Director Briefing - October 7, 2024

Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Training Session

On Monday, November 18, library lawyer Stephanie "Cole" Adams and paralegal Nathan Feist will be hosting a one-hour training session for Directors and Trustees via Zoom.

This 1-hour library director and trustee training session provided by library lawyer Stephanie "Cole" Adams and paralegal Nathan Feist will explain the requirements of New York State's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) and offer guidance on how libraries can comply with FOIL. Participants will receive a model FOIL policy and template FOIL response letters.

Click here to register.

Evergreen Updates

Dan had a few Evergreen updates this past week. Here's a summary of them all:

Text Messages

Hold notifications via SMS are back! Some differences to be aware of include:

1. Text messages will be sent from (585) 524-1260, not your library's email address.
2. There may be a delay between hold availability and text message delivery.
3. Text messages will only be delivered between 8 AM and 9 PM.
4. Text message will read:

   Hold(s) available at [library name]. Please pick up by [shelf expiration date (MM-DD)]. Check your account at search.owwl.org for details.

5. Some patrons may receive duplicate hold notifications as we transition between providers.

Welcome Emails

New patrons will now automatically receive a welcome email from Evergreen. See a sample email here.

Closed Dates

Make sure your library's 2025 closed dates are updated in Evergreen before November 15, so your patrons' checkouts are unaffected. A list of upcoming closures will also be in the next update of the OWWL App.

I'll send another reminder as this date gets closer, but if your Board has already approved your 2025 closures, it's good to get them updated in Evergreen sooner rather than later.

Check Evergreen & Aspen Changelog for Details

To keep on top of the changes to Evergreen, Aspen, the policies for using them, find details on the changelog: https://docs.owwl.org/Evergreen/EvergreenChangelog .

Questions?

Email evergreen@owwl.org with any Evergreen-related questions.

This Week in OSC Audits

Audit	Key Findings	Takeaways for Libraries
Merrick Union Free School District - Financial Management	The Board and District officials did not properly manage fund balance and reserves. Although the Board and District officials reduced surplus fund balance from 19 percent at June 30, 2015 to 8 percent as of June 30, 2023, they consistently appropriated fund balance that was not needed and overfunded reserves, primarily through transfers of surplus fund balance. These practices lack transparency, circumvent the statutory limit on surplus fund balance and can result in taxpayers being taxed more than necessary. Specifically, the Board and District officials: Overestimated appropriations by an annual average of $1.7 million (3.3 percent) and, as a result, Consistently appropriated an average of $1.6 million of fund balance that was not needed. Could not demonstrate that the unemployment insurance and repair reserves, with balances totaling $2.9 million, were reasonably funded.	If libraries have reserve funds, they need a policy to go along with it and they should generally be kept to below their total operating budget.
Panama Central School District - Procurement	The Board and District officials did not always comply with the District’s procurement policies or New York State General Municipal Law (GML) Section 103, which generally requires purchase contracts that exceed certain thresholds to be competitively bid. In addition, the claims auditor did not perform adequate claims audits. As a result, $1.1 million in purchases (half of the procurements we reviewed) were made without competitive procurement methods. Therefore, the Board, officials and the claims auditor did not help ensure that District funds were used to procure goods and services in a prudent and economical manner, in the best interests of taxpayers and that procurements were not influenced by favoritism, extravagance, corruption or fraud. Certain District officials delegated their procurement responsibilities to other individuals and did not ensure these individuals were adhering to the procurement policies and GML Section 103. The claims auditor also relied on other District officials to perform her job responsibilities and did not ensure District officials complied with the procurement policies and GML Section 103.	Procurement policies are one of the key policies needed when making purchases. They outline amounts and what is needed
Town of Pittsfield - Supervisor's Records and Reports	The Supervisor did not maintain complete, accurate and up-to-date accounting records and reports. Without accurate, complete and supported financial records and reports, the Town Board’s (Board) and Town officials’ ability to monitor financial affairs, make sound financial decisions and identify and correct errors was limited. The Supervisor did not: Properly record revenues in the accounting system, prepare bank reconciliations or provide detailed monthly fund balances to the Board. File the Town’s 2021 or 2023 Annual Financial Reports (AFRs), as required by New York State General Municipal Law (GML) Section 30. In addition, the 2022 AFR was inaccurate. Provide the Board with records for the annual audit, as required by New York State Town Law (Town Law) Section 123. Had the accounting records been presented to the Board and the Board members fulfilled the annual audit requirement and provided adequate oversight of the Town’s financial operations, the accounting and reporting deficiencies may have been identified and corrected.	Financial Reports, including the AFR, are essential for tracking and reporting the financial health of the organization.

HBR: Tip of the Day

Learn from Past Decisions That Went Wrong

We all fall into the trap of repeating the same actions over and over again, hoping for different results the next time. It’s easy to stick to familiar patterns, but real growth comes from examining our past decisions and learning from them. Ask yourself these questions to reflect on your past mistakes and make the right decision this time around.

What’s the decision I’m facing now? Clearly define the problem before jumping to a solution. A vague problem leads to an unclear path forward.

What’s stressful about this decision? Identify what’s making you anxious. Stress can cloud your judgment, pushing you to rely on habitual, biased thinking instead of exploring new options.

What past decisions can I learn from? Analyze past choices that didn’t work out. Pinpoint what went wrong and why. This helps you avoid repeating the same missteps this time around.

What assumptions led to those mistakes? Look back and challenge the assumptions you made. Were you relying on shortcuts or untested beliefs?

How can I apply this learning now? Use what you’ve uncovered to inform your current decisions, shifting your behavior and thought process to get better outcomes.

This tip is adapted from “How to Learn from Your Mistakes and Make Better Decisions,” by Cheryl Strauss Einhorn.