Hometown Humanities - Hays
by Brandon Hines
Director, Hays Public Library
Over the past 12 years, Humanities Kansas (HK) has partnered with the libraries I have worked at on close to thirty projects. While HK helped with funding speakers and resources for many of these projects, the inspiration and structure that came with the partnership was of even greater value.
Some of the most important historical, current, and future issues facing our community have been addressed through HK collaborations. Through the Crossroads: Change in Rural America initiative, our library was able to create and host an exhibit telling the water story of Hays, which is a major concern for our community with an interesting and complicated history.
My personal favorite was an HK inspired program we hosted that brought together biologists from multiple agencies and organizations to discuss pollinators and wildflowers in our region. It all started with Wild Words, an HK distributed book of Kansas wildflowers shared through art and poetry. It was special because it uniquely addressed our place and what is in the world right outside our windows.
HK serves as a programming and project toolbox for libraries and museums across the state. Without the right tools, many libraries and organizations simply can’t tackle these projects. It would leave our history and our stories susceptible to being forgotten and would keep many connecting and meaningful conversations from happening at all.
Our communities, especially our most rural communities, rely on HK for resources and expertise to facilitate conversations and to tell and preserve our unique stories.
