Advocacy: Please mark your calendars for Library Advocacy Day, which will be held virtually on Wednesday, March 2. The Governor’s budget, which was released on January 18, includes $96.1M (+$2M) for library aid and $14M for library construction (-$20M). Full funding in 2007 dollars is $102.6M. The budget also releases $150k from the Love Your Library Fund. As always, there will be much work ahead. Check the NYLA Advocacy page for updates.

Welcome to AnnaLee Dragon, the new NYLA executive director! She begins her new position on February 14. Click here for the announcement.

ARPA: We will know about our application in the next few days. For those of you waiting along with us, the end is in sight!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Self Assessment Audit (DEISSA) Version 2: You may have attended our 2020 annual meeting, during which Dr. Kawanna Bright presented the DEISAA V. 2 diversity audit tool that she had developed. Next week, members of SCRLC’s DEIJ Advisory Committee along with some of the Empire State Library Network Councils. will begin developing a library system version, with her approval. The DEISAA V.2 instrument remains available for individual libraries to use.

Book Challenges. Yesterday we held the discussion on the Time article regarding book challenges. It is an issue that our libraries and library systems are confronting, and some interesting points came up including interlibrary loan (what if someone ILLs a challenged book or ends up as a challenge) and shared electronic collections. As I mentioned last month, the American Library Association is a great help in this area. See their Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, & Academic Libraries section. See all of the information available through their Office of Intellectual Freedom. Last month, Stephanie Cole Adams of the Ask the Lawyer service, presented a webinar, Calm, (Legally) Cool, and Collected: Tactics for Libraries Facing Book Challenges and Collection-based Protests, which is now available on the ESLN YouTube channel. WebJunction includes the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Book Censorship in Schools: A Toolkit, though published in 2016, is still relevant.

I hope that you have a nice weekend!

ALA News Press Release

The Surprisingly Big Business of of Library E-Books | The New Yorker

News to share? Let us know through this Google Form

Congratulations to Amanda Calabrese, currently Online Instruction and Electronic Resources Librarian at SUNY Delhi on her new position as the Discovery and E-Resources Librarian at University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus. Thanks for your 10+ years of service to the council on the Educational Services Advisory Committee!

Broome County Public Library eliminates all late fees in 2022 | WSKG

Fingerlakes1

Local libraries offer much more than books | The Daily Star (Oneoneta)

BIPOC Community Call: Wednesday, February 9, 12:00-1:00pm

Next SCHOAM (special collections, historical organizations, archives & museums) 

contact jphilippe@scrlc.org.

January 25, 10:00-11:00am

Donna Eschenbrenner and Eve Snyder of The History Center in Tompkins County will talk about The History Center's unique photo collections and their use in the innovative program HistoryForge, where images, maps, and census data merge to tell the story of Ithaca's built environment and the people who lived there. 

Empire Archive Discovery Cooperative with Jen Palmentiero, January 28

New York State Historic Newspapers with Chuck Henry, February 25

New York Heritage Digital Collections with Ryan Perry, March 25

Empire State Immersive Experiences with Jason (Jay) Barone, April 29

Ask the Lawyer with Stephanie "Cole" Adams, May 27

Ask Us 24/7 with Caitlin Kenney

Academic Overdrive with Christi Sommerfeldt, July 29

Empire Library Delivery with Maria DeGaetano, August 26

Ask the HR Expert with Holly Nowak

LOGIN & PW: scrlc

Wednesdays at 3pm

View all council events on the ESLN Continuing Education Calendar

SAVE THE DATE! April 13-14th for the

Program | Registration

ESLN Webinar: Calm, (Legally) Cool, and Collected: Tactics for Libraries Facing Book Challenges and Collection-based Protests with Stephanie Cole Adams of Ask the Lawyer

All SCRLC archived webinars are available on our YouTube Channel.

Send a request to jphilippe@scrlc.org for access to online classes in design, business, technology, photography, entrepreneurship, film and writing through Skillshare.

In addition to the weekly Tech-Talk newsletter, SCRLC members have access to the Tech-Talk Database, which offers an up-to-date library of technology and communication articles and videos. Login & PW: scrlc.

Wintry view of a snow-covered Carr's Cove in Ledyard, near Aurora. The sun is setting over Cayuga Lake.

Aerial Photography of New York State/Genoa Historical Association

We've finished the design and printing of the companion physical exhibit. These four panels are now available for SCRLC members to borrow for one month at a time. Please fill out this form if you would like to host this exhibit.

Whether you are actively looking for a job or just want to be prepared in uncertain times, SCRLC is offering confidential and objective resume and cover letter review, as well as interview coaching. Let us know what would help you feel prepared. Fill in the form and we will be in touch.

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