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Volume 17-42 | 10.17.17 
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Sustainable Library Certification
The New York Library Association (NYLA) has announced a one-of-a-kind opportunity for New York's public libraries to step up as sustainability leaders in their communities: The Sustainable Library Certification Program.

The NYLA Sustainable Library Certification Program's benchmarking system is designed to help libraries improve their "triple bottom line" as environmental stewards, economically feasible institutions and as community leaders that place great stock in social equity.

"This initiative exemplifies the commitment of NYLA and our member libraries to community leadership," said Barbara Stripling, President of the New York Library Association. "It is our willingness to take on important issues, and help our communities find solutions that ensures that libraries will always be an integral part of our communities."

Libraries that achieve Certification through this program will:

1.      Raise their profile as a community leader

 

2.    Ensure that sustainability remains part of their library's process and practice in the future and

 

3.    Improve their ability to make the case that their library is a good place for the investment of public and private dollars

 

4.    Help make the world a better place

 

"NYLA is thrilled to serve as a conduit for this important work, bringing together the efforts and passions of the dedicated members of the Sustainability Initiative," said Jeremy Johannessen, NYLA Executive Director."This certification program serves as an important step in ensuring the long-term vitality of the libraries in our state."

The custom process is modeled on what has proven successful in other industries - from the business world (e.g. B Corporation certification), to the world of construction (e.g. Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification), to academia (e.g. The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). This tool fills the void in the library field.

The program is designed to lead a library's administration, board, and staff through a series of questions and activities that ultimately lead to creating a more sustainable, resilient, and regenerative library that is well positioned to help its community thrive.

This program is open to all public libraries in New York. There is a discounted rate available through the end of 2017 for early adopters. To learn more please visit: www.nyla.org/sustainability You may also want to sign up for an introductory webinar on Friday, November 17th from 11:00 am-noon: https://goo.gl/forms/WLod2L7DyC4CnlsI3
MHLS Libraries
The Hyde Park Teachers Association recently held a golf tournament to benefit the Clinton Community Library, Hyde Park Free Library and the Staatsburg Library!
 
The Friends of the Woodstock Public Library District are collaborating with Upstate Films in Woodstock to show the new Frederick Wiseman documentary, EX LIBRIS: New York Public Library on Sunday, November 5th. The focus of EX LIBRIS is not only the New York Public Library, but the role that public libraries play in civic and cultural life. Friends member Eliza Kunkel shared that they are pursuing this showing as they feel it may help illuminate some of the issues currently being discussed in their town about the changing role of libraries and the future of the Woodstock Public Library District. Watch the trailer for EX LIBRIS here: https://youtu.be/0UsglJmevFM
Sustainable Libraries
Rochester Public Library Wins 2017 Shubert Award: The New York State Regents Advisory Council on Libraries is pleased to announce that the 2017 Joseph F. Shubert Library Excellence Award has been awarded to the Rochester Public Library for its fines elimination pilot program. "Rochester's fines elimination pilot program demonstrates excellence in library service to the community as well as excellence in project development and execution. The library, in its efforts to address the endemic problem of poverty in its community, identified and documented usage trends and existing financial barriers to using the library. With clear goals to increase access and circulation of library materials among families living in poverty, the RPL gained approval from its Trustees and incorporated anticipated adjustments into the City's annual budget before proceeding with its bold program. The RPL pilot ran from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. During this period, children's and young adult materials owned by the RPL did not accrue daily overdue fines. The pilot, which saw a 10% increase in circulation of materials over the previous year, was well received by the community and was praised by the Mayor of Rochester, who announced that the fines elimination on materials for children and teens would be made permanent. Most importantly, the program had positive benefits on children and families and erased a disincentive to using the library for residents living in poverty."  
Reference & Collection Development
The Library of Congress has launched labs.loc.gov , a new online space that will host a changing selection of experiments, projects, events and resources designed to encourage creative use of the Library's digital collections. To help demonstrate the exciting discoveries that are possible, the new site will also feature a gallery of projects from data challenge winners and innovators-in-residence and blog posts and video presentations from leaders in the field. "Whether you're tagging images from our digitized historic newspapers to help future visitors, or exploring the changing nature of democracy through the 25 million bibliographic records the Library recently made public, we are providing tools and inspiration that will lead to new uses and new ways of looking at the incredible materials here at the Library." said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden .
In the News
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  • Reel Life for Teens | Butterfield Library Desmond-Fish Library and Howland Library | The Highlands Current 10.16.17
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