Monday Briefing - April 11, 2022

State Aid for Libraries

The State Budget numbers for libraries were released last night!

Below are the “unofficial" numbers, the budget is still being reviewed to see if there are any other funding streams in it that impact libraries. These numbers also still need to be debated, passed, and signed by the Governor, however, I don't expect to see any changes for libraries.

• Library Construction:$34M (same as last year)
• Library Aid: $99.6M ($5.5M increase from last year's $94.1M)

Thank you to everyone who worked on advocacy efforts this year.

Construction Aid Office Hours

With $34M in State Aid for Library Construction, we are estimating about $900,000 for our System this year. To help answer questions about this year's application cycle, Suzanne will be hosting Construction Aid Office Hours on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 4:30 PM for Trustees and Directors. The link will go out to everyone the day before the event, add it to your calendar now if you have any questions you'd like answered.

https://pls-net.org/event/construction-aid-virtual-office-hours

System Meeting: Friday, April 15, 2022

Foodlink is a Rochester-based nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger and building healthier communities by addressing both the symptoms and root causes of food insecurity. They serve as the hub of the emergency food system across a 10-county service area including Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Livingston Counties.

Join Mark Dwyer, Sr. Manager of Communications, to learn about the programs and services provided by Foodlink and how libraries can partner with Foodlink to help create healthy futures for every community.

This is our first in-person System Meeting since…a long time ago. However, we'll still have an online option for those who are unable to make the trip. Click here to register and we'll make sure the information gets to you.

Note to Ontario County Directors

Post-System Meeting, John Edwards from the Ontario County Department of Health would like to have a conversation with Ontario County Library Directors about future recovery relief efforts.

Outstanding Librarian Award

A message went out last week, but I again wanted to congratulate Suzanne on winning the Outstanding Librarian Award through Senator Sean Ryan's office. She has done incredible work and has shifted the Outreach focus of the System in many positive ways.

Book Banning in Libraries

Libraries Transform Message

On Monday, the American Library Association launched Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.

Why? Simply put, book bans harm communities.

Students cannot access critical information to help them understand themselves and the world around them. Parents lose the opportunity to engage in teachable moments with their kids. And communities lose the opportunity to learn and build mutual understanding.

Recent polling confirms that large majorities of voters and parents oppose book bans in public and school libraries, and they have overwhelmingly favorable opinions of public and school libraries. We must join with others and raise our voices together to convey these messages.

Please join us by visiting Unite Against Book Bans and spreading the word to your networks.

ALA Message

"Today, ALA launches Unite Against Book Bans, a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship. Recent polling confirms that large majorities of voters and parents oppose book bans in public and school libraries, and they have overwhelmingly favorable opinions of public and school libraries. We must join with others and raise our voices together to convey these messages.

As National Library Week kicks off with the release of the State of America’s Libraries Report, including the Top 10 Banned Books, the sense of urgency is clear. This campaign will engage with other states, local, and national efforts to build a strong and vibrant network of individuals and organizations working together to fight censorship.

Please join us by visiting Unite Against Book Bans and: signing up for the campaign, spreading the word to your networks., following the campaign on social media: Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram."

System Project Challenged Books Project

In light of the increased number of Book Challenges facing libraries, I would like to create a group dedicated to reviewing challenged books and writing justification reviews on why they should be kept in library collections. Ideally, these reviews will help with any local challenge or conversation at member libraries and the group will help with any other type of censorship-related issues in our System. I'm thinking this could be structured as a facilitated "debate club" and the reviews that come out would be by the System. Ultimately, this may fit best as a subcommittee of PLSDAC, but I could also see it being an independent group with Directors and Trustees involved. I'd be open to some thoughts if you have them.

Harvard Business Review: Tip of the Week

Chip Away at Your Long-Term Career Goals

Most of us would prefer to think long-term about our careers, rather than just veering randomly from opportunity to opportunity. But how can you be strategic if you’re not entirely sure where you ultimately want to end up? Try these four strategies:

1. *Figure out what you don’t want*. For instance, you might decide you never want to work for a micromanaging boss again, or you’re done with your current industry, or you no longer want to work hands-on and only want to take on advisory roles. Those are useful pieces of data that can help you form a more realistic picture of what you do want.
2. *Pick a “provisional hypothesis*. It’s hard to think about narrowing your options permanently so pick one direction as a hypothesis for where you want your career to go. This should be an informed choice, and you can always change your mind later, but it’ll help you to work strategically toward a plausible goal.
3. *Make progress on the basics*. Double down on foundational, transferable skills and knowledge that will make you better, no matter what direction you ultimately decide to pursue.
4. *Take stock of your emotional and mental energy*. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your long-term career success is to take a well-deserved break, whether it’s a more formal sabbatical or simply recognizing that it’s OK to pause on ambitious new goals right now. There’s no need to beat yourself up for a smart choice.

This tip is adapted from “How to Make Progress on Your Long-Term Career Goals,” by Dorie Clark.

How to Make Progress on Your Long-Term Career Goals.pdf