Kansas Regional Library Systems

Join us for the 15^th Annual Summer Institute for School Librarians.

Theme: Reading: Text Complexity and the Growth of Comprehension in the Kansas Common Core Standards

Location: Emporia State University, The Teachers College (Visser Hall), Room 118, Emporia, KS

Time: Doors open at 8:30 a.m. each day. Sessions from 9:00 – 4:30 p.m. Lunch and break drinks/food will provided on-site both days and is included in the registration fee.

Special Speakers: Steve Del Vecchio will be a featured speaker on day one of the Institute. Steve is a librarian and teacher who has worked over the past 30 years as a school librarian in public elementary schools in New York City, and as a children’s librarian with both The New York Public Library and The Seattle Public Library. At The New York Public Library, Steve was the founding Project Director of the Connecting Libraries and Schools Project. Today Steve is the regional manager of the Lake City, Northeast, Northgate and University branch libraries, the four vibrant and beautiful branch libraries that make up The Seattle Public Library’s busiest region.

Steve is also a lecturer in the Master of Library and Information Science Program in the University of Washington’s Information School. Steve teaches courses on youth services, management, instruction, collection development and reference.

Steve has also taught preschool, elementary and high school and has worked on efforts to make better use of the data generated by evaluations and tests for improving instruction. Recently Steve served on the group that worked on text complexity in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. He had the primary responsibility for facilitating and coordinating the selection of the text exemplars that accompany the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA). Steve has continued to work with those conducting ongoing research related to text complexity and its application to curriculum and teaching based on CCSS-ELA.

Steve has written for School Library Journal, Wilson Library Journal and Teacher Magazine, and is writing the article on Intellectual Freedom and Youth for the forthcoming Handbook of Intellectual Freedom. He was also the author of the National Book Foundation’s handbook on conducting author programs in schools and libraries. He has made presentations to school and public library conferences, including national AASL and PLA conferences as well as at state and local conferences and workshops. In January Steve conducted a workshop on text complexity for school librarians and public youth services librarians as part of the annual iYouth Conference hosted by the University of Washington’s Information School iYouth group.

Steve is the doting father of a 9 year old daughter, who is an aspiring author, teacher and librarian. Steve is also an avid motorcyclist of 40 years experience, and is a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor, regularly teaching both basic and advanced riding courses.

As in the past, day two will feature authors. David Greenberg, from Portland, Oregon, a children’s book author and illustrator well-known for his award winning books and his poetry and civil rights assembles that inspire good writing and good writers will present. Clare Vanderpool, Wichita, Kansas, author of “Moon Over Manifest,” winner of the 2011 Newbery Award, will present, “The Story behind the Story.” Guest authors’ books will be for sale on-site. You may bring your books for author signing.

This year’s Institute will feature librarians and educators who are text complexity trainers: Julie Akins, Barbara Bahm, Bev Nye, Beverley Buller and Matt Copeland. This Institute is sure to provide best content and instruction, and prepare you with current information and inspiring ideas that you can immediately use as you manage resources and services, collaborate with other educators and instruct today’s children and youth. You won’t want to miss it!

Registration: The registration fee is $130/person, payable to Northeast Kansas Library System. You may mail, email or fax a registration form with your school’s PO or a check to Laura DeBaun, Northeast Kansas Library System, 4317 West 6^th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049. Laura DeBaun will once again manage registration. You may communication with Laura at ldebaun@nekls.org or 785-838-4090 (phone), or 785-838-3989 (Fax).

Deadline to register is May 31. Maximum Registration: 120.

Enrollment for Credit: The Institute will once again be offered for 1 graduate credit hour. The course number is LI755 (Dow). Tuition for this one-credit hour course for Kansas residents is $323. Tuition for non-Kansas residents is $733. ESU summer enrollment begins on March 12. You may get enrolled by calling ESU’s Office of Distance Education, 1-877-332-4249 (toll free) or 620-341-5385. Jan Gerstner is the administrative assistant who will be happy to assist you. This course will focus on practical applications of the presenters’ content. This will be worthwhile, graduate level, but will not require you to spend large amounts of time outside the Institute. A syllabus will be posted online at approximately May 1 at http://slim.emporia.edu/

Individuals who enroll for credit must also register and pay the registration fee for the Institute.

Parking: Free parking will be in the gray parking lot, down the hill north of The Teachers College (not violet, not parking meters). There are disability parking spaces available at the front door (east) of The Teachers College. Cars parked in unauthorized areas will be ticketed.

Sponsors: Kansas Department of Education; School of Library and Information Management, Emporia State University; Northeast Kansas Library System; State Library of Kansas; Kansas Association of School Librarians.

Between now and January 1st, the Kansas Performer Directory is under construction. This annual update insures that all information in the directory is current for 2012. During the update, each presenter is required to check their current listing and either confirm that all is well, or submit changes using the online submission form on this website. Performers who do not respond by the January 1st deadline will be dropped from the directory.

We always encourage performers to develop special programs that support the CSLP theme and award a special icon to those who do. This year, we’re also suggesting that performers create YouTube videos to promote their act. We’ll post links to these in the directory, and also plan to compile the clips to use in lieu of a performer showcase.

This is a great time to add new performers from across the state. If you know of someone you think should be included in the directory, encourage them to use the online submission form or email their contact information to Teri Nelson (tnelson@nekls.org).

Librarians across the state are invited to take advantage of affordable transportation to the upcoming ARSL Conference in Frisco, Texas.

Depart Thursday, September 8th, from pick-up points in Topeka, Salina, and Wellington; and return by evening on September 11th. See ARSL Flyer   for details. Cost for the bus is $125, paid in full by September 1st. Reserve your spot at  http://systems.mykansaslibrary.org/event-registration/.

The ARSL Conference is full of relevant, helpful information for librarians in small and rural areas. C.E. grants are available. Contact your system office for more information.

The Summer Institute for School Librarians will be held on June 15-16, 2011.

The theme is: Education Innovation: 21st Century School Libraries
Kansas School Librarians = Higher State Assessment Test Scores

The Registration form is available here and registration is $125/person.

We hope you have marked your calendar and are making your plans to attend. As in the past, this will be another opportunity to learn best educational practices presented by educational experts, be inspired (and entertained) to teach reading and writing by award winning authors, and to spend time networking with school librarian friends. You will not want to miss it!

This Institute will be held at Emporia State University, The Teachers College, Room 118. Each day the doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The sessions will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. with lunch provided on-site. Drinks and food will be provided first thing each morning, during breaks, and at lunch time at no extra cost to the participants. Maximum registration will be 120 seats filled on first-registered, first-served basis.

As in the past, Day One will be devoted to best educational practices of high interest to school librarians. Dr. Milton Chen, author of “Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools” (published by Jossey-Bass), will be the opening speaker. Dr. Chen’s presentation will be followed by responses by school librarians and other educators who will answer the question, “What does Dr. Chen’s proposed education system mean for school libraries and school librarians?”

Day Two will feature Anna Dewdney, author and illustrator of children’s books, and young adult author, Pete Hautman.

An optional Wednesday night special event is being planned (no extra cost to participants). It will feature “technology tools.”

Laura DeBaun will once again manage registration. You may communicate with Laura at ldebaun@nekls.org or 785-838-4090 (phone), or 785-838-3989 (Fax). You may send a completed registration form with your school’s PO or check to Laura DeBaun, Northeast Kansas Library System, 4317 West 6th Street, Lawrence, KS 66049. Please make checks for registration payable to Kansas Summer Institute for School Librarians.

The Institute will once again be offered for one graduate credit hour. The course number is LI755 (Dow). Tuition for this one-credit hour course for Kansas residents is $245. Tuition for non-Kansas residents is $628. ESU summer enrollment began on March 14. You may get enrolled by calling ESU’s Office of Distance Education, 1-877-332-4249 (toll free) or 620-341-5385. Jan Gerstner is the administrative assistant who will be happy to assist you. This course will focus on practical applications of the presenters’ content. This will be worthwhile, graduate level, but will not require you to spend large amounts of time outside the Institute. A syllabus will be posted online approximately May 1 at: http://slim.emporia.edu/

Individuals who enroll for credit must also register and pay the registration fee for the Institute.

The Kansas Summer Institute is an official Kansas State Department of Education event. It is co-sponsored by the Kansas Department of Education; the School of Library and Information Management, Emporia State University; the State Library of Kansas; Northeast Kansas Library System; and the Kansas Association of School Librarians.

The Statewide Performer Directory’s annual update is underway. All performers currently listed have been contacted and must respond in order to remain in the directory.  Changes in contact information, program offerings, or fees can be reported using the online submission form.  If no changes are needed, this should be confirmed in an email to Teri Nelson at NEKLS [tnelson@nekls.org]. Performers who do not respond to the update request will be dropped from the directory on December 27, 2010.

This is also a great time for systems personnel to add new performers from across the state. If you know of any fresh talent who might like to be included in the directory, encourage them to use the online submission form which will be processed by NEKLS. Or, if you prefer, you can gather the required information and enter it yourself.  Clear instructions are available at the link below. (The first listing is the hardest. After that, it’s smooth sailing!)

How to add performers to the Statewide Performer Directory

After the children’s consultants’ meeting in May, questions about the adult reading component of CSLP were added to the 2010 CSLP Evaluation Form, along with some minor wording changes. A question about use of the CSLP website has been added as well.

The addition of new questions will not affect year-to-year data analysis.

Welcome to the booth, come and get your picture taken and a READ poster made!

Learn the ins and outs of photo editing.

We are happy to have you visit the Kansas Regional Systems Booth at the KLA/MPLA Conference.  We are demonstrating our website and teaching folks how to create their own READ posters.

SEKnFind is the name given to the Southeast Kansas Library System’s regional automation consortium using Koha open source software.

The first 4 libraries went live on SEKnFind on Nov. 4, 2008. Currently there are 9 libraries using SEKnFind: Bronson Public Library, Chanute Public Library, Coffeyville Public Library, Hamilton City Library, Independence Public Library, Iola Public Library, Madison Public Library, Parker/Linn County Library District #1, and Savonburg Public Library. Two additional libraries, Howard City Library and Galena Public Library, are undergoing retrospective conversion and should begin using SEKnFind for circulation by the fall of 2009. SEKLS expects to expand the SEKnFind consortium annually.

Libraries on SEKnFind share a common database, and holds placed on materials may be filled by any member of the consortium. The project has greatly aided resource sharing among members, and the SEKnFind catalog is part of the virtual Kansas Library Catalog as well.

The SEKnFind project has been funded in part by an LSTA grant from the State Library of Kansas.

Visit the SEKnFind catalog at seknfind.kohalibrary.com

My Kansas Library on the Web was featured in an article in Computers in Libraries this month.

Read it!

Liz Rea and I worked on the article at the prompting of Brenda Hough.  It is very exciting for us to be featured in a national library magazine!

The Rolla Library (SWKLS) and Corning City Library (NEKLS) were highlighted.

-Sharon Moreland, Tech Consultant, NEKLS