Director Briefing - July 1, 2024

NOVELny Update

The new databases from NOVELny are available today! These databses include Gale Books and Authors, Gale Business: Entrepreneurship, Gale Health and Wellness, Gale LegalForms [NYS], Gale OneFile: High School Edition, Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep and a new Gale OneFile collection, Leadership and Management.

To access these databases, visit https://novelnewyork.org/

This Week in OSC Audits

Audit	Key Findings	Takeaways for Libraries
Town of Keene	The Supervisor did not maintain complete, accurate and timely accounting records. As a result, the Board lacked reliable records and reports to manage the Town’s financial operations, account balances were inaccurate and certain revenues and expenditures were not reported in the annual financial report (AFR). Of the 20 journal entries we reviewed, six (30 percent) were not properly recorded, six (30 percent) were not supported, eight (40 percent) were not recorded in a timely manner and no one independently reviewed and approved entries. Bank reconciliations were generally not prepared or provided to the Board in a timely manner and adjusted bank balances did not agree with general ledger cash balances for 55 (41 percent) of the 133 bank reconciliations we prepared. The Supervisor did not provide adequate monthly financial reports to the Board in a timely manner and the Board did not annually audit the Supervisor’s records, as required.	The Board is responsible for every dollar that is spent from the library budget. They must review and approve everything. Be sure to have those reports for them to look at in a timely manner so your library doesn't end up in this situation.
Town of Bergen	The Supervisor generally maintained complete and accurate accounting records but needs to provide more oversight over the individuals carrying out his recordkeeping duties. Furthermore, the Supervisor did not annually submit sufficient accounting records to the Board for audit and while he filed the AFR in a timely manner, it was not accurate. The Supervisor: Approved bank reconciliations without determining whether they were performed correctly and without verifying that cash balances in the accounting records were accurate. Overstated cash by $747,000 in the 2022 AFR. Did not perform a periodic review of all journal entries and financial transactions as required by the Town’s policy. Therefore, the Accountant recorded financial transactions without oversight. Did not obtain timely reimbursement of $130,000 in payroll expenditures from the Byron-Bergen Library (Library).	While the Board is responsible for approving the expenditures of money, the Director is responsible for making sure records are compiled so the Board is able to make informed decisions.
North Babylon Union Free School District	While we determined that online banking transactions were appropriate, the Board of Education (Board) and District officials did not meet all the requirements of New York State General Municipal Law (GML) Section 5-a and must improve controls over online banking to ensure these transactions are secure. In addition to sensitive information technology (IT) control weaknesses that we confidentially communicated to District officials, we found that: District officials did not enter into an adequate written bank agreement with their banking institution, and the Board did not adopt an online banking policy. Employees who performed online banking activities did not receive cybersecurity awareness training. The District’s acceptable use policy (AUP) was insufficient and not communicated to employees who performed online banking transactions.	According to GML, public libraries have banking requirements. You'll want to check with your bank and its policies to ensure that you secure the library's public dollars appropriately.
Whitney Point Central School District	District officials did not adequately manage nonstudent network user accounts, which are network user accounts not specifically assigned to a student (e.g., authorized staff, third-party vendors and shared accounts). Officials also did not adopt an IT contingency plan and were unaware of all the network users that had access to the District’s network. When nonstudent network user accounts are not adequately managed and an IT contingency plan is not adopted, the District has an increased risk that it could suffer a serious interruption to operations due to the risk to the network and potential inability to communicate during a disruption. In addition to sensitive IT control weaknesses that we confidentially communicated to officials, District officials did not disable 19 nonstudent network user accounts (4 percent) that were not needed and/or used in more than five years. All of these user accounts were subsequently deleted during our audit fieldwork.	This is another IT security audit. The same situations apply to the information systems we control through the System's Access policy. We're updating the policy again and continuing to work on our security infrastructure to ensure the most secure environment possible for the data we protect.

EAP Resources

For those libraries that subscribe to the System-wide Employee Assistance Program, here are some resources that might be nice to send along to staff.

TotalCare EAP Newsletter: "Be the Civility You Wish to See"

If you’ve felt like people seem angrier in recent years, you’re not necessarily wrong! Since the pandemic, it feels as if everyone has a hair-trigger temper. Plus, it doesn’t help that we are currently in a heated election year. If you are fed up with all the rage and long for more civility, the change starts with you. Here are “9 Civility & Respect” tips you can practice when facing disagreements or potential conflict at work and at home.

1. Keep respect in the forefront. It might sound simplistic, but practicing the Golden Rule should be your baseline behavior.
2. Give people the benefit of the doubt. People who think differently than you are not bad or evil. Plus, you don’t know what life burdens they may be carrying. Avoid judgmental thinking.
3. Focus on areas of agreement and common ground rather than divisions. Learn to separate the action/issue from the person. Focus on shared goals and professionalism.
4. Aim to resolve, not to win. In any disagreement, your goal shouldn’t be to win an argument but to find alignment and mutual goals.
5. Learn to really listen. Don’t assume or jump to conclusions. Clarify what you’ve heard by using a feedback loop and rephrasing what you hear. Avoid interrupting.
6. Don’t hit below the belt. Don’t accuse or exploit weaknesses or sensitivities. Don’t try to score points. Offer reassurance of continued regard. Try practicing the Grandmother rule: Would you be comfortable saying this in front of your Grammy? If not, think twice!
7. It’s not just about you. Try not to personalize what you hear and to listen for the other person’s thoughts, feelings, and needs.
8. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Shrug off petty annoyances. Don’t nurture grudges. Forgive and forget.
9. Stay in control. Use words to express your feelings, not actions. If you feel your anger or emotions rising, lower the temperature by taking a break, If you know you are quick to anger or “rise to the bait” take an EAP anger management course or call a counselor/coach at 800-252-4555 24/7/365 for help.

From The EAP July 2024 Newsletter.

TotalCare EAP Trainings

These are a great resource. To access: Click on “Member Login” at www.theEAP.com/TotalCare-EAP , sign in, and click on the comprehensive training library in the “Training Center.”

• Critical Thinking 101: Developing Yourself as a Critical Thinker | Course ID: SVL_1022453
  Learn to develop critical thinking skills such as eliminating biases, being a team player, and other skills you can use on and off the job in this 5-minute video.
• Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Model | Course ID: SVL_1021300
  Learn strategies for productively dealing with conflicts, including avoidance, accommodation, competition, collaboration, and compromise in this 7-minute course.
• 9 Easy Ways to Be Smarter Every Day | Course ID: SVL_102403
  Want to improve your “mental horsepower”? This 10-minute lesson explores actions and habits to improve your mental capacities and readiness.