Northeast Kansas Library System

05/29/2026

Man, I really wish "swashbuckling" fit with this year's summer reading theme... Have a great weekend, my friends!

05/28/2026

Here is a pretty good article on how to protect yourselves and help your patrons with AI-enabled scams: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/technology/personaltech/online-scams-have-evolved-in-the-ai-era-heres-what-to-do.html?unlocked_article_code=1.l1A.VyOv.lUPDR-Ub0sn4&smid=nytcore-android-share (free link)

A criminal could be masquerading as a celebrity, web store or family member asking for your money. Detecting scams requires a new approach.

05/25/2026

We are closed today - if your library is closed today too, take some time to get caught up on your TBR!! Or spend time with your family, if that's your thing... ;)

05/22/2026

Seriously fun? Have a great weekend, folks!

05/21/2026

Just a note - NEKLS will be closed on Memorial Day, next Monday, but we'll be available for library emergencies (are any libraries open that day?) through our new emergency line (spoiler alert - it's just our phone number - 785-838-4090 -with some added functionality when we are closed) or through the ticketing system at [email protected]. Enjoy your long weekend, folks!

05/20/2026

More of a mystery reader? Didn't see much in the list of Pulitzer prize winners I posted yesterday? Check out the Edgar award winners that are in the Next catalog!
Best Novel _The Big Empty_ Robert Crais (https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/69cbde90-7a57-0e81-3955-1ac02ffb6e36-eng/Home)
Best First Novel by an American Author _Dead Money: A Novel_ Jakob Kerr (https://nekls.nextkansas.org/Record/1405605)
Best Paperback Original _The Backwater: A Novel_ Vikki Wakefield (https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/e4639ec2-a73c-8faf-e1eb-a4fc15fc1b92-eng/Home)
Best Fact Crime _Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers_ Caroline Fraser (https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/49ddcd72-25a7-43f5-bf63-a086a83f1f0b-eng/Home)
Best Juvenile _Blood in the Water_ Tiffany D. Jackson (https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/81c1171f-a3a8-49db-b4a0-8683cf1d34a5-eng/Home)
Best Young Adult _Under the Same Stars_ Libba Bray (https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/b22bd693-ad74-bb23-fcc5-13def8835eef-eng/Home)

** NOT FOUND IN CATALOG **
Best Critical/Biographical _Edgar Allan Poe: A Life_ Richard Kopley

"Traci Beller was thirteen when her father disappeared in the sleepy town of Rancha, not far from Los Angeles. The evidence says Tommy Beller abandoned his family, but Traci never believed it. The police couldn't find her dad and neither could the detectives her mother hired, but now, ten years late...

05/19/2026

Pulitzer Prize Winners in Next:
**Fiction** — _Angel Down_ by Daniel Kraus (Atria Books)

- Link: https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/afc328cb-75a4-b6fa-646b-ecb502a51958-eng/Home

2. **History** — _We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution_ by Jill Lepore (Liveright)

- Link: https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/4aa210f0-158e-0772-9ecc-003a747665d8-eng/Home

3. **Biography** — _Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution_ by Amanda Vaill (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

- Link: https://nekls.nextkansas.org/Record/1424053

4. **Memoir or Autobiography** — _Things in Nature Merely Grow_ by Yiyun Li (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

- Link: https://nekls.nextkansas.org/GroupedWork/5d53ceb0-c3ca-3a65-63e6-a06c79dbee6d-eng/Home

5. **General Nonfiction** — _There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America_ by Brian Goldstone (Crown)

- Link: https://nekls.nextkansas.org/Record/1409006

**NOT FOUND in the Next Search Catalog:**

- **Drama** — _Liberation_ by Bess Wohl — No results found

- **Poetry** — _Ars Poeticas_ by Juliana Spahr (Wesleyan University Press) — No results found

05/18/2026

This August, DEMCO’s “Book Doctor,” Kimberly Young, is visiting Kansas! North Central Kansas Library System and Northeast Kansas Library System are partnering to host a hands-on workshop on Thursday, August 13, at the Marvin Auditorium at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. This workshop will be offered in person only and will not be recorded.

Space is limited, and early registration is encouraged. Participants should bring one pair of adult-sized scissors. DEMCO will provide the books and repair materials used during the workshop—attendees do not need to bring damaged books.

Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026
Time: 10am – Noon
Location: Marvin Auditorium, Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
Cost: Free!
Registration: https://forms.gle/MezFnmCDDz7Zat3Q9

Participants will learn practical techniques for extending the life of circulating materials through basic book care and repair—ideal for library staff responsible for collection maintenance.

Questions? Please contact Jan Johnson, Anna Foote, or Dan Alexander.

05/15/2026

The next few Friday funnies will be shots of Met Gala attendees, flashing their library-related memes all over the red carpet. Enjoy! Have a great weekend!

05/14/2026

Another interesting grant opportunity!!
The 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance is the culmination of an effort initially launched in 2002 by 9/11 family members and support groups, who worked to establish the charitable service day as a forward-looking way to honor 9/11 victims, survivors, and others who rose to serve in response to the attacks.

In 2009, Congress designated September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance and charged AmeriCorps with supporting this effort nationwide. With funding from AmeriCorps, the Kansas Volunteer Commission is working with organizations across Kansas to engage volunteers in tribute projects.

To support this purpose, the Kansas Volunteer Commission, a program of the Kansas State Department of Education, announces the availability of grant funds.

These mini-grants offer eligible entities grant funding to effectively recruit and engage volunteers in meaningful service activities, OR to deliver a service-learning activity that relates to the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The deadline to apply is June 8, 2026.

The grant period is September 1-30, 2026.

Apply at: https://kanserve.ksde.gov/resources/commission-mini-grants/9-11-national-day-of-service-mini-grant

Contact [email protected] with questions.