Public Library District Toolkit |
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State Library staff worked with co-authors of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Executive Director and Jerry Nichols to produce this new toolkit. Available on the State Library’s website, and as a printable/downloadable PDF, the new toolkit conveys the technical aspects of stabilizing library funding and governance structures, and provides guidance and empowerment to help the library leaders of today ensure access to local library services for the communities of tomorrow. This new resource will assist library leaders in exploring options to stabilize a library’s future using strategies that have a proven track record in New York State. The new Public Library District Toolkit explains the various options available in detail and provides information on the steps necessary to achieve long-term success.
Highlights include:
- Introduction of Consolidated Legislative District Model
- Updated handbook on using the Municipal Ballot Option
- Answers to Questions about the NYS Property Tax Cap
- Sample legislation, petitions, and answers to FAQS
Questions about this new resource may be directed to Library Development Specialist Frank Rees, Program Manager for Public Library System Services, Division of Library Development, New York State Library at Francis.Rees@nysed.gov. |
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Bookkeeper – Part-time (24 hrs. / week)
MHLS seeks an experienced and well-organized professional for the position for the Part-time Bookkeeper. This position 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 payroll data, purchases, and invoices. Provides support to MHLS staff, Correctional Facility Librarians, and Member Library staff. Performs general office and other duties.
Administrative Assistant – Part-time (20 hrs. / week)
This position provides assistance to the executive director and business office by coordinating activities related to the MHLS Board of Trustees and Directors Association; supports finance operations; special events planning; maintenance of member information; and assistance with general office duties. Strong candidates for this position are committed to good customer service, have a strong background with Microsoft Office products, are good writers and communicators, are highly organized, and enjoy working in a team environment.
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Reminder: The Sierra and Encore servers will be moving from Amazon to ProQuest hosting facility in the early hours of March 30th. Details about the move are posted at https://kb.midhudson.org/sierra-ip-change/. Information will be posted on the notices list as it becomes available on the day of the move. |
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Kingston Library, Red Hook Public Library, Starr Library (Rhinebeck), Morton Memorial Library & Community House (Rhinecliff) and Tivoli Free Library are collaborating with Bard College for Big Read Hudson Valley: Spanning the Hudson River with Words.
To support Bard’s NEA Big Read grant each library will be offering reading groups, performances, workshops, and events from April 6th -30th based on the following titles:
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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
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The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
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Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
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Join the New York State Library on April 5th at 12:30 pm to learn about Brooklyn Public Library’s Information Literacy course, Information Literacy Instruction for Library Professionals. A new continuing education course developed by Brooklyn Public Library in partnership with Syracuse University iSchool helps library workers hone their information literacy and research skills while providing strategies for sharing this knowledge with the general public. This is a free, self-paced, online course designed for all library workers in any position at any library. Library directors and managers can take advantage of this high-quality training for their staff, with 12 contact hours of continuing education credit available for graduates. Seats are unlimited and groups are encouraged! The enrollment deadline has been extended to May 1 st, 2022, but the course must be completed by July 31 st, 2022. After that date the course will no longer be supported.
This online informational event is free to attend but registration is required. |
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Resource Sharing & Sierra |
Register today to reserve your spot for Sierra Data Entry: How brief is too brief? on April 25th at 10:00 am. This webinar is intended for any staff responsible for entering brief bibliographic or item records into Sierra. It will focus on the information to include in each field, and how that information may differ depending on the type of material being cataloged. |
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Reserve your seat for Esports in Libraries on April 21st at 1:00 pm. This online session will be facilitated by MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator Casey Conlin.
Video games may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the word “library,” but when you look closely, an esports team has all the hallmarks of a perfect library program: it builds community and contributes to positive outcomes for teen library patrons, including leadership and entrepreneurial and media literacy skills. There’s also social-emotional learning involved; teamwork and sportsmanship are key to esports league play. Basing an esports team in a public library is also a way to make gaming more accessible and equitable for teens. Running an esports team might seem daunting for library staff that don’t play video games, but you don’t need to be a gamer to run a successful program. Library staff already possess the skill set needed to get an esports team up and running. This session will show you how!
This event will include presentations from Lindsay Cesari, School Librarian and Esports Coach, Baldwinsville Central Schools and Amy Smith, Head of Programs & Youth Services, Red Hook Public Library. There will also be time for questions and answers at this session.
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In observance of National Library Week (April 3rd-9th), New York Library Association (NYLA) is hosting their 3rd Annual #NYLibraryWeek! NYLA created a calendar of themed days for April 4 th-7 th with easy ways to join in the celebration and showcase your library. View the calendar and download the Social Media Toolkit to get started. |
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Administration & Management |
On March 16th, 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed three bills into law that effectively amend the New York Human Rights Law (HRL) to increase sexual harassment protections for employees in New York. One bill amends the definition of “employer” under the HRL to explicitly include the State and all public employers. The new law will take effect immediately and be deemed to have been in full force and effect as of the effective date of Chapter 161 of the laws of 2019. The second bill amends the HRL to include the release of an employee’s personnel file because the employee opposed any practices forbidden under the HRL or because the employee filed a complaint, testified, or assisted in any proceeding to possibly constitute “retaliation” prohibited under law. The new law will take effect immediately. The third bill amends the HRL to require that the New York State Division of Human Rights establish a toll-free confidential hot line for complainants of workplace sexual harassment. The new law will take effect in 120 days from the March 16th date. |
The Division of Library Development’s Understanding SHPO: A Primer for Library Construction Projects online session will take place on April 6th at 10:30 am. This webinar is designed for public and association libraries and library systems to learn more about the process of submitting a library construction project to funding from the State Aid for Library Construction program including an overview of SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office). This event is free, but registration is required. |
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