Blog Archives

Upcoming Trustee Education

Trustee Handbook Book Club: Open Meetings Law | January 27 | 5 – 6 PM | Online 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

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Sierra Upgrades

Innovative will upgrade our Sierra system, beginning at 9 PM on Tuesday, December 16th. The upgrade will be available to staff on Wednesday, December 17th. Staff will notice a brief delay when starting their sessions on the morning of Wednesday, December 17th. We recommend that staff begin starting Sierra with a staggered approach, starting one station at a

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NYLA Developing Leaders Program 2026

The Developing Leaders Program’s mission is to connect, educate, and empower rising leaders in the library profession. This comprehensive program, running from February to June, is tailored for library professionals with a minimum of three years of experience looking to explore and strengthen their leadership skills. This year NYLA has shifted the start to coincide

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T-Mobile is committing up to $25 million through 2026 to support small towns, villages, and territories across America by funding community projects.

The T-Mobile Hometown Grants program funds projects to build, rebuild, or refresh community spaces that help foster local connections in your town. Projects should be shovel-ready, physical builds or improvements that can be completed within 12 months of receiving Hometown Grants funding. Applications will be open on a quarterly basis with the following schedule: The portal will

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Libraries can now access the 2026 Summer Reading Program Manual.

Each public library in NY state has access to the CSLP manual online. The CSLP manual is an idea book of programs, booklists, printables, artwork and other resources that you may use in planning and delivering your summer library program. It also includes a collection of posters, banners, art spots, and other graphic files to accompany the Unearth a Story™ theme.  

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All U.S. public libraries are invited to participate in the Public Library Association’s (PLA) annual survey by December 13, 2025.

It gathers information about your library’s programs, services, partnerships, and facilities that are geared towards meeting needs and fostering resilient communities. Your participation will help make the results powerful and actionable for your library and libraries across the country. One person should complete the survey on behalf of their library. To access the survey, log

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Digital Navigators of the Hudson Valley – New Cohort Forming Now!

Applications are now open to Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) member library staff to become trained “Digital Navigators,” an integral part of the digital inclusion network in the Hudson Valley. Digital Navigators are trusted guides trained to assist residents with a variety of technology needs, including getting an email address, navigating government websites, securing free or

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We are looking for feedback from Road Trip participants!

In addition to the data survey we sent to Library Directors, we are asking anyone who participated in the 2025 MHLS Road Trip Challenge to complete this evaluation survey. This survey is open to anyone who attempted to complete the challenge, regardless of the progress they made. This includes member library staff that participated. Anyone completing

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The Library Freedom Project’s privacy and intellectual freedom training for library workers is now open for applications! 

Library Freedom Institute covers a wide range of highly relevant and engaging subjects in the privacy, intellectual freedom, and critical technology realm. The 2026 Institute will take place over 15 weeks (starting in late January), consisting of a two-hour virtual meeting every week, as well as an in-person weekend component.Participants will also spend time each

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Announcement regarding our Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, October 24

Due to the impact of the federal government shutdown on the FDR Presidential Museum & Library, where The Wallace Center is located, we will hold the meeting on the same date: Friday, October 24, with the same schedule, at The Academy, 33 Academy Street, Poughkeepsie. Parking: A municipal parking lot is available directly across the street

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