Blog Archives

All member library Summer Reading Program final reports are due Wednesday, September 9th. Your library can access the online form through the MHLS calendar under the due date September 9 or get there directly http://svy.mk/1eATWcd

The Summer Reading Program final report contains information needed for member library Annual Reports as well as to provide New York State (NYS) with important data about public library summer reading programs. All MHLS member libraries are required to submit an online Summer Reading Program final report. Questions about the report should be directed to Kerstin Cruger, MHLS Marketing & Program Assistant

Reminder: NYS considers any program that takes place during the summer months to be a “Summer Reading Program.”

The Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) Board of Trustees has accepted the official claims of serious inequities and hardships from the public library boards of the Beekman Library, the LaGrange Library, and the Millbrook Library. The claims were based on the Town of Union Vale providing less than median or average funding for public library services, and Town residents use of neighboring libraries representing 5% or more of the libraries’ total circulation of materials. The Town of Union Vale has no chartered public library.

MHLS and its 66 member libraries will implement a restriction, as authorized in the state approved MHLS Direct Access Plan, on loaning non-print (DVD’s, CD’s, Audiobooks, Video Games) library materials to the residents of the Town of Union Vale.

RESTRICTION SCHEDULE:
July 27, 2015 – Stop placements of holds on non-print materials by Union Vale residents.
August 3, 2015 – Stop loaning non-print materials to Union Vale residents.

We are pleased to share that three MHLS member library directors have been chosen for the New York Library Association’s ground-breaking Sustainability Initiative Retreat!

• Casey Conlin, Pawling Free Library
• Erica Freudenberger, Red Hook Public Library
• Sarah Potwin, LaGrange Association Library

This group of library leaders join 20 other forward-thinking NYLA members to discuss how libraries will adapt to the changing world and become co-creators in shaping strategies that ensure libraries remain vital, are able to rebound from disruption and provide on-going value to the communities they serve.

Data from the 2014 Annual Report to the State is now available on the MHLS web site.

Libraries that Lend “Things” Webinar: If your library can lend books, why not: • Telescopes and microscopes? • Synthesizers or spinning wheels? • Or even replica dinosaur bones? A chief strength of libraries is making knowledge accessible through the lending of physical objects. Join us for an interactive discussion on building a circulating collection of objects for your library. Together we will explore how to select the tools needed by your community. We will also examine how partnerships with local organizations and events can help raise awareness of your tools collection. At the end of this webinar, participants will: • Identify a starting point for developing a circulating tools collection. • Define community needs and potential partners. • Recognize ways to promote user interaction with your new collection through local and library events. When: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 from 3:00 – 4:00pm. To register for this free webinar or for more information If you are unable to attend the live event, you can access the archived version the day following the webinar.