Joan Weaver has been the director of the Kinsley Library for the past 25 years. In previous lives
she was a high school English Teacher, owner of an advertising agency, fiber artist, and
storyteller for the Kansas Arts Commission, all of which daily help her wear the many hats of a
small library director. In 2012 the Kinsley Library won the Ebsco Excellence in Small and/or
Rural Public Library Service for its online “One-Stop Shop” showcasing the history of its home
county, with resources gathered from historians, architects, computer programmers,
newspaper editors, the librarian and volunteers. Joan also was awarded the Polaris Innovation
in Technology John Iliff Award for her “nimble efforts with a 2.1 FTE staff, volunteers and
community partners to create a library website that also highlights community resources and
information.”
The Kinsley Library was recognized as the “Best Small in Kansas” in 2013. Originally from Michigan, she has lived in a 115-year-old farmhouse on 30 acres of Kansas prairie for the past thirty years.
Presenting at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 27
she was a high school English Teacher, owner of an advertising agency, fiber artist, and
storyteller for the Kansas Arts Commission, all of which daily help her wear the many hats of a
small library director. In 2012 the Kinsley Library won the Ebsco Excellence in Small and/or
Rural Public Library Service for its online “One-Stop Shop” showcasing the history of its home
county, with resources gathered from historians, architects, computer programmers,
newspaper editors, the librarian and volunteers. Joan also was awarded the Polaris Innovation
in Technology John Iliff Award for her “nimble efforts with a 2.1 FTE staff, volunteers and
community partners to create a library website that also highlights community resources and
information.”
The Kinsley Library was recognized as the “Best Small in Kansas” in 2013. Originally from Michigan, she has lived in a 115-year-old farmhouse on 30 acres of Kansas prairie for the past thirty years.
Presenting at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 27