System Spotlight
By Staff
Future Dates & Training Opportunities (All Times in CST)
July 23rd, 9 AM – 9:45 AM – Koha eCard Admin Training/Register Here
July 23rd, 12 PM – 12:45 PM – Four Ways to Advocate for Libraries in 2024 (Webinar)/Register Here
July 24th, 4 PM – 4:45 PM – Koha eCard Admin Training/Register Here
July 25th, 1 PM – 1:45 PM – Koha eCard Admin Training/Register Here
July 29th, 11 AM – 12 PM – Supporting Staff and Student Mental Health (Webinar)/Register Here
August 2nd – 10 AM – 3 PM – Tech Day+/Register Here
August 9th, 10 AM – 12 PM – Southwest Kansas Library System Board Meeting/Registration Link
August 9th, 1 PM – 3 PM – StoryTime Swap Meet/Submit Your Ideas Here
September 26th – 27th – SWKLS Retreat/Register Here
Consulting
By Sara Wilson
Image provided by pixabay.com contributor Engin_Akyurt
Fair Labor Standards Exempt Status Change
As of July 1, 2024, the Fair Labor Standards Exempt status requirements changed. The component that has changed is the salary requirement. The new salary requirement is, for a person to be considered an exempt position the salary must be a minimum of $844.00 per week or $43888.00 per year. For a position to be exempt you have to satisfy every component. Therefore, if you don’t meet this new salary requirement you are required to receive overtime pay of 1.5 times your hourly rate, if you work over 40 hours during your work week.
At this time this salary component is schedule to increase again on January 1, 2025 to a minimum of $1128.00 per week or $58,656.00 per year.
You will need to alert your library boards of this change. The board can say you are on salary, however if you don’t satisfy each exempt requirement they will have to pay you for overtime if work over the 40 hours per work week.
ESU Offers Intellectual Freedom in Libraries Course
From the KLA Information Freedom Committee (thanks to Sara Koehn from Haskell Township Library for sending it in):
It is not too late to enroll!
This fall 2024 semester at Emporia State University we are offering the Intellectual Freedom in Libraries course for graduate credit or continuing education credit. This is an opportunity to focus with in- and pre-service librarians interested in all library types on articulating intellectual freedom as a professional practice in protecting the freedom to read, privacy, advocacy for information diversity, and library collections and policies. This course is a collaboration between ESU SLIM, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. Enrolled students will receive a free copy of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Manual (2021).
Want to know more about the course? Please write to Dr. Mirah Dow mdow@emporia.edu
Want to enroll? Please write to Kathy Buckman kbuckman@emporia.edu
Adaptive Library Time
Want some tips for how to make your StoryTime more adaptive and inclusive? Here are a few ideas:
- Consider having a visual schedule of events posted in the StoryTime room. A visual schedule of events could be as simple as a poster board with cards containing images and text on them [for example: SONG with music notes] and sticky tack on the back, to make them removable. Arrange them on the board before the StoryTime and remove them as events occur. This can help ease anxiety and give a sense of routine.
- Give out props! It’s a great way for people of all ages and abilities to be able to interact with the story. These don’t have to be expensive. They could be as simple as a popsicle stick puppet or a noise-maker. This can help everyone feel directly involved in the storytelling process, regardless of any communication barriers they may have.
- Describe the pictures as you’re reading the story, for those with vision impairments and difficulty processing visual information.
- Where possible, try to make seating optional, using carpet squares, beanbags, etc. to account for the fact that some may have a hard time sitting and/or sitting still and also, to allow ease of accessibility for wheelchair access.
Want more StoryTime tips? Join us August 9th at 1 PM for our StoryTime Swap Meet at Dodge City Public Library! Bring your gently used StoryTime props that you would like to pass on to another library and some of your best StoryTime ideas and experiences! If you don’t have the latter, don’t worry – you are welcome to borrow and trade! 🙂 Share your ideas here before the Swap Meet, so we can offer a handout for everyone to take with them and then register here!
Sources: https://adaptiveumbrella.blogspot.com/p/adapted.html ; https://jbrary.com/guest-post-making-storytimes-more-inclusive/ ; https://programminglibrarian.org/programs/library-time-modified-storytime-adults-intellectual-disabilities
“Twisters,” the sequel to the 1996 natural disaster thriller “Twister” comes out in theaters today and I can think of no better timing to tell you about our Tech Day+ afternoon guest speaker! Samantha Brown, of the National Weather Service, will be presenting about severe weather. Learn to be a storm spotter – to see the danger early – and what steps you can take to help keep you and your patrons safe in the event of a major storm.
We will also have two sessions on natural disasters: one covering disaster preparedness and one on disaster recovery. Tech Day+ will be on August 2nd and registration begins at 9:30 AM at the First Church of God in Dodge City. Register here today!
Kansas’ own Amelia Earhart was an aviation pioneer and a national treasure. Each year, she is celebrated for her accomplishments on the date of her birth, July 24th, which is known as Amelia Earhart Day. Alexis Alexander, a Library of Congress intern, did a deep dive on the beloved pilot and gives tips on how to create an engaging educational program using the Library of Congress’ primary sources. Check out the article here!
Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL
By Miguel Coca
Collection Development Inspiration
Adult Fiction
Children’s & YA Fiction
KLA Intellectual Freedom Committee
From the KLA IF Committee:
It is not too late to enroll!
This fall 2024 semester at Emporia State University we are offering the Intellectual Freedom in Libraries course for graduate credit or continuing education credit. This is an opportunity to focus with in- and pre-service librarians interested in all library types on articulating intellectual freedom as a professional practice in protecting the freedom to read, privacy, advocacy for information diversity, and library collections and policies. This course is a collaboration between ESU SLIM, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. Enrolled students will receive a free copy of the ALA Intellectual Freedom Manual (2021).
Want to know more about the course? Please write to me. Dr. Mirah Dow mdow@emporia.edu
Want to enroll? Please write to Kathy Buckman kbuckman@emporia.edu
2024 Kansas Notable Books Grant
From State Library of Kansas:
The State Library of Kansas is committed to promoting literacy, lifelong learning, and access to library materials throughout
the state. To that end, the State Library of Kansas, funded through an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant, is announcing a non-competitive grant opportunity for libraries in Kansas
to purchase books from the 2024 Kansas Notable Books list.
2024 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 of the books on the 2024 Kansas Notable Books list. Only the actual cost of the book will be reimbursed
with grant funds. Any discounts will not be reimbursed, and shipping costs, sales tax, and/or protective book covers are the
responsibility of the individual recipient library. Grant information for 2024 is available at https://kslib.info/1530/2024-
Notable-Books. All Kansas Notable Book lists can be found at http://kslib.info/notablebooks .
Eligibility
To be eligible:
A public library, academic library (public or private), or a special library
o Must be a participating KICNET and/or OCLC library
A school library
o Must be a participating KICNET and/or OCLC library
Library must agree to the terms listed within the Grant and Subgrant Eligibility Policy and Assurances documents
available at- http://kslib.info/LSTA
For more details and grant application – https://kslib.info/DocumentCenter/View/10753/KS-Notable-Books-Grant-application-24?bidId=
Technology
by Christopher Dressler