System Spotlight
By Staff
Future Dates & Training Opportunities
Dec 22 – Dec 26, 2023 – SWKLS Office Closed
Jan 1, 2024 – SWKLS Office Closed
Jan 9, 2024 – 2:00 pm CT, Twosday Takeaway: Netizen 101 – Teaching Patrons Internet Safety/Registration Link
Jan 12, 2024 – 10 am – 3 PM CT, State Reports Workday at Grant County Library in Ulysses/Registration Link
Jan 16, 2024 – 10 am – 3 pm CT, State Reports Workday at Meade Public Library in Meade/Registration Link
Jan 23, 2024 – 10 am – 3 pm CT, State Reports Workday at Protection Township Library in Protection/Registration Link
Jan 29, 2024 – 10 am – 3 pm CT, State Reports Workday at SWKLS Office in Dodge City/Registration Link
Jan 31, 2024 – 10 am – 3 pm CT, State Reports Workday at Scott County Library in Scott City/Registration Link
February 5, 2024 – State Reports DUE
February 23, 2024 – 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, Summer Reading Workshop Featuring Will Stuck/Registration TBD
Consulting
By Sara Wilson
Interactive Movies – How To Make Your Movie Days Into Live-Action Events!
The image above is from Rock Island Public Library in Rock Island, Illinois. Have you ever heard of the Rocky Horror Picture Show audience participation events? For anyone who hasn’t, the Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult classic that came out in the 1970s and many theaters and venues like to host audience participation nights with fans of the show. They dress up and they act out parts of the movie as it plays. Fans thoroughly enjoy these events and they draw sizeable crowds. We can do the same thing in our libraries and our communities with popular family movies.
There’s something to be said for watcing a movie AND participating with it – especially when it concerns movies that have a large fan base. Many of us have that relative or friend (or even ourselves) who is *obsessed* with Star Wars, The Princess Bride, Grease, etc. and would be first in line to attend an interactive showing! All you need is a popular family movie and some imagination to create actions to go along with different parts of the movie. (Of course, make sure that you are complying with your movie licensing agreement.) Invite patrons to dress up as their favorite characters and bring props, if they have them. You can even have a small prize for best-dressed. Adults and children alike enjoy sing-along movie events, as well. Hand out copies of the movie scenes and their actions before the film starts and watch the fun unfold.
In the spirit of the Spice Girls: Tell me what you want, what you really, really want! 🙂 I want to hear from you! Right now, I have a very short, 4-question survey out about what YOU would like to see and learn from us in 2024. Please, if you have not already, take a couple of minutes and just answer these few questions – it would mean the world to me! To everyone who’s already done it, THANK YOU! We are excited to see the results coming in!
<– Click the image to the left to make your voice heard!
Patrons come in to use the Internet all the time, but do they know how to protect themselves online? In this Twosday Takeaway, join SWKLS Technology Supervisor Steve Andrews to learn the basics of teaching your patrons some Internet safety tips that will have them safely surfing the web with confidence. Register here and don’t miss out!
ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table National Gaming Survey
From State Librarian Ray Walling:
To improve relationships between libraries and vendors, gain donations and sponsorships for ALA Play and International Games Day, and grow collaborations with industry partners, the executive board of the Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) has created a short survey to collect data related to games in libraries.
This short (10 question) survey will not only help with publisher relationships but will help GameRT understand the evolving nature of games in libraries. If your library does not collect or use games, we still ask that you take the survey to help us gain a better understanding of the field. Contact information will only be used to follow up for clarifications. Non-anonymized data will be kept separate and retained for a maximum of one year. If you have any questions before or after taking this survey, please contact the GameRT executive board at gamert@ala.org. https://bit.ly/GameRTgamingsurvey
Image provided by pixabay.com contributor OpenClipart-Vector
Question on Library Board Members – Richard Brookman
During the APPLE Library Law session I taught this last week a question was brought forth that I thought our membership might appreciate the answer to as well as the APPLE students.
In one city the City Clerk is voted into her position by the City Council and the question was since that job position was voted on by the City Council did that count as being in a public office. The answer is found in Attorney General Opinion No. 2013-19. The last sentence gives the overview of the opinion and the qualifiers in a position can be considered a municipal officer.
“…for appointment to a municipal library board is a fact-specific question that will turn on issues such as the type of municipality, the form of municipal government, whether a statute or ordinance creates the position,…”
The key words are whether a statute or ordinance created the position. If no statute or ordinance created the position the vote by the City Council to fill the City Clerk position is just a form of procedure and the City Clerk could still set on any board, to include the library board.
Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL
By Sara Wilson
Click here to view the Collection Specialist job description.
Collection Development Inspiration
Adult Fiction
Children’s & YA Fiction
For ILLers: Sharing About SHAREit
From SHAREit Product Manger Deborah Hensler: The recording and slides from November’s “Sharing about SHAREit Q&A” are posted here: Staff Dashboard > Support > SHAREit – they’re in the section at the top of the User Guides.
The above information has been sent to everyone who attended the webinar, plus those who registered but were unable to attend.
Courier Survey
From Caroline Handwork:
We are seeking your input on Kansas Library Express courier services! The goal is to learn about what works well and where there is room for improvement. Every KLE member is encouraged to complete the survey, regardless of library type and service level/indirect service. It should take less than 10 minutes. Please complete the survey by Friday, December 22,2023.
Here is a link to the survey, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KLE_2023
Downloadable ILL Tracker
Making an ILL tracker can be time-consuming! Have no fear, SWKLS has done the work for you. To download a tracker for all your ILL statistics-keeping needs, click here and enjoy. The tracker includes all information you are required to keep for documentation, plus it’s fully customizable, so if your library has additional metrics you’d like to track, you can add those to the sheet as well. It’s sure to make your end-of-year statistical reporting a little easier.
For All VERSO Users: December Versed in VERSO Recording Now Available
From VERSO Product Manager Rae Schneider:
To access the recording and slides, go to Staff Dashboard > Support > VERSO.
Topics/questions covered:
- New Reports
- AGEdit (Beta) Update
- “Online Content” Full Record Enhancement
- Is there a way to format the overdue notices? I know how to change the message, but they print terribly. I usually type them individually myself.
- Is there a way to get the total material cost to print on my Circulation checkout receipts?
- How can I copy my splash page without recreating the page? I would like to do seasonal or events-driven splash pages that I can auto-activate as I need them.
The next Versed in VERSO is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9,, 2024, at 11:00 AM ET / 10:00 AM CT / 9:00 AM MT / 8:00 AM PT.
The question from for January’s Versed in VERSO is open. If you have a question or topic you’d like covered, please submit it here: https://forms.office.com/r/PiyFwiL73M.
Here is the registration link for the January Versed in VERSO: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4540939478066474333.
Technology
by Christopher Dressler
SWKLS Website Updates
As mentioned during this months board meeting, I am working on redesigning our website and are about to make it live. The menu has changed a bit so please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the new structure. If you have any questions or comments. Please feel free to email cdressler@swkls.org or give us a call at the office.
