Category Archives: Director-Home Page

State Aid for Library Construction

The New York State Library has announced that the application portal for 2024/2025 State Aid for Library Construction is now open. • The MHLS deadline for application submissions is Friday, August 9th. There will be no extensions granted for his deadline.• For information and tips on how to successfully login and apply online for State

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New Directors Forum

The next New Directors Forum is scheduled as an in-person event directly after the June 11th Director’s Association meeting in the MHLS Auditorium. Lunch will be provided. Register for this event here. Our topic for this session will be the Administrator’s Sierra Checklist with Laurie Shedrick, MHLS Assistant Director and Technology Operations Manager. As always, we will

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Apply Now for the Friends of Libraries Section (FLS) Randall Enos Conference Scholarship!

Are you a member of a Friends of the Library group? Do you serve as the Staff Liaison to your library’s Friends group? Do you have a stellar Friends group at your library? Could you or one of the Friends volunteers benefit from a professional development opportunity at the NYLA Annual Conference? If you answered

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The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal was created in 2019 to recognize the public library as a vital community asset. When libraries, civic entities, organizations, and the people they serve become close partners, their communities thrive. One winning library will receive $250,000

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Project Outcome Toolkit

Project Outcome is a free toolkit designed to help libraries understand and share the impact of essential library services and programs by providing simple surveys and an easy-to-use process for measuring and analyzing outcomes. Ensuring accessibility in library assessment is crucial to promoting inclusivity, allowing individuals with diverse abilities to fully engage with and benefit

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Scholarship available to attend ALA Annual Conference

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) offers an annual scholarship for library school students and new professionals to attend ALA’s Annual Conference. The Conable Scholarship provides for conference registration, transportation, housing (six nights), and a $300 stipend for meals and other expenses. The deadline to apply is April 26, 2024. For more information, visit the

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Location change for 4/17 Directors Association Business Meeting

PLEASE NOTE: The Directors Association Business Meeting scheduled for April 17th has been moved from in person to online, at 10:00 am. REGISTER

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The theme for National Library Week 2024 (April 7-13) “Ready, Set, Library!,” promotes the idea that in our always-online world, libraries give us a green light to something truly special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most. The American Library Association’s (ALA) website has free tools to

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Join MHLS Executive Director Rebekkah Smith Aldrich for the New Directors Forum

February 23rd from 10:00 – 11:30am. Registration is required.  This informal gathering of New Directors (in your role for 3 years or less) discusses 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

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Update on 2023 Annual Reports

The 2023 Annual Report to the State is NOW open. Recently appointed directors/interim directors have received an email with the library’s login information to access the reporting software. The email is encrypted to protect the sensitive login information. If you have trouble viewing the message, please call Library Sustainability Coordinator, Laura Crisci, at 845-471-6060, ext.

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