Category Archives: Director-Home Page

• November 20: Cleaning Up the Database with Create Lists
• December 5: Sierra Circulation 101
• December 11: Item Data Entry & How Information Affects Loan Rules

Register online through the MHLS Calendar

Ever wonder if you are using the best process for regular tasks in Sierra? Ever wonder if there is a better way? When it comes to Sierra, we think we can help.

If you are a new director looking to make sense of it all, or a seasoned pro looking for a reboot, this service can help to realign processes, so staff make the most of their time and Sierra.

MHLS’ Workflow Consultations are designed to provide an evaluation of your Sierra-related procedures as well as the provision of best practice guidance for library directors and their staff.

Libraries interested in applying for the 2019 MHLS Turning Outwards Program are invited to join us for an introductory webinar on Thursday, November 1st from 2:00-3:00pm that will outline the value of “turning outwards” to seek public knowledge about community aspirations to better guide the future design of library services, programs, partnerships and resource allocation.

Beginning in October 2018 all New York State employers must adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and offer training that meets or exceeds the state law’s minimum standards. For more information please visit the NYS Combating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace web site.

Annual Meeting Pre-Event Survey: MHLS is focusing on the future for our 2018 Annual Meeting! How do you figure out what is going to happen next? Who do you look to for clues to the future? We invite you to share your best thinking to spot future trends through this survey. The results will be shared with all MHLS Annual Meeting participants at the event in November!

The 2018 Summer Reading Program Final Report is now available for MHLS member libraries. For the questions and online report form please visit https://midhudson.org/summer-reading-program/

OGS Green Procurement Webinar Wednesday, September 5th from 11:00am-12:00pm. The webinar will cover green purchasing and the opportunities that are available for using centralized contracts available through the New York State Office of General Services (OGS). Todd Gardner, contract manager at the New York State Office of General Services will explain how to use OGS contracts, describe the most frequently purchased green products and discuss the latest trends in green purchasing. Please register online

As part of a coordinated statewide effort, the New York State Library and its partner organizations are asking library directors to participate in the Opioid Overdose Prevention Measures in Public Libraries Survey. The deadline to complete the survey is August 31^st. Access the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFLNGTH

Sierra is scheduled to be upgraded to version 4.0 on August 14^th. This is a significant release, including new primary data tables. There will also be a minor upgrade to Encore, our online catalog, scheduled for August 16^th. This upgrade will correct an issue that currently returns patrons to the main patron screen after editing their holds, rather than back to the holds menu. More details about both upgrades will be sent via the MHLS Notices Email List. PLEASE NOTE: The Sierra offline client must be installed before 8/14. Please, open a ticket if you have not yet installed the new offline client. techsupport@midhudson.org

The Fall Into Books 20th Annual Children’s & Teen Literature Conference will be held on October 24th. Early bird pricing for this event ends on July 30th. Click here for more information and to register.