Public libraries in Kansas have been asked to help Kansas Action for Children [KAC] reach KanCare (Medicaid and CHIP) families about upcoming important changes. Beginning next month, the state will restart sending out KanCare renewal notices. We need to make sure KanCare enrollees and especially parents of kids with KanCare coverage are aware of two important steps before these notices are sent:

1.      Make sure their contact information is up to date with the state.

2.      Watch for renewal information in the mail, sent by the state.

Over 62% of KanCare enrollees are children — so we need your help getting the word out to parents of kids in your networks. A new report is out showing that 63.8% of the KanCare enrollment growth between February 2020 and August 2022 were kids getting signed up for coverage. These kids may have never had to previously renew their coverage and are at particularly high risk for losing their coverage in the months ahead, even as many may remain eligible. 

Are you looking for activities to keep your young ones busy over SPRING BREAK? We have an idea for one afternoon. Do you know someone who would enjoy some CREATIVE TIME? Check your calendar, call their friends, and make a plan. Parents need to call to sign up their own children. Stop in or call 785-336-2377. Space is limited.

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This post is to update our patrons on the timeline for sunsetting the OverDrive app and transitioning remaining users to Libby. The OverDrive app for iOS, Android, and Windows 8/10 will be sunset on May 1, 2023.

Beginning March 21, the following in-app message will appear for users, including a final reminder to switch to Libby:

Click on the Libby icon, above, to learn more about switching from Overdrive to Libby.

 

 

March into the library with your Food Pantry donations! This month our focus is on canned meats, chicken and fish.

If you have large donations it is best to deliver directly to the food pantry. We can help facilitate a drop off time if needed. Call us during regular business hours at 785-336-2377.

FYI The Pantry is closed the second Wednesday of the month.

Paper goods and personal hygiene products are always needed also.  Thank you!

Here is a full list of items each family receives, each month:  1 breakfast item, 4 cans of vegetables, 1 can beans, 1 package of rice, 1 pasta and sauce, 1 jar of peanut butter, 1 box of crackers, 2 cans of fruit, 1 can of tuna or chicken, 2 cans of soup, 1 dessert, and a pound of meat.

 These items are always needed at the Food Pantry. We focus on particular items each month as a way to bring attention to the need:  Paper products [toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex], personal products, boxed cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix, syrup, canned vegetables, rice, pasta and sauce, peanut butter, boxed crackers, canned fruit, canned tuna, canned chicken, boxed tuna and chicken helper, canned soups, jello and pudding mixes, cookies, cake mixes and frosting, pie mix, etc. They also accept laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo, bath soap.

Opened and outdated products are not accepted at the Pantry.

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.

It’s been several years since we have held a winter reading challenge. We found a fun one for you; a Color Coded Challenge!

Readers can choose their own books as long as they fit into one of the nine color categories. The book must include the name of the color or any shade of that color in the title or on the cover.  For brown, black, and white the author’s last name may be used instead of a color in the title.  Of course, audiobooks and eBooks count! The challenge runs from January 23—March 31, 2023, so you have time to plan your reading choices and schedule.

The categories are:

1. BLUE (navy, cobalt, sky, etc.)

2. RED (scarlet, carnelian, ruby, etc.)

3. YELLOW (amber, honey, flax, etc.)

4. GREEN (emerald, grass, hunter, etc. )

5. BROWN

6. BLACK

7. WHITE 

8. Any other color not included in  1 through 7

9. Any book with a word or image that implies color, such as rainbow, plaid, shadow, tint, paint, ink, etc.

Readers need to finish at least six books to complete the challenge. Competitors will be given a paper to track their book titles. We do have a list of books that will meet the challenge requirements, if you need help getting started.

For all the details, and to get started, talk to the librarians.

We have something new and exciting for you beginning December 22. The library will be circulating personal WiFi hotspots. For our rural patrons who have trouble with internet access, these devices will be great. If you are traveling for the holidays 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. We don’t charge fines for any overdue items, except for these WiFi hotspots.

Fees begin the day after the due date. 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.

Please make sure that the door to the outside drop box is completely closed before you walk away. When temperatures dip towards freezing and lower our drop box gets frosty inside – actual frost and ice – even with the outer door closed. If the door isn’t completely closed then even more frost builds up in more areas. This causes a huge problem. When the sun hits the metal of the outer drop box it heats up and the frost melts. Melted frost and books are not a good combination. During the cold snap over Christmas, books did not get completely pushed through and the flap was left ajar. We had water damaged books and DVD case inserts. We don’t want to have to make patrons replace these items, but it may come to that if enough damage occurs. PLEASE make sure you close the drop box door. Parents, please talk with your children about this. FYI: We do know who the items blocking the door are checked out to; please help us help you.

Thank you for your help.

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What’s not to love about Kansas libraries! Click on the photo above to open a new website promoting Kansas libraries and all they have to offer.

WINTER WEATHER WATCH

Our winter weather policy states that if the schools close early due to bad weather, the library will close at 5:00 p.m. Be sure to check our Facebook page, listen to KMZA radio and WIBW for an announcement that we are closed. Or you can even give us a call at 785-336-2377. Stay safe out there!

Wondering about conditions across the state? KDOT interactive map