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Contact Us
The MHLS Bulletin welcomes submissions from member libraries.
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Board of Regents Elects New Chancellor
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 The Board of Regents unanimously elected Dr. Lester W. Young, Jr. (pictured left) as Chancellor, who began his new role January 12th. Dr. Young is the first African American to serve in this position where he will lead and serve as the presiding officer of the Board of Regents, which is responsible for the general supervision of all educational activities within the State, including libraries, presiding over the University and the New York State Education Department. Regent Young said, "I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board, Interim Commissioner Rosa, the entire Education Department team, all New York state educators and, in particular, all of our families as we work to build more equitable and empowering futures for all New York's students." Vice Chancellor T. Andrew Brown said, "Regent Young's vast experience in education and unwavering commitment to improving the lives of disadvantaged students make him an exceptional choice to be Chancellor of the Board of Regents."
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MHLS Announcements
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REMINDER: The Marketing Research Survey for MHLS Stakeholders is due by Monday, January 25th. The survey was sent out via MHLS's various lists on Monday January 11th. All MHLS member library directors, staff, trustees, and Friends are invited to complete this survey.
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MHLS Libraries
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  Six MHLS member libraries have been recognized by Library Journal (LJ) as Star Libraries: Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library, Greenville Public Library, Philmont Public Library, Red Hook Public Library, Tivoli Free Library, and Windham Public Library. The LJ Index rates U.S. public libraries based on selected per capita output measures like circulation, attendance, and library visits and enables constructive comparison and advocacy efforts for all. The index is intended to contribute to self-evaluation and peer comparison, prompt questions about the statistics and how to improve them and provide an advocacy tool for the individual library. The 2020 Index derives from data recently released by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for FY18. This year, 5,608 U.S. public libraries qualified to be rated in the Index. In this edition, there are 262 Star Libraries. Because of that delay, they don't reflect the impact of the coronavirus; that won't be reflected in the data until 2022. Eligible libraries are grouped by total operating expenditures and rated based on their differences from the average for the seven per-capita statistics. For answers to basic questions about the LJ Index and its Star Library ratings, visit the Star Library/LJ Index FAQ.
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Professional Development
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The PILLARS Symposium: Preparation, Information Literacy, Libraries, Academic Resources, and 21st Century Skills for Transitioning from Secondary School to College is calling for proposals! A three-day online
symposium (Wednesday, July 7th - Friday, July 9th, 2021) that will bring educators and librarians together to share knowledge on the topic of student readiness for college and beyond. This symposium is designed to introduce educators to a wide range of teaching and learning resources for practical use in the 21st-century classroom. Presenters will share their knowledge on teaching information literacy instruction, writing, using primary resources, bridging the digital divide, and related topics that will prepare secondary students for success in college and beyond. This symposium is presented by and for educators in New York State, and we welcome the perspective of guests from other regions who will join as presenters and attendees. To learn more and submit a proposal visit https://www.esln.org/pillars/. Deadline for proposals is Friday, January 22nd.
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Resource Sharing & Sierra
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 OverDrive's Together We Read: Love Lettering will be available for unlimited access on your OverDrive-powered website between February 10th-24th.
The title, along with a promotional spotlight at the top of your page, will be added at no cost. Together We Read is a two-week digital book club that connects readers from the U.S. with the same eBook at the same time without any waitlists or holds. The program is free and similar to OverDrive's
Big Library Read. All your patrons need to do is visit your library's OverDrive
website with their library cards and join the discussion with #togetherweread on social media. For marketing materials visit
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There is still time to register for Circulation 101 taking place on Thursday, January 21st at noon. Join Laurie Shedrick, MHLS Assistant Director / Technology Operations Manager to become acquainted with the necessary skills and workflows needed to manage the primary tasks of circulation desk work. Circulation 101 is intended for any new staff, or perhaps experienced staff wondering if there are more efficient ways to do things while covering the circ desk. Register here.
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Sustainable Libraries
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Apply now for the American Library Association's (ALA) Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant! This grant recognizes, promotes and supports innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries by providing $2,000 for a school, public, academic, tribal or special library to expand its community engagement efforts. Each year, the grant focuses on supporting a community engagement project with a specific theme. For the 2020-2021 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a community engagement project that focuses on anti-racism. Visit the
grant guidelines for resources on anti-racist theory and practices. Applications will be accepted until February 5th, 2021.
 The Rural Libraries and Social Wellbeing Project Seeks applicants for Tools in Action Micro-grant Program. Tools in Action participants work through five weeks of social wellbeing resources with a personal rural librarian guide to understand how social wellbeing happens in a community and how to translate that understanding into impactful library service. As part of the program, the rural library staff person will receive $500 to support their work over the program period and the public library where the participant works will receive $500 as seed money to be used to extend library service according to the staff person's wishes. Applications from libraries with budgets less than $150,000 and service populations less than 7,500 are welcome. Deadline for applications is Monday, February 15th.
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Reference & Collection Development
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The first meeting of Southeastern NY Library Resources Council's newest Special Interest Group, Collections Development will meet to discuss matters related to acquisition on Wednesday, February 17th at 1:00 pm. Bring your questions and stories about topics such as: diversifying your collection, making choices on a small budget, and leveraging resources to serve your communities. Library workers from academic, public, and school libraries are all welcome to share their viewpoints with colleagues. The intended audience for this meeting is library workers in the Southeastern NY Library Resources Council service area. (The eight-county area of Columbia, Greene, Ulster, Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, Putnam and Rockland, NY.) All in this region are considered members or affiliate members. For more information and to register please visit https://senylrc.regfox.com/collection-development-sig.
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Programming
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 The American Library Association (ALA) invites library workers to apply for the inaugural Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, a programming grant named after the transformative ALA leader responsible for the creation of National Library Week and the Celebrity READ series. The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant supports meaningful programs in libraries with limited programming budgets. Up to three grants of $2,500 will be awarded annually. The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant will support a different type of library programming each year. This year, libraries are invited to submit applications in support of humanities-based programming. The funding may be used to continue an existing program or create a new one. Applicants must have a personal or institutional membership with either ALA or the Association for Rural & Small Libraries. Applications for the 2021 award will be accepted
until February 5th.
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