Vol.22-48 | 11.29.22

2022 NYLA Conference Highlights

At the New York Library Association (NYLA) Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY, Tamara (Tammy) Gaskell, Director of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library was awarded the Mary Bobinski Innovative Public Library Director Award. You may know Tammy from her dedicated service in our system as the chair of the Columbia County Libraries Association, as a member of the Resource Sharing Advisory Committee, a member of the DA’s Ad Hoc OverDrive Committee, and one of The Library of Local Project Cohort. Tammy also interned at MHLS while pursuing her MLS (which she recently completed which is in addition to her PhD in American History!), producing the MHLS Lab Project Toolkits.

 

This award is given to a public library director who during the past two years developed or implemented an innovative program leading to an increase in financial support and/or usage of their library by:

  • Demonstrating the value and importance of their public library to community leaders and local government officials.
  • Enhancing the image of the public library through an innovative public relations program publicizing the resources and services in multiple media formats.
  • Developing new programs and services to attract users and non-users.

 

During her acceptance remarks, Tammy gave a particularly lovely shout out to the MHLS community: “I’ve never worked with a better and more generous group of people than my colleagues in Columbia County and the Mid-Hudson Library System, and I’ve been able to succeed in no small part because of them.”

AnnaLee Dragon, NYLA Executive Director (formerly the director of the Kinderhook Memorial Library), and Tammy at the Inaugural Banquet of the New York Library Association Conference on November 4th, 2022.

Susan Penick (pictured above), one of longest serving librarians at Phoenicia Library, was the recipient of the New York Library Association’s (NYLA) Library & Leadership Management Section’s (LAMS) scholarship for first-time attendees. Congratulations Susan!

MHLS Announcements

A message from the MHLS Delivery Department: Just a reminder that if walks leading from the street to your library are not shoveled, MHLS delivery drivers may not be able to make a delivery to your library. If weather is predicted to be severe, the drivers may deploy the night before to ensure delivery keeps running smoothly. In these cases, a message will be sent to the MHLS-ALERTS list to let you know. 


Questions about MHLS Delivery should be directed to Tom Finnigan, MHLS Delivery Operations 

Manager.

MHLS Libraries

The following was submitted by Tessa DeBella (She/Her), Library Assistant/Youth Services at Marlboro Free Library. Tessa was one of five recipients of the 2022 New York Library Association (NYLA) Conference Scholarship from the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS).


"I was very fortunate to attend the NYLA Conference held in Saratoga this November. The beautiful weather and location heightened my excitement to be a part of a thoughtful and creative community of professionals. After attending many workshops whose themes varied, some key elements stood out that pertain to any library, anywhere. Collaboration. Collaboration between community and staff is key to ensure success with most, if not all objectives. Patrons, we are here for our patrons. There are a lot of tough topics and information that are important to our patrons. We need to ensure that we are listening and creating safe places for everyone. Innovation. Change is essential to the future of the public library. Changes made on both large and small scales reassure the community that the library is willing to adapt to meet their informational needs. Needs such as constructing entire new buildings to meet growing populations and collections too, changing the colors of a spine label to ensure a patron’s ability to locate a resource. The overall experience of the NYLA Conference, for me, was extremely positive. I am happy to share what I have learned with my staff, classmates, and look forward to creating some new ideas of my own."


The NYLA Conference Scholarship from MHLS helps provide new library directors and new library staff with the opportunity to attend the annual NYLA Conference by matching funds provided by the library to underwrite conference attendance. 


Articles from all our scholarship recipients will be published in the MHLS Bulletin over the next few weeks! 

Resource Sharing & Sierra

Sierra has been upgraded to release 5.5. The upgrade was completed on November 16th. The updates included in this release:

  • Display the location of the holdshelf: In libraries with multiple pickup locations, it can be difficult to determine which holdshelf an item is on. With this enhancement, Sierra will display the location of the holdshelf as part of the status information for an item that is either currently on the holdshelf or was recently canceled and the clear holdshelf process has not been run. Depending on the library’s configuration, the status message will include either the display name from the hold pickup locations table or the branch name. The status message will appear on the View item record screen and in the status bar of the Manage Holds display.


  • Windows Snap feature: Library staff members want to be able to easily size and position the Sierra client windows on their workstations when Sierra is one of several applications they use throughout the day. With this enhancement, staff members can use the Windows Snap feature to move and size the Sierra desktop application on their workstations.


By dragging the client with the mouse or using the Windows button in conjunction with specific arrow keys, users can move and position the Sierra client on their desktop. Staff members may also use the Windows Snap commands to maximize or minimize the Sierra client on their desktop. Because of technical limitations, the Windows Snap feature has no effect on the Sierra login window or on bibliographic and patron windows that appear in the multi-window mode.


  • New workflow for Mark Damaged Items: Library staff wants a workflow that makes it easy to mark damaged items and bill for their replacement, similar to the lost item workflow in Sierra. This enhancement adds a new option to the Mark Damaged item workflow that ensures consistent experience for staff and patrons when managing damaged items. The new option is labeled Mark Damaged And Add Bill and it will be used to mark the item as “Billed” and bill the patron for the replacement of the item.


When using this workflow, the item will be checked in when the item is marked damaged, and a bill is added. Based on library policies, a processing fee and billing fee will be added automatically, and the damage charge will be linked to the item and the patron. When the fee is paid, the item status automatically updates to damaged. This allows the library to distinguish “damaged and billed” from “lost and billed” in reports.

Sustainable Libraries

There is still time to register for the 2023 MHLS Turning Outward Cohort Program Introductory Webinar taking place Thursday, December 8th, from 10:00 – 11:00 am. Libraries interested in participating in the 2023 MHLS Turning Outward Cohort Program are invited to join the introductory webinar, which will outline the value of “turning outward”, through community conversations, to seek public knowledge about community aspirations to better guide the future design of library services, programs, partnerships, and resource allocation. This webinar will also provide a brief overview of the program schedule and expectations for 2023. 

Trustee Resources

Join MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, for Pathways to Sustainable Funding on December 12th, from 1:30 – 3:30 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 advanced registration.

Administration & Management

Register for the MHLS New Directors Meet Up being held in Poughkeepsie at the MHLS Auditorium on December 6th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. New Directors (in your role for 3 years or less) will discuss relevant topics related to finding your path as a new director. Facilitated by MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, author of the Handbook for New Library Directors in New York State & co-author of the Handbook for Library Trustees in New York State, this program will address questions submitted in advance by attendees, particularly in the areas of working with your board, planning, and project/time management.

Job Openings

Bookkeeper – Part-time (24hrs / week), Mid-Hudson Library System

MHLS seeks an experienced and well-organized professional for the position of Part-time Bookkeeper. Essential duties and responsibilities of this position include the following and other duties may be assigned. 

  • Provides support and assistance to and acts in the absence of the Finance Manager through all stages of the accounting cycle, along with overall budget support.
  • Applies principles of accounting in compiling, preparing, and processing financial data.
  • Prepares and processes bi-weekly payroll.
  • Processes purchases and ensures that invoices are accurate for payment.
  • Provides support to MHLS staff, Correctional Facility Librarians, and Member Library staff.
  • Performs general office and other duties. 


For a full job description and how to apply please visit https://midhudson.org/about-mhls/job-postings/ 


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.

MHLS Calendar


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