Vol.24-22 | 5.28.24

The New York Library Association (NYLA) Conference Scholarship from the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) is designed to help provide new library directors and new library staff with the opportunity to attend the Annual Conference of the New York Library Association by matching funds provided by the library to underwrite conference attendance. “New” is defined as serving in the role of director or at the library as a staff person for three years or less.

This is a competitive scholarship. One application per library will be accepted. Maximum request: $500. Minimum request: $250. Member libraries applying for the grant must agree to at least match the awarded amount.

Eligibility requirements:

• A “new” director or staff person must have been in their role for three (3) years or less.
• The member library’s board must designate the eligible staff member and authorize the library to apply for this award. This action should be recorded in the board’s minutes.
• The attendee must provide a personal statement that answers the following questions:
• Why are you interested in attending the NYLA annual conference?
• How do you think attending the NYLA annual conference will assist you with your library responsibilities?
• How do you plan to share what you have learned with others?

Please complete the Application Form and send it to Laura Crisci, MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator by Friday, June 21st by email at lcrisci@midhudson.org. Recipients will be notified in July to ensure they can take advantage of the early bird registration deadline for the conference.

For more information, see the MHLS NYLA Conference Scholarship page. Contact MHLS Library Sustainability Coordinator, Laura Crisci, with any questions. 

The New York State Department of Health recently launched its WIC virtual assistant, Wanda, in Spanish. In less than three minutes, potentially eligible participants can chat with Wanda in English or Spanish to learn about WIC, find out if they may be eligible, and get referrals to nearby WIC offices. This expanded Wanda service provides greater and more equitable access to WIC for a traditionally underserved community. The new toolkit raises awareness of the availability of Spanish Wanda while also promoting the ease and simplicity of connecting to WIC through Wanda. Messaging also highlights WIC’s health and nutrition services, as well as WIC modernizations that increase access and facilitate participation in WIC, including remote services, online nutrition education, the eWIC card, and more. 

Get the toolkit in English and Spanish by clicking here: Wanda Toolkit.

The next New Directors Forum is scheduled as an in-person event directly after the June 11th Director’s Association meeting in the MHLS Auditorium. Lunch will be provided. Register for this event here.

Our topic for this session will be the Administrator's Sierra Checklist with Laurie Shedrick, MHLS Assistant Director and Technology Operations Manager.

As always, we will also reserve some time to tackle new directors' questions on any topic, not just our focus for this instance of the forum. Submit your questions through this form: https://forms.gle/GVVDxvEGmprPXTfWA.