Blog Archives

Text & Email Notification is Here!!!

September 13, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

elfMHLS has purchased a one year subscription to Library Elf Premium Service for all member libraries based on recommendations from the MHLS Resource Sharing Advisory Committee and MHLS Directors Association. Patrons who sign up with Library Elf through their library’s website can easily keep track of:
• Due dates
• Overdue materials
• Requested items ready for pickup

Patrons can choose:
• Notifications via text or email
• Customizable dates of notification
• Consolidated notifications
• Manage more than one library account

MHLS encourages all library staff members to familiarize themselves with this new service! Acquaint yourself with the available features of Library Elf. Additional details can be found on the Elf FAQ. For any questions or to have the Library Elf link added to your MHLS hosted website, please contact techsupport@midhudson.org

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Access to ConsumerReports.org is Live!

September 6, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

ConsumerReports_org_button_200x100All libraries are now able to offer free access to ConsumerReports.org to their patrons!

If your library website is managed by MHLS, MHLS Tech Support has added the link to this resource to your library website. They have also added it to the county eResources/HOMEACCESS pages.

Promotional Materials & Graphics:
Promo Materials
Graphics
(select “ConsumrReports.org” from list you see at each link)

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Get Certified!

September 6, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

NYLA_Sustainability logo_FINALGet Certified! The New York Library Association’s Sustainability Initiative is partnering with the Westchester Green Business Council and the New York State Energy & Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) to provide access to a tool that will help your library incorporate environmentally sustainable practices into operations and ultimately achieve certification as a “Sustainable Library.” An informational event to learn more will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 from 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM Montrose, NY at the Hendrick Hudson Free Library – Westchester’s first WGB-Certified library! At this event you will learn more about a pilot program launching in 2017 through NYLA to become certified as a Sustainable Library and to have your library’s registration fee waived for the Westchester tool! To learn more and to register: http://bit.ly/2bP2AYJ

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Trustee Education This Fall

September 6, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

trusteeed

This October MHLS is offering multiple opportunities for Trustees to learn more about their role at the library.

  • The Inside and Outside of Evaluations: How they impact planning, growth & funding – a webinar presented by Dr. Terry Kirchner, Executive Director, Westchester Library System. Wednesday, October 12th from 10:00 – 11:00am. Click here to learn more and to register.
  • Essential Trustee Duties and Responsibilities Great for new board members, but open to all. Four dates and locations to choose from:
    • Tuesday, October 18th from 10:15am-12:30pm @Germantown Library
    • Wednesday, October 19th from 5:30-8:00pm @MHLS Auditorium
    • Thursday, October 20th from 5:30 – 8:00pm @Heermance Memorial Library in Coxsackie
    • Saturday, October 22nd from 9:30 – 11:45am @Kingston Library

      Visit http://calendar.midhudson.org to learn more and to register.

 

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Engage! Webinar Series

August 30, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

community engagement

Engage! Webinar Series now available “on demand”! Community Engagement is the biggest trend in libraries today. To help member libraries learn more about what it is, how it’s done and what it looks like in real life MHLS Staff have created a new webinar series available at your convenience through the supporting web page: https://midhudson.org/engage

At this web page you will find five archived webinars:

  • Community Engagement Works! The kick-off webinar to the series presented by MHLS Coordinator for Library Sustainability, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich
  • Phoenicia Rising, an interview with Elizabeth Potter, director of the award-winning Phoenicia Library
  • Democracy in Action, a presentation by 2016 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, Erica Freudenberger, director of the award-winning Red Hook Public Library
  • Outside the Library, an interview with Julie Kelsall-Dempsey, director of the Highland Public Library and current President of the Ulster County Library Association
  • DIY Coding Program, a presentation by Jen McCreery, Director, and Pam McClusky, Cybrarian, of the Desmond-Fish Library in Garrison
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Director-Board President Relationship

August 30, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

leadership

The MHLS Leadership Circle will meet after the September 7th Directors Association meeting from 12:30 – 2:30pm. This event is designed for MHLS member library directors to provide an opportunity to discuss the opportunities and challenges of being a library leader. Our topic this time around will be the Director-Board President Relationship. At this event we will discuss:

  • Healthy characteristics of the director-board president relationship
  • Best practices for co-leading the library with the board president
  • Case studies

Please register online for this event.

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Trustee Road Trip!

August 23, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

mhlstrustees

MHLS Trustees Myrna Sameth, Stuart Auchincloss and Lynne Ridgeway (l-r) – all of whom represent the libraries of Ulster County on the MHLS Board – recently visited the Phoencia Library to “talk shop” and get a tour of the library.

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New Webinar for Trustees

August 23, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

nyslA free webinar for Trustees from the New York State Library: Sustainable Thinking for the Future of Libraries, presented by MHLS’s own Coordinator for Library Sustainability, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, will be offered on Thursday, September 8th from 2:00 – 3:00pm.

Webinar Description: Libraries must take an active, visible role in building sustainable, resilient and regenerative communities. Our future as libraries depends on it. “Sustainable Thinking” is a concept that aligns the core values of libraries with the “Triple Bottom Line” definition of sustainability, to result in libraries that have the capacity to endure, can bounce back in the face of disruption and bring new and energetic life to their communities. In this session we will explore how to infuse the core value of sustainability into everything we do, taking a whole systems approach to leading our libraries into the future and building our base of support among those we serve along the way.

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Sierra Tips & Tricks

August 23, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

sierra

Sierra Tips & Tricks – Little known features to save you time and frustration! This session is targeted to library staff using Sierra for collection development or data entry of any kind. If you regularly log into Sierra, this workshop is for you.

Thursday, September 22nd
10:00pm – 12:00pm
MHLS Auditorium
105 Market St., Poughkeepsie 12601

This workshop will feature a panel of Sierra Aficionados ready to share some overlooked Sierra features that will help you with housekeeping, collection development, and increasing circulation. This workshop will focus on sharing knowledge and conversation. Share what works best and get new ideas from others who do what you do.

Panelists:

  • Daniela Pulice, Director, Pleasant Valley Library: Common Sierra Errors and How to Avoid/Fix Them

  • Katie Scott-Childress, Director, Olive Free Library: High Demand Holds for Acquisitions
  • Pam McCluskey, Cybrarian, Desmond-Fish Library (Garrison): Using Create Lists to Find ‘Missing’ Books

This event will be facilitated by Thomas O’Connell, MHLS Automation Coordinator. Please register online

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How has your library helped to contribute to civic engagement in 2016?

August 16, 2016 By rsmith With Comments are off for this post

questionmarkIn keeping with our Annual Membership Meeting theme, Libraries: Cornerstones of Democracy in our Communities, MHLS is seeking examples of how member libraries are catalysts for civic engagement in their communities. Civic engagement refers to the ways in which citizens participate in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community’s future. Civic engagement includes:

  • Volunteering
  • Voting
  • Participating in civic and social organizations
  • Engaging in activities that strengthen community
  • Participating in public dialogues and problem solving sessions, and
  • Working to make a difference in their communities

Source: Library Priority: Community-Civic Engagement,
Urban Libraries Council Leadership Brief, Fall 2011

How has your library helped to contribute to civic engagement in 2016? Let us know by emailing MHLS Coordinator for Library Sustainability, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich: rsmith@midhudson.org Deadline: Friday, September 9th, 2016.

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