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
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 1st 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.
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