Category Archives: Trustee-Home Page

Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19: Survey of Response & Activities. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Public Library Association (PLA) surveyed the public library community to understand the immediate impacts the crisis is having on their operations, staffing, programs and services. Discover how libraries are responding to the current crisis by viewing the summary

The next COVID-19 Briefing for Trustees will be on Tuesday, May 5th at 3:00pm. Join MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, for this custom online event designed for member library trustees. Rebekkah will cover the latest info about funding considerations, restarting library operations once NYS PAUSE has been lifted as well as share answers to

Census Delays Field Activities to June 1, 2020 to protect the health and safety of the American public and Census employees, implement guidance from authorities regarding COVID-19, and ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities. The deadline for self-response to the Census is extended from July 31, 2020 to October 31, 2020. Update

The newest Executive Order, issued on April 7th (EO 202.14), has extended the EO 202.1 suspension of certain aspects of the Open Meetings Law until May 7, 2020. MHLS Executive Director Rebekkah Smith Aldrich has confirmed this interpretation with the NYS Committee on Open Government’s staff. “NOW, THEREFORE, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the

On April 1st MHLS held a COVID-19 Trustee Briefing specifically for member library trustees. You can view the recording of this one-hour webinar at https://youtu.be/D4T6kKz3QDY Thank you for your work to help guide our libraries in this difficult time. MHLS is here for your library. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Check Out Your Community’s Response Rate Do you know how many households in your community have completed their Census? This map is updated each day with self-response rates to give you a quick look at how many people have responded to the Census. Many towns in our area are near a 20% response rate currently. If you want

In response to efforts to increase social distancing to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 the Governor, through an Executive Order, has suspended the requirement for library boards to hold “in-person meetings.” Both videoconferencing and conference calls are allowable as long as: the public has the ability to view or listen the meeting is recorded and transcribed Public notice measures, quorum requirements, minutes, executive session rules all

Open Meeting Law & Executive Order 202: The Governor has suspended the requirement of Open Meeting Law which required in-person or videoconferenced open meetings allow for the attendance of the public during the pandemic: “Article 7 of the Public Officers Law, to the extent necessary to permit any public body to meet and take such

The New York Library Association Online Advocacy Center now has three different letters of support available. Send a custom message to your legislators for: Support #eBooksForAll Speak Up for New York Libraries (Funding) Require Trustee Training If you have already sent a message spread the word to others!

Tuesday was Library Advocacy Day and hundreds of library supporters converged on Albany to spread the word about the importance of funding NYS libraries. If you were unable to make it to Albany, take two minutes and send your legislators a message through the New York Library Association (NYLA) Online Advocacy Center http://bit.ly/1LwV3Ex Already sent