Greetings!  I recently had the experience of attending a two-day seminar, Turning the Page: Building Your Library Community in Wichita, March 18 & 19.  The seminar took place at Hyatt Regency Hotel downtown.  I learned all about advocacy and sustainabililty.  The seminar was part of the requirement for a grant we’ve received; the Gates Foundation Opportunity Online Hardware Grant.

This grant is based on population and poverty levels, and is intended for upgrading existing public access technology.  Corning was awarded $3850, and is responsible for matching $960 of that amount.  The money will be used to upgrade the computers and printers, and perhaps purchase other hardware or peripherals as needed.  The new items must be purchased and installed by October of this year.

Kevin Carroll, author of the book Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, was our plenary speaker and what a story he told!  He was very inspirational, and I would recommend his book to anyone.  I also had the opportunity to meet Kansas author Nancy Pickard at dinner that evening, and get her latest book signed, The Virgin of Small Plains, a copy of which will soon be available here.

The seminar was also funded by the Gates Foundation and all expenses were paid, including mileage, meals, hotel, and tolls.  The hotel was very nice with a beautiful view of the Arkansas River, and the food was delicious!  It was a very pleasant experience and I learned a lot!

[Above Right: Director, Mandy Deters, is featured on a poster she created in the "Learning Lounge" at the Turning the Page event in Wichita.]