Continuing Education

CKLS has a dual commitment to continuing education. We provide learning opportunities for CKLS staff members and trustees, and offer training sessions for the staff and trustees of member libraries. Librarians and trustees from member libraries are encouraged to have a written policy supporting local, regional System, and state continuing education programs.

The Continuing Education Department:

  • Increases the skills and knowledge of librarians and trustees so they may provide the best possible library service to their communities.
  • Acquaints librarians and trustees with library trends and developments.
  • Develops learning activities and experiences for member librarians and trustees.
  • Includes opportunities to coordinate activities with other Systems and other agencies.
  • Provides technology training for local librarians as time and staff schedules permit.

System Grant

Full information about the System Grant, its allotments, and the annual reports can be found on our Grants LibGuide

Public Library Continuing Education Allotment

The Central Kansas Library System recognizes the importance of continuing education. CKLS urges all member libraries to provide time and funding for staff and trustees to attend library continuing education events.

To support this, CKLS provides each eligible public library $700 a year to assist paying the wages and expenditures for attending CKLS or other library-related workshops, classes, or online training. This money can also pay non-board members or volunteers to run the library when the library is open during an event and when no one else is available to run the library. Any continuing education money not spent during the year will be deducted from the following year’s continuing education grant.

What can the CKLS CE grant pay for?

  • Travel to and from events including mileage at the IRS rate
  • Parking while attending events
  • Registration for library-related events
  • All fees related to library-related college classes
  • All fees related to library-related workshops including commercial, e.g., Fred Pryor
  • Meals
  • Overnight rooms
  • Salaries for librarian and staff during workshop time when they are not scheduled to be working.
  • Salaries for non-volunteer replacement doing the librarian’s or staff job while the regular librarian or staff member is attending a CE event.
  • Memberships in state, regional or national organizations, e.g., KLA, KLTA, MPLA, ALA, etc.

What can the CE grant not buy?

  • Salaries of volunteers. Volunteers work free.
  • Tourist activities
  • Alcohol

Example CE grant calculation:

In this example, the librarian is bringing the person who helps with the Summer Library Program.

Travel time from Library Town to Russell according to Google Maps = 1.5 hours
Workshop time is from 9 am to 3 pm = 6 hours
Travel time from Russell to Library Town according to Google Maps = 1.5 hours
Total travel and workshop time = 9 hours
(We do not care whether the mileage estimates come from a Website or your odometer.)
The day of the workshop library is open from 1 to 5 = 4 hours

Library pays:

  • Librarian’s salary for the four hours the library is open even though the librarian is at the workshop.

The CE grant pays:

  • Librarian’s salary for 5 hours when the library is not open (9 hours – 4 hours the library was open = 5 hours)
  • If the other person attending the workshop is not a volunteer, then that person gets paid for 9 hours.
  • If the person running the library from 1-5 pm is also not a volunteer, then the grant pays the salary of that person for those 4 hours.
  • Round trip mileage for one car between Your Town and Salina (195 miles) at IRS rate ($.58) = $113.10
  • Lunch for two people = $25

 

System Grant Questionnaire

The Central Kansas Library System is pleased to provide grants to all eligible member public libraries.  

All Annual Reports must be submitted electronically using the online form. For forms and more information, see the Grants page.