Northeast Kansas Library System

09/04/2026

Man, sometimes future Robin just wants to go back and kick past Robin, but then present Robin gets involved in a new book and forgets all about it.

09/03/2026

Are you, or your patrons, looking for a way to avoid the Google AI Overview at the top of search results? If so, there is a hack that seems to be working for folks - add the string ?q=%s&udm=14 to the end of the search link (bookmark it or, as shown in this image, change the link to the search engine built into your browser - depending on your browser, Google Gemini should be able to tell you how to do that... ;) ) and you get just results, no AI overview.

09/02/2026

Discover New Books, Ideas, and Authors with PBS Books
Join us Thursday, September 10 at 1 p.m. ET for an exciting webinar introducing a new FREE digital program UNCOVERED, resulting from a collaboration between PBS Books and the Association of University Presses (AUPresses). This series features captivating voices on timely topics that you might have otherwise missed!
Together, PBS Books and AUPresses will launch a monthly digital series featuring compelling authors, books, and ideas from university presses around the world. The series will provide librarians, community builders, and educators ready-to-use content for social media, newsletters, book clubs, reading lists, displays, and community programs, while offering the public engaging conversations that spark curiosity and lifelong learning. It is all FREE.
This new series is a wonderful opportunity to discover thought-provoking books, connect communities with fresh ideas, and uncover incredible stories.
Monthly Episode Themes
September 2026 - Hispanic / Latinx Heritage Month
October 2026 - Popular Science
November 2026 - Native American Heritage Month
December 2026 - Librarian AUPresses Favorite Picks
January 2027 - Literature in Translation
February 2027 – Black History Month
March 2027 – Women’s History Month
April 2027 – National Poetry Month
May 2027 – Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
June 2027 – Pride Month (LGBTQ+)
July 2027 – Regional Reads
August 2027 – Foodways

Join us to learn how libraries and partner organization and readers can take part!

Register Now:
https://streamyard.com/watch/2jTSMXsFVC7p

09/01/2026

Have you all seen the new Benedictine College Library yet? Our State Library, Ray, has! The State Library's FB page posted a nice little write up with pictures and everything at https://www.facebook.com/statelibraryofkansas/posts/pfbid02xC7mroMCp75ijTgCUjkxeHrE9roANc77DatLWLs2tCDzmKJBdrnBLtwLDNwanx9fl if you would like to check out what he found on his visit!

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the opening of the new Independence Hall-inspired library at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. The news caught the attention of the State of Kansas Librarian, Ray Walling, who came from the state capital in Topeka to tour the Moritz Library in D....

08/31/2026

Join Kaye McIntyre and Kansas Notable Book authors, Lucas Bressire and Lindsay H. Metcalf, Wednesday, September 2, 7-8 p.m. for an online author event to inspire you and your neighbors to tell their Kansas stories.

Hosted by the State Library of Kansas

Registration is free-of-charge and required.

Register Today!

Agriculture and Rural Life: How we tell our Kansas stories Lucas Bessire, author of "Running Out" (2021 National Book Award finalist and 2022 Kansas Notable Book among others) and...

08/28/2026

Bonus Friday post - Congratulations to Paola Public Library for their grant award from the Kansas Book Festival. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with it!

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

Podcasts, Fandoms, and Booktok, Oh My! Patrons and Non-Traditional Media

Wednesday, August 26th from 1:00 to 2:00 PM CT

Presented by Emilia Mudd
Register for this training https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4217769787671/WN_QWWbU436RZex8_bYchRdAA #/registration

With the ever-changing media landscape, it can be hard to keep up with the trends and topics that are capturing patrons’ attention outside the library. On the creative side: What resources can we provide for our podcasters, fanfiction writers and streamers? On the user side: are we prepared to provide readers’ advisory for customers engaged with online media?

This webinar will give a brief overview of some of these non-traditional forms of media and connect them to the work of public libraries both as a resource for creatives and as a hub for media literacy and advisory.
Who will benefit from this program:
All Staff that Interacts with Patrons
All Circulation Staff Members
Reader’s Advisory Staff

08/26/2026

From Christine Morris:
I am the Chair of the ALA E-Rate Task Force, and I wanted to draw your attention to a recent article in LJ about proposed E-Rate rulemaking (https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/calling-on-advocates-to-respond-to-fccs-proposed-throttling-of-e-rate). As the article notes,

Seventy-three percent of U.S. public libraries receive E-Rate funding. "The service is for everybody," (Jamar) Rahming [PLA president and CEO of Cuyahoga County Public Library] said. "This is not just for rural people. It's not just for urban people. It's not just for children. It's a lifeline for every community."

Many libraries and library staff have already responded to this threat. If you or your library are still contemplating your response, please consider filing an Express Comment with the FCC (https://www.shlb.org/file-comments-with-fcc), using the ALA Advocacy Tool to contact your Congress members (https://action.ala.org/campaign/saveourerate/), or inviting your Congressional Representative or US Senator to your library for a site visit during their recess (https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/Show%20Up%20for%20E-Rate.pdf).

Please don't be intimidated by this process; the important part is to talk about what internet access means to your community, and how you see folks use it every day. Speak to your experience. You don't have to know the policy. You don't have to know any of the intricacies of the 80-some pages of this rule. Just talk from the heart.

The SHLB Coalition advocates for policies and programs that enable anchor institutions to obtain and promote open, secure, high-quality broadband services to support connectivity and opportunity for all.

08/25/2026

Sara Worcester ([email protected]) with the State Library of Kansas will lead a SHAREit Refresher Training at the NEKLS office on Thursday, September 10th from 10-11:30am. This will be a hybrid event that will be streamed over Zoom and recorded.

Sara will cover:
SHAREit basics and best practices
How to set up the ideal participant record
SHAREit stat reports for the Public Library Annual Survey (State Stats)

Fill out this form to register for in-person attendance: https://forms.gle/qYu3xweyMNKdWEZy9

Fill out this form to attend over Zoom: https://kslib.zoom.us/meeting/register/ZmLN8YWURviHL6R_DN_e1A

Let me know if you have any questions! We hope to see you there!

Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS) 4317 w 6th st. Lawrence, KS 66049 9/10/2026 10-11:30am