In 2024, the State Legislature passed S.7093-A, critical legislation updating New York’s State Aid for Library Construction program to better support library construction needs statewide. Gov. Hochul has until 7/30 to sign S.7093-A for it to impact aid included in this year’s budget.
Please use this form, supplied by the New York Library Association (NYLA) to let the Governor know the library community fully supports this bill!
With election coverage heating up, now is a great time to help our communities gain the skills and resources they need to build resilience to misinformation.
The American Library Association (ALA) teamed up with nonprofit journalism school and research organization, Poynter Institute, to create a collection of open educational resources to help library workers teach media literacy to audiences of all ages. The Be MediaWise : A misinformation Resilience Toolkit for Libraries officially launched at the end of June.
The kit is composed of eight modules that libraries can use to bring high quality media literacy education to the communities they serve. The modules are made up of:
• videos
• interactive activities
• premade slide decks
A facilitator’s guide is included, and the materials can be customized or used right out of the box. Users can also provide feedback on the use of the toolkit here.
The Public Libraries Section (PLS) of NYLA (New York Library Association) has announced the following awards for the 2024 NYLA Conference:
The PLS Conference Scholarship Awards encourage public librarians (professional degree not required) now in the field, or students in library school, to participate in the 2024 NYLA Annual Conference, taking place in Syracuse, NY between November 6th and 9th, 2024. PLS will award three Conference Scholarships of $600 each.
The PLS Innovative Program Award recognizes and honors innovative, impactful programming in libraries throughout New York State. The award consists of a plaque for your library and a cash prize of $600.
The PLS Building Award focuses on the impact that a new construction project has had on the library’s ability to provide services to its community. The selected library will receive a $1,000 cash award, a display plaque and an official press release from the Public Libraries Section of NYLA for the library to distribute to local media outlets.
The deadline to apply is August 1st. Questions may be sent to judith.wines@uhls.org.
The NYS ConnectALL Office has released a Request for Applications for the Digital Equity Technical Assistance grant program. This program is a technical assistance funding program intended to help applicants advance their capacities in preparation for the Digital Equity Capacity Grant and Digital Equity Competitive Grant programs, which will be administered starting in 2025. Public libraries and public library systems are among the entities eligible to apply for the technical assistance funding, as well as for the DE Competitive Grant program.
Find more information on the Digital Equity Technical Assistance program here. The application window closes on July 30, 2024.
An engaged and active library board plays a big role in making a library successful at delivering services to its community.
Does your board excel at community outreach and advocacy? Do your trustees show leadership within their community to help the library move forward? If you have or are on a board of trustees that is particularly engaged and productive within their role as trustees, consider sharing your story at the New York Library Association (NYLA) Conference this fall.
A group from the Ossining Public Library is creating a panel of trustees and library directors who can share success stories and best practices. If you’d like to speak about your experience and possibly join the panel, please contact Meghan Huppuch at mhuppuch@ossininglibrary.org.
Many library trustee terms began on July 1. This is an important reminder that New York State Public Officer’s Law §10 requires all public library trustees (but not association library trustees) to take and file an oath of office within 30 days of beginning their term. Public library trustees are public officers and the oath of office is required to officially undertake and perform the duties of a public library trustee. If a public library trustee does not properly complete and file an oath of office, the trustee’s position may be deemed vacant (see Public Officer’s Law §30(1)(h)).
For more information about how and why the oath of office is administered, and where to properly file an oath of office, please see the Trustee Oaths of Office on the New York State Library website.
Questions about Trustee Oaths of Office may be directed to Frank Rees, Public Library System Services Program Manager, Division of Library Development, New York State Library.
