Reimagining Library Services Series |
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In response to local needs exacerbated by the pandemic and despite many barriers, MHLS libraries have stepped up to support their communities in new and significant ways. In spring’s MHLS Reimagining Library Services series, we heard from libraries building collaborations and partnerships with other libraries and local partners to provide greater benefits to the community and make library resources go farther, looked at meeting patron demand for eBooks, and reviewed strategies for providing the best online services we can. The recordings for each of these webinars is now available. You can access them at the links below or share them with library staff, coworkers, trustees, and stakeholders.
Working with an organization in your community or a neighboring library can help both parties provide better services than they could alone. This webinar covers strategies for finding, developing and maintaining collaborations that increase the reach and capacity of your library, featuring library directors that have built effective, worthwhile relationships. Carol Fortier Executive Director, Beekman Library, Kristen Campbell Library Director, Hurley Library, Rhiannon Leo-Jameson Director, NorthEast-Millerton Library, Tobi Farley Director, Philmont Public Library and Kara Lustiber Director, West Hurley Public Library share their work in building community partnerships to support take-and-make programs and library use and collaborating with other libraries to provide larger programs and a joint summer reading experience for library users.
In the pandemic, eBooks took centerstage in collections as libraries met patrons' needs amid stay-at-home orders and the pandemic. Understanding patron expectations and habits around eBooks is critical in building relevant, sustainable collections that serve the people in our communities at a reasonable cost. At this workshop, we review eBook usage trends, strategies for understanding eBook collection use at the library, eBook collection development, and budgeting to meet patron demand for electronic materials.
Online programming started as a stop-gap solution to connect with patrons safely during the pandemic, but many libraries have found it’s an effective way to reach people who might not be able to make it to the library building and plan to continue providing programming online even as the risk of COVID is reduced and social distancing restrictions are lifted. At this online workshop, Paul Thompson, Media Workforce Programs Manager at The Art Effect in Poughkeepsie, reviews best practice and technique for creating engaging, professional online programs for participants whether it's storytime or your board meeting. The Art Effect (formerly Mill Street Loft and Spark Media Project) is committed to being a catalyst for youth empowerment and community engagement through the arts and media across the Hudson Valley.
The MHLS Reimagining Library Services Series will return in the fall of 2021.
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Member Library Directors, this is a reminder that the New York State Library (NYSL) and the Division of Library Development (DLD) expect all public libraries in NYS to meet their required minimum number of open hours to serve their communities by June 1st, 2021. That is today! “Open” is defined as in-person services at your facility including curbside and lobby service. Telephone or email service alone will not count towards the number of open hours. While library buildings are open, a public restroom should be made available to patrons whenever possible. Libraries that feel they may be significantly challenged to meet the June 1st deadline should reach out to MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator, Casey Conlin, cconlin@midhudson.org.
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Pictured (l-r) Amy Emke, Pawling Library Board President, Brian Avery, Pawling Library Director, Marc Molinaro and Ed Hauser
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At the Pawling Library Centennial Celebration Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and Dutchess County Legislator Ed Hauser awarded the Pawling Library a $200,000 grant from the County sponsored in part by the Town of Pawling and the Village of Pawling. The money will help the library with their building renovation project.
During the presentation Molinaro said , “We are thankful to all our libraries for how they stepped up and innovated to serve our kids and community these last 16 months. I’m so happy to celebrate the Pawling Library’s 100 years.”
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The Empire State Library Network is offering The CASE Act for Libraries webinar on Wednesday, June 30th at 2:00 pm. The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act, known as the CASE Act, was enacted on December 27 th, 2020. The act creates a three-member panel, the Copyright Claims Board, to handle small copyright claims. Join this program to learn more about what this means for libraries. Presenter Dr. Tomas A. Lipinski will review the CASE Act provisions and procedures. The session will include general liability and protections for libraries under existing law. To learn more about the event or to register visit https://zoom.us/webinar/register/. |
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Resource Sharing & Sierra |
REMINDER: The Sierra servers have a scheduled update of their operating system software on June 7th at 6pm, and the expected downtime is roughly 4 hours. All services that depend on the Sierra system (Sierra application, Encore, Online Registration and database and eResource authentication) will also be unavailable during the upgrade. Once we have a successful OS upgrade in place, the upgrades for Sierra and Encore to release 5.3 can be scheduled. Information on both releases is currently available on the MHLS Knowledgebase. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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In the third week of June the MHLS cataloging department will suppress all items that have a status of 'Lost & Paid', 'Discard' or 'Claims Returned', which have not been updated for 3 months. The items will not be deleted. Changing the annual report code to "n - suppress", simply keeps them from displaying in the public catalog. |
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Census Update: New Yorkers who worked hard to get out the count, especially libraries, have much to be proud of as reports come out from the Census Bureau. While authorities had projected New York State would lose two congressional seats, Get Out the Count efforts at libraries and all over New York were able to keep one seat, and came extraordinarily close to keeping both seats, losing the second seat by less than 100 people. The 2020 Census was a high stakes affair for New York, with libraries stepping up to help secure a complete count for proper representation in government and access to federal funding for programs to support our local communities. With a decreasing population and a large number of historically hard-to-count groups residing in the state, along with efforts by the federal government to suppress the count among immigrant communities, New York risked losing not just one, but possibly two, congressional seats. An incomplete count had the potential to result in diminished federal resources for a host of community services, ranging from education to health care with estimates indicating that each uncounted individual in the state would translate into $3,054 in lost federal funding. For more info, check out the CUNY Graduate Center's Redistricting & You map, which now incorporates the first round of data from the 2020 Census published recently by the U.S. Census Bureau. This reflects the number of congressional seats that have been apportioned to each state, each state's 2020 "resident population," and the state-by-state average district population based on these two numbers. Governor Cuomo has stated that New York State will seek an appeal of the count in an effort to restore the lost congressional seat. |
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The next OverDrive Big Library Read kicks off on June 28th. The Quiet Girl by S. F. Kosa will be available for unlimited access between June 28 th - July 12 th. The title, along with a promotional spotlight at the top of the MHLS OverDrive page, will be added at no cost. Libraries can download marketing materials and encourage patrons to use #biglibraryread on social media. This gives readers a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet and a signed book by the author. |
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The MHLS Trustee Education Series continues with Legal Issues on Tuesday, June 15th at 5:30 pm. The topic will be Open Meetings Law & Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) with Kristin O’Neill, Assistant Director, Committee on Open Government.
This webinar is designed to help trustees better understand two New York State laws that are central to transparency and accountability: Open Meetings Law (OML) and Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). During this workshop:
- Learn the basics of Open Meetings Law and how it impacts board meetings
- Receive an overview of the “Disclosure of Records Scheduled for Discussion at Open Meetings” amendment to OML
- Learn about the scope of the Freedom of Information Law, including internal procedures that should be in place when responding to requests and what is covered under FOIL
- Receive answers to frequently asked questions!
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The adjustments to NYS Open Meetings Law to allow for online meetings have been extended until June 16th, 2021.
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Administration & Management |
There is still time to register for the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) for Libraries webinar taking place on Friday, June 4th from 2:00-3:30 pm. Win Himsworth, of E-Rate Central, will be providing information on the application process, what is eligible and the requirements for the Emergency Connectivity Fund established through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The ECF will provide over $7 billion for schools and libraries. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. Registration for this event is available through http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/univsvc/webinars.htm.
The draft Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) Report and Order was released on April 30 th and the final order was released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on May 11 th. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator Casey Conlin will hold the MHLS Construction Grant Technical Assistance Workshop on Tuesday, June 22nd at 2:00 pm. This online event is designed to assist member libraries who plan to apply for the FY2020-2021 State Aid for Library Construction Program and will be particularly helpful to first time applicants. T he workshop will focus on filling out the online application and associated paperwork. For general program information, MHLS Funding Priorities and an overview of the timeline of the grant please view the April 28 th webinar Applying for Funds Through the State Aid for Library Construction Program.
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Mid-Hudson Library System (Poughkeepsie, NY)
- Administrative Associate (part-time)
- Interlibrary Loan / Cataloging Specialist (full-time)
- Library Sustainability Associate (full-time)
- Technology Operations Support Specialist (full-time)
Positions are open until filled with the first evaluation of applicants starting on Friday, June 25th.
MHLS recommends that the minimum starting salary of a full or part-time librarian with an MLS degree be at least equal to that of a teacher with a master’s degree in the same community.
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