System Spotlight
By Staff
Storytime Wraps Up for the Summer in Minneola
We celebrated our last Storytime of the year with Storytime coordinator Kim with a fun potted plant project and stories of spring!
Chicks Dig Scott County Library
Some fuzzy little cuties just hatched at Scott County Library and they’re “peeping” the
Consulting
By Sara Wilson
- May 11th: Everyday Advocacy for Smaller Libraries: Practical & Affordable Solutions | Webinar/Registration Link
- May 12th: 10 AM – 11 AM – 6+ Ways to Level Up Your Nonprofit Website Without Spending a Kazillion Bucks| Webinar/Registration Link
- May 13th: 10 AM – 11 AM – LearningExpress Library’s Adult Core Skills Resources| Webinar/Zoom Link
- May 13th: 10 AM – 11 AM – Providing Mental Health Resources at Your Library (FDLP) | Webinar/Registration Link
- May 13th: 2 PM – 3 PM – Storytelling That Connects and Inspiress| Webinar/Registration Link
- May 14th: 1 PM – 2 PM – Developing Library Services for Teens with Disabilities| Webinar/Zoom Link
- May 15th: 1 PM – 2 PM – Elevate Your Nonprofit Event with Strategic Branding | Webinar/Registration Event
- May 15th: 1 PM – 2 PM: Sustainability and Climate Change Across the Curriculum: Library Edition | Webinar/Registration Link
In The News
IMLS Litigation Update – Richard
Some quick updates on the two cases involving the IMLS funding.
I have updated the System’s public docs with this information and the link for that is here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-9d_0KFPKcy73QLU5_s4A0aMXhw2PRtH/edit
It is more of a general observation with some of the decisions wording copied into the file. The two decisions are so ordered and they are in favor for the library community and other communities involved. However, you know the administration will more than likely appeal these decisions.
For the complete orders you can go to these two links:
Rhode Island v Trump Preliminary Injunction Ruling (https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.rid.59257/gov.uscourts.rid.59257.57.0_2.pdf)
ALA et al. v Sonderling Preliminary Injunction Ruling (https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.279257/gov.uscourts.dcd.279257.36.0_1.pdf)
On another front Ray Walling, Kansas State Librarian, mentioned in today’s System Directors meeting that the Trump Administration has put forth a budget that removes IMLS funding. This follows form with how the Trump Administration did this each budget year of his first term. During President Trump’s first term Congress always placed the IMLS funding back into the budget, this time around it isn’t such a foregone conclusion that this will happen. However, you can call on your Legislators and have advocates get in touch with your Legislators to state that the IMLS funding needs to stay in the Federal Budget.
Trump Fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Late Thursday evening, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden received an email ending her service at the Library of Congress. See link for details.
Pope Leo XIV: Explore the Books & Writings of the First American Pontiff
The new Pope is an American and that has never happened before! The world is excited to learn more about Pope Leo XIV and fortunately for everyone interested in hearing more from/about him, he is a published author! See link for details.
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!
Archived Trainings
Are you needing to brush up on your CE, but you’re looking for in-demand options? Try our archive of digital trainings that we’ve done in the past. These are housed on our wiki and are all free and available to view at your convenience. Just be sure to report that you watched the video on our Wiki (otherwise, we have no record!).
Mother’s Day is Sunday and we celebrate the care, dedication, and quiet strength that define not just motherhood, but also the vital work you do every day. Whether you’re a mother, support one, or simply embody the spirit of nurturing through your service, we honor you. Thank you for helping communities grow through knowledge, compassion, and connection.
Cataloging, Collection Development, and ILL
By Miguel Coca
Collection Development Inspiration
Adult Fiction
Children’s & YA Fiction
(Reminder) 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
From the SWKLS Pro Collection
Roman philosopher Cicero once remarked that “if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Today, libraries nationwide are beginning to incorporate gardens into their public services. Libraries in the southwestern US, for instance, are creating drought-tolerant gardens as neighborhood demonstration projects, while elsewhere gardens are being used to promote community engagement and even STEM learning. Citing examples of library gardens around the world that are thriving, this first-ever book on the subject not only demonstrates the many benefits of library gardens but also provides a complete overview of issues applicable to all library types and geographical environments. Featuring a full-color photo insert showcasing several beautiful library gardens, among the topics covered in the book are
- a brief history of libraries and gardens, with an overview of such “demonstration gardens” as medicinal and herbal gardens, native plant gardens, xeriscapes, and gardens as wildlife sanctuaries;
- the use of plants, such as living walls and rooftop gardens, to create ecologically healthy, sustainable environments;
- gardens as learning environments and spaces for storytimes and active play;
- food gardens, seed libraries, sensory gardens, outdoor reading areas, prison garden programs, and many other ways that libraries can engage communities;
- guidance on designing for inclusivity, planning, funding, staffing, recruiting volunteers, and planting and maintenance, complete with advice on determining the best plants to cultivate; and
- ideas on evaluating the effectiveness of library gardens and the program opportunities they offer.
Readers will not only be inspired to create and nurture their own library gardens and programs, they will receive practical advice on how to proceed and sustain them.
VERSO Release + Notes: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
We will be doing a VERSO release on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, beginning a little after 7:00pm Pacific (10:00pm Eastern). Downtime is usually about 15 minutes but may be longer if issues come up.
RESOLVED
| AG-4220 CS-83584 | Previously, when configuring SMS settings in Circ Admin > Text Message Configuration > Single, selecting the Un-Assigned location caused the form to appear blank. Any values entered in the form were not retained upon submission. This issue has been resolved, and the form now correctly retains and saves entered values for the Un-Assigned location. Configuration data is preserved and will be used to deliver SMS notifications to patrons without a specific Home Location. |
| AG-3976 CS-82737 CS-83862 CS-83255 CS-83437 CS-83173 | An issue was identified where the Items Out page under Your Account would fail to load if a user had a checked-out OverDrive item associated with a corrupted or incomplete bibliographic record. This caused the entire Items Out page to be inaccessible, preventing users from viewing or managing their checked-out items. The system has been updated and the Items Out page will now load as expected. |
| AG-4202 CS-80344 | In the Reserves > Available Copies screen, staff using the Limit To: My Patrons Only filter expected to see reserves placed by patrons belonging to their home library. However, the results incorrectly included reserves from patrons affiliated with other libraries. The filtering logic has been corrected. The My Patrons Only option now accurately limits the display to reserves placed by patrons who belong to the logged-in staff member’s home library. |
| AG-4253 CS-83825 | In Statistical reports, collection names were being improperly truncated, resulting in incomplete or unclear display of collection information. The truncation issue has been resolved. Collection names are now displayed in full, ensuring clarity and accuracy across the interface. |
Julie Cavender, MLIS
VERSO Product Manager | Lakewood, CO
(909) 569-1527 | jjc@auto-graphics.com
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