Big Awards, Ugly Sweaters, Bright Spots and Inspiration for the New Year

Congratulations to Brandi Cummings who will receive the 2023 Susan B. Anthony Women to Watch Under 40 Award from the Kenosha Women's Network! Wowsa! That's an incredible achievement! We are so proud of you, Brandi!

Congratulations to Rob, Shannon and Linda for all being selected as WLA Mentors!

Congratulations from Linda:
"Thank you to those who entered the 2022 KPL Staff Ugly Sweater Contest! The winners are:

SI/UP: Diane

SW: Betsy

NS: Elliott

Special thanks to the judges: Michaela, Amy K., and Katy."

Inspirational Reading for the New Year

 "Why Public Spaces Are Our Best Hope for Community and Democracy," from Reimagining the Civic Commons. Makes you want to come to work every day!

The Planet Word Museum in Washington, D.C. is a fully digital museum, but look what AI can do when it's employed for good! Spend a couple minutes on the video tour and I'll bet you can't help but gasp. I can't wait to visit! One of the architects who designed this museum is working on the concept for an ADA accessible Simmons Library. 

Overwhelming majority of voters oppose book bans (From EveryLibrary). "It appears that voters want to make their own choices about what to read. The survey shows that they oppose banning books on the grounds of race, sexuality, and other concerns. They are also opposed to legislators who create legislation that bans books, a clear violation of the First Amendment. They are willing to take that opposition to the polls."

Several school districts in Florida have implemented new systems that require parental opt-out or parental opt-in to accessing material in schools–including the ability to borrow materials from school libraries. But less than 1% of parents opted to restrict their children's access to books in Florida schools when given the option. 

This week's Bright Spot nominations come from Brandi and Heather:

From Brandi: "I wanted to drop a note of appreciation for Phillip and Rob, who helped me get the KPLF annual solicitation letter out last week. With their help, I cut the task time in half and ensured the letters were in the mail before the holiday!"

From Heather: "A big shout out to the Southwest team! Everybody has been especially helpful and supportive of their coworkers lately. Just a few personal examples include Rosa covering the YFS desk one night when we had a gap, Katie E. covering the YFS desk during a morning gap, DJ noticing that the play area was a total mess and coming to help me clean up before closing, and Michaela jumping in to cover a family art program due to an emergency. Thank you for your kindness and helpfulness! Also, a special thank you to Shannon and Brandi who are flexible with scheduling staff to assist with coverages, and who consistently model kindness and helpfulness when leading their teams."