Don’t miss out on our 63rd Mid-Hudson Library System Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, October 21st. This event is online and free to attend! 

• 10:00 am | Business Meeting | Register 
• 11:00 am | Keynote Speaker, Michele Stricker, Deputy State Librarian of Library Development for the New Jersey State Library - Keynote Topic: From Disaster Preparedness to Community Resilience: The Long and Short of It | Register 

Please note there are separate registrations for the Business Meeting and our Keynote Speaker. If you would like to attend both events, please make sure to register for both sessions.

The Town of Ulster Public Library is happy to announce a partnership with Purple Air to provide patrons with a digital air quality monitor. You can find the air quality readout through the library website.

ALA Announces New Grant! The American Library Association (ALA) Council has approved the Jason Reynolds/Simon & Schuster Travel Grant. This grant will be awarded to five Black/African American youth or teen services librarians or school librarians/media specialists who work in either public or school libraries. Recipients will receive $1,500-$3,000 to pay for expenses associated with attending the ALA Annual Conference. Costs include but are not limited to travel, housing, registration, and a ticket to the Coretta Scott King Award Breakfast. The first five recipients of this new grant will be acknowledged during the 2023 ALA Annual Conference in Chicago at the Coretta Scott King Awards Breakfast.

Applications will be accepted annually from September 1st through December 1st. For more details, please visit the Jason Reynolds / Simon & Schuster Travel Grant page.  

Last call to register for the online MHLS Sierra User Group taking place on Thursday, October 13th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. 

During this session we will discuss the following topics:

• Are there ways that your library utilizes tools in Sierra that others might benefit from?
• Do you have projects or questions that we might discuss as a group? It isn’t necessary, but if you have something to discuss, please reach out to Laurie Shedrick, lshedrick@midhudson.org ahead of the session. 
• 5.5 Sierra – This upgrade is now in general release and will soon be scheduled for installation at MHLS.
• 5.5 Encore – Mostly bug fixes, but we will cover ‘em.
• Vega Discover – We will bring you up to speed on what has been happening with development.
• Vega LX Starter (formerly Vega Connect) – Coming in 2023!

As always, we look to you to make this a true user experience. We always leave time for an open discussion. Consider joining the meeting with your camera on and be ready to share!

Join MHLS Executive Director Rebekkah Smith Aldrich for Pathways to Sustainable Funding on October 27th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm in the MHLS auditorium in Poughkeepsie, NY. 

One of the primary responsibilities of a library trustee is to secure adequate funding for the library. This requires both an honest assessment of the true costs to run a viable, vital, and visible library as well as a strong understanding of the legal funding mechanisms for libraries in New York State. This MHLS Trustee Education Series session provides an overview of key areas impacting library budgets as well as introduce the new toolkit released this year from the New York State Library, the Public Library District Toolkit: Strategies to Assure Your Library’s Legal and Financial Stability.

This in-person event requires registration. 

Join the NYS Library and the Regents Advisory Council for an online discussion of RAC Vision 2022 on Thursday, October 20th at 1:00 pm. Vision 2022 provides a framework for libraries, reflecting the input of hundreds of library workers and supporters statewide. A road map for the future, Vision 2022 aims to inspire, support, and affirm the excellent work being done and codify a shared vision for libraries across New York.

For this kickoff session, panelists from a range of library communities will share work they are doing related to this document and invite participants to ask questions and share their own projects and initiatives. This is the first of a series of library community conversations around Vision 2022.

For more information and to register, please visit https://nyslibrary.libcal.com/event/9676314. 

The Regents Advisory Council on Libraries was established by the New York State Education Department’s Board of Regents in 1894. Members are leaders in libraries, education, business, and human services from across the State. The New York State Library is part of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department. 

Local

• Serino Announces New Funding Heading to Area Libraries | New York State Senate Press Release 10.7.22

MHLS Calendar