Due to the weather forecast we are rescheduling the MHLS Webinar: Drafting a Basic Facility Plan to Tuesday, March 21st @2:00pm.
Category Archives: General News-Home Page
MHLS would like to thank the following sponsors of the buses to Albany for Library Advocacy Day last week! Their generosity helped to keep ticket costs at a very reasonable $7 this year!
- Friends of the D.R. Evarts Library (Athens)
- Friends of the Howland Public Library (Beacon)
- Friends of the Cairo Public Library
- The Claverack Free Library
- Friends of Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library (Cold Spring)
- Friends of the Heermance Memorial Library (Coxsackie)
- Friends of the Town of Esopus Library
- Friends of Blodgett Memorial Library (Fishkill)
- Friends of Kent Library
- Friends of the Greenville Public Library
- Friends of the Kingston Library
- Friends of the Mahopac Library
- Elting Memorial Library (New Paltz)
- Friends of the Patterson Library
- Friends of the Pine Plains Free Library
- Friends of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District
- Friends of the Starr Library (Rhinebeck)
- Friends of Saugerties Public Library
- Friends of the Staatsburg Library
- Friends of the Mountain Top Library (Tannersville)
Do you have 10 minutes this week to devote to speaking up for state aid for libraries? Dozens of your fellow library advocates are traveling to Albany this week to speak with legislators and help them help us fight the Governor’s proposed cuts to library aid, but EVERYONE can help this week. Carve out 10 minutes to do “One Act of Advocacy” to support the statewide effort this week:
- Call your state representatives’ Albany office and let them know how you feel about the Governor’s proposed cut to library aid. Contact info for legislators is available at midhudson.org
- Send a letter via email through the New York Library Association’s Online Advocacy Center
- Help someone else send a letter through the Online Advocacy Center
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, NYLA has drafted one to help get you started
- Participate in Virtual Advocacy Day: http://bit.ly/2lKjtaw Use of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get the word out about #NYLALAD17 Don’t forget to tag your legislators so they can see the level of interest among their constituents when it comes to supporting libraries!
We’re one week away from Library Advocacy Day in Albany!
- Advocacy Day Briefing: Didn’t have a chance to attend last Friday’s Advocacy Briefing? No worries! We recorded the event so you can watch it at your convenience!
- Don’t miss the bus! If you are traveling to Albany by bus and haven’t registered yet please do! The deadline is this Thursday, February 23rd
- Can’t come to Albany with us on March 1? You can still be a part of the action! Participate in Virtual Advocacy Day! Save 10 minutes of your day to send an online message and make two phone calls! Watch next week’s Bulletin for more information!
- Real People. Real Dollars. photos are due to MHLS today! Send them to kcruger@midhudson.org
MHLS will be closed on Monday, February 20th in observance of Presidents Day. There will be no MHLS Delivery Services. MHLS technology staff will be available via the MHLS ticket system (techsupport@midhudson.org) from 8:30am to 4:30pm to support system-wide Sierra Encore issues. During these hours, MHLS staff will be checking the ticket system periodically each hour and will address system-wide Sierra Encore issues, sending tickets as necessary to Innovative, and posting to MHLS-Alerts. Please note, phone and general technology support will not be available during this time.
New Collaboration Offers Leadership Opportunity for Public Libraries in New York State: The New York Library Association (NYLA), and Westchester Green Business have announced a new collaboration that will strengthen libraries and their communities for decades to come by providing a clear path forward toward environmental sustainability for participating libraries. Just like the award-winning Hendrick Hudson Free Library! Learn more here about how your library can be a sustainability leader in your community!
Members of the Kingston Library’s Teen Advisory Group have calculated that they saved a combined $52,923 by using the library! The teens did the math to help get the word out about the Governor’s proposed cut to library aid this year for the MHLS Real People. Real Dollars. campaign.
DA Meeting Canceled for February 7 – Message from Linda Deubert, Directors Association Chair: Due to the winter weather advisory for tomorrow and the lack of urgent business on the agenda, the February D/A meeting is cancelled. See you all on March 3rd.
Governor Cuomo has cut library aid in his budget proposal for the coming year. From the Governor’s Executive Budget Proposal:
Library Aid – $91.6 million (4% CUT)
The proposed funding is $4 million less than what was in last year’s enacted state budget. This proposed cut fails to acknowledge the crucial role libraries serve in our communities, and the contributions they make to our state’s education system. Libraries ARE Education! State Education Law requires that Library Aid should be $102.6 million for FY2017-18. Libraries should be fully funded under the law. Absent of that, library aid must at least increase each year in parity with increases in education funding.
Library Construction Aid – $14 million ($5 million CUT) After a decade of stagnation, the State Library Construction Aid program received a $5 million increase in last year’s enacted budget. Governor Cuomo has proposed eliminating that additional funding.
Read this week’s MHLS Bulletin to find out how you can help combat the cuts!
Create a visual message with impact! We’re calling on at least two libraries per state legislative district (more would be awesome!) to help us tell the story of what a good investment libraries are leading up to Advocacy Day in Albany on March 1st.
Are you in? You can help us by following the four easy steps found here: http://bit.ly/2iL8YPU
