APPLE (APplied Public Library Education) is a training program for public library directors in Kansas. It is offered because there is so much about running a library that has no counterpart in other types of work. Directors plead with us in the regional systems to give them help in a wide variety of areas because even those who have gone to graduate school in library science don’t learn all of the details of what is needed to operate a library: large or small. Many small library directors are hired with so little relevant experience that they don’t even know what they don’t know. APPLE is an attempt to address that issue. APPLE participants are exclusively directors and are invited to join the program by their Regional System and usually in their first or second year on the job.

APPLE training consists of monthly webinars and (pre-Covid) face-to-face sessions. The events that are currently planned are:

• A two-day kickoff session in April at Rock Springs Ranch, near Junction City.
• Ten learning sessions (3 webinars, the others are going to happen at one of the face-to-face meetings) covering the core topics of library management, including budgeting, library law, board relations, ethics, planning, facilities, collection management and more. Independent activities and homework will link the overall curriculum throughout the year;
• A second face-to-face session at KLA will be held during the conference, and some of the topics listed above will be covered during the conference itself.

Participants will be supported through the program by the instructors of the individual sessions as well as by Regional System staff. Participants will be expected to attend the live webinars and to participate in class discussions as well as to complete assigned activities. Also, the face-to-face sessions are required. Your Regional System will pay for your APPLE tuition. You will also be eligible to apply for a grant from APPLE to cover travel costs to Rock Springs or KLA, if needed. The only cost to your library will be your time in attending the sessions and completing the homework, and a replacement staff member to keep the library open during your absences.