Save the Date: CDLC’s (Virtual) Annual Meeting is the morning of Friday, April 30
A Message From the Director
Hi everyone,

We hope you are doing well and staying warm and healthy. This month at CDLC we’ve been working with our Plan of Service committee to gather information for our next planning cycle. Our five year Plan of Service maps out our priorities and initiatives, and the most important aspect of the plan is gathering member input. Many are involved in developing this plan and I’d like to offer a special thanks to all that are involved. 

Thanks to: 


  • Those who joined us for a member forum in January; so many excellent ideas were shared.

  • Everyone who completed our Member Survey (open through January).

  • The CDLC Board, committees and staff for contributing their insight and ideas.

  • Members who shared positive stories and feedback about CDLC staff during the forums.  

Themes are emerging. One recurring request is that you want to connect with your colleagues. You’ve told us that it’s valuable to get together to share ideas. One such opportunity is our online forum on Digital Inclusion on Wednesday, February 10 from 10:00-11:00 am. All are welcome.   

We also offer subject-specific email lists to participate in or post questions. View and sign up for these lists.

Finally, please complete the Member Survey if you haven’t yet. As a membership organization, your voices and opinions are critical as we plan for the future, as daunting a task that may be these days! 
Connections
Our virtual Resource Sharing Symposium, organized by the Committee on Resource Sharing, is the morning of Wednesday, April 14. Registration will open soon. 

On Thursday February 11 from 1:00-2:00 pm, the Reference, Instruction and Outreach Interest Group is meeting to discuss The Rise of Streaming and Its Effect on Libraries. Register here. 

Welcome to our newest Committee on Resource Sharing (CORS) member Brian Lawrence from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Empire State Library Network, in collaboration with the New York School Library Systems Association, is presenting The PILLARS Symposium: Preparation, Information Literacy, Libraries, Academic Resources, and 21st Century Skills for Transitioning from Secondary School to College on July 7-9, 2021, virtually. Read more and submit your proposal. 
Collections

The deadline for our 2021 Regional Collection grant applications is approaching. If you plan to apply for a grant, submit your application by February 1. 
 
Speaking of grants, a grant-funded project was recently completed:
miSci digitized and created original metadata for 250 text documents from the General Electric Research Laboratory, which was the first industrial research lab when it was founded in 1900.
 
Academic and research libraries are invited to participate in a survey on barriers to participation in shared print. The group conducting the survey is interested in understanding the barriers to wider and more diverse participation in shared print. If you are a library not currently participating in a shared print program, consider completing the survey available here. Results will be presented during ACRL 2021 (April 13 - 16) at the session "Inclusive Models to Sustain Shared Print and the Future of Print Collections." Participation is requested by February 10. 

On Friday January 29, OCLC will present a REALM (REopening Archives, Libraries and Museums: Project Update and Community Reflections) webinar from 3:00-4:00 pm. Read more and register here.
Member News
Best wishes to Karin Krasevac-Lenz, Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum, who is retiring at the end of month. Karin joined the museum as Executive Director in 2015, and during her tenure, “her successful fund- and friend-raising talents, conservative fiscal spending and innovative management style transformed the cultural institution.” Formerly the Rensselaer County Historical Association, Karin also oversaw the rebranding to the Hart Cluett Museum.  

Ten Broeck Mansion, home of the Albany County Historical Association, is working on cataloging their reference library and will be partnering with CDLC to have online access to their holdings in the future. They are currently working with a graduate intern to prepare a catalog. If you'd like to get involved as an ACHA archives and collections volunteer- onsite and virtual opportunities are available-please contact them.
Documenting The Pandemic
The Hart Cluett Museum was recently featured in the Times Union for the work it is doing to document the pandemic: Rensselaer County Museum Collects Residents Responses.

The Southern Adirondack Library System invites participation in their Leaving Our Fingerprints project, a People’s History of COVID-19. 

Pen to Pandemic: A Short Story Competition in the Time of COVID-19, sponsored by the East Greenbush Community Library (a member of Upper Hudson Library System), the Hart Cluett Museum and the Town of East Greenbush, is open to anyone in Rensselaer County, 18 years and older. Stories must be a work of fiction set in Rensselaer County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
How is your library documenting the pandemic? Let us know.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

We look forward to seeing you in 2021.

Kind Regards,