Monday Briefing - December 20, 2021

In-District Advocacy Visits

In-district Advocacy visits can be found here - https://docs.owwl.org/Community/AssemblySenateRepresentatives

There have been some last-minute changes with our legislator's schedules so the link above is the best place to look for updated information. Not all legislators have followed up with the initial request, so those meetings are still pending. Here is the document we are using for these meetings - Advocacy 2022 Handout.pdf

I understand that not everyone will be able to attend these meetings, that is okay. I can take care of them and we can work on other Advocacy initiatives in the first quarter of 2022.

State Aid for Library Construction Info Session

The FY 2023 State Aid for Library Construction Info Session will be held Monday, January 10, 2022 at 5 PM. Library Directors and Trustees from libraries who will be applying this next cycle--or who want to learn more about the Construction Aid process for a future project--are encouraged to attend. There will be some updates to Construction Aid this year, both how the program is administered locally at Pioneer Library System and timeline changes from DLD. Click here for more information and to register.

Annual Report Workshop

Join us for a review of the 2021 Annual Report for Public and Association Libraries. We will outline changes/updates as well as the new questions related to Minimum Standards, programming, and COVID-19. Directors and/or the Annual Report Contact from each library should plan to attend.

A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants the morning of the workshop. Click here to register .

Books By Mail Update from Suzanne

I am excited that libraries are excited about the start of our Books by Mail program! I think it will be an important part of our Outreach services and will help many patrons who are unable to access libraries.

Although the webpage is live, the program does not officially roll out until Monday, January 3, 2022. Until that time, please do not promote the program in-house or on social media.

It is wonderful and heartwarming that so many share in the enthusiasm for this program, and I look forward to rolling this program out together in a few weeks.

Libby Update from OverDrive

In support of your library’s mission to serve every reader in your community, the next Libby update (planned for early January 2022) will include several changes to improve the app’s accessibility for all users.
Libby will display a message highlighting these changes when users receive the update.

Full screen menus

The in-app menu will no longer open from the side of the app. Instead, it will fill the screen. It will still have Libby’s familiar look and feel. This will make keyboard and screen reader navigation more consistent and help all users concentrate on the task they are trying to perform in the menu.

Menu icon

The menu button in the navigation bar will be simplified to three horizontal bars, which is a familiar icon common in other apps and across the web.

New accessibility features

Several accessibility improvements will help users better navigate Libby with assistive technologies like screen readers. We've refined the invisible labels and descriptions on all interactive elements, streamlined the presentation of information to screen readers, and improved keyboard focus indicators. These are in the app's foundation and will only be noticeable to readers using assistive technologies.

In addition, this upcoming release will introduce a new menu with other accessibility features that any user can opt into. These options will be available under Menu > Settings > Accessibility Features and include: Reduce Color Variation, Reduce Text Variation, Reduce Motion, Reduce Haptics (device vibrations), and device orientation preferences.

For more information about accessibility in Libby, visit Libby Help or OverDrive’s accessibility statement.

Thank you,
OverDrive