Monthly Archives: March 2015

Building Community Support Through Programming

March 3, 2015 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

Building Community Support through Summer Reading & Year-Round Collaboration – Programming for All Ages Workshop: Wednesday, March 25 from 10:00am – 12:00pm @MHLS.

Libraries have long been committed to building healthy, thriving communities, but they are now seeing an increased need to create and build strategic partnerships and expand relationships with the larger community.

Family programming is a great way to reach people in your community. Hear from a panel of practitioners about programming events they designed with community partners, which brought families in to enjoy the library together, and resulted in year-round collaborations.

Guest presenters are:

  • Jeanne Bogino (New Lebanon Library partnering with Flying Deer Nature Center)
  • Nicole Guenkel (Poughkeepsie Public Library District partnering with Cornell Cooperative Extension)
  • Lucille Merry (Desmond-Fish Library partnering with Garrison Art Center)
  • Katie Scott-Childress (Olive Free Library partnering with Town of Olive Recreation Program & Camp)

Please register online for this event

 

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Special Legislative Library Districts and Governor Cuomo’s Veto

March 3, 2015 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

In November of 2014 Governor Cuomo vetoed Starr Library of Rhinebeck’s special district legislation. This legislation would have authorized the voters of the town of Rhinebeck to create the Starr Public Library District, the funding and governance model promoted by the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, the NYS Division of Library Development and the Mid-Hudson Library System. This veto was unprecedented, in fact, this Governor signed two identical bills into existence for the Grinnell Public Library District in Wappingers Falls and the Reed Memorial Library District in Carmel.

Reintroduction of this legislation is part of the local legislative advocacy that is going on behind the scenes. Stephen Cook, director of Starr Library is working with a statewide taskforce, which includes MHLS Coordinator for Library Sustainability Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, to educate the Governor’s staff and work Rhinebeck’s state representatives to move this bill forward.

We ask that you stay tuned on this issue, you should be concerned that the Governor would block a pathway to sustainable funding for a public library, this could impact the future of libraries for decades to come. Your strength as a library advocate will be called on when the time is right. Funding for libraries must be sustainable and decisions about library funding should be in the hands of the taxpayers. MHLS will continue to fight the good fight to ensure sustainable funding options for libraries are protected.

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