Future Dates & Training Opportunities
All times are in Central Standard Time (CST).
April 28 – 29, 2021 – Mountain Plains Library Association Virtual Conference
April 28th at 2:00 PM – Make a splash with your VERSO splash! Training with AG’s Splash Page Master, Jessi Curley. This session will be recorded. Registration link.
April 29th at 2:00 PM – Flipgrip Training- Empower Every Voice/ Registration Link
May 13, 2021 at 10:00 am – Library Maintenance Checklist, Part 3 /Registration Link – Zoom Link
Consulting
2021 System Directory
The 2021 System Directory has been sent out through the courier! If you have not received one or would like an extra copy, please contact Tandy Ritchhart, at SWKLS.
2020 Regional System Report
The yearly Regional System Report has been completed and sent to Alice Smith, Kansas State Library. This report is pretty much the same as previous years. The change of System Membership will be on next year’s report.
2022 System Plan
I am awaiting confirmation from Gail Santy, Director CKLS, to whom the 2022 System Plan needs to be sent. Once that is done another benchmark for the office will have been made.
Summer Library (Reading) Program Posters
If you remember at the last Full Board meeting for the System I reported, through Millie Dearden (Scott County Library), about the wording on the Spanish Summer Library Program Posters possibly offending your patrons.
Sandy Wilkerson, Kansas Representative to the Collaborative Summer Library Program, spoke at the this week’s Youth Consultants Meeting that she reported it to CSLP. The Collaborative came back that when they did the test marketing for the posters no mention there being a possible offensive word being on the Spanish posters. The Collaborative will not be issuing new posters this late. Libraries will need to use their own discretion on if they wish to use the posters or not.
Summer Library (Reading) Program PSAs
The Collaborative Summer Library Program consortium has created two PSA videos that you can use to advertise the Summer Library Program on your website or Facebook page. The videos are below for you to watch and you can go to the Collaborative’s Youtube Channel to get the url’s.
Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL
Reminder: KLE Courier Labels
This is a friendly reminder to always attach the sender’s courier label to the back of the recipient’s label. This is a best practice and avoids confusion. Thank you!
Notice about Online Forms on swkls.org
The functionality of online ILL request and original cataloging forms is currently being evaluated and improved. Soon, these forms will change a little to better serve our members.
Project Launch: Very Merry VERSO
In accordance with the SWKLS Unity Project, SWKLS U.P.!, we are working to improve how SWiftnet (SWKLS’s VERSO) functions, including searchability, location accuracy, cataloging, etc. As discussed during last Friday’s board meeting, the SWKLS Staff will work with our members to ensure SWiftnet is organized as accurately as possible. This project will take several years to complete.
To accomplish this task, we are pleased to announce our new cataloging project called Very Merry VERSO. Beginning September 1, we will begin a pilot project with a volunteer library: Haskell Township Public Library in Sublette. We are grateful to Director Sara Koehn and her staff for volunteering to be our pilot library, and we look forward to commencing Very Merry VERSO in the autumn. Thank you, Haskell!
Technology
Tech Day 2021
We are planning on having Tech Day in the fall if we are able to. Please click here to participate in the survey. Thanks for your feedback.
Technology Training
E-Rate Status
Funding commitment decision letters (FCDLs) have been issues for all of our members for which SWKLS assists in e-rate planning & filing. The next phase will be working with ISPs where service changes have been ordered such as bandwidth increases or new circuits. Roughly 50% of our member libraries will be increasing bandwidth this cycle which will raise the average to 100Mb down and 85Mb up. These changes should be in place on or before July 1st.
Technology Plans
We have begun receiving and reviewing technology plans for the 2022-2023 cycle. Please remember that technology plans are now tied to the accreditation cycle and no longer on a three year cycle. You would submit your plan this year and it will be valid for Jan 1st 2022 to Dec 31st 2023. For more information on technology planning, please visit our wiki page here: https://wiki.swkls.org/index.php/Category:Technology_Planning