Category Archives: General News-Home Page

MHLS will be closed on Monday, February 15th. There will be no deliveries. Technology staff will be available via the MHLS ticket system (techsupport@midhudson.org) from 8:30am – 4:30pm to support system-wide Sierra Encore problems only.

During these hours, tech support staff will be checking the ticket system periodically each hour and will address system-wide Innovative issues, sending tickets as necessary to Innovative, and posting to MHLS lists. Please note, phone and general issue support will not be available during this time.

Your Voice Matters! Registration is now open for Library Advocacy Day in Albany! Will you join the Library Advocacy Army in Albany on Wednesday, March 2^nd this year?

MHLS Member Library staff, trustees, Friends and patrons of all ages are encouraged to attend Library Advocacy Day in Albany sponsored by the New York Library Association (NYLA). The goal of this event is to help legislators understand how much people care about libraries by packing the offices at every appointment. With 15 legislators to meet with we need lots of people to come and show their support.

Your attendance can make a BIG impact. Join us for meetings with your NYS representatives in Albany to make the case that Libraries ARE Education! and should receive funding increases and infrastructure investments that respect our role in the community.

We have two big items to advocate for this year:

• Increase State Library Aid Proportionally with Increases in Education Funding. Library funding is being held flat by the Governor. The Legislature has the opportunity to do the right thing for their constituents and increase library aid to match the Governor’s proposed 4.3% increase to Education Aid. For more information: http://bit.ly/1TVxHgz
• An increase in State Aid for Public Library Construction. Held flat for 10 years, now is the time to increase the investment in New York’s library facilities. With more than half of MHLS member library facilities unable to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act stipulations and seriously aging infrastructure (56% of libraries in MHLS are over 50 years old and 38% are over 100 years old!) NOW is the time for an increase. For more information: http://bit.ly/1IZXDSa

MHLS makes the day easier!

• Online Advocacy Day Briefing: February 19^th, 10:00 – 11:00am. Register at http://calendar.midhudson.org
• Coordinated bus transportation along the NYS Thruway. Thanks to the generosity of our Friends Groups who donated to support the buses to Albany last year the ticket price this year is 25% lower! (Bus registration info can be found below)
• All appointments with legislators are made centrally through MHLS. Appointment schedule is emailed out to those who register and posted at https://midhudson.org. Meetings are scheduled between 10:00am – 3:00pm.

Registration Details for Advocacy Day

Beginning on February 1^st MHLS will implement the new delivery schedule approved by the MHLS Directors Association (DA) in October. This new schedule was recommended to the DA by the MHLS System Services Advisory Committee (SSAC), made up of member library directors, to meet two goals:

• To align delivery routes with data trends related to the volume of items being transported through the delivery service, while retaining Saturday deliveries and
• To gain efficiencies that would reduce the cost of the delivery services contract to keep this service affordable.

Prior to the SSAC recommendation to the DA, the SSAC requested MHLS staff provide options to the SSAC for changes to current MHLS Delivery Services based on reducing the cost of the contract with Hudson River Transport, which had increased by $21,997 in 2015 to a yearly amount of $365,716.

Thanks to this analysis by the SSAC, the consensus reached by the DA and negotiations conducted by MHLS staff, in November 2015, MHLS and delivery vendor Hudson River Transport signed an amended contract to implement the new DA approved delivery schedule as of February 1, 2016 resulting in a savings of over $23,000.

A list of the new MHLS Daily Delivery Services Routes, by library and by day, which will be in effect as of February 1, 2016 are available at:

https://midhudson.org/topics/resource-sharing/delivery/

If you have any questions please contact Tom Finnigan, MHLS Shipping & Receiving Manager.

MHLS Friends Support Group will meet on Thursday, February 18th from 5:00 – 7:00pm at the new Boardman Road Branch of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District.

At this workshop attendees will be treated to a Backstage Tour of the Friends of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District’s brand new book store!

The new 4,000 square feet bookstore replaces the Giant Annual Booksale the Friends have conducted for almost two decades. With close to 25,000 volumes for sale the book store is open 3 days a week and is completely staffed by volunteers. All sorting and storing of donations takes place in the adjacent but separate 4,000 sq. ft. warehouse area.

The event will also include:
• News from the Friends of Libraries Section of the New York Library Association
• State Funding Update and
• Unveiling and discussion of the 2015 MHLS Friends Group Survey Results

A light dinner will be provided. Registration is required: http://calendar.midhudson.org

Did you know?… At this point the three highest circulating days ever by MHLS patrons using OverDrive occurred:
• December 28th, 2015: 714 circs
• December 30th, 2015: 689 circs
• January 3, 2016: 696 circs

Check out the total annual circulation by MHLS patrons using OverDrive for eBooks and eAudiobooks:

eMagazines are now available to all Mid-Hudson Library System member library cardholders!

• Click here to browse available titles and familiarize yourself with the interface
• Check out the product videos provided by the vendor.

Promotional materials, including bookmarks, fliers, posters, web buttons and more are available on the RBdigital web site

Take Your Child to the Library Day:
February 4, 2017

Regardless of population or economic status, your library serves children in your community. Take advantage of the positive PR this nation-wide celebration provides as you do more of what you already do so well!

What can you do to celebrate TYCttLD?
The possibilities are pretty much endless. Many libraries opt to have a special event, but you can simply highlight a program that you already do – or even just show off your library space. No matter your budget or staffing, there are many ways for your library to participate.

For ideas and promotional materials visit the New York Library Association’s TYCttLD page!

The MHLS Directors Association have voted to launch eMagazines for all member libraries beginning January 1, 2016! With the increasing popularity of library materials in downloadable format the MHLS Central Library/Collection Development Advisory Committee was tasked with exploring the possibility of offering eMagazines System-wide.

Based on the availability of funds, feedback to the subcommittee exploring this issue from product testers and the desire for member libraries to begin providing this service sooner rather than later, the Committee recommended that MHLS contract with Recorded Books to provide their “Zinio” for Libraries product System-wide. This proposal, along with the purchase of 90 initial magazine titles, was approved at the December 4th Directors Association Meeting.

Staff at member libraries have time to get a first look at this new product:

• Click here to browse available titles and familiarize yourself with the interface

Promotional materials, including bookmarks, fliers, posters, web buttons and more are available on the RBdigital web site

At their December 5th meeting, the MHLS Board was very busy! They started off the meeting by recognizing retiring board members by passing resolutions recognizing Roland Patterson, Carolyn Profera, and Janet Schnitzer for 10 years of outstanding service on the MHLS Board of Trustees

They also elected the 2016 slate of officers:
o President: Camilla von Bergen
o Vice President: Mark Wilson
o Treasurer: Regina Morini
o Secretary: Lisa Baker Brill
o Board Member: John Dax

For a full report of the December 2015 MHLS Board meeting check out this week’s issue of the MHLS Bulletin.

Putting Books into the Hands of Kids: Books make an important and lasting difference in the lives of children by shaping and expanding their imaginations and values. However, many kids have never owned a book to call their own. Your library has the chance to change that thanks to a collaboration between the Mid-Hudson Library System and the Empire State Center for the Book in January 2016.

Research shows that children achieve superior outcomes in school and in life when they have books of their own. This consistently results in:
• faster rates of literacy acquisition;
• higher grades and test scores;
• better adaptation to school and more regular attendance;
• higher graduation rates;
• increased participation in higher education; and
• improved quality of life.

Brand new books are collected through the Holiday Book Drive at Poughkeepsie Barnes & Noble. Last year over 6,000 books were collected. The book drive calls attention to the importance of books to every child in our area, ages 1-18. In January 2016 MHLS will serve as a distribution hub for brand new books that can be picked up by your library to distribute to the children of your community. Public libraries, schools (and school libraries) and social service agencies/organizations are all eligible to sign-up for one of the distribution dates in the MHLS Auditorium: January 20, 21, 26, 27, 28. Registration is required through the MHLS online calendar