Director Briefing - September 22, 2025

Mandatory Email Security Training for New Staff Begins October 1, 2025

Kelsy sent out the below notice on the upcoming mandatory email security training starting next month. As a reminder, anyone hired after October 1, 2025 will be required to take the mandatory email security training and notify the CANS Department of completion within 30 days or lose email access.

If you would like any of your current staff to take the training, open a ticket by emailing support@owwl.org.

Beginning October 1, 2025, all new staff will be required to complete a mandatory Email Security Training on Niche Academy as outlined in the Email Account and Use Policy. We discussed this at OWWLDAC on September 5, but we wanted to be sure that anyone who couldn't attend the meeting is aware of this new requirement.

Key details:

• The training covers five main sections: recognizing phishing emails; creating a strong password; not saving passwords on shared computers; keeping work and personal email separate; and how to open support tickets.
• The training should take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete. Niche Academy will save the user’s progress in case they cannot complete the training all at once.
• New staff must complete the training and send their certificate of completion to support@owwl.org within 30 days of being issued an email account. If the certificate is not sent, access to their email account will be revoked.

Process:

• When a director or their designee submits a request for a new staff email account, OWWL staff will provide the director/designee with the email login details along with a link to the Niche Academy training.
• We will also send a message directly to the new employee’s email account containing the training link and a reminder of the 30-day completion requirement.
• The end of the training goes over how to download a PDF certificate of completion. The employee must email their certificate to support@owwl.org.
• If the certificate is not received within 30 days, the employee’s access to their email account will be revoked until the training is completed and the certificate sent.

This training is an important step to help safeguard our systems and protect sensitive library information. We appreciate your support in ensuring that new employees complete this requirement promptly.

Feel free to share this email with any other staff at your library who need to know about this new training requirement.

If you have any questions, please email support@owwl.org.

LinkedIn Learning Survey

As discussed during the recent database review and OWWLDAC meeting, there was interest in adding LinkedIn Learning as a System-wide service. This platform provides thousands of video courses in business, technology, and creative skills, offering patrons flexible opportunities for continuing education and professional development.

Through negotiation, the annual cost was reduced from $89,200 to $20,000 under a three-year contract. Costs are divided by library population, and pricing will be reassessed at the end of the contract.

Because this would be a library-funded service, it can only move forward if all libraries commit to contributing.

Please complete the questionnaire by September 30, 2025 to indicate if your library would like to fund this service. Non-responses will be considered a "No."

Complete the Survey Here

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Renewal Opportunity

Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) contract with ESI will expire on November 30, 2025. ESI has agreed to keep the cost at $26.87 per employee per year (the same as last year).

OWWL Library System will subsidize 50% of the cost ($13.44 per employee) for this renewal period (12/1/25 – 11/30/26). Please note: this subsidy is a one-time offer. The final cost to member libraries will be $13.43 per employee per year.

EAP is a confidential counseling, assessment, coaching, and referral program designed to help with personal and work-life challenges.

The following benefits are available to employees and their family members at no additional cost:

• EAP Counseling
• Peak Performance Coaching
• Work/Life Assistance
• Self-Help Resources
• Wellness Benefits
• Lifestyle Savings Benefit
• Adoption and Children with Disabilities Support
• Training and Personal Development

The EAP website also includes an Employer HR Resource Center with many valuable resources for libraries.

More information: ESI Employee Assistance Program

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

A reminder: All New York State employers are required to provide annual sexual harassment prevention training to all employees, regardless of staff size. EAP offers this training, designed to comply with state requirements. Employees receive a completion certificate, which should be retained in personnel files. New hires should complete training within 30 days.

Trustees

Trustees are also required to take this training. The cost is $26.87 per person per year, fully covered by the member library.

Next Steps

If your library is interested in joining, please complete the attached spreadsheet with the following information for each employee:

• Last name
• First name
• Email address
• Home zip code

Please list the Director first — they will serve as the main contact and will receive ESI/EAP communications to share with staff.

Return the completed list to Kelly by Friday, October 3, 2025.

If you would like more information about EAP benefits, Kelly can arrange a webinar with our service representative.

OWWL HQ Collection Requests

We maintain a few collections at OWWL HQ following our Collection Management and Circulation Policy. As we look at our budget for the end of this year and plan for next year, we are open to fulfilling requests from member library staff for the Professional Collection and Book Discussion Kits.

Let Piety know before December if you have any requests for the Professional Collection or for the Book Discussion Kits.

OWWLUG Meeting on Friday, September 26, 2025 from 10-11 AM

The next OWWLUG meeting (10 AM to 11 AM on Friday, September 26, 2025) will feature a representative from EAC and many announcements and reminders. If each library could send a representative, that'd be great. Click here to register.

CANCELED: October Director Meeting

As we review our end of year plans, we have decided to cancel the Director Meeting scheduled for Friday, October 3 at OWWL HQ. Enjoy your Friday!

Partial Retraction: Amazon Business – Library Solutions

In last week’s Briefing, I shared information about new benefits available to libraries through Amazon Business. I mentioned downloadable brief MARC records as part of that package — and I need to clarify this point.

That was my mistake. I sent the article out before confirming with Kathryn, and to be clear: OWWL is not adopting or loading MARC records from Amazon (or any vendor) into our catalog at this time. As many of you know, brief records often create more work than they save, and any change in cataloging practice would require a system-wide review and conversation.

The real opportunity here is the potential discounts on new titles (Amazon reports 30–40% off list), which some libraries may find useful for purchasing. If you’re interested, you can explore more about the program here:

• Visit: Amazon Library Solutions
• View: Amazon Business Blog – Library Book Purchasing
• Explore: Buyer and Admin Resource Hub

Thanks for your understanding, and I’ll be more careful about separating “interesting possibilities” from “actual workflow changes” in the future.

Reruns

Coordinated Outreach Services Aid

We are providing another opportunity to support outreach efforts at your libraries. Application Deadline: October 31, 2025

Funds must be used to provide library services to one or more of New York State's nine targeted outreach populations. Please note: this grant is intended to help launch, test, or grow services, programs, or collections that could continue independently, not for annual operational support.

Eligible projects could include:

• Expanding a large print, audiobook, or other accessible collection
• Increasing the accessibility of a library space
• Purchase of giveaways or promotional materials for outreach events
• Free book fair at local school district
• Alternative book delivery to homebound patrons or bulk lending to residential facilities
• Or any other projects, services, or collections that would address one or more targeted outreach population

Click here to apply.

Direct any questions to Piety.