You can tell the health and well-being of a community by its library.
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.
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)
Seneca Free Library is a proud supporting partner with the Nemaha County Food Pantry. This month’s Food Pantry Focus is canned vegetables. Bring out your beans! Collect your corn! Make a dent in hunger with your mixed vegetables! Every little bit helps, if it’s one can or a whole box of them! You can help make a difference by picking up a few extra cans (or other items) on your next trip to the grocery store, then dropping them by the library during our regular hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. It takes so little to do so much. Make your impact today! Because hunger doesn’t just happen on the holidays.
The summer reading program theme for 2024 is “Adventure Begins in Your Library.” Each month we are offering a suggested theme on how to find your own adventures through the year. This month’s theme is “Adventures of the Mind to Challenge and Entertain.” Try putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Too easy? Flip it over and do it without seeing the picture for a bigger challenge, or start without using any edge pieces until the end. Need a story instead? Find a new (or classic) mystery book or movie and see if you can beat the protagonist in figuring out the who, the what, the why, and the where. For a more tangible experience, look up escape rooms in the area and take a team of friends or family to solve the themed puzzles and beat the clock. If you’re looking for something a little closer to home, try setting up a scavenger hunt for friends and family. There are countless ways to build and host one, from a simple trail of clues on paper slips through your home, to a community wide check-off sheet to collect photos and challenge activities. The options are only as limited as your imagination! If you prefer to go solo, or maybe need something less time intensive or bulky, try doing crossword puzzles, word finds, or even learn to do sudoku. It’s all about using your mind in March, and you might just surprise yourself with how fun some of these challenges can be.
Download the app today.
myLibro gives you access to the online catalog so you can check to see what you have checked out, what is on hold and what is on the way. You can renew items and place items on hold. Parents can use the app to keep track of all their children’s accounts with library cards – in one convenient place. We are using the Reading Challenge portion of the app as a way for you to keep track of each of your readers too. You can download the app today. The myLibro app will allow you to see new posts to our website and our Facebook page.
**When you download the app, it will ask for your PIN. Your PIN will be the same as your password for your online library account. For most patrons this will be your Date Of Birth, all 8 digits, no slashes or dashes: MMDDYYY. If that doesn’t work, stop in or give us a call at 785-336-2377 and we will figure it out.
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:
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.
