For the past 59 years, the Iola Public Library has served as the headquarters for the Southeast Kansas Library System.
And while the desire from both entities is to continue that relationship, there are changes coming down the pike.
Sharon Moreland, who serves as director of both the Iola library and SEKLS, spoke to Iola City Council members Monday about the pending changes, including the addition of a part-time administrator for the library.
The new assistant would assume many of Moreland’s duties, from supervising and mentoring staff, writing grants, raising funds and managing the building. Meanwhile, Moreland will dedicate more of her time to the Library System.
As is, Moreland spends two-thirds of her time on SEKLS responsibilities. She sees spending even more time with the latter.
The Southeast Kansas Library System is one of seven regional systems in the state and provides grants, consulting and other services to public, school and academic libraries in the region. The system also manages the shared catalog (seknfind.org) and supports courier service for the system’s 14 libraries across 15 counties.
Because SEKLS is headquartered in Iola, many of the system’s materials are kept at the Iola library.
The current agreement would see her time on the library side reduced from 13.3 hours a week to 10, with the city’s cost of her salary reduced slightly as well.
The end game, Moreland said, is for the Library System to eventually have its own full-time director, at which time the assistant director — she hopes to see the new person hired in the coming weeks — will become the full-time Iola Public Library director.
Containing both entities under one roof has been mutually beneficial, Moreland said. SEKLS was established in 1966.
“The library gives superior services,” Moreland said. “We have things you’d normally see in much larger communities.”
With 12 full-time employees, having SEKLS in Iola is a boon for the local community’s economy as well, Moreland noted.
The library already has the added salary for an assistant director budgeted for 2025, she noted, although it will require a budget hike of about $24,000 in 2026.
But that added obligation will shrink in subsequent years, she noted, because the library’s business manager would shift over full time to the Library System, and those duties fall under the library director’s purview.
The Library System and IPL boards also are looking at a new salary schedule to remain competitive within the community, and are continuing to update the library’s strategic plan, Moreland said.
