The 22nd Annual Joint Youth Services Retreat: Aug. 25-26

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prairieAs always, this year’s youth services retreat will be a great chance to relax, participate in sessions directed towards youth services, enjoy wonderful food, network, share ideas, and play. As in past years, the retreat will be held at Carol Joy Holling Camp and Retreat Center near Ashland. New this year is an option to stay overnight not only Thursday evening, but also to arrive the evening of Wednesday, August 24, and stay overnight. This might make it easier for those traveling from a distance.

You can easily register at http://bit.ly/22ndRetreat by the end of the day on August 8th. If for some reason you can’t make the retreat, you can still hear the two feature presenters at the CPLS Youth Services Day on August 19 or at the TRAILS Fall Library Workshop on September 21.

Following is the full program: Continue reading →

New Book Kit Available: The impeachment of Abraham Lincoln (a novel by Stephen L. Carter)

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impeachment
Stephen L. Carter’s thrilling novel takes as its starting point an alternate history: President Abraham Lincoln survives the assassination attempt at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. Two years later he is charged with overstepping his constitutional authority, both during and after the Civil War, and faces an impeachment trial . . .
Twenty-one-year-old Abigail Canner is a young black woman with a degree from Oberlin, a letter of employment from the law firm that has undertaken Lincoln’s defense, and the iron-strong conviction, learned from her late mother, that “whatever limitations society might place on ordinary negroes, they would never apply to her.” And so Abigail embarks on a life that defies the norms of every stratum of Washington society: working side by side with a white clerk, meeting the great and powerful of the nation, including the president himself. But when Lincoln’s lead counsel is found brutally murdered on the eve of the trial, Abigail is plunged into a treacherous web of intrigue and conspiracy reaching the highest levels of the divided government. (Description from Goodreads.) We have 10 paperback copies available.

Golden Sower Reading Day

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golden sowerOnce again, Southeast Library System and Seward Memorial Library will be hosting Golden Sower Reading Day on May 27th. This offers the chance for Golden Sower Readers and those who want to be Golden Sower Readers the chance to read all the books on the primary list. The schedule for the day is as follows:

9:00 am
Kathy Schultz: Announcements about Golden Sower
Reading of Books from Primary List

12:00 pm
Lunch on your own

1:00 pm
Finish Reading of Primary List; Discussion of Titles from Chapter Book and Golden Sower Novel Lists

To register, go to http://bit.ly/ReadingDay.

June 10th Workshop Result of Partnership between SELS and the Nebraska School Librarians Association

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SchoolLibrariansintheDigitalAgeSELS and the Nebraska School Librarians Association are partnering to offer a Continuing Education experience called “School Librarians in the Digital Age.” Librarians and media specialists will find themselves in a computer lab at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office for the workshops previewed below. The link to the registration is http://bit.ly/June10SchoolLibrarians. Since space is limited, please cancel your registration if you won’t be able to make it by calling the Southeast Library System office at 1-800-288-6063 or 402-467-6188 or email Todd at todd.schlechte.sels@gmail.com.

JUNE 10 Schedule:

9:30 am – 10 am Registration and Refreshments

10 am – 12 pm Using NebraskAccess Databases in Schools

Susan Knisely

Use one of the computers in the lab, or bring your own device to follow along as Susan explores
the many K12­ friendly features of the NebraskAccess databases with us!

12 pm Lunch

At nearby eateries

1 pm – 2 pm Digital Citizenship

Chris Pultz and Chris Haeffner

Explore the concepts of digital citizenship and librarianship.

2 pm – 3 pm This is not your Grandmother’s Library

Cynthia Stodgill

Librarians juggle technology integration, collaborative teaching, professional development, and books. Leveraging the power of social media impacts the role of the library in all of these
areas. This session will introduce busy school librarians to Twitter and Instagram as tools to promote, share and brand the school library. Bring your device and start tweeting!

SELS Training Extravaganza

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FireworksBefore summer gets going full blast, give yourself a break and enjoy the 2016 SELS Training Extravaganza on May 13 at Seward Memorial Library. We have 12 workshops scheduled on 3 different tracks. And don’t forget the food: morning and afternoon refreshments, and a noon dinner of grilled chicken breast with alfredo sauce, twice baked potato casserole, green beans, salad, and a roll. Gluten free and vegetarian options are available.
The $25 fee includes lunch! Register at http://bit.ly/SELSTraining by the end of the day May 5th.

Following is a preview of the day: Continue reading →

Looking for board nominations

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The time is near for the next election to choose SELS board members. If you would be interested in serving on the board, or know someone who you feel would be a good board member, I would love to hear from you!

If you work in a library, are a library board member or user of a library in our service area, you are eligible to be a board member. The Southeast Library System serves the counties of Butler, Clay, Fillmore, Gage, Hamilton, Jefferson, Johnson, Lancaster, Merrick, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Polk, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Seward, Thayer, and York.

The board governs the Southeast Library System. Board member responsibilities include approval of policies, plans, and budgets, as well as evaluation of the System Director.

Board members serve a three year term. The board meets four times a year at locations around the SELS area. The term would begin on July 1, 2016.

We serve all types of libraries and we strive to get that diversity in our board as well.

The deadline for all nominations is April 2. To self-nominate, please send your name, library and role at said library, and a short (under 100 words) biography to scott.childers.sels@gmail.com . To nominate someone else, please send their name, contact information, and if you have already approached that person or not.

SELS Sponsors “Policies for Results” Workshop for Librarians and Library Board Members

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Bonnie McKBonnie McKewon, a well-known and respected presenter, will be coming to Seward Memorial Library on March 17th for a 4 CE workshop on policy creation and refinement. The workshop will begin at 10 am and last until 3 pm.
“Policies For Results” is a fresh way of approaching policy development by looking at constructing policies in 4 parts: the philosophy statement, the regulations, the procedures, & the guidelines.  Through exercises and small group discussion, learn how to apply the 4 parts of a policy to sample topics.  Review the board’s role in policy development, along with the roles played by the library director and staff.  And share your policy pet peeves!  The workshop is based on the book from the Public Library Association: “Creating Policies For Results: From Chaos to Clarity.”
Bonnie McKewon is a consultant with the State Library of Iowa, stationed at the Northwest District office in Sioux City, providing library management training and consulting for 90 public libraries in 14 N.W. Iowa counties. She has conducted training for public library staff and boards for over 20 years, presenting workshops on a wide variety of topics, from presentation pointers to formulating smart survey questions, from succession planning to encouraging tech savvy trustees.
Bonnie has been an instructor for Iowa’s library director certification program for many years. And with an affinity for library board training, she has developed a multi-part series of online classes for boards, including “The Board’s Role in HR” and “Jumpstart Your Trusteeship.”
In addition, she has taught on-site board development workshops in South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, and Michigan. Over the years, Bonnie has presented at state and national conferences, among them PLA and ARSL (Association for Rural and Small Libraries) Before joining the State Library, Bonnie was the Administrator of the Northwest Iowa Regional System for 20 years and formerly the director of Spencer (IA) Public Library.
Southeast Library System is pleased to sponsor this workshop for any library staff who work with formulating policy, as well as Library Board members. We are able to offer the workshop for only $20, including lunch. This is due to the fact that this activity is supported in large part with funding from the State of Nebraska and from the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provision of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Nebraska Library Commission.
Register by March 13 at http://bit.ly/policiesforresults

Big Talk from Small Libraries

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Seward Memorial LibrarySeward Memorial Library is hosting a showing of the Big Talk from Small Libraries online conference on February 26, 2016 between 8:45 and and 5:00 pm. You could watch from your desk (in that case go to the official registration page). Or you can join with others in watching the conference. If you register here you will help give us a count for those expected to attend at Seward Memorial Library. Bring your lunch and favorite snacks, or chip in for pizza.

Also, if another library in a different part of the system would like to host a showing, go for it!