Weekly Wrap-Up! – May 2nd, 2025

/ Weekly Wrap-Up / By

System Spotlight

By Staff

Wishing Chris the Best in His New Adventure

It’s with mixed emotions that we share the news that Chris will be leaving SWKLS to begin a new chapter in his career. Their last day with us will be May 13th, 2025.

Since joining our team in 2022, Chris has made a lasting impact through their dedication, professionalism, and positive spirit. Whether it was writing stories for the Weekly Wrap Up or presenting at Tech Day, their contributions have helped shape our success and our culture.

While we’re sad to see them go, we’re also genuinely excited about what lies ahead for them. SWKLS was lucky to have them, and we know they’ll continue to thrive and bring the same excellence to their new role.

Please join us in congratulating Christopher Dressler and wishing them the very best in this next step. We’re grateful for the time we’ve shared and look forward to hearing about all the great things they’ll accomplish.

Stevens Co Library Goes back in Time

ASK AN ARCHEOLOGIST:  Archeologist Page Bump from the Kansas Historical Society made her way across the state to present Ask an Archeologist at the Stevens County Library.  Patrons were encouraged to bring in artifacts for identification and discussion.  After an informative presentation, she reviewed several items including arrowheads, petrified wood, a tiny bottle, and old documents.  She also encouraged sign-ups for the Kansas Archeological Training Program Field School 2025, June 6-15.  Participants of all ages are welcome, but you must be at least 12 to attend.

Consulting

By Sara Wilson

  • May 5th: Cinco de Mayo
  • May 6th: 1 PM – 2 PM – Thriller, Mystery, & True Crime (Booklist) | Webinar/Registration Link
  • May 7th: 1 PM – 2 PM – The Loneliness Epidemic: Your Library’s Role in Socialization | Webinar/Registration Link
  • May 7th: 2 PM – 3 PM – Family Resource Training with Kansas Children’s Service League | Webinar/Zoom Link
  • May 8th: 10 AM – 11 PM – LearningExpress Resources for Homework Help and Curriculum Support | Webinar/Zoom Link
  • May 8th: 1 PM – 2 PM – Cooking with Comics (Booklist) | Webinar/Registration Link
  • May 9th: 11:30 AM – 1 PM: Demo of VERSO’s New Manage Users Module | Video Demonstration and Q & A/Zoom Link

In The News

In case you missed it on the listserv, this morning:

I saw this news break last night and I wanted to share it with you, this morning, as we are continuing to honor our promise to keep you updated on the latest with the state of the IMLS. A judge just ruled that while the case against Keith Sonderling (ALA v. Sonderling) is pending, no further dismantling of the IMLS can take place.

This doesn’t mean that the IMLS is being restored at this time or that the case has been decided in any way, but there were mass layoffs scheduled to take place at the IMLS on May 4th that are now on hold while the case is decided.

Twosday Takeaway: Sensory-Friendly Libraries

Neurodiversity is a hot topic not just in libraries, but in society as a whole. What is neurodiversity and how can we accommodate neurodivergent invidividuals in our libraries to make their experience as friendly and welcoming as possible? SWKLS Consultant/Program Coordinator Sara Wilson will give you a brief overview of neurodiversity and give you some ways that you can make your neurodivergent patrons more comfortable using your library space and attending events. Join us Tuesday, May 13th, at 2 PM for this engaging presentation!

Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL

By Miguel Coca

Collection Development Inspiration

Adult Fiction

Children’s & YA Fiction

New Manage User Module

Dear VERSO Libraries,

We’re excited to share that an all-new Manage User module will be launching at the end of May! This upgrade will replace the current Add a User and Edit User Accounts in User Admin with a new interface, powerful search tools, updated permissions, and expanded staff roles.

To help you get ready, we’re offering several webinars where we’ll demo the new module, walk through key updates, and answer your questions.

Live Webinar Schedule
Choose the date and time that works best for you:

  • Webinar #1 – Friday, May 9, 2025 at 9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET – Register Here
  • Versed in VERSO – Tuesday, May 13, 2025 at 8:00am PT / 11:00am ET – Register Here
  • Webinar #2 – Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 12:00pm PT / 3:00pm ET – Register Here

What We’ll Cover:

  • Understanding Staff Admin and Patron Admin roles
  • Setting up and managing permissions
  • Navigating the new Add/Edit User form
  • Using enhanced search tools
  • Live Q&A

Make sure your team is ready before the release and let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Julie

Julie Cavender, MLIS

VERSO Product Manager |  Lakewood, CO

(909) 569-1527 | jjc@auto-graphics.com

New to the SWKLS Pro Collection

World-renowned authors Dr. Edward M. Hallowell and Dr. John J. Ratey literally “wrote the book” on ADD/ADHD more than two decades ago. Their bestseller, Driven to Distraction, largely introduced this diagnosis to the public and sold more than a million copies along the way.

Now, most people have heard of ADHD and know someone who may have it. But lost in the discussion of both childhood and adult diagnosis of ADHD is the potential upside: Many hugely successful entrepreneurs and highly creative people attribute their achievements to ADHD. Also unknown to most are the recent research developments, including innovations that give a clearer understanding of the ADHD brain in action. In ADHD 2.0, Drs. Hallowell and Ratey, both of whom have this “variable attention trait,” draw on the latest science to provide both parents and adults with ADHD a plan for minimizing the downside and maximizing the benefits of ADHD at any age. They offer an arsenal of new strategies and lifestyle hacks for thriving with ADHD, including

• Find the right kind of difficult. Use these behavior assessments to discover the work, activity, or creative outlet best suited to an individual’s unique strengths.
• Reimagine environment. What specific elements to look for—at home, at school, or in the workplace—to enhance the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit inherent in the ADHD mind.
• Embrace innate neurological tendencies. Take advantage of new findings about the brain’s default mode network and cerebellum, which confer major benefits for people with ADHD.
• Tap into the healing power of connection. Tips for establishing and maintaining positive connection “the other Vitamind C” and the best antidote to the negativity that plagues so many people with ADHD.
• Consider medication. Gets the facts about the underlying chemistry, side effects, and proven benefits of all the pharmaceutical options.

As inspiring as it is practical, ADHD 2.0 will help you tap into the power of this mercurial condition and find the key that unlocks potential.

(Reminder) Verso Reports update

On the March 20th Verso Release they removed the Old Reports and replaced it with Reports (new). I have attached the Verso Release Notes below

Removal of Old Reports from Statistics Menu in Staff Dashboard
To streamline the user experience and improve access to essential features, we removed certain reports from the
Statistics module in the Staff Dashboard. These reports have been replaced with improved versions in the Statistics
module under Reports (new).

Key Changes:

  • The removed reports are no longer available in the Staff Dashboard > Statistics module.
  • Equivalent reports can be accessed in the Statistics module under Reports (new).
  • Users requiring similar data can generate reports using the updated options.

Technology

by Staff

Bitwarden Roll-Out

Over the next few days the SWKLS I.T. Department will begin sending out invitations for our new software offering, Bitwarden password manager. 

The first round of invitations will go to library directors only and will require you to accept the invitation (Join Organization Now button within the email) from the Southwest Kansas Library System. The email body will look like this:

Invitations expire after five days. Make sure you accept the invitation within that window of time, otherwise will have to re-invite you. After clicking the Join Organization Now button, you will be taken to a webpage to complete your registration by supplying a master password. The master password will be used going forward to access your Bitwarden password vault online, however the desktop app and mobile app versions can be accessed using a PIN which we can help you set up later. Please note the complexity rules when choosing a master password. If the master password is ever lost or forgotten, the SWKLS I.T. Department can help recover your password vault

Once you have set your master password, you will have access to the web version of your password vault. However, we (SWKLS) will need to do one more step to confirm your account on the back-end after which you will receive another email. 

We will be setting up an online training for Bitwarden within the next couple of weeks, but feel free to poke around and get familiar with the layout. A few things to note ahead of our online training:

  • Bitwarden can be accessed in several different ways including the webpage version, a desktop app, and a mobile app.
  • A PIN number can be used to unlock the desktop and mobile app versions of Bitwarden
  • Bitwarden also has a browser extension that will auto-fill logins for most websites
  • Bitwarden can act as an MFA / multi factor authentication source to generate TOTP tokens if you prefer not using your personal smartphone for library-related accounts that require 2FA / MFA
  • Our license also includes a free family plan sponsorship tied to each registered user of our Enterprise licensing

We’re starting off with just our library directors, but will be looking at licensing for other library staff after the initial rollout.

-by: Steve Andrews