Established in 1981, the Kansas Library Network Board is a division of the Kansas State Library, Topeka. Seven KLNB members are appointed by the Governor to represent academic, community college, public, Regents, regional library systems, school and special libraries. The Board also includes representatives from the Board of Regents, Department of Education and the State Library.

The Network Board promotes services that provide Kansans with the information they want, when and where they need it. To fulfill this mission, the Board develops and implements long-range plans and offers grants and support services to all types of libraries. KLNB initiatives include:

• Blue Skyways, the Kansas library community's World Wide Web service. Blue Skyways makes it easy for Kansans to access global information resources.

• The Interlibrary Loan Development Program, which provides collection development grants to libraries across the state.

• KANAnswer, the statewide online information service for Kansas. With KANAnswer any resident of the state with an Internet computer can communicate in real-time with a librarian to get help finding answers to questions, or to get referrals to others who might answer the questions. KANAnswer will also serve non-residents who have questions about Kansas. Check the operator schedule for times when you can actively participate.

• The Kansas Library Card makes it possible for any resident of Kansas to access high quality electronic information and research resources from any computer with access to the Internet. The card is available at participating public libraries and school media centers throughout the state.

• The Materials Replacement Fund, which reimburses Kansas libraries for items lost through interlibrary loan transactions.

• The Western Trails Project made it possible for five Kansas institutions to digitize historic materials. The project is funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.