The New York State Education Department, Office of High School Equivalency, announces the availability of a new brochure regarding the Test Accessing Secondary Completion (TASC) writing subtest. The TASC writing subtest is one of five subject area tests required for a high school diploma in New York State. The new brochure helps students prepare for the writing subject area test by providing a guideline to key subject areas as well as tips and strategies for the exam. The New York State High School Equivalency Office is providing this document for distribution to any interested persons through public libraries in the state. Public libraries are asked to contact the office at 518.474.5906 or hse@nysed.gov to request free bulk copies of the brochure for distribution.
Monthly Archives: August 2015
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announces the release of the new Babies Need Words Every Day materials: http://www.ala.org/alsc/babiesneedwords
Did you know? Portions of Ancestry.com pertaining to New York are free to New York State residents. The New York State Archives partnered with Ancestry to digitize some NY state records of interest to genealogists. The resulting databases are free if you live in New York State: http://bit.ly/1J4Q5wt
MHLS is pleased to announce a timely workshop focused on how to use programming at your library to “empower, engage and excite” your community! Are you excited about the potential of programming to further the mission of public libraries to facilitate knowledge creation? Interested to learn more about how to create more community connections through programming? Programming, for all ages, is a significant portion of our current business and an exciting growth area for libraries. What does the future hold? Who is innovating in this area with great results? Here is your chance to hear from five experts on the topic!
The Future of Programming workshop will feature nationally recognized speakers as well as a panel of MHLS member library directors who are making exciting things happen in their community through programming.
When & Where: Thursday, September 24th from 10:00am – 1:00pm at the MHLS Auditorium
(105 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY)
Who:
Janie Hermann, Public Programming Librarian, Princeton Public Library (NJ), is driven by both passion and boundless dedication to ensure that the public programs offered at the library not only meet but exceed the expectations of the Princeton Community. Each year she oversees about 1,600 public programs put together by the amazing team she considers privileged to work with. Her work at the library allows her to interact with a wide variety of local groups and organizations and she truly loves the connections she is able to make each day as a result. Janie is nationally recognized for her leadership in the area of programming: PPL is well known for their Environmental Film Fest, TEDxTalks, technology training, a hack-a-thon and the phenomenal “How-To Fest” earlier this year. Janie was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2007
Erinn Batykefer, Programs Coordinator, New Canaan Library (CT) & Co-founder of The Library as Incubator Project (LaIP). The mission of the Library as Incubator Project is to promote and facilitate creative collaboration between libraries and artists of all types, and to advocate for libraries as incubators of the arts. The Project highlights the ways that libraries and artists can work together, and works to strengthen these partnerships. At a time in which both libraries and arts organizations are often having to do more with less, it makes sense for these two parts of our culture to support each other. The Library as Incubator Project calls attention to one of the many reasons libraries are important to our communities and our culture, and provides a dynamic online forum for sharing ideas. Erinn is particularly interested in social media, community programming and engagement, and library artist residencies and makerspaces. Erinn was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in 2014
MHLS Member Library Director Panel:
Erica Freudenberger, Director Red Hook Public Library
Patti Haar, Director, Patterson Library
Sue Ray, Director, Catskill Public Library
Seating will be limited so register today for The Future of Programming workshop!
The next meeting of the Roundtable for New Directors will be on Wednesday, September 2nd from 12:30 – 2:30pm (after the Directors Association meeting) in the MHLS Conference Room. Our topic will address the role of the library director as “the face” of the library. This roundtable is designed for those who have been directors for 3 years or less.
At this workshop we will cover:
• The importance of the perception of the director in the community
• Best practices for being visible and making connections
• How to balance the need to be visible outside of the library with the work that needs to get done “inside” of the library.
We are very pleased that our special guest speaker at this instance of the roundtable will be Margie Menard, Director of the Kingston Library.
Directors should register online
MHLS would like to thank all of the library advocates who spoke up over the past week to the Governor to attempt to preserve local voter’s rights to decide the fate of their local libraries. Unfortunately the Governor has vetoed both pieces of special district legislation that were passed by the legislature this legislative season, which includes the Starr Library of Rhinebeck’s legislation.
We applaud the board of the Starr Library and library director, Steve Cook, for doing the right thing in pursuing this legislation. Pursuit of the library district model is the #1 recommendation for the future of public libraries from the Regents Advisory Committee on Libraries.
What’s next? Time will tell. Library advocates from around the state will soon turn to the work that needs to be done to find new paths forward. Stay tuned! And again, thank you for your efforts to speak up on this important issue.
Early Bird Registration for the 2015 New York Library Association Conference ends this Friday (August 14th)! The Annual Conference and Trade Show is the largest state library association conference held on the East Coast. Join NYLA for their 125th Anniversary. Offering a wide variety of programs, special events, networking opportunities, and vendor displays, the NYLA Annual Conference and Trade Show offers educational opportunities for all segments of the library community from library staff to trustees.
This year’s keynote address will be given by Dr. R. David Lankes, “Day 45,626.”
There is a lot of buzz about “special district” legislation and the Governor’s veto of this legislation. But what exactly is a special district public library you might ask?
First, let’s define a “district” public library: “….a public library district is a public library which has a process that requires: (a) public election of its trustees; (b) the library to secure 60 percent or more of its operating revenue through a public budget vote; and (c) the library to ensure financial accountability by presenting annually to appropriate funding agencies, and the public, a written budget which would enable the library to meet or exceed the minimum standards (see 90.2) and to carry out its long-range plan of service.” [Source: What is a Public Library District?, NYS Division of Library Development]
A “special” district library is one that has legislation created to help bring it into existence, the legislation is passed at the state level to authorize the local voters of the potential district, those that are to be served by the library, to vote on whether or not to…
Will you stand up for what is right? THE TIME IS NOW! Please use the NYLA Online Advocacy Center to easily speak up for the preservation of the special district public library model in New York, your voice matters. As of August 6, 2015 we have less than a week to stand up for the
ALA Invites public to nominate librarians for the 2015 I Love My Librarian Award
The American Library Association (ALA) asks library users to nominate librarians who have transformed lives and communities through education and lifelong learning for its coveted 2015 I Love My Librarian Award. The award invites library users nationwide to recognize the public service of exceptional public, school, college, community college or university librarians. Library users can nominate their favorite librarians now through September 28 by visiting http://www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian.
