Director Briefing - May 19, 2025

OWWL Library System Policy Updates

Policy Updates

• State Aid for Library Construction Aid Policy – Merges the Construction Aid Policy and Reduced Match Eligibility Requirements Policy. Incudes program updates from State Education Law §273-a and New York Codes, Rules and Regulations Title 8 – Education §90.12.
• Social Media Policy – Minor updates to language.
• System and Member Library Relationship Policy – Added new policies and minor language updates.

New Policies

• Support for Trustee Education Requirements Policy – Establishes System-wide guidelines for supporting Trustee Education to Member Libraries.
• E-Rate Participation and Compliance Policy – Outlines the System and Member Library's responsibilities regarding the federal E-Rate program.

Mediated Computer Purchasing has Resumed

Bob let us know last week that mediated computer purchasing has resumed. For more information, see the order page here: https://docs.owwl.org/Members/MediatedComputerPurchasing

A Warm Welcome to Palmer at Attica

This month, Palmer Perkins started as the new Director of Stevens Memorial Community Library in Attica.

Congratulations, and welcome, Palmer!

Libby App Updates

A few app improvements are coming to Libby, notably to the Holds screen.

First, when a user has a title on hold that has expired or has been weeded, Libby will now display a Clean up hold? prompt and a description of why the title is no longer available.

Second, when a user borrows a hold, Libby will now provide the option to cancel other holds on that title that they may have at other libraries. This encourages users to free up space on library waitlists.

Know Your Rights Workshop with the New York Immigration Coalition | Friday, June 20 at 1 PM

From DLD:

Know Your Rights Workshop with the New York Immigration Coalition | Friday, June 20 from 1 PM to 3 PM | Register here

Join us for a virtual Know Your Rights (KYR) presentation led by the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), a leading community partner organization dedicated to supporting immigrant communities across New York State.

In this presentation, you will learn:

• An overview of NYIC’s work and available services
• Information about different types of immigration and law enforcement agencies
• Your rights in various spaces (home, workplace, public areas, etc.)
• How to handle encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, and local police and sheriffs
• Tips on how to prepare in case of an emergency or enforcement action
• A guide to trusted resources and support available to immigrant communities

This webinar will be recorded for later viewing by those unable to attend live; to receive the recording link, please register and it will be automatically sent to you.

EAP Resources: June in Talkspace Go!

The EAP has shared this newsletter regarding their June classes coming up in the Talkspace Go app. Contact Kelly with any questions.

Swank Movie License Survey

Thank you to the folks who have already responded to this. If you haven't yet, please find the Swank Movie License survey below:

Following the Swank presentation at OWWLDAC, we wanted to gauge interest in reallocating Central Library resources to provide indoor Swank Movie Licensing to all member libraries. If you could complete the questionnaire linked below so we can better understand System-wide interest, current programs, attendance, and possible future programs, that would be great.

If the survey doesn't appear for you above, visit the direct link here: https://forms.gle/yWVghUbmbhL9JFWr9

We'll send out a report on the results later this week. Thank you for your insights!

Construction Aid

Intent to Apply due Friday, May 30, 2025

Two weeks left to submit your Intent to Apply! All you need is a brief project description and a contractor’s quote showing the total cost. The minimum award is $2,500—and since libraries may be eligible to receive up to 90% in funding, smaller projects are absolutely welcome!

Click here to complete the Intent to Apply

Questions?

Let me or Kelly know if you have any questions, or need any support regarding Construction Aid.

Library of Congress Updates

As you may know, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was fired by President Trump on May 8, and Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, was fired May 10. The appointees to these positions have been denied entry to the Library of Congress until the Library receives direction from Congress. If you would like to read more, see below.

• ALA praises service of Dr. Carla Hayden, decries "unjust dismissal" of Librarian of Congress (May 9, 2025)
• President Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden (May 9, 2025)
• Trump fires head of Copyright Office after firing Librarian of Congress (May 11, 2025)
• The President has named a new Acting Librarian of Congress. It's his former defense lawyer. (May 12, 2025)

To take action, encourage folks to:

• Become a Library Advocate (NYLA)
• Call on Congress to Fund Libraries in FY26 (ALA)

Ask the Lawyer from WNYLRC

Ask The Lawyer is an excellent resource out of the Western New York Library Resource Council. Here is a Recently Asked Question:

School District Public Libraries Independently Calling for Budget Votes:

Question: We are a school district public library. Can the school require the library to be part of its budget vote if the library desires to be separate from it?

Answer: Each type of public library can be supported by a tax levy approved by the voters of a school district, but at school district public libraries, the voters also elect the library trustees. Unlike the other library types, the law gives school district public libraries a lot of authority to determine how these votes are conducted… Read more.

System Opinion: Reserve Funds in Public Libraries

To help address some recent questions about Reserve Funds, I’ve drafted the document linked below. Feel free to share it with your boards to support discussions around Reserve Fund planning. If you need further assistance—such as drafting establishing resolutions or developing policies—please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Overview

Reserve funds are critical tools that help public libraries manage cash flow, plan for future expenses, and respond to unexpected needs. Controlled by the library board of trustees, these funds—such as undesignated, capital, or special purpose reserves—must be clearly defined, properly authorized, and used only for their intended purposes. Establishing and managing reserve funds through clear policies and board action demonstrates strong financial stewardship and ensures the long-term stability of library services.

Full document: Reserve Funds in Public Libraries.pdf

This Week in OSC Audits

Audit	Key Findings	Takeaways for Libraries
Town of Perth - Conflict of Interest	A Board member was the sole proprietor of an automotive company that did business with the Town. Therefore, the Board member had a prohibited conflict of interest which means they did not follow New York State General Municipal Law (GML) Article 18 and the Town’s Code of Ethics. The prohibited interest occurred when the Board member’s business repaired a Town dump-truck and was paid $13,183 for the repair. The Board member with the prohibited conflict of interest, the Town Supervisor (Supervisor), and another Board member approved the $13,183 payment. According to the Board member with the conflict of interest, he approved the claim because two Board members refused to approve the claim due to their concerns with his prohibited conflict of interest. The Supervisor stated he approved the claim because the repair work was completed so the Town had an obligation to pay. Although the Supervisor, who is a member of the Town’s Board of Ethics, had concerns with the payment, he was unable to provide a reasonable explanation for why he did not bring this matter to the Town’s Board of Ethics. The remaining Board member approved the claim because the Supervisor had approved it.	Early Identification of Conflicts: Institute a mandatory, periodic disclosure process so any board member’s outside business interests are known before they engage in town contracts (should be part of the library's conflict of interest policy). Strict Recusal Procedures: Require that any member with a potential or actual conflict must formally recuse themselves—both from discussion and from the vote—on related claims or contracts (should be part of the library's conflict of interest policy). Documented Decision-Making Rationale: Insist that every board vote on payments or contracts include a written justification in the minutes, especially if known conflicts exist. Consistent Application of GML Article 18 & Local Code: Provide board members with concise “cheat-sheet” summaries of the state and local ethics rules to make compliance straightforward and top-of-mind. Enhanced Training & Orientation: Roll out annual ethics and conflicts-of-interest training for all elected and appointed officials, with sign-off to confirm understanding. Strengthened Oversight of Repair & Maintenance Contracts: Develop standard procurement procedures for equipment repairs—competitive quotes, documented selection criteria, and periodic vendor performance reviews. Escalation Pathways for Ethical Concerns: Empower any board member (or town employee) to confidentially raise ethics questions directly with the Board of Ethics, town counsel, or an independent ethics officer. Periodic Audit of High-Risk Transactions: Schedule regular internal or external audits focused on payments to related-party vendors to catch any inadvertent or intentional breaches early. Transparent Reporting to Public & Trustees: Publish a summary of ethics-related disclosures and any waivers or recusals in your annual town report to bolster public trust.
Town of Perth - Supervisor's Records and Reports	The Supervisor did not maintain complete, accurate and timely accounting records or provide adequate financial reports to the Board. For example, as of March 31, 2024 the general fund was overstated by $584,018 and the highway fund was understated by $123,066. As a result, the Board lacked reliable records and reports to manage the Town’s financial operations. The Supervisor also did not: Prepare any monthly bank reconciliations during our audit period, and the adjusted bank balances did not agree with the cash balance from the accounting records. The general fund and the highway fund cash balances as of March 31, 2024 were overstated by a combined total of $460,952. File timely the Annual Financial Report (AFR) with the New York State Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) for fiscal year 2023. Provide the Board with adequate monthly financial reports. Provide the Board with his records for audit, as required by New York State Town Law Section 123. The issues identified may have been detected had the Board annually audited the Supervisor’s records.	Maintain Accurate and Timely Records: Financial records must be complete, accurate, and up to date to support sound decision-making and proper financial management. Reconcile Bank Accounts Monthly: Regular bank reconciliations are essential to detect discrepancies, prevent errors, and ensure the integrity of cash balances. File State Reports on Time: Timely submission of the Annual Financial Report (AFR) to the State Comptroller is a legal obligation and provides transparency to taxpayers and regulators. Provide Regular Financial Reports to the Board: Monthly financial reports help the Board monitor budget performance, identify issues early, and make informed decisions. Conduct Annual Audits of Financial Records: The Board should perform required annual audits of the Supervisor’s records to detect problems early and ensure accountability. Strengthen Oversight Responsibilities: Board members must actively oversee financial operations, ask questions, and follow up on incomplete or inconsistent reports. Implement Internal Controls: Clear policies for reconciliations, reporting, and audit procedures help safeguard public funds and prevent financial mismanagement. Ensure Transparency and Accountability: Regular financial disclosures and audits increase trust in government operations and help prevent misstatements or omissions. Train Board Members in Financial Oversight: Ongoing training for Board members can improve their ability to read financial statements, understand fiscal responsibilities, and fulfill their oversight role effectively.
Village of Hudson Falls - Information Technology	The Village Board (Board) and officials did not establish adequate controls to safeguard IT systems or develop adequate IT policies or procedures. In addition, the Board did not develop and adopt an IT contingency plan to help minimize the risk of data loss or suffering a serious interruption of services, periodically test backups or provide IT security awareness training. As a result, Village officials cannot be assured that Village IT systems are secured and protected against unauthorized use, access and loss, and there is an increased risk that officials could lose important data and suffer a serious interruption in operations. For example, officials did not monitor employee Internet use. Although a June 2001 memo prohibited employees from using Village-owned computers for personal use, officials and employees were not aware of this memo. As a result, the seven employees’ Internet histories we reviewed identified that all seven employees used Village computers to access websites for personal use, such as shopping, social media, streaming platforms, entertainment, personal email and finances, food, and personal health and fitness. In addition, the Board paid two IT vendors for IT services totaling $31,333 during our audit period but did not enter into a written contract or service level agreement (SLA) with the IT vendors that described specific IT services to be provided. Officials did not monitor the services provided by one IT vendor to ensure all the services outlined in the annual invoice were provided. While the Village’s IT assets we examined were physically secured, the server and physical backups were not properly protected from water damage that occurred due to roof construction at the Village Hall. Weaknesses in policies, oversight and other internal controls increase the risk that hardware or software systems may be lost, damaged or compromised by unauthorized or inappropriate access and use. Sensitive IT control weaknesses were communicated confidentially to officials.	Establish Comprehensive IT Policies and Procedures: Clearly written and up-to-date IT policies are essential to define acceptable use, access controls, data protection practices, and roles and responsibilities. Adopt an IT Contingency Plan: A formal, Board-adopted IT contingency plan helps ensure business continuity in the event of data loss, cyberattacks, or system failures. Regularly Test Backups: Periodic testing of data backups confirms that data can be restored reliably and quickly in case of system disruption or failure. Provide Ongoing IT Security Awareness Training: Routine training ensures that all staff understand cybersecurity threats, safe computing practices, and the organization’s IT policies. Monitor Computer and Internet Use: Implement systems to monitor employee Internet activity and enforce acceptable-use policies to prevent misuse of public resources. Communicate and Enforce IT Policies: Ensure all employees are made aware of existing policies—such as prohibitions on personal use of equipment—and confirm understanding through regular reminders and acknowledgments. Use Written Contracts with IT Vendors: Enter into clear written agreements or service level agreements (SLAs) with IT vendors to outline responsibilities, services provided, expectations, and performance standards. Monitor IT Vendor Performance: Assign staff to verify that contracted IT services are actually delivered and are meeting organizational needs. Physically Protect IT Infrastructure: In addition to securing access to IT hardware, ensure servers and backups are protected from environmental hazards such as water, fire, or physical tampering. Strengthen Internal IT Controls: Weak oversight and lack of structure in IT governance increase the risk of data breaches, system failures, and operational disruptions. Respond Proactively to Confidential Audit Findings: Address any sensitive IT control weaknesses disclosed during the audit in a timely and strategic manner to improve system resilience and security.
Town of Shelburne - Budgeting	The Board adopted unrealistic budgets. The budgets underestimated revenues and overestimated expenditures. In addition, officials appropriated fund balance to balance the budgets because purported revenues were not sufficient to fund operations. However, operating surpluses occurred which resulted in an unplanned increase in fund balance. Furthermore, the Board did not have written multiyear capital or financial plans or a written fund balance or reserve policy in place to guide the Board’s decisions regarding appropriate fund balance and reserve fund levels. As a result, more taxes may have been levied than were needed to fund the Town’s operations. During the audit period, the Board adopted budgets for the general fund TW, highway fund TW and highway fund TOV which underestimated revenues by approximately $3.4 million and appropriations by $1.9 million combined. Additionally, the Board appropriated $511,000 of fund balance which was not needed. More specifically, we determined the following: The Board adopted budgets which underestimated revenues in total by $3.1 million for the highway fund TOV and $257,000 for the general fund TW. The Board also adopted budgets which underestimated appropriations by $2.3 million for the highway fund TOV and overestimated appropriations by $335,000 for the highway fund TW and $200,0001 for the general fund TW. Unrealistic budget estimates resulted in an unplanned operating surplus totaling $1.2 million2 while the Board planned for operating deficits totaling $511,000. As a result, none of the appropriated fund balance was needed. Unrestricted fund balance increased by $887,000, and without written multiyear capital or financial plans, taxes may have been levied unnecessarily.	Adopt Realistic Budgets: Budgeted revenues and expenditures must be based on reasonable and supportable estimates to accurately reflect anticipated operations and avoid misleading financial projections. Avoid Unnecessary Use of Fund Balance: Appropriating fund balance that is not actually needed can mask the true financial position of the library and result in unplanned surpluses. Prevent Over-Taxation Through Better Forecasting: Consistently underestimating revenues and overestimating expenses can lead to levying more taxes than necessary, placing an undue burden on taxpayers. Develop Multiyear Capital and Financial Plans: Written long-term plans help the Board make informed decisions about spending, saving, and use of reserves, and provide a roadmap for financial sustainability. Establish a Fund Balance and Reserve Policy: A clear policy provides guidelines for how much fund balance and reserves should be maintained and under what circumstances they can be used. Monitor Budget Performance Throughout the Year: Regular analysis of actual revenues and expenditures compared to the budget allows for timely adjustments and prevents large, unexpected surpluses or deficits. Ensure Transparency in Financial Planning: Documenting and communicating budget assumptions and financial goals builds public trust and improves accountability in fiscal management. Link Budgeting to Strategic Priorities: Aligning financial plans with community needs and long-term infrastructure goals helps ensure that resources are used effectively and responsibly. Train Board Members in Budgeting Best Practices: Providing ongoing education on budgeting, fund balance management, and multiyear planning can enhance the Board’s ability to make sound fiscal decisions. Use Historical Data to Inform Future Budgets: Reviewing past budget-to-actual trends can improve accuracy in future forecasts and reduce the risk of large variances.