Monthly Archives: April 2016

Leadership Circle

MHLS Leadership Circle: Thursday, May 5th from 12:30-2:00pm (after the DA meeting). Topic: Leading Through Change.

This event is designed for MHLS member library directors to provide an opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges of being a library leader.

At this event, the fourth meeting of this group, we will discuss:
• Leadership in the face of fast-paced change and disruption
• Balancing “keeping up” with proactive leadership
• Key relationships and communications skills that assist a director during times of change

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Keep It Growing!

Keep It Growing: Strengthening Your Friends Group” will be the next topic at the MHLS Friends Support Group! Continuing to develop your library’s Friends group is vital to sustaining the organization long-term. Get tips on membership recruitment and volunteer engagement. Networking within your community and constantly sharing your message will revitalize your core supporters and maintaining the group’s crucial advocacy work for the library.

When & Where: Thursday, May 26th from 5:00 – 7:00pm in the MHLS Auditorium. Light refreshments will be provided. Please register online at http://calendar.midhudson.org

Our Speakers
Lisa-Wemett Lisa C. Wemett, MSLS, is Past President of the Friends of Libraries Section of the New York Library Association. After more than 30 years working in public libraries, Lisa retired in 2009 from the Webster Public Library, located in a suburb of Rochester, where she was the assistant director for thirteen years. For 9½ years, Lisa was staff advisor to the Friends of WPL, helping the organization grow their membership numbers substantially and securing their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the IRS.

Terry Mulee is Second Vice President of the Friends of Libraries Section, promoting the organization to current and potential members. FLS/NYLA has grown 60% during her tenure over the past four years. Terry chairs the Communications Committee, serving as editor of the FLS newsletter and web liaison to maintain the FLS webpage. At NYLA’s annual conference she coordinates the Section’s booth at the trade show encouraging all NYLA members to join FLS.

 

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Mini-Grant for Teen Services Professional Development

happy-teens1 MHLS Mini-Grant available to help underwrite attendance at Teen Services professional development opportunities: MHLS is offering a 75% reimbursement of the cost to member library staff for two national online professional development courses regarding teen services. This mini-grant is made possible through NYS 2016 Coordinated Outreach Categorical Aid to MHLS.

Teen Services Fundamentals is an Infopeople Online Learning Course, approved by ALA’s Library Support Staff Certification (LSSC) program.

  • It runs from May 24th to June 20th.
  • The cost is $150 and MHLS will reimburse $112.50 to the member library.
  • Full information and registration at http://bit.ly/1VC0bk7

Collaborating with Teens to Build Better Library Programs is an ALA eCourse.

Reimbursement will be based on MHLS’ receipt of the form provided on the MHLS Alerts list and a copy of the participant’s certificate of completion by July 6. Questions should be directed to MHLS Assistant Director, Merribeth Advocate: madvocate@midhudson.org

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Starting a Friends Group

friendDon’t have a Friends Group but wish you did? We have partnered with the Ramapo Catskill Library System for a shared workshop that will be held on Wednesday, May 25th from 5:00-7:00pm at the Newburgh Free Library entitled: Getting It Started: Creating and Sustaining a Friends Group for Your Library. There is no charge for MHLS directors, staff or trustees to attend. Please visit http://calendar.midhudson.org for registration information.

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Trustee Essentials

essentialEssential Trustee Duties and Responsibilities, presented by Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, MHLS Coordinator for Library Sustainability and Merribeth Advocate, MHLS Assistant Director

Especially for new board members, but open to all. Library board members looking for essential, baseline information to increase their effectiveness in serving on a library board will benefit from attending this session.

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MHLS Featured in Current Issue of Hudson Valley Magazine!

HV Mag
MHLS Featured in Current Issue of Hudson Valley Magazine!
The April 2016 issue has a 6-page feature article on libraries in the Hudson Valley, including many MHLS member libraries! With more than half a dozen libraries featured the article tells the story of how libraries are adapting, connecting and surprising their communities. From the article:

“Everybody has been predicting the death of libraries and reading forever, but libraries are masters of adaptation. We are what the community needs us to be.” – AnnaLee Giraldo, Director, Kinderhook Memorial Library.

How Local Libraries are Thriving: Turning the Page,” by Mary Forsell, Hudson Valley Magazine, April 2016.

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Greene County Representative for the MHLS Board

Join-the-board MHLS Board Vacancy: The recent resignation of MHLS Board member, Dean Lavin, from Round Top, New York, has created a vacancy from Greene County. Notices have been sent to the Board Presidents and Directors of member libraries in Greene County requesting that they contact Sue Ray, Director of the Catskill Public Library and Chair of the Greene County Directors Association, at 518.943.4230 or director@catskillpubliclibrary.org with recommendations to fill this position. The Board’s primary objective is to foster and improve library services as specified in the MHLS Plan of Service.

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Does Your Community Care About the Hudson River?

Riverkeeper FB 1 MHLS is proud to partner with Riverkeeper to get the word out about the Riverkeeper Sweep, Riverkeeper’s 5th Annual day of service for the Hudson River taking place on May 7th!

We are inviting all member libraries to join us in helping Riverkeeper recruit volunteers throughout the Hudson Valley for 100+ stewardship projects – cleanups and plantings – from NYS to Albany that will be carried out on May 7th. This is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity that can bring your community together around something we all care about!

How you can help:

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National Library Week!

nlw-gene-yang-facebook-post

We all have an awesome opportunity to bring some attention to the importance of libraries this week through your library’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed! Let’s make libraries “go viral” this week!

The American Library Association has provided just about everything you would need to get the word out about why “Libraries Transform”!

  1. Deck out your Facebook page with a NLW Facebook cover art
  2. Add a Twibbon to your personal Facebook image
  3. Post a clever message using the word bubble template like MHLS Marketing & Program Assistant, Kerstin Cruger did here:
    KC
    Your choice of colored bubble here:

Blue Speech Bubble Blue: 8.5 x 11 (PDF)
Blue Speech Bubble 11 x 17 (PDF)
Green Speech Bubble 8.5 x 11 (PDF)
Green Speech Bubble 11 x 17 (PDF)
Red Speech Bubble 11 x 17 (PDF)

  1. Take the Libraries Transform Video Challenge: Help showcase what’s happening at libraries around the country by submitting a 1-2 minute video showing what transformation looks like in your library.
  2. Use one of the most “Liked” graphics on Facebook to increase engagement with your Facebook posse!
    everyday
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Courtesy Notice Implementation Delayed

updateCORRECTED ANNOUNCEMENT: The implementation of Courtesy Notices, as reported in this Bulletin on March 29, has been delayed. Following the last III Sierra software upgrade, MHLS found that Courtesy Notices are not respecting patron notice preferences. The MHLS Resource Sharing Advisory Committee will review the Courtesy Notices function.

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