Director Briefing - May 19, 2025

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!

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)

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.

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.