Weekly Wrap-U.P.! February 24, 2023

Posted on February 24, 2023February 24, 2023 by Sara Wilson

System Spotlight

By SWKLS Staff

It’s Library Lovers’ Month! Of course, we love you all year & this is one of our ways of showing it: highlighting all of the wonderful work that you do every day! If you would like to showcase some of the fantastic things that your library has been up to, please send the information to Sara (swilson@swkls.org) or Chris (cdressler@swkls.org) and we’ll be sure to give you and your team a shout out on the Wrap-U.P.!

Future Dates & Training Opportunities

March 4, 2023 – KASL Connect & Learn West District Workshop/Registration Link

March 6-7, 2023 – SWKLS Tech Clinic and Business Working Day/Registration Link

March 15, 2023 – Great Stories Club Grant Application Deadline/Apply Online

March 24, 2023, 10:00 am – System Board Meeting at Grant County Library, Ulysses (Hybrid)/Registration Link

March 31, 2023, 10:00 am – Summer (Reading) Program Workshop, at Finney County Public Library, Garden City/Registration Link

Consulting

By Richard Brookman

Library Lovers’ Month is quickly coming to an end, but there are still ways that you can celebrate! Print off some free “I Love My Library” coloring pages and leave them out for your patrons, decorate with free downloadable posters, or simply cut some heart shapes out of construction paper, have a marker, pen, or some crayons ready, and ask your patrons to write a reason that they love their library on the hearts. Hang the hearts up in the windows or around the library. For more ideas of some simple activities you can prepare for Library Lovers’ Month, click here.

Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL

By Sara Wilson

Collection Development Inspiration

Adult Fiction

Children’s & YA Fiction

In Literary News

Roald Dahl’s Publisher Censoring His Body of Work

Children’s author Roald Dahl (author of such classics as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and James and the Giant Peach) is having his work censored by his publisher. Puffin Books, Dahl’s publisher, has removed and altered the text of new editions of his classic works to omit words deemed offensive by some readers and to add words that Dahl didn’t write in order to change narratives to be more inclusive. ( See this NPR article for more information.) According to Publisher’s Weekly, versions of Dahl’s books published in the United States and some European countries, however, will remain as they were originally written.

Recent Book Challenge Issues Making the News

Libraries are feeling the impact of book challenges across the country. Here are some recent news reports involving book challenges and bans across the United States.

Parent Cites Leavenworth High School for Lack of Transparency, Accountability (Kansas)

Some Anchorage Parents Heated Over ‘Inappropriate’ Books in School Libraries (Alaska)

‘We’re Not About Banning the Books:’ 40 Books Pulled From Pender School Libraries (North Carolina)

Roberto Clemente Book Approved For Use in Florida Public Schools Following Review Over Discrimination References (Florida)

California School Board Discusses Banning Books Amid ‘Gender Queer’ Controversy (California)

Florida School District Bans a Book on . . . Penguins (Florida)

Teen Creates Petition For Students to Take Part in Reviewing School Library Materials (Tennessee)

Group of Parents Plan Book Protest for Monday (Nebraska)

#TrendyLibrarian Planning is Underway!

#TrendyLibrarian is coming up in May and we are getting so excited! We have a great line-up of topics, from marketing to technology to reimagining collections, we have a keynote speaker locked in, and we’re gathering some really fun prizes! I’ve started working on building the website for this workshop and I can’t wait to share it with you in the coming weeks! Stay tuned . . . 🙂

In Case You Missed It

For ILLers

SHAREit was updated on Tuesday. Here are the release notes for the update:

Stopping a Hung or Frozen Program in Windows Task Manager

by Christopher Dressler

For this week, I would like to draw your attention to the SWKLS Wiki. We have lots of information there in regard to many facets of the library world. As I make tech training videos, I will place the under the Members section in the Online Training / Workshops page. This week’s training video is about stopping a hung or frozen program in the windows Task Manager. The idea for this video came from a member library gathered from a survey. As always, if you have specific needs for a video or an in-person training, please feel free to reach out via phone or email.

Weekly Wrap-U.P.! February 17, 2023

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Sara Wilson

System Spotlight

By SWKLS Staff

It’s Library Lovers’ Month! Of course, we love you all year & this is one of our ways of showing it: highlighting all of the wonderful work that you do every day! If you would like to showcase some of the fantastic things your library has been up to, please send the information to Sara (swilson@swkls.org) or Chris (cdressler@swkls.org) and we’ll be sure to give you and your team a shout out on the Wrap-U.P.!

The Great Outdoors Moves Indoors at Kearny County Public Library

Check out these elaborate decorations happening in Lakin! Tammy Dickey, Director of Kearny County Public Library says, “These are pictures from our Spring Storytime. This is in our library, and we are calling it Camp-Read-Alot. This is for children 3 to 5 years old.” [Editor’s note: I want to go to Camp-Read-Alot!]

Great job, Kearny County Public Library! This looks amazing!!

Ness City Public Library Celebrates Kansas Day

Kansas Day was January 29th and patrons at Ness City Public Library celebrated by decorating their own license plates. From Assistant Librarian Laurie Dinges: “We supplied copies of a blank Kansas license plate and asked the kids to create a plate that they thought represented Kansas. There were 57 great entries. We have a small gift basket for the top six plates.” Ness City has some talented artists! Check out this creativity:

What a fun way to celebrate Kansas’ birthday; these look awesome! Way to go, Ness City Public Library!!

Future Dates & Training Opportunities

March 4, 2023 – KASL Connect & Learn West District Workshop/Registration Link

March 15, 2023 – Great Stories Club Grant Application Deadline/Apply Online

March 24, 2023, 10:00 am – System Board Meeting at Grant County Library, Ulysses (Hybrid)/Registration Link

March 31, 2023, 10:00 am – Summer (Reading) Program Workshop, at Finney County Public Library, Garden City/Registration Link

Consulting

By Richard Brookman

**Image provided by kzd through Pixabay.com**

March System Board Meeting

The March System Board Meeting has been moved to March 24, 2023, due to availability of board members. The meeting is being held at the Grant County Library, in Ulysses, Kansas. This meeting is a hybrid meeting. If you do come in person the afternoon session will be a Continuing Education event. The System Office is still awaiting a reply for a possible presenter.

When you register for the Board Meeting there will be some questions about if you will be in person and lunch. The registration link is here and we will send out the Zoom link when the date comes closer.

Image provided by Pixabay contributor lucasgeorgewendt

Love Your Library Month

While Valentine’s Day is over you can still share the love of libraries. The whole month of February is “National Library Lovers” month. So if you haven’t done anything yet for the month you still have time.

Valentine’s Day sales are going on so you can go to the local store and pickup some themed Valentine’s Day cards for children and put them in a books, movie cases, and the like for a little fun. Some of your adult patrons might get a chuckle out of with this as well. Of course there’s always the candy that you could purchase. Put Valentine’s candy in a bowl for your patrons to take when they check out. Anything you can think of to have fun and interact with your community.

Summer Reading Workshop Registration is Open

The “All Together Now” Summer Reading Workshop registration can be found here. The date for the workshop is Friday, March 31, 2023. Registration will begin at 9:30 am and the session will start at 10:00 am and last until 3:00 pm. The workshop will be conducted by the lively due Patty Collins and Diane Bott, of the Central Kansas Library System. Finney County Public Library is hosting the workshop this year. Having it in Garden City, Kansas, will allow for participants to have a different local to find supplies for your Summer Library (Reading) Program needs.

Image provided by the Kansas Talking Books Facebook Page

Talking Books Week

Kansas Talking Books Week is March 6-10, 2023. The Talking Books program would like our member libraries to promote this service especially during this week. Most Kansans don’t realize that this program is available to them. Once they start the service they enjoy what is available for our Kansas reading community that believe they couldn’t enjoy books. This service is a no-cost service that is provided for all Kansans that meet the criteria for this service.

If you would like to schedule an introductory program of the Talking Books service please contact Richard at the System office to set up a date and time. The program lasts approximately thirty minutes.

Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL

By Sara Wilson

Collection Development Inspiration

Adult Fiction

Children’s & YA Fiction

In Literary News

Looking for a Children’s Book? Better Call Saul!

Bob Odenkirk of the popular TV show, Better Call Saul (a spin-off of another hit TV show, Breaking Bad) has written a children’s book. The book is inspired by poems that he and his children wrote together as part of a bedtime routine. Zilot & Other Important Rhymes is set to be released this fall. Look for this one to be popular with fans of both shows.

Calvin & Hobbes Author Returns With a New Graphic Novel

The creator of Calvin & Hobbes, Bill Watterson, is back and he’s created a graphic novel aimed at adults, this time. Fans are sure to be delighted to see the beloved author return to his craft. The Mysteries, a fantasy with dark artwork and mature themes, will hit shelves October 10, but you can preorder it on Amazon now.

Recent Book Challenge Issues Making the News

Libraries are feeling the impact of book challenges across the country. Here are some recent news reports involving book challenges and bans across the United States.

The Week in Libraries: February 10th, 2023

The State of Book Bans in the US in 2023

League City Council, Amidst Opposition, Creates Committee to Review Library Book Challenges (Texas)

Defunded Over Book Controversy, West Michigan Library May Try Third Time for Millage (Michigan)

This Rural Virginia County Is A ‘Testing Ground’ For Book Banning (Virginia)

Central Bucks School District is Considering Removing 60 More Books From Its Libraries (Pennsylvania)

Windham, Raymond Parents Call for School District to Ban Gender Queer: A Memoir (Maine)

You Can Customize Sounds in VERSO

Are you being annoyed by the chimes in VERSO when you perform certain tasks? Do you not have any sounds and would like to activate some? Would you like to upload a custom .mp3 to play as a warning sound in your VERSO? If you said yes to any of these, there is a way! Go to Staff Dashboard > Circ Admin > Circulation Parameters. “Manage Sounds” is the second to last link. From here, you will be able to view and fully edit the sounds your VERSO makes so you can customize your ILS to fit your needs. Any questions? Call or email Sara and she’ll be happy to help you.

In Case You Missed It

For ILLers

From SHAREit Product Manager Deborah Hensler:

Just a reminder that the next Sharing about SHAREit is scheduled for next Wednesday, February 22, at 1pm.

Registration is open at: https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/3937275701497130753

In this Q&A, we’ll answer questions about ILL Configuration – Bookstraps, Shipping Labels, Pick List, plus the Copy and Loan Full Record Displays.

For All VERSO Users

From VERSO Product Manager Rae Schneider:

Dear VERSO Users,

Release notes are [. . . ] below.

We will be doing a VERSO release on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, beginning a little after 7:00pm Pacific (10:00pm Eastern). Downtime is usually about 15 minutes but may be longer if issues come up.

RESOLVED

AG-2158	Novelist Select content was not displaying on full record if the record had more than one ISBN. We updated the request sent to Novelist Select. The request will now include the first ISBN in the record for compatibility with Novelist Select.
AG-2126Multiple CS Tickets	Records that were defined as a Serial in the MARC record were displaying as eSerials. The code has been adjusted to properly differentiate Serial and eSerial formats.

-Rae

Google Analytics/Looker Studio Webinar

In this Google Analytics/Looker Studio presentation, you’ll learn how to harness the power of your data to gain valuable insights and make informed decisions about your website. We’ll cover how to interpret the data on your Looker Studio report and how it compared to the old Monster Insights (which we are phasing out) so you can optimize your online presence and achieve your business goals. Click here for more information.
– Christopher Dressler

Weekly Wrap-U.P.! February 10, 2023

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Sara Wilson

System Spotlight

By SWKLS Staff

The Start of Something New for Kismet Public Library

The construction has begun for Kismet Public Library’s new building! How exciting!

Congratulations to Suzan and staff!

Future Dates & Training Opportunities

March 4, 2023 – KASL Connect & Learn West District Workshop/Registration Link

March 15, 2023 – Great Stories Club Grant Application Deadline/Apply Online

March 24, 2023, 10:00 am – System Board Meeting (Hybrid)

Consulting

By Richard Brookman

Image Provide by Pixabay contributor thehalaldesign

Library Journal Star Libraries for 2022

The Southwest Kansas Library System has three libraries that have made the list of 2022 Star Libraries. “This is the 15th year in which Library Journal has scored U.S. public libraries on the LJ Index of Public Library Service and awarded Star Library ratings. The 2022 scores and ratings are based on FY20 data from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Public Library Survey (PLS).” If you are interested in being a candidate for the 2023 rankings you will need to partake in the two surveys above that the Library Journal uses to gather their data.

The Star Libraries for 2022 for the System are:

Cimarron City Library with a 5 Star rating;

Hamilton County Library with a 3 Star rating; and

Lane County Library with a 3 Star rating.

You can view Library Journals’ website here about Star Libraries and visit the actual list on this page.

Congratulations to our Star Libraries!

Image provide by Pixabay contributor Clker-Fee-Vector-Images

Nature Adventure Packs

Jackie Augustine PhD, Executive Director Audubon of Kansas, delivered the “Nature Adventure Packs” to the office and as Sara mentioned earlier in the week the packs have been sent out. There is one piece of the backpack that is missing. The Trail Maps were not ready when Jackie delivered the backpacks to the System Office. She will be mailing them out when they become available.

Enjoy watching our Kansas Birds!

Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL

By Sara Wilson

Collection Development Inspiration

Adult Fiction

Children’s & YA Fiction

New Resources for You!

The following book has been added to the SWKLS Professional Collection and is available to be checked out via ILL:

“An incisive history of the controversial Google Books project and the ongoing quest for a universal digital library

Libraries have long talked about providing comprehensive access to information for everyone. But when Google announced in 2004 that it planned to digitize books to make the world’s knowledge accessible to all, questions were raised about the roles and responsibilities of libraries, the rights of authors and publishers, and whether a powerful corporation should be the conveyor of such a fundamental public good. Along Came Google traces the history of Google’s book digitization project and its implications for us today.

Deanna Marcum and Roger Schonfeld draw on in-depth interviews with those who both embraced and resisted Google’s plans, from librarians and technologists to university leaders, tech executives, and the heads of leading publishing houses. They look at earlier digital initiatives to provide open access to knowledge, and describe how Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page made the case for a universal digital library and drew on their company’s considerable financial resources to make it a reality. Marcum and Schonfeld examine how librarians and scholars organized a legal response to Google, and reveal the missed opportunities when a settlement with the tech giant failed.

Along Came Google sheds light on the transformational effects of the Google Books project on scholarship and discusses how we can continue to think imaginatively and collaboratively about expanding the digital availability of knowledge.” – Amazon

You Can Report Challenges on Our Website

The Title Challenge Form is now active on our website. If a patron challenges a book at your library, please fill out this form to report it to SWKLS so that we may keep abreast of any challenges in our area, provide support, and move the information up the chain, to the State Library of Kansas. We will share the information you provide with the DEI Taskforce as well as Sean Bird of the Kansas Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Committee.

No one fights alone. If your library has resources challenged, you have a team behind you to help you defend the freedom to read. If you would like to become a part of the DEI Taskforce, email me and let me know! swilson@swkls.org

Recent Book Challenge Issues Making The News

Libraries are feeling the impact of book challenges across the country. Here are some recent news reports involving book challenges and bans across the United States.

Book Closes on Harmful Material Bill (South Dakota)

St. Johns County Removes 23 Books From Library Shelves After Review (Florida)

LGBTQ Books Being Challenged in Oceanside Schools (California)

Glen Ridge Public Library to Hear Second Request for Removal of 6 LGBTQ+ Books From Their Shelves (New Jersey)

Here’s a List of Books Banned, Under Review in Central Florida Schools (Florida)

Republicans Weigh Options to Remove “Inappropriate” Books from Classrooms and Libraries (Iowa)

North Dakota Weighs Ban on “Sexually Explicit” Library Books (North Dakota)

Willard Public School Board Bans Book, Suggests Governor Create Rating System to Restrict Access (Missouri)

In Case You Missed It, For ILLers:

From Caroline Handwork of NEKLS:

Riley City Library/KS531 and Wakefield Public Library/KS532 have joined Kansas Library Express! Both will receive 3 day/week direct service.

I’ve attached a PDF of shipping labels. They are also available online, https://kslibexpress.mykansaslibrary.org/shipping-labels/. Please print labels for Riley City Library and Wakefield Public Library.

*Also, El Dorado Correctional Facility/KS719 and Norcatur Public Library/KS842 are no longer on the courier. Please pull those shipping labels.*

Please be sure to update your lender lists in Shareit!

Select the lender list for your regional system here, https://kslibexpress.mykansaslibrary.org/about/participant-list/.

Below is a little visual help on how to update your preferred lender list in ShareIt.

When Participant Record is open, you should see this:

Replace everything in the circled box with your new Preferred Lender List and click Submit.

Happy resource sharing!

For All VERSO Users:

“Talks With Ted” Transitions To “Versed in VERSO”

From VERSO Product Manager Rae Schneider:

As you know, Ted Koppel has retired after 15 years at Auto-Graphics. We wish Ted the best, but the show must go on.

Next Tuesday, February 14, at 11:00AM Eastern / 8:00AM Pacific, would have been the next “Talks with Ted.” Since Ted is no longer with us, we will be debuting “Versed in VERSO” and introducing our new VERSO Product Manager, Julie Cavender.

Same time, same place! If you previously registered for the February “Talks with Ted” session, you do not need to re-register. If you have not registered yet, please do so here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/1165596002130880779

This month, we will be demo’ing our new Hoopla integration and going over some of the feedback we received from your responses to the Marshall Breeding survey. The survey is still open, so if you have not taken the survey yet, here is the link: https://librarytechnology.org/perceptions/2022/invite/

We will still have time for your questions, so send us your questions! Ask here: URL: https://forms.office.com/r/6P4NyW3hNN

See you on Tuesday!

Hear IT, See IT, Remember IT

Technology Department

For this week, I would like to draw your attention to the SWKLS Wiki. We have lots of information there in regard to many facets of the library world. As I make tech training videos, I will place the under the Members section in the Tips and Handouts page. The link can be found here. This week’s training video is about stopping a hung or frozen program in the windows Task Manager. The idea for this video came from a member library gathered from a survey. As always, if you have specific needs for a video or an in-person training, please feel free to reach out via phone or email. Thank you – Christopher Dressler

Weekly Wrap-U.P.! February 3, 2023

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Sara Wilson

System Spotlight

By SWKLS Staff

Ashland Public Library Builds Community Connections, Celebrates 40th Building Anniversary, & Receives Grant

From Ashland Public Library Director Cara Vanderree:

We try to stay in the news with family history preservation projects, talks with political leaders, weekly children’s art classes, monthly adult art classes, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Learn and Play (birth – five), monthly music jams, Mystery Book Club, monthly Lunch and Learn on important topics to the community such as recreational use of farm land, CRP, taxes…. We decorate to the hilt! This is our 40th anniversary in this building, so are planning parties for September.

This was a special project, I interviewed a 78-year-old patron who retraced the southern half of the Great Western Trail with her team of Halflingers and a wagon she literally dragged out of a museum! The transcript will be added to our website.

LEGOS! The library board chose to move one children’s computer to the adult side so the kids could focus on more manipulatives.

We received the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read Grant focusing on Thi Bui’s graphic novel The Best We Could Do. Programming begins in March with a kickoff reception for the Vietnam: 2 Soldiers, 2 Artists, 2 Journeys Then & Now presented by the Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center on March 26. The artists will be present. This will be in conjunction with Humanities Kansas. Dr. Jane Holwerda of TALK Kansas will be leading several book discussions and I have been doing Vietnam Era Memories interviews and transcriptions in an effort to record our community’s memories of those times and compare them to one Vietnamese family’s efforts to come to America. There will be nine book discussions in all, children’s and adult’s art classes in the Vietnamese style of art, a Vietnamese food tasting, and classes from the school visiting.

Congratulations, Ashland Public Library!

Literature Love is in the Air at Grant County Library

Check out these creative and oh-so-cute Valentine’s Day book displays!

They look amazing, Grant County Library!

Dodge City Public Library Adds New Elements to Programs, Services, and Collections

From Dodge City Public Library Programming and Outreach Supervisor Cindy Thomson:

January, Dodge City Public Library began rolling out our affiliate newsletters for those who are looking for programming news with specific interests. We have a general interest newsletter that goes out mid-month each month. We have added a Trivia newsletter, an Arts and Crafts newsletter, and a Storytellers and Writers newsletter. Each newsletter goes out once a month and has information about upcoming events and has their own QR code for those who want to receive it to scan.

DCPL has also recently added Wonderbooks to their Children’s collection. These books are reminiscent of the read-along books many of us had as children (the ones with cassette tapes or even records). Wonderbooks have an audiobook embedded in the cover that will place the audio while the child follows along with the book. There is also Learning Mode, which will not only narrate the story but also ask educator guided questions about the text along the way. DCPL currently offers 52 titles in this format and plans to order more Wonderbooks quarterly.

DCPL has also recently added Baby Storytime to its programming lineup! Recommended for ages birth to 2 years of age. This program includes singing, finger play, and simple stories for babies and their grown-ups. We have one in English on the 1^st Thursday of each month and one in Spanish on the last Thursday of each month. These programs are presented in the Children’s Area at 3:30pm at DCPL.

Way to go, Dodge City Public Library!

Future Dates & Training Opportunities

February 5, 2023 – Deadline for the 2022 State Library Survey

March 4, 2023 – KASL Connect & Learn West District Workshop/Registration Link

March 15, 2023 – Great Stories Club Grant Application Deadline/Apply Online

Consulting

By Richard Brookman

Summer Reading Program Free Matter

The Summer Reading Program Free Matter has arrived. This past week Tandy, Sara, and I separated out the orders for each library and sent out on the courier. The majority of the libraries will receive everything but the posters. Some of you will have posters with your order because we found boxes big enough to place the whole order in for delivery. For the ones that don’t receive posters with your order, we will be sending those out as soon as we receive containers that can hold the posters.

We will be working up the Eventbrite next week for the Summer Reading Workshop. It will be held on March 31, at the Finney County Public Library in Garden City. The presenters will be Patty and Diane again from the Central Kansas Library System for the theme “All Together Now”.

Auto-Graphics Ted Koppel Retires

If you didn’t happen to see the email that went out from Cheryl Slinkard, Chief Operations Officer of Auto-Grahpics, via the Versousers ListServ, Ted Koppel is retiring. Ted’s official last day was January 31, 2023. The System office extends Ted well wishes and a happy retirement.

As of this time no replacement has been named for Ted’s position. Once we hear something, we will let everyone know.

Image provided by Edar through Pixabay.com

State Library Survey

For all of us procrastinators, the Annual State Library Survey is due this Sunday, February 5, 2023. So if you didn’t get it done today (Friday) you still have a couple of days to work on it. If you need any help you can call my cell phone number. I’ll keep my cell phone near me and check my email roughly every other hour this weekend.

If Friday afternoon comes and you don’t have it done and need an extension you can contact Alice Smith, LSTA & State Data Coordinator, via her email: alice.smith@ks.gov.

ALA’s Great Stories Club (GSC)

ALA invites library workers to apply for ALA’s Great Stories Club (GSC), a thematic reading and discussion program that engages teens who are facing difficult challenges through literature-based library outreach programs.

ALA will distribute implementation grants to 100 libraries to host GSC programming on two themes: 50 libraries will be eligible to be awarded the “Deeper Than Our Skins: The Present Is a Conversation with the Past” and 50 other libraries will be eligible to be awarded the “Finding Your Voice: Speaking Truth to Power.” These themes, created by scholars Maria Sachiko Cecire and Susana M. Morris, will feature books that explore questions of race, equity, identity and history.

“Applications will be accepted from all types of libraries: public; school; academic; and special. These libraries need to be within the United States and its territories and meet on of the following criteria:

1 The applicant library is located within an organizations that reaches underserved, under-resourced, and/or at-risk teens (e.g., alternative high school, juvenile detention facility, tribal library); or

2 The applicant library is working with a partner organization that reaches underserved, under-resourced, and/or at-risk teens.”

Selected libraries will receive 11 paperback copies of the specific theme-related book for a reading and discussion group, a $500 programming stipend, online training, programming resources and support throughout the grant.

If the Great Stories Club Grant interests you please visit the project guidelines and apply online by March 15, 2023.

Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL

By Sara Wilson

Collection Development Inspiration

Adult Fiction

Children’s & YA Fiction

New Resources for You!

The following books have been added to the SWKLS Professional Collection and are available to be checked out via ILL:

“Assessment is increasingly integral to building, managing, and justifying library collections. Unfortunately, assessment can also be a daunting undertaking. And though every institution is unique, as this manual demonstrates, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Spanning both concept and practice, Kelly offers a holistic assessment framework suitable to a variety of collections and contexts. With a structure that makes it applicable as both a training tool for practicing librarians and a useful course text for library students, this manual:

introduces foundational assessment methodologies then provides concrete guidance on how to contextualize those methodologies within a holistic collections assessment program;
covers topics such as assessment goals, assessment stakeholders, selecting data and methodologies, working through project constraints, and project planning;
includes sample assessment program structures and download links to assessment planning templates;
provides step-by-step instructions for more than a dozen specific methodologies, describing which aspect of the collection is being measured, what goals the methodology can address, technological requirements, recommended visualizations, and other helpful pointers; and
shares best practices for communicating effectively with internal and external stakeholders about assessment projects, with sample communication plans that can be easily adapted.

Bridging the divide between the big picture and the nitty gritty, this manual guides the reader through the development and implementation of a collections assessment program tailored to local needs and resources.” – ALA Store

“Mastering life skills such as financial management, career development, cooking, and self-care is important for young and emerging adults as well as older patrons. This book guides libraries towards providing programs and activities that help their users expand these life skills and accomplish their goals.

Between making financial decisions, maintaining a healthy work–life balance, and juggling health, family, friends, and other responsibilities, life can feel overwhelming. Place these same responsibilities on an individual just entering adulthood who has less real-life experience and it can feel even more overwhelming. So why not make sure our teens and young adults are more prepared to face the world before they go out on their own? How can we also reinforce these skills for adults who may never have learned them or who may need a refresher? This book provides a hands-on and interactive approach to creating and planning library programs and activities that will enable patrons to learn and build the most important life skills. Readers will discover

how life skills library programs can encourage participants to imagine and prepare for real-world situations;
a rich variety of step-by-step programs, complete with planning tips, instructions, and a materials and equipment list, for activities such as Mock Job Interviews, Financial Literacy Jeopardy, planning of week of dinners, Spring Cleaning Visualizations, the art of packing a suitcase, practicing self-care, a stress-relief dance party, and many others;
advice on planning, partnership opportunities, promotion, evaluations, and sustainability;
ways to promote a safe space and a relaxed environment while leading programs; and
additional helpful resources, including a planning template and reading tie-ins.” – ALA Store

Tomorrow is Take Your Child to the Library Day!

We love excuses to celebrate libraries and the first Saturday in February gives us a perfect one! It’s Take Your Child to the Library Day and it’s all about fostering a positive relationship with the children in your community. If it’s the first time you’re hearing of this holiday, don’t fret – it’s pretty new at just 11 years old. So, what do people do to celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day? Well, the New York Library Association has curated a whole list of ideas, big and small, for every budget along with a list of resources. Click here to see! If you missed it this year, just mark your calendar for next year and be sure to reach out to the children in your community to celebrate cultivating a lifelong love of libraries.

ILLers, In Case You Missed It

From SHAREit Project Manager Debra Hensler:

The next Sharing about SHAREit Q&A on Wednesday, February 22, will be on the topic of ILL Configuration.

Please register for Sharing about SHAREit #13 on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 11am PT / 12pm MT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET:

https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/3937275701497130753

In this Q&A we’ll answer questions about ILL Configuration – Bookstraps, Shipping Labels, Pick List, plus the Copy and Loan Full Record Displays. Please enter your question(s) on the registration form.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the training.

Thank You for your Feedback!

Technology Department

I want to thank everyone for taking time to fill out the technology surveys that had been sent out so far. The feedback is very helpful when determining the technology needs of our libraries. Soon, I will be sending out short training videos based on that feedback. Be on the lookout for those. If you have ideas on training video topics, please feel free to shoot me an email. – Christopher Dressler