System Spotlight
By Christopher Dressler
Pickleball Courts @ Stevens Co.
The Stevens County Library is so excited that the Hugoton Recreation Commission installed outdoor pickleball courts! As part of the Summer Literacy Program, we arranged for the rec center to teach pickleball to 6-11 year olds on Tuesday afternoon. Nearly 40 kids and caregivers attended the event! There were so many kids present, they had to fill time by choosing between tennis, basketball, card games, and birdwatching stations while other kids played pickleball. It was a great outdoor activity that encouraged lots of library patrons to hurry to the library to check out birding backpacks, board games, and pickleball sets! Due to popular demand, we already plan to hold an adult pickleball lesson in the future.
Morton County Library Staff Wins Award for Window Decorations
From Director Toni Jones-Bressler: Morton County Library Ladies, Hailey Carrillo & Kobie Ellis, decorated the windows for BAK. Lots of friendly people came in to use our Wi-FI. The Library actually won a $20.00 gift certificate for “The Neatest Presentation”. Great job Ladies!
Future Dates & Training Opportunities
Sept 20 – 23, 2023 – ARSL Conference/Wichita, Hotel Booking/Conference Registration
Nov 1 – 3, 2023 – KLA Conference/Wichita
Consulting
By Richard Brookman
2023 ARSL Conference Registration Open
The 2023 Association of Small and Rural Library Conference is September 20 – 23. For those that haven’t been before, it will be in Wichita this year. The theme for the conference is
Early Bird Registration is now open at the following link. Hotel Registration can be done know and can be booked through this link.
Image provided by Pixabay.com contributor 200degree
Notable Books Grant
The 2023 Kansas Notable Books Grant is now open. This is a non-competitive grant for libraries to purchase books from the 2023 Kansas Notable Books list.
“2023 KS Notable Book list- Each participating Kansas library will be reimbursed for the purchase of a single copy, in any format, of any or all books on the 2023 Kansas Notable Books list. Only the actual cost of the book, minus any discounts, will be reimbursed with grant funds. Any shipping costs, sales tax and/or protective book covers are the responsibility of individual recipient libraries. Grant information for 2023, including the application and checklist, is available at https://kslib.info/1521/2023-Kansas-Notable-Books . All Kansas Notable Book lists can be found at http://kslib.info/notablebooks .”
Image provided by Pixabay.com contributor ulleo
CE Through the State Library
The State Library of Kansas has a wealth of Continuing Education sessions that you can watch to continue your journey in library science. On the State Library’s website you just need to follow the “Librarians” Tab to the “Continuing Education” link. On the dropdown of “Continuing Education” go to “Librarian Events & Archives” to find different sessions that are upcoming or recorded. Here is the direct link to the “Librarian Events & Archives” page.
Remember to email Richard to let him know when you have done any of these CE Events. The System office doesn’t get notified on your completion of any session you watch.
Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL
By Sara Wilson
Collection Development Inspiration
Adult Fiction
Children’s & YA Fiction
In Literary News
RIP Two Beloved Authors
It’s been a sad couple of weeks for the literary world, with the loss of two authors who had a strong impact on modern literature.
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Cormac McCarthy, who penned such beloved novels as The Road and No Country for Old Men, has died. He was 89. Here is a personal tribute written about him in The New Yorker.
Mystery writer, Carol Higgins Clark (and daughter of Mary Higgins Clark), actress and author of such novels as the popular Reagan Reilly Series, has died. She was 66. Here is a tribute written about her in The Hollywood Reporter.
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. (Special thanks to Sara Koehn, Director of Haskell Township Public Library and Sean Bird, Interim Dean of University Libraries at Washburn University for their contributions to this list!)
Utah Book Challenges by the Numbers: A KSL Investigation
Students and Authors Sue Florida School District That Banned a Book About Two Male Penguins
Utah District Returns Bible to School Libraries After Reversal of Parent-Led Ban
Nixa [Missouri] School Board Bans Four Books After Special Meeting
Orange County Official Concerned About ‘Obscene’ Children’s Books
Proposed Bill Targets ‘Obscene’ Materials at School, Some Fear State-Wide Book Bans
What Illinois’ New Ban on Book Bans Really Means for Libraries
Williamson County [Tennessee] School Board Votes to Keep 5 Books in School Library
Banned Books to Return to Central York [Pennsylvania] With Passage of New Library Policy
ALA OIF Blog 06.16.23: https://www.oif.ala.org/intellectual-freedom-news-06-16-2023/
First Amendment Coalition: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/news-opinion/first-amendment-news/
Empowered by Reading (Unitedagainstbookbans): https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Empowered-by-Reading-final.pdf
EBSCO Magazines is Going Out of Business
After 43 years, EBSCO is discontinuing their magazine subscription service. If you have magazines through EBSCO, according to this announcement on their website, they will continue to deliver your magazines until they expire, but following that, you will need to order from a new vendor. Please see link for details.
In Case You Missed It
Your 1-Minute Videos Needed!
As you know, we are hard at work preparing for the 15th annual Tech Day+ coming up in August. I am working on a special project and to make it GREAT, I need to ask you a small favor.
If possible, between now and August 1st, I would like you, directors, or any staff member from your library to record a single, 1-minute video (the time is very important; it needs to be a minute long) where you introduce one programming idea.
We just need a single idea for a library program. It doesn’t have to be fancy, Pinterest-quality, never-seen-this-before creative or even something you’ve attempted, yourself. We just need one programming idea. Whether that’s a program that you’ve done, one that you’ve been to, one that you’ve seen online or somewhere else, or even one that you’ve thought of but haven’t tried, yet. One idea in one minute.
I’m asking you early so that we can get as many videos as possible, with a goal of 30. Do you have more than one staff member who would like to do a video? Send it! What kind of video? One that you record on your phone is fine! 🙂 Also, no one has to appear in the video. Get creative with it! You can add music, you can do an all-text slideshow if you want – however you want to do it is up to you.
Thank you for considering it . . . I look forward to seeing what you come up with! 🙂 Please send all videos to swilson@swkls.org. I will send out reminders between now and 8/1!! Have fun & I can’t wait to hear all of your amazing ideas. 🙂
For All VERSO Users
This week, Auto-Graphics disabled a feature that pulled book jacket art from Amazon, using the ISBN in the record. They did this because Amazon had started using numbers that were already in use as ISBNs as product numbers. This caused some confusion in some people’s catalogs and item pictures were showing up in place of book jackets.
The feature is back on, so if you were missing jacket art that had been pulled from Amazon, those items will now have jacket art once again.
For ILLers
Resource Sharing Taskforce Meeting
The SWKLS Resource Sharing Taskforce meeting was rescheduled. The new date for the meeting is next Thursday, June 29th, at 10 AM. If you cannot find the original email I sent out with the Zoom link, please get in touch with me and I’ll get that to you. I’ll also be sending out a reminder at the beginning of next week that will include the link, as well. This meeting is open to all directors and ILL personnel. This is an informal, fireside chat to discuss your issues/concerns/tips & tricks, etc. as relates to ILL service. The more ILLers we have attend, the better I can represent our region at KILT. I look forward to seeing you there!
Technology
by Christopher Dressler
Email Spoofster: Tales of Deception in Cyberspace
Once upon a time in the magical land of Cyberspace, where emails flew through the digital skies like carrier pigeons on a caffeine high, there lived a mischievous creature known as the Email Spoofster. Armed with wit and a penchant for confusion, this sly trickster roamed the virtual realm, causing chaos and leaving unsuspecting victims scratching their heads.
Email spoofing, my dear readers, is a clever technique where the Email Spoofster disguises the origin of an email to make it appear as if it came from someone else. Like a master of disguise, the Spoofster can pretend to be your best friend, your boss, or even your favorite celebrity. Oh, the possibilities!
But why, you may wonder, would someone engage in such a digital deception? Well, dear friends, the Email Spoofster has many tricks up their sleeve. They may want to trick you into revealing your personal information, like passwords or credit card details. They might aim to spread malware or phishing scams, eager to lure you into their treacherous traps. Or perhaps they simply revel in the chaos and confusion they create, like a digital court jester.
Now, how can we defend ourselves against this mischievous manipulator? Fear not, for I shall impart some wisdom upon you. First and foremost, my friends, always be vigilant and skeptical when receiving emails. If something seems fishier than a talking salmon, trust your instincts and proceed with caution.
Secondly, be sure to double-check the email address of the sender. The Spoofster may attempt to mimic a legitimate email address, but upon closer inspection, you may discover subtle differences or misspelled words that give away their true identity. Remember, even the most skillful of deceivers can slip up!
Thirdly, do not be tempted by the email’s content alone. The Email Spoofster is a master of manipulation, using urgency, fear, or enticing offers to coax you into their web of deceit. Take a moment to consider the request or offer carefully. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
Last but not least, my friends, keep your software up to date and your antivirus programs at the ready. The digital landscape is ever-evolving, and our valiant defenders against cyber threats work tirelessly to stay one step ahead. By keeping your defenses strong, you can fortify your digital castle against the Email Spoofster’s sneaky tricks.
Remember, my dear readers, while the Email Spoofster may be a cunning adversary, knowledge is your shield, and vigilance your sword. Stay alert, stay informed, and may your emails always be true and trustworthy. Happy emailing, and may the cyberspace be forever in your favor!
Always feel free to contact me for training requests, library cards, or technology issues at cdressler@swkls.org or (620)225-1231. – Christopher Dressler – 6/21/2023