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Vol.25-02 | 1.14.25

Getting Ready for Advocacy Day!

Less than one month to go – Library Advocacy Day is February 5th! We hope you’ll join us in Albany – your attendance can make a BIG impact. Show up and voice your support for funding and policies that benefit libraries.

Get Ready By:

  • Register to Attend Library Advocacy Day in Albany
  • Register for the MHLS Advocacy Day Briefing | January 30 | 10 – 11:00 AM | Online 
  • Join Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) Executive Director and guest speaker Max Prime, Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, NYLA. This event is designed for all library advocates – library directors, staff, trustees, Friends Groups and volunteers – who are interested in speaking up for libraries during the New York budget negotiation season. Between now and April 1st library advocates can influence a number of key issues such as library aid and state aid for library construction.
  • Plan your trip to Albany!
  • Take the bus for only $10.00! Register to reserve your bus seat.
  • Bus pick-up locations:
  • West Nyack – Leaving from West Nyack Park and Ride at Palisades Mall at 7:00 am
  • Newburgh – Leaving from Newburgh Mall at 7:45 am
  • Elmsford – Leaving from Westchester Library System at 570 Taxter Road at 6:45 am
  • Brewster – Leaving from Brewster Park and Ride on NY-312 at 7:15 am
  • New Paltz – Leaving from New Paltz Park and Ride (Thruway Exit 18) at 7:45 am
  • Kingston – Leaving from Kingston Park and Ride (Thruway Exit 19) at 8:15 am
  • Catskill – Leaving Catskill Park and Ride (Thruway Exit 21) at 8:40 am
  • Driving yourself:
  • Directions & Parking information
  • Map of the Empire State Plaza
  • Review the 2025 talking points from the New York Library Association (NYLA)
  • Coming Soon! Check out the MHLS 2025 Advocacy Guide


Stay updated about Advocacy Day details and this year’s critical budget and legislative priorities at midhudson.org/library-advocacy-day/.

MHLS Announcements

A message from MHLS Delivery Operations Manager Tom Finnigan: “As we return to routine volume levels of materials traveling around the system after the holidays, we ask that you please place any accumulated, extra delivery bins next to your regular outgoing bins for the driver to pick up and bring back to MHLS.”

 

For questions regarding MHLS delivery operations please contact Tom Finnigan, Delivery Operations Manager. 

MHLS Libraries

The Palenville Branch Library is on the move! The library has moved the collection to their new location at 144 Malden Avenue, Palenville (formerly The Woodbine Inn). Plans to reopen at the new location are set for late January.

Professional Development

Registrations for the 2025 Youth Services Section (YSS) Spring Conference is now open. Join your youth services colleagues from around the state in Mount Kisco on April 4, 2025, for a full day of learning, inspiration, and connections. Questions? Registration form questions can be directed to events@nyla.org. If you have questions about conference programming, lodging, or planning your conference travel, please contact yss2025conference@gmail.com.

Resource Sharing & Sierra

Introduction to OverDrive Marketplace | February 20 | 10 – 11 AM | Online | REGISTER

In this webinar, Nina Acosta, MHLS Data Operations Supervisor, will provide an orientation to the OverDrive Marketplace for library staff. We will review several reports to help you better understand your patrons’ usage of OverDrive/Libby, and review tools and features that make it quicker and easier to build your Advantage Plus collection. This webinar will be recorded and made available to watch on-demand after the session.

Programming

NYS Talking Book and Braille Library Informational Session | February 20 | 2 – 3 PM | Online | REGISTER

In this one-hour online session New York State Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) Senior Librarian Laurenne Teachout (she/her) will share recent updates to the program, provide an overview of services focusing on institution membership and the important role public libraries play in connecting community members to accessible reading materials. There will be plenty of time for your questions. If you would like to send a question in advance of the event, please email your question to kcruger@midhudson.org with TBBL Information Session in the subject line before February 13th.

This session is open to all member library directors and staff no matter your registration status with TBBL.

Administration & Management

Update to NYSED Funding Opportunity: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Participation Grants


The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has issued a deadline extension and update to the RFP for the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Participation Grants.


REMINDER: Please clear your hold shelf every day the library is open. Clearing the hold shelf purges the holds table of more than the items on your physical hold shelf, it also removes cancelled and expired holds. Please do your part in keeping this very critical process running smoothly by making this a priority task every morning. 

 

You can find instructions and a video tutorial under holds at https://kb.midhudson.org/circulation/.

Job Openings

Library Director, Reed Memorial Library (Carmel)

The Reed Memorial Library of Carmel seeks an enthusiastic full-time (35 hours/week) Library Director I who is committed to the goal of providing excellent library services to our community. The Director will be in charge of the operation of the library and all its facilities; buildings and grounds, select and manage materials for the library’s physical and online collections, pursue connections with local community organizations, and help develop and administer the library’s budget and use of public funds. Previous experience coordinating and overseeing ongoing repairs and maintenance projects is highly desirable. Please see our website for more details https://carmellibrary.org/about-us/staff/.


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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