MHLS Annual Membership Meeting Report | |
On October 27th, the 64th Annual Membership Meeting of the Mid-Hudson Library System was convened at The Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park, NY. This was the first in person annual membership meeting since the pandemic and more than 120 library directors, trustees, staff and special guests attended. The event highlighted the warmth and dedication of the attendees and their unwavering service to the patrons of the Hudson Valley. The business portion of the event included: | |
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A report from MHLS Board President, Barry Ramage (pictured right), who reported on the five 2023 goals of the board including strengthening the board’s competencies, skills, and commitment to ethical leadership through professional development; continued focus on board-to-board visits to member library boards and county-based library associations, promoting transparent communication throughout the system; focusing on the financial stability of MHLS to ensure adequate support for local libraries; continued and new financial investment in the system; and support of three core values: intellectual freedom and defending the right to read; equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); and sustainability.
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A report from MHLS Board Treasurer, Richard Swierat (pictured right), provided a report on the fiscal standing of the organization including sharing the results of the 2022 audit of MHLS by RBT Certified Public Accountants. The System’s board, staff and CPAs have worked together to ensure our organization is managing its revenue and expenditures well and there were no adverse findings from the 2022 audit to report. Treasurer Swierat noted that in 2020 the finances of the system were seriously threatened by the economic shock of the pandemic to the state budget. Treasurer Swierat was pleased to share that the good work done by the staff and board has continued to aid in recovering from that economic shock and have used the past three years to ensure our financial planning is sound, that reserve funds are adequately funded, and that we are good stewards of the organization’s service and facilities plans. Treasurer Swierat welcomed James Coyle, Finance Manager & Personnel Officer, to the organization. Mr. Swierat thanked the staff, board, and member libraries for their continued effort in advocacy for libraries and library associations in New York.
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- The election of four trustees to the MHLS Board:
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Columbia County: Janet Schnitzer, second five-year term
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Greene County: Thomas Silvious, remainder of vacated five-year term
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Putnam County: Peter Carey, first five-year term
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Ulster County: Stuart Auchincloss, second five-year term
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- Introduction of five new staff members who have joined the MHLS team in the past year:
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Ricky Conner, Materials Handler
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James Coyle, Finance Manager & Personnel Officer
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Rebecca Hagan, Interlibrary Loan & Cataloging Specialist
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Ashley Teal, Administrative Assistant
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BJ Vickery, Cataloging Specialist
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- Report of MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich:
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An update on the Municipal Ballot Petition Signature Reduction bill which was signed into law by Governor Hochul on October 25, 2023. In recognition of the assistance to pass this bill into law, MHLS awarded Certificates of Appreciation to AnnaLee Dragon, Executive Director of the New York Library Association and to Max Prime, Director of Government Relations & Advocacy of the New York Library Association.
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Pictured l-r: Max Prime, AnnaLee Dragon, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich and Barry Ramage. | |
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A review of System efforts over the course of 2023 including the everyday success of MHLS staff in supporting member library operations; the introduction of the new Training on Demand platform; advancements of the record quality in the online catalog; new OverDrive Reciprocal Lending Agreements with two more public library systems and the introduction of Transparent Language; progress on digital equity efforts; Trustee Education Series and Trustee Handbook Book Club offerings; the publication of a new Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State (coming soon to a library near you!); Continuing Education offerings including the MHLS Horizons Series which focused on Artificial Intelligence, the EDI in Libraries Series, and the Sustainability Series which was offered in conjunction with WebJunction; efforts to build libraries’ reputation as resilience hubs in the Hudson Valley; Outreach Mini-Grants; and the unveiling of the new catalog: discovery.midhudsonlibraries.org.
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An update on the MHLS Board’s partnership with Unite Against Book Bans and efforts to educate library boards and administration in the face of ongoing threats against libraries nationally.
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An unveiling of the new MHLS tagline: 66 Libraries 1 Great Community.
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- Three MHLS staff were recognized for their service milestones:
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Nina Acosta, Data Operations Supervisor (10 years)
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Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Executive Director (25 years)
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Laurie Shedrick, Assistant Director/Technology Operations Manager (15 years)
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Pictured l-r: Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Nina Acosta, Laurie Shedrick and Barry Ramage. | |
Outstanding Accomplishment Awards were given to two member libraries for their effort and success: | |
Amenia Free Library
Grand Opening
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Putnam Valley Library
Sustainable Funding Vote (259)
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After the close of the business meeting, Keynote Speaker Deborah Caldwell-Stone presented.
Deborah Caldwell-Stone spoke passionately about the threats to freedom of information and the key role that libraries play in its protection. Caldwell-Stone is the Director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and the Executive Director of the Freedom to Read Foundation. After her speech titled, “Books Under Fire: Defending the Right to Read in Libraries,” Deborah Caldwell-Stone thoughtfully answered questions from directors, trustees, and library staff. Caldwell-Stone’s experience in litigation and close work with librarians, trustees, and educators was invaluable to attendees as they discussed the necessity of safeguarding patrons’ right to read.
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MHLS will be closed on November 23rd and November 24th in observance of Thanksgiving Day. There will be no deliveries and the MHLS ticket system will not be monitored. | |
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Empire State Development’s ConnectALL Office has published drafts of its State Digital Equity Plan and Broadband Deployment Initial Proposal. Public comment on both plans is open and will close on December 6th at 5:00 pm.
In addition to the statewide events Southeastern NY Library Resources Council is hosting an online public comment session on behalf of ConnectALL on December 5th from 10:00 -11:00 am. Please register to attend.
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Reference & Collection Development | MHLS Data Operations Supervisor, Nina Acosta has put together a curated collection of eBooks and audiobooks through OverDrive to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. The collection is pinned to the front page of https://mhls.overdrive.com/ and will be up throughout November. | |
Administration & Management | The New York State Library staff invites all new library school graduates or new public librarians in New York State to What You Need to Know About New York State Public Librarian Certification on Wednesday, December 6th at 11:00 am. This free webinar will provide an overview of the public librarian certification process, including professional development requirements and resources. Get answers to all your certification questions and keep your librarian career moving forward. Registration is required. | |
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Library Director, Catskill Public Library
The Catskill Public Library, with its branch in Palenville, is seeking a dynamic and visionary director to realize the full potential of their libraries. This is a provisional Civil Service Position.
View the complete job description and how to apply.
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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. | | | | |
