Central Kansas Library System: Services for library members

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Central Kansas Library System:
Services for Library Members

General Consulting
Automation and Technology
Services for Children and Young Adults
Continuing Education
Marketing, Public Relations, Art and Printing
Reference
Interlibrary Loan
Rotating Collections
Technical Services
System Grants
Contracting Services to Schools and Institutional Libraries

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General Consulting

Consulting Web page

To answer questions about library operations and procedures.
To provide professional assistance and recommendations.
To assist trustees with planning for library services.
To guide librarians in library administration.
To encourage librarians and trustees to participate in state, regional, and national library events and educational opportunities.

When requested consultants offer assistance to librarians and trustees on any aspect of library operations or management. Consultants travel to member libraries regularly to visit with the librarians and/or trustees to discuss questions and problems, and to help with local planning.

Librarians and trustees are encouraged to call CKLS before a problem gets too big to handle.

Automation and Technology

Automation Homepage

The objectives of the Automation Services Department are:

To consult for on-site automation needs.
To help member librarians in gaining computer expertise.
To assist with the design of automated processes and systems.
To provide for continuing education for librarians in advanced technologies.
To prepare for disasters.
To assist librarians and boards with contract negotiations with vendors.
To analyze CKLS departments and member libraries for potential automation of functions when member librarians or trustees express an interest in automation.

Automation consulting service helps member librarians use current technology and provide technical expertise and printed resources about library automation for member libraries. It provides consulting for automation projects. CKLS Automation Specialists will advise and train member librarians and trustees on the use of electronic information services.

Member librarians who need assistance from Automation Services call CKLS and request the service or information they need. The Automation Specialist will attempt to solve computer problems over the telephone if possible. If not, they will schedule a visit to the library as soon as possible to try to resolve the problem.

Services for Children and Young Adults

Youth Services Homepage

The objectives of the Children's Services Department are:

To provide printed materials for an annual Summer Library Program for all ages (preschool through sixth grade) at no cost to the local library.
To offer on-site consulting for librarians and encourage children and young adult services in member libraries.
To assess and evaluate collections, and coordinate collection development.
To coordinate Summer Library programs, bulk loan, rotating collections, and special events.
To develop continuing education activities for librarians and children's program volunteers.
To supply project resource books for planning story time programs.
To maintain and offer a central collection of specialized resources such as filmstrips, puppets, tape and video cassettes and other story aids for loan for use in member libraries.
To offer examination copies of children's and young adult books for preview before purchase. The CKLS Children's Services Department assists librarians in meeting the information and recreation reading needs of children and young adults by encouraging them to create meaningful programs for children. Through materials supplied by CKLS, local librarians can encourage children to read and enjoy books.

Member librarians call or write to request services. Librarians are encouraged to schedule in advance materials needed for story time programs and summer library programs. Librarians may request training programs for their volunteers, which may include programming ideas and tips on the use of CKLS resources. Librarians order preview books by checking a bibliography of the preview books and asking CKLS Children's Department to send them.

Continuing Education

Continuing Education Homepage

The objectives of the Continuing Education Department are:

To increase the skills and knowledge of librarians and trustees.
To acquaint librarians and trustees with library trends and developments such as automation and networking.
To develop learning activities for member librarians and trustees from the results of a needs assessment conducted on a regular basis.
To provide learning experiences applicable to trustees and staff from all types of libraries.
To offer thirty (30) hours of System sponsored continuing education annually.
To include opportunities to coordinate activities with other Systems and other agencies.
To integrate the State Library's Library Employee Education Plan (LEEP) into the System Plan.
To provide technology training for patrons of local libraries as time and staff schedules permit.

CKLS has a dual commitment to continuing education. It provides learning opportunities for System staff members and trustees, and it offers training sessions for the staff and trustees of member libraries. CKLS supports A Continuing Education Plan for Kansas Library Personnel, published by the Kansas State Library.

CKLS sponsors a regular program for continuing education workshops which are planned by the staff consultants. Specialists and guest speakers are invited to make presentations when their expertise will enrich the workshop's purpose.

Librarians and trustees from member libraries are encouraged to have a written policy supporting local, regional System, and state continuing education programs. Member libraries are encouraged to provide paid release time for staff to attend at least twenty (20) contact hours of System sponsored or System endorsed continuing education events annually.

Marketing, Public Relations, Art and Printing

Printing Homepage

The objectives of the Public Information Service are:

To promote the services of the Central Kansas Library System and to assist member libraries with the promotion of their services.
To provide a bimonthly newsletter and other public relations tools.
To disseminate public information about CKLS to the media.
To develop promotional activities and materials for CKLS and for member libraries.
To provide a low-cost printing service for local libraries.

Public information involves the communication and promotion of the value of services offered. CKLS mails a copy of The CKLS POST to all librarians, trustees and other interested people in the CKLS service area. Librarians or trustees may submit news items about their library to CKLS for inclusion in The CKLS POST. Librarians contact the Public Information Department when they need assistance with promotional pieces.

Reference

Reference Homepage

The objectives of the CKLS Reference Service are:

To answer reference requests received from member librarians.
To fill at least seventy (70) percent of the requests received and refer unfilled requests to appropriate locations.
To provide member librarians with appropriate lists of reference materials, incorporating procedures for cooperative collection development when applicable.
To train member librarians to use reference materials and respond appropriately to user requests for information.

CKLS reference service provides information to member librarians in response to specific user requests. The reference consultant also provides leadership and guidance in improving local library reference service. CKLS assists member librarians with consultant services, continuing education programs, and the training of new reference personnel. Librarians in member libraries are encouraged to provide reference service to their patrons by acquiring basic reference tools as suggested by CKLS.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary Loan Homepage

The objectives of the Interlibrary Loan Department are:

To locate requested material and ask that the material be sent to the requesting library.
To assist with collection development projects to strengthen collections across the state and to encourage resource sharing among libraries in Kansas.
To help the staff of member libraries verify requests using appropriate technologies.
To oversee training of new interlibrary loan personnel from member libraries and promote adherence to the interlibrary loan protocols.
To assist local librarians in securing the return of overdue interlibrary loan materials.
To assess interlibrary loan procedures annually and make recommendations for improvements.

Through Interlibrary Loan Service any library in the state can offer patrons access to materials not available at the local library. Resource sharing among System libraries depends on a local commitment to interlibrary loan. System interlibrary loan services facilitate the transfer of library materials from one Kansas library to another in response to a specific patron request.

Interlibrary Loan Service is offered to all readers in the Central Kansas Library System area through the local public library, or, for rural residents, directly from CKLS by Phone-From-Home Service. Materials not available at the local public library may be requested on interlibrary loan through the local librarian. Rural residents may call CKLS directly for interlibrary loan assistance. CKLS will reimburse holding libraries for postage when they send a requested book to another library.

Photocopy requests of periodical articles or book sections may be sent to CKLS. If the request cannot be filled by CKLS resources, it is referred to another library which may charge a reproduction fee for the photocopy.

Librarians are encouraged to offer and promote interlibrary loan service to their patrons. Member libraries are encouraged to accept responsibility for training staff to handle interlibrary loan transactions and gather statistics as needed by the System or the State Library.

Rotating Collections

Rotating Books Homepage

The objectives of the CKLS Rotating Books Service are:

To have the Rotating Book van visits each member library and community outlet six (6) times per year.
To encourage and welcome suggestions from librarians and readers for additions to the van's collection.
To coordinate the Young Adult Rotating Paperback Collection.
To facilitate the sharing of materials in the Spanish Collection.
To provide a minimal number of audiobooks for libraries.

The Rotating Books Service provides current popular reading to patrons by extending and supplementing the permanent collection of the libraries. Books for the collection are selected to cover titles of specific interest to local readers. This program has the potential of providing local libraries with the use of over $25,000 worth of books each year. It also provides deposit collections for communities without libraries.

This program is staffed by one truck driver who makes visits to libraries and outlets six times a year. The rotating truck carries about 2,300 volumes. The rotating collection consists of about 30,000 volumes and approximately 4,000 audiobooks which are housed in the 68 libraries that participate in the program. Rotating books also has a bulk loan program using paperbacks for young adults and a special bulk loan collection of books in Spanish that may be requested by CKLS librarians.

The librarian of the local library determines the number of books selected from the rotating van on each rotation. In an effort to keep the books rotating through the system, libraries are encouraged to exchange all the books on each visit. CKLS librarians are encouraged to make the best possible use of rotating collections and make rotating materials available with a minimum of restrictions.

Technical Services

Technical Services Homepage

The objectives of the Technical Services Department are:

To order books and other materials selected by librarians in member libraries.
To catalog and classify books and other materials for member libraries.
To physically prepare books and other materials for circulation, including plastic jackets, book cards, pockets and barcodes.
To provide bibliographic data in an electronic format for libraries that request it.
To secure the best possible discounts from jobbers through volume buying.
To provide access to records for interlibrary loan by cataloging on the OCLC system.
To provide processing supplies to local libraries at quantity discount prices.

CKLS Technical Services includes the ordering, cataloging, and processing of library materials and providing catalog cards where needed, and entering holdings onto the Kansas Library Catalog (KLC) through OCLC, a national on-line database utility. Its purpose is to supply physical and bibliographical preparation of books so they are ready to place on the shelf for patron use.

CKLS member libraries are encouraged to provide access to their collections through standard cataloging (MARC standards) and quality bibliographic information. Member librarians are expected to enter new records and remove obsolete records from the statewide bibliographic database through the CKLS Technical Services Department or another method approved by the State Library.

System Grants

Grants Web page

System Grants are an important funding component for local public libraries. CKLS provides grants to public libraries in taxing counties based on service and on compliance with certain standards which are designed to assure quality service.

Contracting Services to Schools and Institutional Libraries

Access to CKLS professional collection: No cost.
Attendance at CKLS workshops: No cost.
Consulting Services: Cost: $500 per school year.
Interlibrary Loan Service: No cost provided the library enters its own materials on the KLC and requests materials from other libraries directly. If these conditions are not met, the cost for service will be $3.00 per student enrolled in grades 7-12.
Processing and Ordering of New Titles: Cost: 20 percent of the book budget or $3.00 per title, whichever is less.
Rotating Books Service: Cost: $.50 per book. (Minimum contract--$200)
Subscription to the bi-monthly CKLS Newsletter, The POST: No cost.

Last Updated 04-2008
E-mail comments or corrections to gsanty@ckls.org