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Contact Us
The MHLS Bulletin welcomes submissions from member libraries.
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Preparing for "The Surge"
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As COVID-19 infection rates rise in New York State public health officials are urging caution.
Part 1: The NYS Department of Health has issued an advisory which serves as a reminder that library leaders are responsible for following State-issued executive orders, regulations, and guidance applicable to "retail activities," which is the classification libraries fall under. Libraries are reminded to:
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Limit capacity to no more than 50% of the maximum occupancy for the library
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Maintain appropriate social distancing of six feet among individuals
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Ensure that acceptable face coverings are worn
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Provide hand hygiene stations
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Regularly clean and disinfect high traffic areas, frequently touched surfaces, and shared equipment
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Post signage informing patrons of health precautions and distance markers indicating six-foot spaces in areas where lines form or people congregate
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Reduce touch points on collections/equipment
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Encourage the use of touchless payment or pay ahead options
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Consider "click and collect" (i.e. in-library pick up and curbside) or home delivery options to reduce the number of patrons in the library at any given time.
Part 2: It is highly likely that we will begin to see the New York State Cluster Action Initiative* applied in our region or, even when that isn't the case,
libraries may have a hyper-local COVID-19 incident that is cause for a full or partial library facility closure. In either instance, it may result in a rollback of your library's phased reopening plan for longer than a few days.
The goal of MHLS staff is to keep systemwide delivery and holds going for as long as is reasonable**. A major factor impacting this will be the number of libraries that cease circulating library materials (meaning their facilities are closed and are not offering curbside service) on a particular delivery route and, ultimately, systemwide.
We are asking library directors who find their library located in a declared red zone* to please use our "Library Status Form" to report if they are either:
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Continuing to offer curbside service, in which case delivery will continue uninterrupted to their facility**; or
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Suspending curbside service, in which case delivery and paging for their location will be suspended.
Libraries that shut down physical circulation of library materials completely will need to follow the newly issued Sierra Service Level Changes
documentation issued by MHLS staff which now includes the requirement for items a library may have in quarantine to be moved back into circulation before a complete shutdown of their library's in-house operations.
*This initiative provides for an alternative to statewide and regional shutdowns, using data to create yellow, orange, and red zones based on where infection rates are rising the quickest in an attempt to bring things under control. Each zone type has successively higher restrictions with yellow having the lowest and red having the highest level of restrictions. The yellow and orange zone restrictions allow for the business model most member libraries are using currently to continue as is. The red zone restrictions call for library facilities to close to the public. Conversations with regional control room leadership have clarified that all types of libraries may choose to continue to offer curbside service in a red zone but that this is at the discretion of the local library.
**While we do not have a crystal ball and therefore cannot predict the number or size of cluster action zones that could appear in our region there certainly may be tipping points in the future on a specific delivery route or even systemwide if we see a majority of libraries, in either construct, cease circulation activities. We will once again coordinate with our delivery vendor to decide how best to handle this but again, if we do not have good data from you this can cause problems for system operations as well as needless expense for MHLS.
MHLS staff are offering a Director Briefing on Wednesday, December 2nd at 1:00 pm to review the new service level change procedures for shutting down the physical circulation of items at a member library. As usual, the log-in information will be provided via the MHLS Notice List for this event.
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MHLS Announcements
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The MHLS Technology Operations Team successfully upgraded the Sierra ILS and Encore to version 5.2. One of the new features in Sierra 5.2 is the "AND NOT" Boolean operator in Create Lists. The new "AND NOT" operator allows negation of operators that do not currently allow negation or negation of a group of OR'ed criteria. To view the full list of new features and fixes in Sierra
and Encore visit the MHLS Knowledgebase. If you have any questions or issues regarding the recent upgrades please contact techsupport@midhudson.org.
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MHLS Libraries
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 Members of the Patterson Library Teen Leadership Council help clean up Patterson Environmental Park. Photo Courtesy of Patterson Library.
The Teen Leadership Council (TLC) at the Patterson Library provides teens with an opportunity to connect to and bring joy to their community. Patterson Library TLC is made up of students in grades 7 through 12 who volunteer to spearhead various projects with Patterson Library Youth Services Coordinator, Jenn Gay and Youth Services Assistant, Jane Enkler. The group meets remotely one Saturday a month, with the goal of planning fun program and community service opportunities teens can do to benefit the people in their community. Last year, TLC organized a puppy adoption event with the local animal rescue group Pawsafe as part of The Great Give Back, and this year, members of TLC put together breakfast to-go boxes for senior citizens. More recently the group assembled at Patterson Environmental Park to help with a fall cleanup, and other work by TLC members includes promoting a children's coat drive for Putnam Community Action Program.
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Professional Development
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The New York Library Association's (NYLA) six-part series on Advocacy Fundamentals third session, The Legislature & Libraries will take place on Tuesday, December 15th at 9:00 am. Successful advocacy at the New York State Capitol requires community involvement and support from the legislature. The general election is now in our rear-view mirror and we are speeding ahead to the next two-year legislative session. Members from the Senate and Assembly will join us to discuss the 2020 Session, their roles within their respective houses, priorities and, the year ahead. There is no fee to participate in these sessions, but registration is required. For more information and to register, visit https://www.nyla.org/fundamentals-series.
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Resource Sharing & Sierra
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During the third week in December the MHLS Cataloging Team will suppress all items that have a status of 'Lost & Paid', 'Discard', or 'Claims returned', which have not been updated for 3 months. Items that have not been updated in 3 years and have a status of 'Missing in Transit', 'On Search', 'Repair', or 'Billed' will also be suppressed. 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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Register for one (or more!) of the upcoming Sierra Lunchtime Webinars with MHLS ILP Operations Manager Thomas O'Connell. All sessions begin at noon.
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Sustainable Libraries
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 ALA Repudiates Executive Order: On September 22nd, the White House issued its Executive Order On Combating Race And Sex Stereotyping, prohibiting federal employees, contractors, and grant recipients from discussing or considering concepts such as critical race theory and white privilege and discouraging diversity education and training.
The American Library Association has issued a statement rejecting this claim: "We are painfully aware that libraries and the profession of librarianship have been and still are complicit in systems that oppress, exclude, and harm Black people, indigenous people, and people of color, and deny equal opportunity to women. We assert that a commitment to learn from the painful and brutal legacies of our history is essential to the fulfillment of our promise as a country of equal rights and opportunities.
This executive order is already having a chilling effect, with some colleges and universities suspending all diversity trainings and canceling cultural celebrations for fear of losing federal funds. A hotline has been established to encourage informants to report those whose words and deeds do not comply with the order or the dictates of its accompanying memoranda. This is reminiscent of another time and another era when the Council of the American Library Association adopted the Freedom to Read statement in response to growing concerns about censorship in the McCarthy era.
It is the longstanding role of libraries to foster intellectual freedom by ensuring access to the widest diversity of views and expressions, including those that are unorthodox, unpopular, or considered dangerous by those in power. The pursuit of social justice and equity, diversity, and inclusion is equally a core value of the American Library Association. Consequently, the American Library Association opposes the Executive Order On Combating Race And Sex Stereotyping and all other actions that result in the curtailment of free expression and social justice and pledge to continue to pursue social justice and further our work against systems of oppression."
View the full press release at http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2020.
 NY State launches Find Services web app in partnership with Google. The new Find Services page is available online at assist New Yorkers in locating appropriate services with one streamlined web application. NY State has experienced an unprecedented demand for social services due to the pandemic, and this service provides an easy-to-use starting point for first-time program users. Users answer a few questions and receive information for services that match their answers. The information provided by the user will not be stored or shared.
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Applications are being accepted for the Joseph F. Shubert Library Excellence Award from now until December 15th. The Award will recognize a New York State library or library consortium that has taken significant steps to improve the quality of library service to its users. As in past years, an award of $1,000, graciously donated by the Friends of the New York State Library, will be given to the winner along with a plaque. Local former awardees include the Clinton Community Library, the Red Hook Public Library, the Mid-Hudson Library
System, and the Southeastern New York Library Resource Council. For more information about the Shubert Award and the application form, please go to http://bit.ly/2LTaj8R.
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Reference & Collection Development
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The Poughkeepsie Public Library District has put together a resource guide
including fiction & nonfiction print and web sources for adults, kids, teens, & educators that reflect accurate, authentic and contemporary representations of Native Americans. Member libraries can access these resources at
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Trustee Resources
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There is still time to register for the last session in the MHLS Trustee Education series, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Boards on Tuesday, December 8th at 5:30 pm. Presented by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Executive Director & Casey Conlin, MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator
this advanced-level course is for trustees who have been on the board for at least a year. It is recommended that trustees have already attended the Trustee Essentials workshop prior to this event. An effective board is a knowledgeable, professionally organized group of diverse individuals working with consistent collaboration and dedication to the common goal of providing quality public library services to all residents of the community. Attendees will be able to recognize the habits of effective boards, understand the value of effective recruitment and self-evaluation, and appreciate the importance of continuing education in developing a dynamic, high performing group that operates with the best interest of the library at heart. Please register online at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2990290505448788493.
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Administration & Management
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According to the NYS Archives Local Government Records Retention Schedule LGS-1, recordings of meetings of a governing board/committee or otherwise subject to the Open Meetings Law, should be retained for at least 4 months after the transcript or minutes are created. The transcript or minutes should be retained permanently. If a meeting is not of the governing board or otherwise not subject to the Open Meetings Law, then the recording could be disposed of when no longer needed.
MHLS is seeking member library director input on their staff salary and benefits. Action Memo 20-09: Salary and Benefits Survey will be released through the MHLS-Notice list today, Tuesday, December 1st. Please respond to Action Memo 20-09 by December 22nd. The Salary and Benefits Survey will assess library background, salary, health, and retirement benefits for staff serving in various positions in MHLS member libraries.
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REALM Test 6 results announced. For Test 6, five materials commonly found in furnishings and exhibits of archives, libraries, and museums including glass, marble, laminate, brass, and powder-coated steel. Results show that after two days, SARS-CoV-2 virus was not detectable on the brass and marble. After six days, virus was not detected on the glass, laminate, and powder-coated steel. The materials were provided by National Park Service, Metropolitan New York Library Council, the Library of Congress, and library supply vendors. For more information, visit the REALM website.
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Job Openings
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Library Clerk & Adult Programmer, Millbrook Library
Performs a variety of library circulation procedures with a strong customer service focus and runs high quality adult programs that benefit the community.
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Performs all circulation desk, including
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Check materials in/out/renew materials
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Reserve materials
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Collects fines and fees daily
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Performs all opening/closing procedures in work area/public areas
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Assists patrons who want to borrow or return library materials.
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Issues library cards according to established procedures.
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Attends to all circulation problems in a professional and timely manner. This includes but is not limited to processing overdue notices, expiring patron records, and outstanding holds.
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Responds to general information requests by telephone and in person. Utilize library resources such as databases, reference materials, and the Internet to supply needed information.
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Schedules and runs adult programs, including set-up and clean up.
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Assists with library outreach events as needed.
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Develop observations and understanding of community needs into effective library services and programs.
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Work collaboratively with other members of the Library staff, Board, and Friends group to generate program ideas and coordinate development.
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Cultivate relationships with community members, artists, and local organizations to garner feedback and potential partnerships.
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Evaluate program success.
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Any other routine tasks as assigned by the library director
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Library experience preferred
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Must be familiar with Zoom and capable of running online events.
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Program planning, presentation, or training experience
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Ability to learn Dewey Decimal system, automated circulation system, online meeting software, and library circulation policies and procedures
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Ability to create courteous pleasant first impression of library
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Ability to establish good patron rapport
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Computer skills (Familiar with Microsoft Word, Gmail, Zoom, Canva, etc.)
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Physical ability to bend to floor level, stretch, reach, lift and carry books
Hours: Tuesdays, 9:45 am - 6:15 pm., Wednesdays, 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm, and Thursdays 9:45 am - 6:15 pm Regular Saturday rotations, 9:45 a.m. - 4:15 p.m. Additional hours as programs demand.
Compensation: $15.00/ hr. This position includes vacation, personal, and sick time, and some paid holidays.
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Please submit a résumé and cover letter to Courtney Tsahalis at director@millbrooklibrary.org.
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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