American Library Association’s (ALA) new report, Keeping Communities Connected: Library Broadband Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic, highlights “the impact of broadband access through the nation’s nearly 17,000 public libraries during the pandemic, as well as the need for continued long-term investments in broadband infrastructure and digital inclusion programming. … Libraries rose to the emergency to provide an internet connection and technology to those who otherwise would lack such access. The report documents both widespread practices and unique strategies employed by U.S. public libraries to keep Americans connected during this challenging time.“

– From the ALA press release.

Kingston Library and the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History recently launched a collaboration with the Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project to gather, document, preserve, and share the oral histories of the immigrant experience in their community. The project was motivated by a lack of materials in the library’s Local History collection on the immigrant experience of the latter twentieth and early twenty-first century. Recordings of interviews and transcripts can be accessed through the Kingston Library website. This project began in March 2022 and is ongoing.

The Kingston Immigrant Oral History Project is supported with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the New York State Library by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by Southeastern NY Library Resources Council.

The Library Trustees Association Section (LTAS) of NYLA is presenting the 2022 Velma K. Moore Award to any individual or group of individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the development of library services in New York State. This annual Award was originally established in 1962 with a gift from the Moore family. The $1,500 Award will be given to the recipient’s library or system of choice at the 2022 NYLA Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY. Nominees may include trustees, a community member, library boards, or any individual or group who supports libraries. Nominations can be made by anyone in the library community. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, May 31st, 2022. Further criteria and submission information can be found here.

Catalyst Grants: A new fund to support your climate action. Beginning in June, Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley (PCAHV) will invite proposals for bold actions. Grants will support communities to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate and restore our ecosystems. Grants will range from $5,000 to $50,000.

Applicants must represent a municipality, school, library, nonprofit, or grassroots initiative working in partnership with one or all these groups. Residents from Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, and Putnam are welcome to apply. Underserved communities will receive special consideration.

Learn more and stay up to date at https://www.climateactionhv.org/initiatives/catalyst-grants.