Get Ready For Library Card Sign-Up Month (MHLS Bulletin) 8.8.23

Vol.23-32 | 8.8.23

Get Ready For Library Card Sign-Up Month

September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide unite to remind parents, caregivers and students that signing up for a library card is the first step towards academic achievement and lifelong learning. ALA provides a variety of free tools and ideas for promoting Library Card Sign-up Month in your local community. Visit https://www.ala.org/conferencesevents/celebrationweeks/card for more info!

This year, Disney and Pixar have allowed their Elemental characters, Ember and Wade, to help spread the word about the value of a library card during Library Card Sign-up Month 2023. A Library Card is Elemental! Disney and Pixar’s Elemental is an all-new film set in Element City, where fire-, water-, land- and air residents live together. The story introduces Ember, a tough, quick-witted and fiery young woman, whose friendship with a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy named Wade challenges her beliefs about the world they live in.

MHLS Announcements

MHLS welcomes BJ Vickery as our new Cataloging Specialist! BJ can be reached at bvickery@midhudson.org and phone ext. 254.

A reminder from the MHLS Delivery Department:

Please help delivery run as smoothly and efficiently as possible by providing a clear path to your library’s incoming and outgoing bin location, notify us of any lock and key changes in advance, and provide any feedback on the service and drivers.

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

MHLS Libraries

Dover Plains Library is the latest member library to go fine free! We are now up to 56 libraries that are completely fine free and 4 libraries that are partially fine free.

If your library is interested in going fine free the MHLS Tech department is happy to help you explore the idea. The Tech department uses the opportunity to review the loan rules already in place for your library which require 1-2 weeks to turn around depending on the size of the library and the current state of your loan rules. For more resources about going fine free please visit

https://midhudson.org/fine-free-libraries/.

Resource Sharing & Sierra

Join MHLS staff for Requesting Items: System Holds, SEAL & OCLC on September 13th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Your patrons have access to materials beyond the library’s own collection. In this training we will discuss the resources available including:

System Holds and consortial access: There are over 2million items in our library system collection, and you patrons have access to them all. Learn more about accessing the resources within the Mid-Hudson Library System.
Southeastern New York Library Resources Council (SENYLRC) connects our library system to the libraries in our region through their SEAL (Southeastern Access to Libraries) catalog. Kelsey Milner will provide information on using this resource to expand access to resources available in the academic, special, public, and school library community of our region.
Interlibrary Loan through MHLS expands access to the collections of over 10,000 libraries in 50 countries. MHLS staff will discuss when to choose this option and review the process for requesting.

Sustainable Libraries

Join WebJunction and the Sustainable Libraries Initiative (SLI) for the second session in the Sustainable Libraries Initiative Webinar Series, Climate Action Planning (Part 1): An Introduction on Wednesday, August 16th at 2:00 pm.

Presented by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Executive Director and Co-Founder & Current President of the Sustainable Libraries Initiative, this webinar series is designed to support libraries and their staff by providing real-world examples of libraries successfully engaging in sustainable thinking in ways that align our profession’s core values with decisions around services, programs, governance, operations, and partnerships.

Reference & Collection Development

MHLS Data Operations Supervisor, Nina Acosta has put together a curated collection of eBooks and audiobooks through OverDrive to celebrate Women in Translation Month which honors women writers and translators from around the world and how women have shaped the international exchange of literature. The collection is pinned to the front page of https://mhls.overdrive.com/ and will be up throughout August.

Programming

Kindergarten Gear Up is a free 10-lesson customizable curriculum for public libraries that prepares kids and caregivers with the skills needed for kindergarten. The program is especially targeted towards families whose children have not had the opportunity to attend preschool. The program was designed by the San Diego County Library, California State Library and Southern California Library Cooperative.

Trustee Resources

Don’t miss the next session in the Trustee Handbook Book Club Series, Strategic Planning, on August 15th at 5:00 pm. Trustees are encouraged to review the Sample Planning Process Outline available in the appendix of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State prior to this event, along with the Planning and Evaluation chapter of the Handbook.

In the News

National

Top librarian calls 'Marxist lesbian' tweet backlash 'regrettable' | NBC News | 8.7.23

A 'teen council' at the Brooklyn Public Library combats book bans nationwide | Gothamist | 8.2.23

Judge Finds Revived Amazon E-book Monopoly Suit Should Proceed | Publishers Weekly | 8.1.23

Judge blocks Arkansas law allowing librarians to be criminally charged over ‘harmful’ materials | AP News | 7.29.23

Campbell County library board fires director; hundreds attend special meeting | Gillette News Record | 7.28.23

Booksellers, Industry Groups File Suit to Block Texas Book Rating Law | Publishers Weekly | 7.25.23

Tracie D. Hall Is Leading Her Fellow ‘Warrior’ Librarians In The Fight Of The Century | Forbes

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