Category: Events & Activities

Our QR Scavenger Quest had its first winner today, Friday, March 22, 2024! Congratulations to our dear friend on conquering iPads, QR codes, tricky riddles, and a trek through previously unexplored parts of the library! Great job and enjoy your prize!

The summer reading program theme for this year is “Adventure Begins in Your Library.” As you may recall, we have been promoting this theme each month with a different recommended activity (or related activities) for our patrons and their families to participate in.

The sub-theme for March is “Adventures of the Mind,” and to get into the swing of things, we’ve developed our own Scavenger Hunt right here in the Library. To participate, starting Tuesday, March 19, come to the circulation desk and ask to borrow “Library Adventure: The Beginning.” Find the enclosed QR Code, scan it with your personal device (or ask to borrow one of our tablets for use inside the library) and follow the clues to the end. Those who finish the adventure will receive a special surprise if they follow the instructions given on the final clue.

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:

Learning Express videos

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. 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.

Do you want to open an account at Seneca Free Library and join the NEXT group [our shared catalog system that includes over 40 libraries] of Libraries? Having a library card means so much more than just checking out books and movies, it means access to digital resources Flipster, HOOPLA and Libby! Be sure to ask about these when you open your account.

To open an account in the NEXT system at the Seneca Free Library, you need to be at least 9 years of age,  have a photo identification and proof of current residential address. Yes, that is two separate forms of ID. Proof of address could be a utility bill, insurance papers, or tax papers with your current address printed on it.

We do check to make sure people are not already in the shared catalog system. You do not need a new account if you are moving here from another system library. If that account is not in good standing, fines due or long overdue books, the patron will need to settle with that library before they we can update the account and check out to them.

Children between the ages of 9- 18 children need to have a parent or guardian present to give permission for them to get a card and be guarantor for the account. When the parent has an account, we attach the child’s account to theirs. The parent’s account must be in good standing.

When you sign for your child to get a library card, you agree to be responsible for replacement fees for lost or damaged materials.

Once you have your library card, please bring it with you each time you come to the library. You receive 2 library cards, the smaller one can be placed on a key ring, if you wish.  Our patron base is online with more than 50 other libraries, we are sure to check out on your account if you have your card.

If you do not have your library card, a photo ID will need to be presented.

Thank You! There doesn’t seem to be a way to adequately say thank you to our generous friends and patrons who donated to the library during Nemaha County’s STEP Foundation Match Day. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Seneca Free Library received $2,294.00 in donations add in the matching funds and our total is $4,588.00!

All of the donations made during this campaign will serve members of the community very well. It is a blessing to have an active foundation such as this in our community. To learn more about them, visit their website at www.nemahastep.org. 

For complete list of the organizations that received donations that day, see the link below:

https://mscnews.net/news/index.cfm?nk=76272

Nemaha County STEP Foundation Match Day will be Friday, August 25, here in our Community Room from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Foundation board members will be on hand to answer any questions you have about STEP and to accept donations. Donations can be given to the general fund, or donors can specify between several entities having accounts with the STEP Foundation.

The library is accepting donations this year that will go towards replacing our microfilm reader. The new machine will still be able to read Microfilm, Microfiche, Aperture cards and 16mm and 35 mm film reels. A new feature is the ability to scan color slides or negatives. How many of you have color slides? How many of you have negatives just filling up a shoe box? You can bring them into the library, view them, then save to a thumb drive for sharing with family, printing, or using for a digital photo album.

For more information about Match Day visit the foundation website: www.stepupnemaha.com. For more information about our microfilm scanner just ask the librarians. We do have donation forms on hand if you are unable to make it to the library that day.