The South Central Kansas Library System (SCKLS) offers the following three customized, 50-minute trainings for public library boards and directors.  To schedule a training at your library, please contact SCKLS Director Paul Hawkins, paul@sckls.info at least 45 days in advance of the proposed date of the training.

  • Kansas Public Library Governance 
    Provides an overview of state laws applicable to library boards, buildings and budget and includes Kansas open meetings and records.
  • Kansas Public Library Funding
    Details topics including local tax funding, the annual state budget process for levying a local library tax, Revenue Neutral Rate, any local charter or simple ordinances, audit and accounting, capital improvement fund and non-tax funding sources.
  • Kansas Public Library Freedom to Read
     Covers the value of the Freedom to Read, 1st Amendment and non-discrimination laws, local Collection Development and Materials Challenge policies and the Kansas promoting obscenity to minors law.

Annual Library Board Training Event
SCKLS has initiated a new annual library training event to be held each October.  The 2025 event "Stronger Together: Building Effective Library Boards and Leadership Teams" offered library board members and directors an in-person and online presentation by Ashley Stewart, EveryLibrary.  Next year’s topic and meeting date are being planned and will be announced via the SCKLS Email Group.

Kansas Public Library Trustee Manual, 2026, 78 pages.

The following books are among resources available for loan through the SCKLS Professional Collection.  Contact Katherine Williams, SCKLS Library Support Specialist at Katherine@sckls.info or 800-234-0529, Ext. 151 to borrow any of the books.

SCKLS offers several grants to support individual or group training.  Grants include:

For a complete list of SCKLS grants, see the SCKLS Grants webpage

Among the webinars and tutorials accessible through SCKLS on Niche Academy are the following:

State Library of Kansas

The State Library of Kansas is a statewide resource for libraries, government and residents, offering services like digital access to databases, e-books, and learning platforms as well as a collection of Kansas government publications and Talking Books for the print-disabled.

A Guide to Open Meetings and Open Records, Kansas Open Meetings Act

United for Libraries

United for Libraries is a division of the American Library Association (ALA) offering resources for librarians, board members and Friends.

  • The Role of Library Trustees
  • Trustee Academy -- or register here
    • Registration price includes one-year access for the library director and all of the library's Board of Trustees. Non-Member: $225.00; ALA Member: $202.50
  • Organizational Tools for Trustees
    Includes sample director evaluations, sample policies, parliamentary procedures, governing officials and trustee ethics statement
  • Short Takes for Trustees -- series of 10 short recordings
    The courses are: What It Means to Be a Trustee; Board Meetings; Board Ethics; Library Advocacy and Communications; Intellectual Freedom; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Library Policies; Strategic Planning; Working with Friends and Foundations; Evaluating the Library Director; Board Self-Evaluation, and Succession Planning and New Board Orientation.
  • Public Library Trustee Ethics Statement
  • Tools for Trustees
  • Annual United for Libraries Virtual Conference
    The 2025 Trustees/Friends/Foundations event was held July 29-31, 2025 and featured speakers on current topics facing library Trustees, Friends, Foundations, and staff who work with them.  The 2026 event is in the planning stage. 

EveryLibrary Institute  

EveryLibrary is a non-partisan, pro-library organization with an alignment toward sustaining libraries as they evolve and grow in the 21st century. EveryLibrary is a coalition partner with other organizations, associations and nonprofits that seek to support libraries through public awareness and advocacy.

American Library Association (ALA)  

   The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, providing association information, news, events, and advocacy resources for members, librarians and library users.

WebJunction   

WebJunction equips library staff and boards with the knowledge, skills and confidence to power strong libraries that are the heart of vibrant communities. WebJunction is free and open for all libraries to use regardless of size, type or location. Create a free account.

Articles of Interest

University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences  

University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences offers the following low cost, ($100) online trainings which may be reimbursable to your library using the SCKLS Continuing Education Reimbursement or Staff and Board Professional Development Grants.

  • Tutorial: Working with your Library Board
    This is a self-paced course that will be available for access as soon as you register. You have up to one year from your registration date to complete the course. You are offered strategies to create a productive working relationship between the library board and the professional staff, and how to effectively communicate with library board members. Whether you are a current public library director or looking to become one, throughout the four part course, you will learn how to:
    • Inform and impress your library board members
    • Express the roles and responsibilities between library directors and library boards
    • Activate advocates and encourage ambassadors in your library board
    • Understand the Wisconsin public library landscape
    • There are four parts to this tutorial. Parts 1-3 are designed for working with your library no matter where you are located. Part 4 is optional and will focus specifically on Wisconsin Library Board policies.
  • Tutorial: Budgeting for Libraries
    Managing a library’s budget can be one of the most stressful parts of an administrator’s role. In this self-paced tutorial, we’ll walk through a year of your budget and provide information to help you better understand your income and track your expenses. Learn ways to make financial reporting a breeze, and build budgets—and relationships—with your community stakeholders and the patrons you serve. This 4-part tutorial will help you:
    • Understand the basics of building and tracking a budget
    • Focus on budget tracking and balancing
    • Collect data for better reporting
    • Build budgets to best support your community’s needs

Other library board training and continuing education resources

The Trustee Project
Learn about who public library trustees are, what problems they experience, how they are trained and selected, and how they make important decisions about the libraries they steward.

National Council of Nonprofits Self-Assessments for Nonprofit Boards

Jean Block Board Member Self-Assessment sample

Library of Michigan Financial Management resources
Financial management in a public library is an important issue for library administrators, staff, and trustees. Resources include public library financial management guide, financial management videos (basic library accounting, budgeting basics, budgeting process, internal controls), others

LibraryWorks (cost; fees may be reimbursed with SCKLS CE Reimbursement Grant)

Central Kansas Library System Trustee Training Resources webpage

Nebraska Library Commission website for trustee resources