These super sharp-looking backpacks contain one pair of adult binoculars, one pair of youth binoculars and assorted field guides: The Moon: A Folding Pocket Guide to the Moon, its Surface Features, Phases and Eclipses; Kansas Butterflies & Pollinators: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species; Kansas Birds: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species; Kansas Trees & Wildflowers; and Kansas Wildlife: A Folding Pocket Guide to Familiar Species.
The Adventure Backpacks are available to Seneca Free Library patrons only and are obtained on a first come, first serve basis. They are checked out on a one week loan period and will accrue late fees if kept longer than the allotted time.
We look forward to checking these Adventure Backpacks out and hearing about the adventures our friends and patrons have exploring with them!
Author: Kate
Old Cell Phones and Devices Wanted
Old Cell Phones and Devices Wanted
Looking for another opportunity to give back?
The American Legion Auxiliary (Unit 21-Seneca) is collecting the following items: cell phones (all smartphones and iPhones or flip phones), phone chargers and USB cords, iPads and non-Apple Tablets or eReaders, iPods and MP3 Players.
ALA will ship these items to Big Sky Recycling who will then donate the items to U.S. soldiers through Operation Shoebox or recycle the items that are broken or too far out-dated to be used. By donating your old cell phones and tablets you will help provide phones and phone cards through care packages to our troops deployed overseas and returning home.
Items for donation may be dropped off at the Seneca Free Library (606 Main St, Seneca, KS), The American Legion (Basement, 812 Main St, Seneca, KS), or Sts Peter and Paul Mission Center (409 Amador St, Seneca, KS). For more information or questions about specific items for donation, email alaseneca21@gmail.com
What NOT to Donate!
x Original Boxes or Instruction Manuals for phones.
x Computers, Laptops, or Computer Parts
x Landline Phones
x Printers or Ink Cartridges
x Cable Boxes
x Damaged Batteries for any devices.
What About Data Security?
Before donating any electronic device, it is advised that you first save any important content (photos, contacts, etc) and then perform a factory reset to erase all data. If you are unable to power on or perform the reset, rest assured Big Sky Recycling ensures data destruction on all recycled cell phones and devices.
State Library Card: ComicsPlus Library Pass App is Even Easier to Access!
Comic books and Graphic Novels are powerful tools in bringing reluctant readers onboard while still building reading fluency and comprehension in younger readers and improving reading retention rates in older readers. Today’s comics are more than just spandex clad super heroes clashing with powerful villains in epic battles. Comics are available that depict nonfiction narratives for historical events, people, and any number of specialized topics from dinosaurs to solar systems. Kids comics can focus on social skills, educational materials (like numbers, colors, and the alphabet), and, of course, just fun or goofy stories to support literacy and literary understanding.
CompicsPlus Library Pass is an app available on Android and iOS that lets you or your young readers access a large assortment of comic book and graphic novel resources on your phone or tablet. The State Library of Kansas offers a new and easier access method to this resource than ever before. You can now access the ComicsPlus Library Pass directly with your Kansas Library eCard number. Your password will be your birth date (MMDDYYYY no spaces or characters between numbers).
Here’s How it Works!
Download the Library Pass App. (Library Pass, Inc * Comics) from your Play Store or Apple App Store.
Open the app and search for the Library from the list below that best fits your reading level or the reading level of your younger reader. The various reading levels and library collections help offer better control over the content your younger readers are likely to find. Choose from the following (you can always add or change library catalogs later, using the same login credentials).
State Library of Kansas KS- Full Library (All age content available, no restrictions)
State Library of Kansas KS- Children’s Library (Includes: Emergent (PreK – grade 1, ages 3-5), Children (K – grade 3, ages 5-7), Kids (Grades 3-5, ages 8-10), and Teen (Grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
Kansas Elementary Schools (Includes: Emergent (PreK – grade 1, ages 3-5), and Children (K – grade 3, ages 5-7)
Kansas Middle Schools (Includes: Kids (Grades 3-5, ages 8-10) and Teen (Grades 6-8, ages 11-14)
Kansas High Schools (Includes: Teen (Grades 6-8, ages 11-14) and Young Adult (Grades 9-12, ages 15-18)
Once you’ve chosen the library catalog you wish to access, enter your State of Kansas eCard Number and Password where prompted (date of birth mmddyyyy no characters or spaces between numbers).
Get in there and start browsing! Titles are available from the following publishers as of April 2024!
Don’t have a State Library ID? We can help you get one at the library circulation desk! A state library id opens up countless online resources, adding even more options to your reading, listening, and streaming arsenal!
Get Your Kicks with BookFlix!
We were recently reminded of a fantastic resource through the Kansas State Library website that our patrons have access to. BookFlix is an interactive program through Scholastic Books that combines one animated story book and one non-fiction book to create an entertaining and informative program on a topic your young (or young at heart) reader is excited about. Examples include “Curious George Rides a Bike” and “Scholastic News: Monkeys and Other Mammals,” or “Dinosaur Bones” by Bob Barner and “Scholastic News: Dinosaur Dig!” or “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and “Rookie Read About Math: A Garden Full of Sizes.” There are nine categories to choose from with most categories having well over 20 story and non-fiction combos to select from and enjoy!
The Link below takes you to the Kansas Library e-books for kids page. If you click on the BookFlix link it might take you directly to the page or it might throw an error code and require you to login with a Kansas Library eCard (which we can help you sign up for in person at the circulation desk if you don’t have one, but not over the phone or via email). In testing this resource, I had the website produce both results at different times, so consider this a fair warning, just in case. This link also takes you to the hub that has Tumble Book Library, Britannica Collective Nonfiction eBooks, and a score of other ebook resources and links just waiting to be discovered!
https://kslib.info/963/eBooks-for-Kids (Via Kansas State Library resources)
Information to Help You Access Online Resources
Hoopla is a free service offering audio books, eBooks, movies, TV shows, music, comics, and more! We have added information for you to get the most out of the app below. We hope this helps and you get the most out of this new-to-you app!
Libby is another free app giving you access to eBooks and audiobooks. You will need to set up an account and pin with us, so call 785-336-2377– before you begin– between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm weekdays.
Here is a really quick look at how to use the online shared catalog. There is so much more than the video offers, but this will get you started. If you forgot your password, or are having trouble logging in, please call us.
Here is a quick intro to Flipster, our free online source of magazines. You use the same credentials that are needed to access our online shared catalog.
Below is a link to YouTube videos from Robin at our Regional Office in Lawrence about Learning Express:
WiFi Hotspots Available for Check-out
The library has personal WiFi Hotspots for circulation! For our rural patrons who have trouble with internet access, these devices will be great. If you are traveling for vacation and don’t want to use all of your data, a hotspot can save you some headaches.
The hotspots can only be checked out to Seneca Free Library patrons over the age of 18, whose accounts are in good standing. They check out for two weeks with no renewals allowed. Late charges do apply to these items.
The hotspots must NOT be returned in either the outside or inside dropbox. They are to be returned to library staff at the circulation desk; devices not returned in this way are subject to a flat fee. For all the information on the WiFi hotspot and how to get one, talk to the librarians.
Patrons will have to sign a user agreement, and there will be fines imposed if patrons do not follow the usage rules for these devices. They are expensive and the user will pay replacement costs, if need be.
Policies in Review
We thought the start of the new year would be a good time to highlight and remind our patrons of a few of our policies.
Sharing our catalog with 40+ other libraries is wonderful, if we don’t own it, or the item you want is currently checked out, we encourage you to place a hold on the item and it will be shipped to our library when it becomes available. But we often forget to remind patrons they have one week from the day it arrives at our library to pick up their hold. If you have an email address listed, you automatically receive an email, so it is important that we have your correct address and that you check your emails regularly. If no email is listed we call the number on the account the day the item arrives. This is a system-wide policy, all libraries in the system are asked to keep items moving and not let them sit on the shelf collecting dust.
If an item you have checked out is on hold for another patron, we cannot renew it. If possible we tell you when you check out an item whether it is popular and will need to be returned in 2 weeks. This, too, is a system-wide policy.
New movies have a one week check out with no renewals. Everyone wants to watch the latest releases, we’ve determined 1 week should be long enough for you to enjoy the movie and return it so another patron can check it out. We aim to please as many people as we can with this policy.
We are often reminding patrons to have their library cards with them to check out. We ask this to protect our patrons. We are happy to have people from all over the county coming in to use our library. However, we do not know everyone in the county well enough to know they are who they say they are, if they do not present a card. When something is checked out on your account you are responsible for that item if it is not returned, whether or not you checked it out. Not everyone gives permission for family members to use their accounts. Life is just easier for everyone if you have your library card ready when you reach the circulation desk. We actually have had neighboring libraries mistakenly check out items to our patrons because no library card was presented. Save your account and trouble by bringing your library card.
Our copies cost 20 cents a page, one side. If you print on both sides of a sheet of paper it costs 40 cents. It doesn’t matter if it prints in color or black & white, 8 x 11 or larger. Also if you hit the print button we expect you to pay for everything that prints out. There is a way to print only the pages you need, if you need help figuring that out, just ask.