This year, the New York State Legislature has passed a bill (A.1094-A Galef / S.3023-A Ritchie) that would permit every taxpayer to directly and conveniently support the Summer Reading Program when preparing tax forms. This bill will soon be sent to Governor Andrew Cuomo, who will consider the fate of the program’s future funding.
Send Governor Cuomo a letter of support today through the New York Library Association’s Online Advocacy Center
The MHLS van has found a new purpose as the Olive Free Library’s bookmobile! Congratulations to the Olive Free Library for being the first library in the system to implement an official bookmobile. Chrissy Lawlor, director of the Olive Free Library is pictured above.
Congratulations to…
Each of these libraries will receive $800 from MHLS thanks to funds from the New York State Library’s Family Literacy Library Services grant program. Funds will be used to purchase early literacy materials to support the provision of early literacy programs in their library as part of their participation in the 2016-2017 MHLS Early Literacy Cohort Project. In addition, these libraries each received over $500 of professional materials as well as training in all of the elements of the Ready to Read at New York Libraries: Early Childhood Public Library Staff Development Program.
MHLS Early Literacy efforts focus on training for member library staff in support of making their library a vital community partner and early learning hub in their community.
The end of the New York State legislative session brought good news for MHLS member libraries. The Senate passed a bill authorizing Special Legislative Grants (also known as Bullet Aid) to member libraries totaling $390,000! For a listing of each library’s grant amount check out this week’s MHLS Bulletin.
MHLS will be closed in observance of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4th. There will be no MHLS Delivery Services or Tech Support Services.
FY 2016-2017 State Aid for Public Library Construction Grant Program Awards totaling $728,716 have been announced and thirteen MHLS Member Libraries, along with the Mid-Hudson Library System, have been awarded funds. The application process began well over a year ago so these libraries have been waiting a long time for this announcement!
“Investing in public libraries means investing in our communities,” said Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa. “These funds will help libraries make much-needed renovations and upgrades to better meet the needs of the children, families, and adults they serve every day. We must continue to invest wisely in our public libraries.”
“These funds provide needed financial support to public libraries across the state,” said State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia. “Many libraries in New York lack modern facilities or technology and need to undergo renovation or expansion to better serve the community well into the future. The Board of Regents and I thank Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature for committing these funds.”
“Our libraries are significant educational resources that also serve as community hubs,” said Senator James Seward who serves the 51st Senate District which covers part of the MHLS service region, “In many towns and villages, the local library is also a historic landmark in need of costly technological and accessibility upgrades that must be accomplished while still maintaining the building’s traditional character.”
2017 Awards in the Mid-Hudson Library System
Three candidates sought to fill MHLS Board of Trustee seats: The election of MHLS trustees will be an item of business at the Mid-Hudson Library System’s Annual Membership Meeting, Friday, October 27, 2017. MHLS is governed by a fifteen-member board, three trustees from each of the five counties served. Nominations are due prior to July 1, 2017.
DUTCHESS COUNTY – ONE SEAT:
Send name(s) and contact information of nominee(s) to Stephanie Harrison, Chair of the Dutchess County Directors Association: 845.677.3611 or director@millbrooklibrary.org
PUTNAM COUNTY – ONE SEAT:
Send name(s) and contact information of nominee(s) to Michelle Capozzella, Chair of the Putnam County Directors Association: 845.628.2009 or mcapozzella@mahopaclibrary.org
ULSTER COUNTY – ONE SEAT:
Send name(s) and contact information of nominee(s) to Marge Menard, Chair of the Ulster County Directors Association: 845.331.0507 or director@Kingstonlibrary.org
MHLS is pleased to announce the appointment of Laurie Shedrick to the position of Technology Operations Manager. Laurie begins this week in her new position.
Ms. Shedrick has held the position of Business Manager with Innovative Interfaces Inc. (III) since 2011, a leading library technology solutions company serving thousands of libraries in 66 countries and offices worldwide. At III, she managed account plans for libraries throughout the northeast including MHLS, the Nassau Library System, and the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. She served as the MHLS Automation Systems Manager 2002-2011 and as the Library Director of the Town of Ulster (NY) Public Library 1994-2002. Ms. Shedrick was awarded a Master in Library Science degree from the State University of New York in Albany, and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in History degree from the State University of New York in New Paltz.
“Laurie has exceptional expertise and experience in the development, management, and evaluation of library technology operations,” said Tom Sloan, MHLS Executive Director. “Her outstanding work for III, MHLS, and as a public library director is a superb match for supporting the MHLS community,” stated Sloan.
Ms. Shedrick’s duties will include working cooperatively with MHLS 66 member libraries and a wide range of vendors to administer integrated platform services including the MHLS Sierra/Encore ILS, cataloging services including copy cataloging and the maintenance of more than 650,000 bibliographic records, and IT services including help desk support, technology purchasing, and the hosting of member websites.
All MHLS member libraries have access to TumbleBooks and now there is a new mobile app available to help parents on the run connect their kids with quality content! The new app is now available and is set up to work with all MHLS member library patron barcodes. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.
TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which help to teach kids the joy of reading. The collection also provides enrichment to students who are reading independently with a variety of high interest material. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you. The collection includes a large selection of children’s favorite story books, from leading children’s book publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Chronicle Books, Candlewick Press, Charlesbridge Press, Walker & Company, Annick Press, Orca Books, Lerner Books, and HarperCollins Publishers, amongst others.
