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Meeting of the MHLS Central Library/Collection Development Advisory Committee.

Meeting of the Ulster County Library Association.

This is a closed session available only to participants of the 2024-25 Evaluating Our Impact: Summer Reading Program Cohort.

Cohort participants will be directly emailed a link to access this online event.

REGISTER HERE

The American Library Association has called climate change the “greatest challenge of our generation.” In partnership with the Mid-Hudson Library System and Ramapo Catskill Library System,  Sustainable Hudson Valley has designed a program of action planning, training and support for libraries as living laboratories for climate resilience in their communities.  This will help library leadership make their facilities energy-secure, safe and comfortable in extreme weather, and position them  to serve as community hubs for education and action projects to help their surrounding neighborhood deal with climate change.

This cohort program includes 4-sessions to facilitate participants’ understanding of climate resilience needs and opportunities at and around their locations, and the participatory approaches to working with local stakeholder partners to capture these opportunities.

Session 4:  Howland Public Library | Putting it all Together. Based on the outcomes of the place assessment, workshops and input from community stakeholders and partners, each library identifies specific priority projects and a pathway to their implementation.

Meeting of the MHLS Audit Committee.

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At this meetup we’ll check in with MHLS member library teams going for a 414 vote this year, share best practices and ensure your team is on track to hit all of the required milestones for a successful vote. This is also an opportunity to learn from your peers also working on 414 vote campaigns this year.

Meeting of the County Funding Advocacy Group

This event is designed for those working to advocate for county-level funding for member libraries. Directors, staff, trustees and Friends are welcome.

At this event we will discuss:
County funding updates from each county.
Effective strategies to position libraries to receive county funding.
Grassroots advocacy efforts that work.

MHLS will be closed on May 27, 2024 in observance of Memorial Day.

There will be no deliveries and the MHLS ticket system will not be monitored.

Meeting of the Putnam County Library Association.

This is a closed session available ONLY to participants of the May 3rd workshop: Balancing Acts: Cultivating Compassion for Library Worker Wellness. 

This is the second of four, ONLINE mini sessions to help participants of the May 3rd workshop: Balancing Acts: Cultivating Compassion for Library Worker Wellness, apply the principals learned during the workshop.

Workshop participants will be emailed a link to register for this online event.

Though this session will be held online it will not be recorded to help foster a safe space for participants to have an open dialogue.

REGISTER HERE

The Mid-Hudson Library System is partnering with Dutchess BOCES School Library System to offer a free book care workshop with Kimberly Young, the Book Doctor from DEMCO. Book Doctor Workshops provide book care training with the aim of helping you keep your collection in circulation longer.

Training includes protection and repair techniques and offers:

• A hands-on experience
• Ideas for protecting books ahead of circulation
• Tried-and-true methods for a variety of repairs

Kimberly will tailor the 3-hour training to your specific needs but workshops typically cover basic page repairs, tip-ins, hinge and spine repairs, book jacket and laminate applications, and how to reinforce spines.

Hardcover and softcover books, as well as small tools, will be supplied for participants.

Course Instructor: Your Book Doctor is Kimberly Young. She has worked in a wide variety of library settings across regionally, socially, and culturally diverse areas of the U.S. Her work focuses on collection development, material processing, and book care. As the Book Doctor, she has traveled the country helping hundreds of attendees build a range of new skills, a better understanding of processing books, and confidence. Kimberly loves meeting all the new people who are as passionate about book care as she is.

The current Directors Association Meeting Packet will be available at Mid-Hudson Library System Directors Association page.

REGISTER HERE

Libraries are under increasing pressure to connect with the media and to generate publicity that will attract attention, create interest, and win support for their libraries and programs.

Understanding media and publicity can be a daunting task but with the right Public Relations plan in place, you can reach more of your community and promote your library in a way that will build support from your local community members.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to set realistic publicity goals in 3-6 month increments
• How to identify spokespeople in your library that can be introduced to media
• How to write a press release
• How to create and execute a successful public relations strategy
• The best ways to nurture relationships with writers and publications after a story is published
• How to collaborate with local influencers to gain publicity

Presenter: Kosi Harris has been a public relations specialist for the past ten years. She specializes in non profit, consumer products and hospitality clients including: EveryLibrary, Time Warner Center, American Heart Association, Easter Seals, Wethos, Peru Tourism, Bird + Stone Jewelry, Tourette Association of America, Wham-O Toys, Grand Canyon Railway, and Reebok Watches.

She has become adept at amplifying the voices of brands and maximizing client visibility through key relationships with press, media, and prominent influencers such as Harper’s Bazaar, Fatherly, Thrive Global, USA Today, Forbes, People Magazine, Buzzfeed, NY Times, and Yahoo Finance.

This session is co-sponsored by Ramapo Catskill Library System, Mid-Hudson Library System, and Westchester Library System.

Meeting of the MHLS Personnel & Planning Committee.

REGISTER HERE

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

Learning Objectives
Attendees will develop a working knowledge of library funding and organization in New York State; receive a clear overview of stakeholder roles and responsibilities and receive an introduction to Open Meetings Law and best practices for effective board meetings. This webinar provides a foundation of knowledge that other workshops in the MHLS Trustee Education Series will build on.

This is a closed session available ONLY to participants of the May 3rd workshop: Balancing Acts: Cultivating Compassion for Library Worker Wellness. 

This is the third of four, ONLINE mini sessions to help participants of the May 3rd workshop: Balancing Acts: Cultivating Compassion for Library Worker Wellness, apply the principals learned during the workshop.

Workshop participants will be emailed a link to register for this online event.

Though this session will be held online it will not be recorded to help foster a safe space for participants to have an open dialogue.

This is a closed session available only to participants of the 2024-25 Evaluating Our Impact: Summer Reading Program Cohort.

Cohort participants will be directly emailed a link to access this online event.

REGISTER HERE

This intermediate-level course is for trustees who have been on the board for at least a year.
Library boards are trusted with public and private funds to provide quality library service to their community. Transparency and accountability must be at the forefront as a board makes decisions pertaining to the library’s finances. This course will focus on the financial and fiduciary responsibility involved with:

The library’s budget

• Library funding
• Financial policies
• Reports to the board
• External audits

The current Directors Association Meeting Packet will be available at Mid-Hudson Library System Directors Association page.

Followed by a New Directors Forum.

Meet Up for New Directors

Topic: Administrator’s Sierra Checklist with Laurie Shedrick, MHLS Assistant Director and Technology Operations Manager

You are not alone! Join us for an informal gathering of New Directors (in your role for 3 years or less) to discuss relevant topics related to finding your path as a new director. Facilitated by MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, author of the Handbook for New Library Directors in New York State & co-author of the Handbook for Library Trustees in New York State, this program will address questions submitted in advance by attendees, particularly in the areas of working with your board, planning, and project/time management.

Submit your questions here: https://forms.gle/GVVDxvEGmprPXTfWA

Meeting of the Greene County Libraries Association.

This is the workshop for MHLS member libraries participating in the Early Literacy Cohort program. Login information will be sent directly to cohort members.

The monthly Youth Services Rendezvous is open to all Mid-Hudson Library System member library youth services staff who work with birth to teen. Find out what others are doing for programming, outreach, collection development, ask questions of your peers and share things that have worked for you.

For more information about this event please email Christine Pacuk, cpacuk@saugertiespubliclibrary.org or call 845-246-4317 ext. 5.

This event is organized by member library staff.

This is a closed session available ONLY to participants of the May 3rd workshop: Balancing Acts: Cultivating Compassion for Library Worker Wellness. 

This is the final of four, ONLINE mini sessions to help participants of the May 3rd workshop: Balancing Acts: Cultivating Compassion for Library Worker Wellness, apply the principals learned during the workshop.

Workshop participants will be emailed a link to register for this online event.

Though this session will be held online it will not be recorded to help foster a safe space for participants to have an open dialogue.

Meeting of the Columbia County Library Association.

Meeting of the Ulster County Library Association.

Join co-author of the Handbook For Library Trustees of New York State Rebekkah Smith Aldrich and friends for this fun and informative series! At each session, trustees will take a deeper dive on a topic relevant to their role and responsibilities as a library trustee.

REGISTER

Have questions for the panelists? Submit them here.

This event qualifies as trustee education and may be applied towards the NYS Trustee Education Requirements.

MHLS will be closed on June 19, 2024 in observance of Juneteenth.

There will be no deliveries and the MHLS ticket system will not be monitored.

Meeting of the Dutchess County Directors Association.

Meeting of the Putnam County Library Association.

American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition

MHLS will be closed on July 4, 2024 in observance of Independence Day.

There will be no deliveries and the MHLS ticket system will not be monitored.

The MHLS Board Packet will be available on the Mid-Hudson Library System Board of Trustees page.

REGISTER HERE

Get the basics of circulation in Sierra – great for new staff or as a refresher.

This webinar will cover the fundamental knowledge and procedures for working at the circ desk of any MHLS library, including resource sharing among libraries, creating new accounts, managing holds, dealing with fines and fees, and more. Attendees should leave with the confidence to handle the majority of their day-to-day circulation tasks.

Introduction to Sierra Circulation is designed with new staff in mind, but all are welcome.

The webinar will be recorded.

Meeting of the Columbia County Library Association.

Meeting of the Ulster County Library Association.

Meeting of the MHLS Board of Trustees.

Meeting of the Putnam County Library Association.

Meeting of the Columbia County Library Association.