Weekly Wrap-Up! – February 28th, 2025

/ Weekly Wrap-Up / By

System Spotlight

By Staff

Creative Mazes in Bucklin

Storytime last week revolved around MAZES. The kids made mazes with Legos, built a 3D Maze with the Q*Ba*Maze game and even some mazes that required a little computer coding. We even had books with mazes we could trace with our fingers. Everyone had a great time stretching their minds with Mazes. (Our thanks to the Southwest Kansas Library System for letting us borrow the Code & Go Robot Mouse and the Coding Critters). They were a hit!

Join us next time, MARCH 6 for SENSORY DAY! — Shelly Huelsman

Consulting

By Sara Wilson

  • March 2nd – 6th – Read Across America Week
  • March 2nd – Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
  • March 4th at 2 PM CST – Explore Vooks| Webinar/Zoom Link
  • March 4th at 3 PM CST – Embracing Neurodiversity: Cultivating an Inclusive Workplace for Neurodivergent Staff | Webinar/Register Here
  • March 7th at 10 AM CST – CSLP Summer Library Program Workshop| In-Person Event/Register Here
  • March 7th at 1 PM CST – iRead Summer Library Program Workshop | In-Person Event/Register Here
  • March 11th at 2 PM CST – Twosday Takeaway: Manga Collection Development | Webinar/Register Here
  • March 12th at 1 PM CST – Advancing Title II ADA Compliance Through Inclusive Engagement and Collaboration | Webinar/Register Here

Image provided by pixabay.com contributor louisehoffmann83

Prepping for March 21st System Board Meeting – Richard Brookman

Hello everyone –

The year is starting out a bit rocky. I apologize for the Weekly Wrap-Up not hitting properly. The Tech staff worked on making changes on the settings and things didn’t go as they had planned.

Staffing has been up in the air. We had Bernardo come in and state he was resigning. I asked him if he would like for me to send out and email or if he wanted let the System Board and Membership know what was happening. He decided that he wanted do the notice himself and put it in the Weekly Wrap-Up and I told him I would honor his wishes. Then as mentioned above their were problems with the settings for the Weekly Wrap-Up and his Wrap-Up was posted late and then an email wasn’t sent out for the posting. For that I humbly apologize. We have changed direction on how the Weekly Wrap-Up is produced and distributed.

We have hired a new person for Tandy’s position. Her name is Tonia Pfaff. Her first day will be March 17. So everyone will be able to meet her at the System Meeting on March 21, in Kinsley or via Zoom.

The new draft of the 2026 System Plan is on the verge of completion. A copy will be sent out with the board documents for the March System Meeting. This is just so the Board can see how it is formatted for the State Library Board. Once the System approves the draft proposed 2026 budget it will have to be included and depending on if numbers change some of the items might have to be rearranged to meet the standard of how the State Library wants the document. So no action will be taken on the draft plan until the April Meeting.

After March I plan on doing a tour of the System to visit with you the directors, library staff, and system staff. This for me to find out what is working and what isn’t and get the System back on center ground. The visits might be in person, email, or by telephone. I am aiming for a 3 month time period to do this tour and then set up a meeting with the System Board. At this meeting I will relay what I found out and what we can possibly change to assist with the function of the System Office and helping our membership moving forward.

So a busy upcoming year. I look forward to visiting with each of you.

State Library eCard Login Info

From the State Library of Kansas:

The State Library’s former address, kslc.org, is no longer working due to technical issues.

Use library.ks.gov/eCard to access statewide resources. It is best practice when working with patrons to link directly to the Statewide Resources page at library.ks.gov/statewide-resources.

DISCARD any brochures or flyers with kslc.org listed – they are obsolete. You will find updated promotional material at library.ks.gov/eCardAdmin. We will continue updating brochures and information.

Let us know if you have questions or would like assistance linking to specific statewide resources.

Potential to Win a Gift Card: Rural Library Survey Opportunity


This is an invitation to the survey intended to explore the current rural library services that have been expanding to meet diversifying community needs and their impact on local communities.

You can participate in the survey if you identify your library as a rural or small library. If you’re unsure, a rural and small library is generally considered one that serves a community with a population of approximately under 25,000. However, this is not a strict criterion for defining rural & small status.

We would be very grateful if you would take the time to fill out our survey. If you think you are not the best person to participate, please forward this survey to who you think would be best able to answer our questions.

The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete. Deadline for survey responses is March 14, 2025 (Though we would very much appreciate input earlier than this date.)

After completing this survey, you will participate in a random drawing to receive a $20 e-Amazon gift card. We will give 200 cards in total among the winners.

This project is funded by IMLS #LG-254821-OLS-23. More information about the project is available on the project website: https://blogs.iu.edu/plss/

To participate, click Take the survey or the link below:

https://iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79Eyi1M391SKKG2

Sincerely,

Library Social Service Research Team at Indiana University Indianapolis

Hot Off the FOKL Newsletter: Challenge Grant Information

What exciting idea does your Friends group have up its sleeve? Our Challenge Grants provide up to $500 in matching funds for a project that will help your Friends group support your library. 
To be considered, the Friends group must:

Submit a completed and signed application by April 1st (click for the Challenge Grant Application Form).Be a current member of FoKL (Friends group or library).

Agree to recognize funds received from FoKL in library publicity (social media, signage, etc).

Submit a Challenge Grant Report to FoKL no later than October 1st of the current year.

Register for the Summer Library Program Workshop(s)!

This year’s Summer Library Program Workshop will held at Dodge City Public Library, in the Lois Flanagan Room (thank you, Carissa and staff!). It will be split into two events: in the morning, Patty Collins and Diane Bott from Central Kansas Library System will be presenting on the CSLP theme: Color Your World that is all about art, creativity, and COLOR! In the afternoon, Sara Wilson will be presenting on the iRead theme: Level Up at Your Library that is all about games, competition, and FUN! Lunch will be on your own, this year. You are welcome to attend either program or both. It promises to be a fun day, filled with laughter and tons of inspiration for your summer library program! Hope to see you there! Click here to register!

Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL

By Miguel Coca

Collection Development Inspiration

Adult Fiction

Children’s & YA Fiction

From the SWKLS Pro Collection

A step-by-step guide for managers, teams, and DEI leaders looking to create impactful, lasting change in their organization, from recruitment to retention, and beyond.

Are you tired of hollow promises about diversity, equity, and inclusion in your organization? Do you want to take steps towards real change – beyond issuing mission statements, signing checks, and holding listening sessions – but don’t know where to start? This book is your answer. Designed for teams to read together, Actions Speak Louder offers a comprehensive blueprint for leaders and teams who are ready to get out of their own way, look at their surroundings with new eyes, and turn their energy into a concrete plan.
 
Renowned DEI consultant Deanna Singh has led diversity trainings for a wide range of organizations, from non-profits to Fortune 500 companies. Using narratives, case studies, and the latest DEI research, as well as interactive exercises, Singh will teach you how to:
 
  •  Write inclusive job advertisements because “minorities just don’t apply here” isn’t an excuse – you’re just not reaching them
  •  Design an interview process that reduces status quo bias and challenges hiring decisions that are simply “no brainers”
  •  Create a retention plan that considers and prioritizes the needs of underrepresented employees – if you haven’t intentionally designed one to be inclusive, you’ve unintentionally reinforced one that is exclusive.
  •  Lead inclusive meetings – the bedrock of company culture – by practicing constructive dissent and elevating underrepresented perspectives

Sharing about SHAREit

The recording, slides, and transcript from last week’s Sharing about SHAREit is posted here: Staff Dashboard > Support > SHAREit – the Sharing about SHAREit webinars are posted at the top of the chart.

The next SHAREit about SHAREit Q&A webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 11am PT / 12pm MT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET.

Additional Sharing about SHAREit webinars are scheduled for:

  • April 23 – Non-Returnables    
  • May 28 – ILL Q&A
  • June (TBS) – Patron-initiated Requesting

Thank you,

Debbie

Deborah Hensler

Product Manager – SHAREit | Pittsburgh, PA

O: 909-569-1512 | C: 412-258-0372 | dmh@auto-graphics.com

Twosday Takeaway: Manga Collection Development

So, you want to add Manga to your collection, but where do you start? I will guide you through what you need to know to get your Manga collection going!

You can sign up using the link below!

https://www.ubmeevents.com/event/8a0d09cf-8ab7-4227-ae55-2570b246b132

Technology

by Christopher Dressler

RIP MS Publisher 10/2026

Hey there! I wanted to let you know that Microsoft is ending its support for Publisher on October 13, 2026. So, it’s a good idea to start planning ahead and find a replacement. One option I highly recommend is Canva. It’s a fantastic tool that not only does everything Publisher can, but also offers a lot more. With Canva, you can create flyers, posters, presentations, charts, animations, and even things like closing signs – just to name a few!

One of the best features of Canva is its templates. There are thousands of templates available, and they can really help you get started. You can easily customize them by adding your own information. There are tons of fonts and graphics to choose from, making the process simple and fun.

Another feature I love is Canva’s presentation templates. They’re great for making your presentations stand out. You can even add animations, sound effects, and embed YouTube videos to make them even more engaging.

If you’re interested in learning more about Canva, feel free to reach out to me. I’d be happy to show you how easy it is to get started. Our office and many of our libraries in our system are already using it, and I’d love to help you get on board. Just give me a call, and we can schedule a training session soon!