Blog Archives

2021 NYLA Virtual Content

  #NYLA2021 virtual content, both on-demand and live programming, are back online through December 31st! All conference attendees will have free access to the virtual content in the Pheedloop platform up until December 31st. If you wish to view this content after this date, you will have to pay an additional fee. Visit here for

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Resources available for children & teens!

Resources available to support COVID-19 vaccination among children and teens. To support the recent authorization of vaccines for young people, 5–11 years old, the Vaccines & US project, led by the Smithsonian Institution, has collected materials specifically about young people and the COVID-19 pandemic in a special section to help: discuss COVID-19 and vaccination with young children

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Open Meetings Law Update

OPEN MEETINGS LAW UPDATE. Governor Hochul recently signed into law Chapter 587 of the Laws of 2021 which amends the Open Meetings Law to require agencies that maintain a website and use a high-speed internet connection to post meeting minutes on its website within two weeks of the date of the date of the meeting, or within one week of an

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Days Closed Form for 2022

REMINDER: MHLS needs to know your library’s Closed Dates for 2022. This information is necessary to edit the Sierra closed dates table. The easiest way to let us know the dates your library will be closed is to complete the Days Closed Form for 2022, which you can find in the Library Administrator’s Toolbox in

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ALA eLearning

The American Library Association (ALA) has launched ALA eLearning, a new centralized web portal that brings together a comprehensive digital collection of on-demand and live professional development for library professionals from ALA divisions and sections. Many courses are free for ALA members, while some require a registration fee. Topics include EDI training, Collection Management, Marketing

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MHLS Knowledge Base

The MHLS Knowledge Base (KB) was recently updated! The KB website has been indexed for easier navigation, and you can view the index at https://kb.midhudson.org/page-list/ or simply click the Site Index link from the top menu. The MHLS Knowledge Base (KB) supports library administrators and staff in using the Integrated Library System (ILS) and other

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Fall 2021 online MHLS Trustee Education Series

  The Fall 2021 online MHLS Trustee Education Series has ended but you can still view all the workshops using the links below. Each session features information for library trustees that will help support their library in reaching organizational goals and ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations presented by MHLS Executive Director, Rebekkah Smith

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The Myth of the Work/Life Balance for Small Library Directors

WebJunction presents The Myth of the Work/Life Balance for Small Library Directors on December 9th at 3:00 pm. This one-hour webinar explores how to find balance between your personal and professional life, in service of yourself and your community. Being the director of a small library means that you often can, and do, do it

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New York State’s Paid Family Leave (PFL)

Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that expands New York State’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) legislation to allow caring for siblings beginning January 1st, 2023. Under the current law, employees cannot take leave to care for a sibling with a serious health condition. In effect since 2018, PFL is employee-paid insurance that provides workers with

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American Library Association (ALA) Policy Corps

Join the American Library Association (ALA) Policy Corps. ALA is looking for librarians working in the Northeast! To join the Policy Corps’ team and develop advocacy skills, apply by December 1st, 2021. ALA will be hosting a virtual session to answer questions on November 22nd at 1:00 pm. Finalists will be asked to record and

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