The Northeast Kansas Library System invites George Needham and Joan Frye Williams to lead workshops for library trustees and directors over 5 days in July 2010. The workshops will be held in 5 different libraries across northeastern Kansas, including both urban and rural libraries. The goal is to inspire and educate trustees to advocate for libraries. The document provides details on the itinerary, locations, and vision of the workshops and hosting library system.

1. George and Joan’s Kansas Road Show

3. Here’s our dream…

4. The dream… Two of the biggest rock stars of the library world… bring their passion, their expertise, and their inspirational style to shake things up a bit in our libraries!

5. Who are we? The Northeast Kansas Library System is a multi-type regional system -- one of seven regional systems in Kansas.

7. We like to do innovative things.

9. We believe that small libraries can do everything big libraries can do.

10. We feel that civilians living in a small remote town should have access to the same resources as civilians living in an urban area.

11. We believe education is empowerment and we prioritize continuing education for library staff and trustees.

12. Why choose Kansas? What’s here besides outstanding libraries?

13. We’ll show you that Kansas is not as flat as a pancake… …at least northeastern KS is not.

14. We are Amelia Earhart’s hometown. Atchison, KS

15. We are the site of John Brown’s Battle of Osawatomie. Osawatomie, KS

16. We have the Davis Memorial. What is the Davis Memorial, you may ask…. When Sarah Davis died, her husband wanted her to be memorialized, so he bought a gravestone, but soon decided that wasn’t enough, so he kept adding and adding and adding until now there are 11 life size statues of John and Sarah Davis made of Italian marble, many stone urns and a marble canopy that is reported as weighing over 50 tons. Hiawatha, KS

17. We were Brown vs Board of Education. Topeka, KS Visit the museum!

19. Your mission, should you choose to accept it 5 workshops in 5 libraries in 5 days

20. Each workshop will provide you with an opportunity to impact library directors and trustees from throughout the region.

21. - One workshop will be held in an urban library. - One workshop will be held at the system office in Lawrence. - Three workshops will be held in rural libraries in the region. All five workshops will be open to all directors and trustees from libraries in the northeast region.

22. You’ll interact with directors and trustees from urban libraries and from tiny rural libraries -- in the same workshop.

23. How many proposals offer you the opportunity to sleep in? This one does!

24. Because this workshop is for trustees (and most of them have day jobs), these workshops will not start until 5:30 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 5:30 PM 5:30 PM 5:30 PM 5:30 PM

25. Your days on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday would be free for exploring. We would help arrange library tours and visits to off the beaten path attractions and eateries.

26. Friday’s workshop will be held mid-day, which provides an option for those who would rather not attend one at night.

27. A picnic style buffet is part of each workshop, because we know the group that eats together learns together. (We have a reputation for serving delicious food at our events. It’s important!)

29. We want to help trustees be knowledgeable advocates for libraries.

30. We want a change of pace from the gloom and doom topics that have been so prevalent in the current economic crisis. This is not about making do; this is about making a difference.

31. Help us create the dynamic libraries of tomorrow.

32. Provide the “fresh eyes” that can help us really see our communities so we can ensure that our services and resources reflect what is truly wanted and needed.

33. Help us understand what we can stop doing today in order to redirect resources to more innovative and relevant services.