A Message from the Director-June 2020

COVID-19: Coronavirus Updates and Information

A Message From the Director

Hi everyone,

We hope you are well and that things are looking a bit brighter as the region reopens. At CDLC, we plan to gradually reopen our office while also continuing to work from home, and are rethinking how to best serve our members safely and remotely. We have expanded our online continuing education offerings , restructured our member forums, and are "virtualizing" member library tours-read more below and come join us online!

Public libraries are resuming services, while reopening plans for academic, school, hospital, museum and special libraries vary. Submit your library reopening status here.

Regarding reopening:

We continue to update the Plans and Guidance on Reopening for the Capital District on our COVID-19 LibGuide.

NYLA and Urban Librarians Unite have partnered to provide a shared database of library reopening plans. If you have a reopening plan, you can share it here.

The New York State Library has begun to resume some services.

Members are also reaching out to their communities to document their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Ten Broeck Mansion/Albany County Historical Association is distributing postcards that you can compete and send back to them for a future exhibit. Email info@tenbroeckmansion.org to receive a set of postcards.

If you live in Rensselaer County, the Hart Cluett Museum wants to hear how COVID-19 has impacted you. Fill out their form here.

The Schenectady County Historical Society is building an archive of COVID-19 stories and is interested in hearing from Schenectady County residents. Read more here.

The Southern Adirondack Library System’s Leaving Our Fingerprints on History project invites stories and experiences.

The New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections is also collecting journal entries from across the state.

Get in touch to share your ideas regarding reopening, how you are documenting these times, and how CDLC can best support your needs.

The Ask the Lawyer service responds to many questions related to COVID-19 .

Connections

Our committees have elected new chairs: Tracey Pause from Voorheesville Public Library will chair our Collection Development Committee; Tia Felock from the Capital Region BOCES School Library System is the new chair of the Committee on Resource Sharing; and Kate Wantuch from Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will chair our Regional Automation Advisory Committee. Thank you to Tia, Tracey and Kate for stepping into these roles! Also watch for a call for vacant committee seats- and consider becoming involved.

We are resuming 20 Libraries in 2020 , now online! On July 17 at 11:00 we’ll tour the Dwight Marvin Library at Hudson Valley Community College and on July 23 at 10:00 we’ll visit the Schenectady County Historical Association Museum and Library. Contact Amy Hren if you’d like to schedule a virtual tour of your library or have a virtual event to share.

Over the past several months, CDLC held weekly Zoom meetings to help members stay engaged with colleagues throughout the Capital District. Members stopped in to say hi, ask questions, or just listen. With libraries starting the process of reopening, we have decided to stop holding weekly meetings and instead hold a monthly member MeetUp . The first one is July 13 at 2:00 .

As we continue to expand our online offerings, we're looking for suggestions from you to create dynamic and timely programs that meet your current learning needs. Submit your suggestions using our new online form or contact Susan D’Entremont with any questions.

Worth A Read: Measuring What Matters, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Academic Library Strategic Plans (from Ithaka S&R)

Collections

As you begin to process your physical collections, we encourage you to monitor the Reopening Archives, Libraries and Museums (REALM) Project for guidance on the safe handling of library materials and to sign up for their mailing list.

CDLC’s annual OPALS Users Group (Online) Meeting is August 18 from 10:00-12:00. OPALS is an open-source automated library system, developed by Media Flex, Inc. This meeting is for both current users of OPALS and those who are considering adopting OPALS .

Empire Library Delivery (ELD) members should share their reopening plans by completing a form on the ELD web site. Maria DeGaeatano is tracking when ELD libraries will restart participation in the statewide ELD courier service. Ten libraries have resumed ELD operations, including the New York State Library, with more scheduled in the coming weeks.

Fo r your listening pleasure: From HUMANKIND, Libraries Reimagined

Member News

Beginning in Fall 2020 The Sage Colleges will be known as Russell Sage College, a coeducational institution with two campuses.

Public libraries have been in the news as they begin to reopen: Albany Public Library and Upper Hudson Library System libraries were highlighted in the Times Union , while the Schenectady Gazette featured Schenectady County Public Library and Mohawk Valley Library System .

The NYLA Council elections are underway and there are two CDLC members running: Liz King , Associate Director, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Libraries , Candidate for NYLA President and Kristina Graves , School Librarian at Schenectady High School, running for Councilor-at-Large. Complete election information is on the NYLA website. Current NYLA members can vote through July 15.

Just for Fun: 30 Times Librarians Surprised Everyone With Their Sense Of Humor (a couple of years old, but still worth a laugh!)

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. We wish you all the best and hope we can reconnect soon.

Kind Regards,

Kathleen Gundrum