are interested in attend you can register for the showcase at this link.

December’s “Talks with Ted”

Auto-Graphics next “Talks with Ted” is scheduled for December 14 at 10:00 am CT. If you would like to attend you can register at this link. If you have any questions you would like for him to considered to be included during the session you can send those question to him through this link.

Remember these “Talks” can be used for CE credit so if you do attend please let the Richard now so we can update your Continuing Education file accordingly.


Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL


CatExpress Report

The most recent CatExpress report (July – Nov) is now available on the Wiki. / Link

Train U.P.! : Basic DEI (12/7/21)

Dr. Fleming-Randle from Wichita State University introduced basic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. She was fantastic, cheerful, and extremely knowledgeable. What a discussion we had! In fact, SWKLS might be able to plan a full-day DEI workshop with Dr. Fleming-Randle in the spring. More details to follow in the coming months. To view this Train U.P.’s recording and slideshow, click here / Link

VMV21 has begun enthusiastically at Fowler, Meadowlark, and Kismet. We will pause our work in the beginning of 2022 to allow for completion of the State Report. VMV will resume in mid-February. If your library has not yet signed up for this VERSO modernization project, let me know. Here’s how VMV can improve SWiftnet for staff and patrons:

In 2007, SWKLS purchased VERSO as our Integrated Library System (ILS). The name SWiftnet was created to refer to the SWKLS union catalog.  When SWiftnet was created, each library created customized item statuses/exceptions, material types, location collections, and scoping levels. Fourteen years later, these customizations are still present, but many are no longer active.  SWiftnet is clogged with antiquated data and is under-performing. It is time to re-evaluate local customizations. Our searches are slow, some of our reports are inaccurate, and many of our settings need to be modernized. Very Merry VERSO will provide the support our members need to complete this task, and the SWKLS Staff will be there every step of the way. 



Technology


On Tuesday December 14th at 10am CST,  Auto-Graphics will conduct an online demonstration and QA for Montage, a cloud-based solution for the management and display of digital collections. 

With more of our members pursuing the creation and curation of digital collections, we are investigating options for a system-wide platform to meet those needs moving forward.
If you would like to attend, please email Steve for the GoToMeeting link.
 For a bit more information before the demo, please visit the AG Montage webpage located here: https://www.auto-graphics.com/montage/
as well as the Southern California Library Coop’s Montage website found here: https://sclc-montage.auto-graphics.com/

Google Will Auto-Enroll 150 Million Accounts into 2SV

Google has announced that they will automatically enroll 150 million Google user accounts into 2SV (two-step verification) before year’s end. See their article here: https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/making-sign-safer-and-more-convenient/

State Library of Kansas Resource Guide

If you find it difficult to navigate through the State Library of Kansas website the following Google Slides might be a good resource for you and your staff. This document provides many of the free platforms the state promotes with training and promotional materials. Click here for the Google Slides


System Spotlight


System Spotlight

If you would like to highlight your library, we’d like to hear from you. Whether it’s about your activities, programs or anything else that is going on that you’re proud of we can hold a spotlight on your library here in the Weekly Wrap UP if you email Jody at jhattrup@swkls.org


News from Haskell Township Library

Our Storywalk is finally complete! It was built by our mayor, Lawrence Hoerman, and funded by grants and donations from Western Kansas Community Foundation, Southern Pioneer and LiNK.

Kids enjoyed carving pumpkins under our new Pavilion we were able to build with the ARPA grant. We are excited about the added programming space it gives to the library. Also part of the ARPA grant is a solar powered charging station for our patrons to use any time, day or night. Picnic tables are coming that will go under the Pavilion and benches for the front of the library. 

Weekly Wrap-U.P.! December 3, 2021

Future Dates & Training Opportunities


All times are in Central Standard Time (CST)

December 7, 2021 – Train U.P. @ 2:00 PM – The Basics of DEI (diversity, equity, & inclusion)/ Registration Link

December 9, 2021, at 1:30 pm – After-Lunch Course with Jamie LaRue: HR Management/Registration Link

December 10, 2021 – 2nd Annual Crafting Your Collection 2021 at the G.C. Zoo

December 14, 2021 at 12:00 pm CT – Steven Sheinkin Author Visit and Codebreaking Workshop/Registration Link

December 16, 2021 at 1:00 pm CT – PLA Webinar “Tackling Racism and Bias in the Library Catalog/Registration Link

December 17, 2021 – SWKLS Full Board Meeting Online Only/Registration Link

December 23-27, 2021 SWKLS office is Closed

March 4, 2022 – Summer (Reading) Library Program Workshop


Consulting


Winner of the Fall Trivia is Heather Thompson (Haston City Library) & Stacey Strickland (Stevens County Library)!!

Full Board Meeting

The next Full Board Meeting will be held on December 17, 2021. It is a On-line meeting and will begin at 10:00 am CT. Please register here for the meeting.

2022 Summer (Reading) Library Program Workshop

We have a date for the 2022 Summer (Reading) Library Program Workshop. It will be on March 4, 2022. The System office is still working on a location for the workshop. Once that is secured the office will provide a registration link here through Eventbrite.

Our presenters will be Patty Collins and Diane Bott, the Youth Consultants from Central Kansas Library System. Currently we plan for an in-person training, but with everything plans could change and it move to a virtual session. We haven’t had Patty and Diane out to Southwest Kansas for a couple of years. I thought with all the newer directors and the fun atmosphere that Patty and Diane bring to their workshops that this would be a nice time for everyone to come together and share ideas and network.

Author Visit and Codebreaking Workshop Webinar

Here’s an event that you can register you library for and offer it to your patrons as a program. As the banner states Steve Sheinkin will be doing an author visit and codebreaking workshop for any that would like to attend. It is on December 14 at 12:00 pm CT and 11:00 am MT. If your schools are already out during this week for the holiday break this could be something for you to offer them.

This looks to be a free session and the email states that by registering you will receive and email after the workshop of the recording that you could view on demand. So if December 14 does work for your patrons you could schedule a time for your patrons to just watch the recording. You can register your library through this link.

December 16 – Free PLA Webinar

Tackling Racism and Bias in the Library Catalog is a free webinar sponsored by the Public Library Association.

The Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and BookOps joined together to replace and maintain less offensive terminology with the Systems’ catalogs. This webinar will share resources for libraries looking to make and maintain local revisions to subject headings, learn technical procedures & guidance, tips for getting buy-in at your library from leadership, and how to engage patrons and others around these changes, no matter the size of your library.

Registration is now open for this webinar through this link.

Bill Clifford is new Kansas House Representative

Bill Clifford has been appointed as the new Kansas House Representative for District 122. He is filling the seat for the remainder of Representative Russ Jennings term because of Rep. Jennings passing. This effects libraries in Kearny, Hamilton, and Greeley Counties, the majority of Finney County and part of Grant and Haskell Counties.


Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL


Magazines in 2022

If you need help cataloging 2022’s magazines, let Kelly know. It is a SWKLS custom to add [a VERSO code + the year] next to the magazine’s title, such as: Pioneer Woman [SWKLS 2022]. This is a helpful edit, but it is not required. I’m happy to help you with whatever you prefer.



Technology


SCAM ALERT!

If you get a letter in the mail similar to the one below, please know that this is a scam. All domain name renewal correspondence and invoices will come from the SWKLS office.

Google Will Auto-Enroll 150 Million Accounts into 2SV

Google has announced that they will automatically enroll 150 million Google user accounts into 2SV (two-step verification) before year’s end. See their article here: https://blog.google/technology/safety-security/making-sign-safer-and-more-convenient/

The graph is facebook Click here for information about Learning Express

State Library of Kansas Resource Guide

If you find it difficult to navigate through the State Library of Kansas website the following Google Slides might be a good resource for you and your staff. This document provides many of the free platforms the state promotes with training and promotional materials. Click here for the Google Slides


System Spotlight


System Spotlight

If you would like to highlight your library, we’d like to hear from you. Whether it’s about your activities, programs or anything else that is going on that you’re proud of we can hold a spotlight on your library here in the Weekly Wrap UP if you email Jody at jhattrup@swkls.org


Holiday Tables in Scott City Library

Library Director becomes a Pilgrim for a Day

Pilgrim Mary Bartlett (aka, Kinsley Library Director Joan Weaver) visited with the elementary school classes of USD 347 Kinsley-Offerle Schools on Wednesday.  The school gym served as a great visual for the size of the Mayflower, 25’ X 100’, or one-fourth of the basketball court.  Mary told of her wedding day in 1625 and then shared a little of what a pilgrim lady’s life was like including the spinning of flax and wool and the growing of herbs.  The children helped her make up a bed with a feather tick, linen sheet, handwoven wool blanket and coverlet.