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By KLA Former, 11/30/2011

Doing More With Less:
a virtual retreat hosted by the Kansas Library Association, Public Library Section

Date: December 7, 2011
Time: 10:00 – 2:30
Where: The retreat will be delivered via Elluminate so you can participate right at your desk
Cost: PLS members cost is $10, non-members cost is $20.
Registration: Is Open Online  - Search for “PLS 2011 Virtual Retreat Doing More With Less”

For more information, view our PLS Virtual Retreat flyer (.pdf).

Public Library Section members have listed the retreat as an important part of the their section membership. We hope you will feel the same and join us for this value-packed virtual retreat!

More about the speakers:

Stephanie Gerding will be presenting an expanded version of her virtual presentation, at PLA in Philadelphia in Spring 2012.

Stephanie Hall was invited to be on a panel discussing Senior Services at ALA, in New Orleans in 2006. ALA held the distinction of being the first major conference held in New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina.

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By KLA Former, 08/20/2011

Topeka – Kansas First Lady Mary Brownback today announced the first annual Kansas Book Festival will take place on Saturday, September 24th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka. The festival will showcase current authors and books and will promote the importance of reading. It is open to the public at no charge. “We believe we’ve created an event that will promote literacy and encourage a life-long love of reading. It is my hope that the Kansas Book Festival will help bring authors, publishers and illustrators together with the people of Kansas for years to come,” said Brownback.

More than 30 authors will take part in the festival, including Alexandra Robbins, author of the New York Times’ bestseller The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School and Clare Vanderpool, Kansas’ first Newbery Medal winner and author of Moon Over Manifest as well as many of the 2011 Kansas Notable Book winners. The awards ceremony for the Kansas Notable Book winners will take place at noon.

Festival organizers are now seeking vendors interested in participating in the festival. Vendor categories include authors, publisher, bookstores, food items, goods and services. For event information, sponsor information, vendor information, or how to feature your Kansas company or Kansas-related product at the festival, visit www.kansasbookfestival.com.

For more information, contact:

Sherriene Jones-Sontag
785.368.7138 (office)
785.338.3015 (mobile)
media@ks.gov

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By KLA Former, 06/29/2011

Interested in a fantastic professional development opportunity?  Learn more about the MPLA Leadership Institute:

Dear colleagues,

We all know good professional development opportunities are hard to find. You read the session summary, you check out the presenter, you arrange for time to attend, you pay your registration fee, and you hope for the best. More often than not, the session ends up being not quite what you imagined, the presenter was having an off day, the attendees are so-so and you’d rather have had lunch alone. You get back to the office with a couple of handouts and ease back into the old routine. Not much has changed, but at least you got away from the office for awhile.

I want to make sure you are aware of an excellent professional development opportunity that was created just for you! The MPLA Leadership Institute was initiated in 2002 as a way of “growing” leaders for both MPLA and our member states. MPLA desired to help shape the future of libraries, and to fulfill its mission of “providing educational training and growth opportunities for all persons engaged in library activities in the region to enhance their skills and professionalism.” MPLA recognized the need to ensure that libraries in its member states were able to remain “competitive” with more populous areas of the country.

To date there have been seven MPLA Leadership Institutes, each with its distinct personality, thanks to the incredible mix of participants and mentors. It’s very likely that you know one or more of these folks (several of ‘them’ are receiving this email!), or at least know of them through their work or participation in MPLA or State Association activities. It’s also very likely that if you were to ask them about their experience with the Leadership Institute, they would tell you it was one of the top (if not the top) professional development experiences they have had. I’ll admit to being biased (having attended in 2002), but I don’t believe I’m exaggerating.

There is no denying that times are tough. Professional development (even excellent professional development) may seem like a luxury rather than a necessity. MPLA has worked to keep the costs down, but it does cost the Association to offer 30 participants an opportunity to work with a trainer of Maureen Sullivan’s caliber (not to mention President-elect of ALA!) at a decent place in a nice, MPLA-centralized location. Not to mention opportunities to share experiences with four outstanding MPLA mentors selected for their professional expertise and demonstrated leadership! We have recently received a generous sponsorship from Jerry Kline, founder of Innovative Interfaces and SkyRiver, which will provide core funding for the Leadership Institute going forward.

Good professional development opportunities are hard to find. But here at MPLA, we’re coming to you because we can all but guarantee a busy, reflective, social Leadership Institute professional development opportunity that will stay with you throughout your career. It will be challenging. Think of it as Library Leadership Boot Camp or Immersion; four long days of active participation – listening, discussing, reflecting – learning. If this is what you have been looking for, we just need you to do your part and apply.

For more information visit the MPLA Leadership Institute site. The application will be available online from July 1st to November 1st. The cost will be $550 for MPLA members, and $650 for state association members without a current MPLA membership.

Thank you and good luck!

Dan Stanton
Co-Chair
MPLA Leadership Institute Committee

 

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By Royce, 02/07/2011

Hello Librarians, Friends and Trustees!

• This year we feature a special Friends and Trustees rate for conference, as well as a Thursday One Day Rate.
• Virtual Sessions! Virtual attendees who can’t make it to Topeka will also have the opportunity to share the vision of the conference with our offering of 5 virtual conference sessions. By registering for the full conference or the virtual sessions only, you will be able to participate in the live sessions or view the archives at a time of your choosing. Look for “Kansas Library Association 2011 Virtual Conference” in the online store.
• If you are a member but you do not remember your password then please take advantage of the “Forgot your Password?” link to quickly receive an email prompting you to reset your password.
• If you would like to join KLA while registering for conference, you can purchase a membership in the online store and add it to your cart with all other conference-related purchases. The member price for conference will show up at check out as you purchase your membership.
• If you are a member but have not yet paid your annual dues then please take a moment to renew while shopping for conference. We would appreciate it!
• While in the online store, you will see the 2011 Conference followed by all the preconference sessions and ticketed events.
• You must purchase the Conference in order to purchase a preconference and ticketed session. You will be guided to do this when you add the conference event, preconference, and conference ticketed session to your cart.