Only a few seats remain for the Member Showcase on November 1!

A Message From the Director

Dear CDLC members and supporters, CDLC is in a time of transition. As you may know, our Catalog Librarian Sue Rahn has moved on to a new position. I’ve been assessing how to best fill this void and how to best support member programs and services.   I’ve also enjoyed catching up with some of you at recent member events, including The Carl A. Westerdahl Forum sponsored by the Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (with CDLC as a co-sponsor) and a Digital Scholarship Conference at the University at Albany. I visited the WSWHE BOCES School Library System’s new office and attended a program on Community Partnerships with School Libraries . I also provided an update at an HFM BOCES School Library System meeting which included a tour of Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s Evans Library.  I’m using these opportunities, as well as discussions with staff, members, and the CDLC Board, to determine how to best position this organization for the future. Stay tuned!

Save the Date: The CDLC Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon is Thursday, May 7 2020 at The Shaker Ridge Country Club.

Connections

The Reference, Instruction, and Outreach (RIO) Interest Group meets Thursday, November 14 at 11:00 am where the topic is the 2020 Census. This meeting is the Pohndorff room at Skidmore College’s Scribner Library (3rd floor).  While in Saratoga, plan to attend the 2019 NYLA Annual Conference and Trade Show , taking place November 13-16. You can go for just one day or for the whole conference. The Collection Development Committee has vacancies for two school library system or school library representatives, one public library system or public library representative, two academic library representatives and two at-large representatives (who may represent any type of library). Email me if you may be interested.

Presented by the High School to College Transition Interest Group: Registration is open for: Bridging the Gap: Preparing High School Special Needs Students for Success in College for Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at Hudson Valley Community College.

Worth a read From The Atlantic: College Students Just Want Normal Libraries

Collections

Thank you to all that have completed the 2019 Library Landscape Survey: Resource Sharing recently distributed by the Committee on Resource Sharing (CORS). So far we have received more than 60 responses! The survey closes this Friday, October 25.

Union College recently contributed the Kay Flickinger Dockstader papers to New York Heritage. Kay was a lifelong resident of the Schenectady area who worked for General Electric and was one of the first women to hike the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. The collection includes photographs, reverse side personal notes, and postcards of the Adirondack Mountains and other Northern New York locations.

Thanks for the great turnout to welcome the Awful Library Books presenters to our area for Making a Collection Count and to East Greenbush Community Library for hosting this event. Arranged by our Collection Development Committee, they are also sponsoring two upcoming events:  Wednesday November 6 from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm: Schenectady County Public Library Friends - Behind the Scenes Tour. Come tour the Friends sorting and staging area at the Central Library in downtown Schenectady and hear about the Friends’ operations.  Friday, December 6 from 9:00 am-Noon: Put Your Money Where Your Data Is: Responsive, Data-Driven Allocations Utilizing Excel. Presented by April Davies, Head of Technical & Public Services at SUNY Cobleskill's Van Wagenen Library, this is a hands-on workshop taking place at the University at Albany’s Uptown campus. Seating is limited.

Just for fun Headed to Saratoga for NYLA? The Friends of Saratoga Springs Public Library and Shelters of Saratoga have teamed up for a special screening of The Public on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:00 pm at Bow Tie Cinemas Criterion 11 Theater. Ticket sales benefit Code Blue and The Friends of Saratoga Springs Public Library. Tickets available here.

Members (in the) News

The Rensselaer County Historical Society has a new name and is now known as Historic Rensselaer County at the Hart Cluett Museum . They were also recently selected to be part of a Smithsonian Institution pilot program!

Congratulations to the Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) for receiving the 2019 Joseph F. Shubert Library Excellence Award for its Fresh Food Collective Farm-2-Library Distribution program!  The award honors libraries or library consortia that have taken steps to improve the quality of library service to users. Read more about this innovative initiative that uses four rural libraries as food distribution points, and community organizations as partners. The award will be presented at the NYLA Annual Conference.

Award Opportunity!  The Capital Area Library Assistants Coordinating Committee is accepting nominations for the CALA Outstanding Service Award, designed to recognize the achievements of a local library assistant and CALA member who most embodies the mission and goals of CALA. The successful recipient will be someone who has gone above and beyond to contribute to their library, their community and our profession. Nominations are being accepted through December 1, 2019.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Kind Regards, Kathleen Gundrum

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