Director Briefing - April 29, 2024

OWWLDAC Meeting

OWWLDAC is scheduled for Friday, May 3, 2024, at 10 AM. Here is the link to the draft agenda and Zoom information - https://docs.owwl.org/Members/DirectorsAdvisoryCouncilAgendaMay32024

Update to Open Meetings Law

The current videoconferencing requirements of Open Meetings Law, which were set to expire on July 1, 2024, have been extended through July 1, 2026.

As a reminder, here are some FAQs regarding videoconferencing requirements from the NYS Committee on Open Government.

Please keep in mind that there are specific rules for videoconferencing in board meetings. All need to be set up in advance.

NYS Retirement: Update to Tier 6

Tier 6 has been adjusted by lowering the Final Average Salary calculation from 5 to 3 years for Tier 6 members.

FY 2025 State Aid for Library Construction

Suzanne sent out a reminder email this week about State Aid for Library Construction.

The Intent to Apply for FY 2025 State Aid for Library Construction is due by end-of-day in one month, on Friday, May 24, 2024.

A few updates:

• Although a state budget has been agreed upon, it has not yet been signed by the Governor. Once this happens, DLD will calculate each system's allocation. We expect to get about the same as last year ($901,384).
• Please review the Construction Aid OWWL Docs page (docs.owwl.org/Community/Construction) for changes/updates to the program and the link to the Intent to Apply form.

Additionally, all of our System's FY 2024 applications were all approved by DLD earlier this week and have moved on to DASNY for review.

If you have any questions, please reach out. Kindly be aware that I will be away May 7 through May 10 so if I do not respond to Construction Aid emails during this time, I will get back to you as soon as I return to the office on May 13.

NOVELny Update

If you remember from the June 5, 2023 Briefing, NOVELny was going to be phased out due to a lack of funding this June. However, the Division of Library Development announced this week that NOVELny will continue through June 30, 2025, due to State Aid designated to the program.

The New York State Library is pleased to announce that funding for the NOVELny (New York Online Virtual Electronic Library) statewide e-resources was included in the New York State Budget for 2024-2025. Pending required approvals the current collection of NOVELny statewide e-resources will continue through June 30, 2025 and additional resources will be added. Please see the complete list below.

NOVELny is an online virtual library connecting New Yorkers to 21st century information via libraries and library systems statewide. NOVELny is an electronic resource access project that enables libraries across New York State to give their communities online access to the full text of thousands of journals, newspapers and other references.

Available Databases

Business:
*Gale Business: Insights (Gale, a Cengage company)
*Gale Business: Entrepreneurship (Gale, a Cengage company) NEW!

Education:
*Gale OneFile: Educator’s Reference Complete (Gale, a Cengage company)

General Periodicals:
*Gale Academic OneFile with Gale OneFile Collections (Gale, a Cengage company) *Gale OneFile: Academic OneFile Select (Gale, a Cengage company) *Gale General OneFile with Gale OneFile Collections (Gale, a Cengage company) *Gale OneFile: Informe Académico (Gale, a Cengage Company)

Elementary Level General Periodicals:
*Gale In Context: Elementary (Gale, a Cengage company)

Secondary Level General Periodicals:
*Gale In Context: Middle School (Gale, a Cengage company)
*Gale OneFile: High School Edition (Gale, a Cengage company) NEW!

Encyclopedia
*Encyclopedia Britannica (Britannica Digital Learning, a division of Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.): Includes Britannica School, Britannica Academic and Britannica Escolar.

Health
*Gale OneFile: Health and Medicine (Gale, a Cengage company)
*Gale Health and Wellness (Gale, a Cengage company) NEW!

Issues
*Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints (Gale, a Cengage company)

Job and Career
*Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep NEW!

Legal
*Gale Legal Forms (NYS forms) NEW!

Literature
*Gale Literature: Books and Authors NEW!

Newspapers
*Gale OneFile: News including The New York Times (Gale, a Cengage company)

Technology
*Gale OneFile: Computer Science (Gale, a Cengage company)

HBR: Tip of the Day

Ask Smarter Strategic Questions

With organizations facing increased urgency and unpredictability, being able to ask smart questions has become a key leadership skill—especially when setting strategy. Here are five types of questions to ask that can boost strategic decision-making.Investigative: What’s Known? When facing a problem or opportunity, the best decision-makers start by clarifying their purpose, asking themselves what they want to achieve and what they need to learn to do so.

Speculative: What If? These questions help you consider the situation at hand more broadly, reframing the problem and exploring outside-the-box solutions.

Productive: Now What? Assessing the availability of talent, capabilities, time, and other resources ultimately helps you determine a course of action.

Interpretive: So, What? This natural follow-up can push you to continually redefine the core issue—to go beneath the surface and draw out the implications of an observation or idea.

Subjective: What’s Unsaid? This final question deals with the personal reservations, frustrations, tensions, and hidden agendas that can push decision-making off course.

This tip is adapted from “The Art of Asking Smarter Questions,” by Arnaud Chevallier et al.

Reruns

State Education Department Appeal of Moms for Library of Wayne County

Last week, the Commissioner of the New York State Education Department released her decision in the Moms for Liberty appeal of the Clyde-Savannah School Board’s action to retain five challenged books in its library collection.

This incredibly important decision affirms libraries' obligation and right to provide access to diverse collections and to ensure collections are governed by appropriate and well-written collection development policies.

The decision is attached; it is certainly worth reading. State Education Department Determination Letter

2024 Continuing Education Scholarships

The OWWL Library System will award six Continuing Education Scholarships up to $900 each to the New York Library Association Annual Conference and Trade Show at the Oncenter in Syracuse, November 6-9, 2024.

Application is open to member library staff who have demonstrated a commitment to professional development and supporting their library community. Click here for more information.

The deadline to apply is Friday, May 3, 2024.

Call for "How To" Proposals

Got a skill, program, or service you want to share? Can you share it in 20 minutes?

We are now accepting "How To" program proposals for the third Small Libraries Summer Symposium on Friday, July 12 symposium. "How To" sessions are a fun way to learn something new from real library experiences in a short amount of time!

Click here for the application. The deadline to submit is Thursday, May 2. Accepted programs will be notified the first week in May; conference registration will open Monday, May 13.

Libby and Kanopy Promotional Materials

OverDrive (makers of the Libby app) has increased how often libraries can request marketing materials from once per year to once per quarter.

To request materials, visit resources.overdrive.com/library/marketing-outreach-print-ready/. Click on the Public Libraries request link, and answer the questions. There are three marketing kit options to consider. Requesting the 500 Libby/500 Kanopy cards as your first order gives you a nice start.

Please email owwl2go@owwl.org if you have any questions.

Spring Holdings Staff Workshop

It's time for the Annual Gathering of Library Holdings Staff to Talk all Things Cataloging! Join us online Tuesday, April 30 at 10am.

Topics for discussion include:

• Searching tips
• Item attributes including stat cats and circ modifiers
• Template management
• Original cataloging
• Reports

Click here to register. A Zoom link will be sent in advance to all registrants.

Apply Now: Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries Grant

Each year Friends & Foundation of the Rochester Public Library (FFRPL) offer a grant opportunity for Rochester area libraries through the Harold Hacker Fund for the Advancement of Libraries. This grant opportunity is open to all RRLC member libraries and library systems, all OWWL Library System libraries, and all Monroe County Library System libraries.

Funding will be available for projects that meet the following areas:

• To further education and professional development for librarians and library staff throughout the five-county region served by Rochester Regional Library Council.
• To further innovative library projects and programs at RRLC member libraries and the Monroe County Library and OWWL Library Systems and their member libraries.

Application deadline is May 1, 2024. Click here to learn more.

Tech Tip

Extensions are like apps for your browser. They add functionality to the browser that doesn’t come with the browser by default. For example, most web browsers do not block advertisements, but you can install an ad blocker extension. This OWWL Docs page and accompanying video show you how to install and manage extensions.

System Workshops, Meetings, and Events

Upcoming System-sponsored workshops, meetings, and info sessions:

• Spring Holdings Staff Workshop Tuesday, April 30 @ 10am (online)
  
• Going the Extra Mile: Making Your Library ADA-Friendly Instead of ADA-Compliant Thursday, May 2 @ 10am (online)
• OWWL Library System Board Meeting Wednesday, May 8 @ 5pm (hybrid)
• Teaching Technology at Your Library Tuesday, May 14 @ 2pm (online)
• Working with the Board, Director, Staff, and Friends Wednesday, May 15 @ 5pm (hybrid; in-person held at Sodus Community Library)
• Teaching Technology at Your Library Thursday, May 18 @ 10am (online)
• Women's Leadership Book Discussion Tuesday, May 21 @ 3pm (in-person)

Click here to visit our calendar. Kindly preregister for events.