Annual Report Season is Here! If you are new to completing the New York State Annual Report for Public and Association Libraries or if you just need a refresher, please consider registering for the Annual Report Online Workshop on January 24th at 10:00 am. The workshop will provide a walkthrough of the report software, provide tips for completing the report, and answer questions you may have.  

The State has not yet finalized the questions and the software for data entry is still closed. We will notify you once we are advised it is open. The anticipated due date for the member library reports is Friday, February 16th. 

Each year, MHLS generates a packet with information to help the member Libraries complete the annual report. These are being finalized, we’ll post an access link on the MHLS Tips for Completing the Annual Report web page once they are complete. 

Here are some things you can do to prepare in the meantime: 

• add the review and acceptance of the library annual report to your February or March Board meeting agenda 
• check out our Annual Report Quick Reference Guide which can help you (or your bookkeeper) identify where to report various types of received and expended funds 
• compile the trustee information you’ll need to report on: 
• trustee names 
• mailing addresses 
• email addresses 
• office held 
• month and year for term beginning and end dates 
• date oath of office was taken 
• date oath of office was filed
• did they satisfy the trustee education requirements (you will need to answer only yes or no)  
• If your library pays for additional databases or digital collections, make sure you have the credentials necessary to pull statistics. 

Anticipated Changes for the 2023 Annual Report 

We anticipate some streamlining of questions in Section 3 Library Programs, Policies, and Services, and Section 10 Officers and Trustees of the 2023 Annual Report. We also anticipate new wording in the Program questions Section - The descriptors “synchronous” and “asynchronous” will no longer be used. Instead, programs are categorized as: Live Onsite, Live Offsite, Live Virtual, Prerecorded or One-on-One. We’ll share any additional updates on the MHLS Tips for Completing the Annual Report webpage, as they become available. 

Questions? – If you have questions about the annual report, please contact Laura Crisci, Library Sustainability Coordinator at lcrisci@midhudson.org.  

The Town of Esopus Library was recently awarded a $30,000 grant by Assemblymember Sarahana Shrestha. Former Interim Manager of the Town Esopus Library Shannon Powell originally requested funds for promoting technology and computer literacy amongst members of all ages and furthering the library’s goal of digital inclusivity. Specific projects that will be addressed include improving the library’s Wi-Fi network and other parts of the broadband infrastructure, investing in new technologies for the teen and children’s spaces, and expanding the programming budget.

Photo caption: Assemblymember Shrestha (left) visiting Town of Esopus Library in August 2023, with Shannon Powell.

REMINDER: During the third week in January, the MHLS Tech Ops Team will delete patron records whose cards have been expired for 3+ years with fines less than $10. This information will be exported to an Excel spreadsheet and stored.

NOTICE: After discussing with the Resource Sharing Advisory Committee, the MHLS cataloging department has decided to remove the LCCN prompt from the bibliographic record template. The LCCN field causing issues since we implemented new practices last month to catalog different bindings of a title as separate records. This LCCN is often the same between different editions of a title, and has been creating confusion for those who try to add a new binding when there is another version already in our catalog with the same number.

Going forward, you will no longer be prompted to fill in the LCCN number when entering a new brief bib record into the catalog. All other fields remain unchanged. If you have any questions, please send a message to cataloging@midhudson.org.

The Stephen T. Riedner Grant for Life Enhancing Library Programs for People Living with Dementia presents a citation and a grant of $2,500 each to two libraries to support the creation of new services and/or new programming to directly serve those living with dementia. Applications that describe only existing services or programming are not eligible for this grant. The founder wishes to encourage and inspire institutional commitment to serving these often-overlooked members of society whose numbers are growing annually to make libraries, and society, more dementia-friendly. Grant submissions could include, but are not limited to, projects focused on:

• Inclusion – welcoming this population into the library/community. 
• Staff dementia awareness training.
• Person-centered focus – address unique needs as individuals with their own interests, abilities, and history.
• Literacy activities that promote the use of books and reading as at least one component of programming (which of course can include art, music, exercise, nature, etc. as well).
• Academic research into reading and dementia.
• Developing partnerships with local organizations that also serve those living with dementia.

Learn more about the grant and access the application. Submission Deadline: February 23, 2024.