The Board of the Mid-Hudson Library System met on May 13 at the Highland Public Library.
- The Board thanked Julie Kelsall-Dempsey, Director of the Highland Public Library, for her years of dedicated service to the Mid-Hudson Library System on the eve of her retirement. Ms. Kelsall-Dempsey served as chair of the Directors Association, System Services Advisory Committee, and Resource Sharing Advisory Committee during her tenure. She was also recognized as an early adopter of technology and for stepping up to be a pilot library for every new service from MHLS including the new catalog and mobile app.
- The Board received a “clean audit” with no material findings from their new audit firm, EFPR.
- The Board voted to reaffirm the organization’s core values:
- Responsive Customer Service: The staff and board of the Mid-Hudson Library System strive to be active listeners and timely problem solvers that create a culture of support and professionalism with each other and our member libraires.
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: The staff and board of the Mid-Hudson Library System believe in working together to co-create a society that is free from structural inequities.
- Environmental Stewardship: The staff and board of the Mid-Hudson Library System are committed to minimizing our organization’s ecological impact and maximizing future generations’ ability to live, work, and play in our shared natural environment, with equal access to clean air, clean water, and natural resources.
- Economic Feasibility: The staff and board of the Mid-Hudson Library System are committed to achieving sustainable funding both for the System and for member library services.
- Future-Focused: The staff and board of the Mid-Hudson Library System are devoted to optimizing, balancing, iterating and innovating services to equip member libraries for the future.
- Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, provided the board with an orientation on the topic of eBook and Downloadable Audiobook Licensing and the negative impact this is having on member libraries.
The next meeting of the MHLS Board will be Friday, July 18 in the MHLS Auditorium. All board documents are available at https://board.midhudson.org
