Monday Briefing - February 28, 2022

Advocacy Day - March 2, 2022

Virtual Advocacy Day is this Wednesday!

If you plan on attending, please indicate which visits you will be attending by clicking here . You are welcome to send the link to any Trustees who would like to attend. I will be finalizing the list and sending the links again tomorrow at the end of the day.

Priority One: NYS Library Construction Aid: $45M

Increased investment is needed to maintain and develop the physical infrastructure of New York State’s libraries, in order to ensure a safe, accessible and sustainable environment for the future.

The New York State Library estimates the deferred maintenance need at over $1.5B.

Over half of New York’s libraries are over 60 years old. Investments allow libraries to invest in energy-efficiency and support the local construction industry

• Construction Aid One Pager
• History of Construction Aid Chart
• Board of Regents Support Memo

Priority Two: NYS Library Operating Aid: $123.1M

Increased aid is needed to support the foundational framework of New York State libraries, improving the lives of residents of all ages, abilities and economic status.

Adequate funding is needed to support school, public, and academic libraries and library systems.

• Library Aid One Pager
• History of Library Aid Chart
• Impact of Underfunding

Please Note

• Assemblyman Gallahan is unavailable on Advocacy Day, so we will be meeting with him next week.
• I am still working on securing a time with Assemblyman DiPietro (it will most likely be with the Buffalo/Erie group).
• Many of our visits are with other Library Systems; if they do all the talking it's fine, I will be following up with each one individually.
• Advocacy Day is typically about the number of people in the room, so even if you are hesitant about contributing, feel free to show up and listen.
• Even if you cannot attend Advocacy Day, their are two initiatives through NYLA that you can take part in.
  • The first is Share Your Story, which is an open-ended submission, and
  • the second includes NYLA's budget and several policy initiatives.

PLSDAC Meeting - Friday, March 4, 2022

A reminder that PLSDAC is scheduled for this Friday at 10:00 AM. If you have items to include on the agenda, you may email Jenny.

https://docs.owwl.org/Members/DirectorsAdvisoryCouncilAgenda20220304

Movie License Renewal from Kelly

Our movie licensing will be expiring on 3/31/22. Good news, there will be no price increase for this years renewal (4/1/22-3/31/23). Pricing information is attached. For those libraries that currently have a license, your price renewal is in the last column under the Current Renewal column. For libraries that are interested in purchasing a movie license, your pricing will depend on how many total libraries join. If 20 to 29 libraries join, your pricing will be under that Group Rate column but if we have 30 to 42 libraries join your pricing will be under that Group Quote column.

The outdoor exception is continuing for all of 2022. This allows for films to be shown outdoors at the library as long as the form found on this link is sent in for approval, and the guidelines listed are followed: https://www.swank.com/public-libraries/outdoor/
There is no longer a list, but the libraries can request any film covered by the annual license for approval with the outdoor exception, and as long as there are no outdoor date restrictions, for the date requested, Swank will approve the request by email within 2-3 days.

Please let me know if your library would like to join/renew by Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

• Pricing 4.1.22-3.31.23.pdf
• FAQs regarding movie licensing.pdf

Employee Handbook Template

2022 Employee Handbook for Member Libraries.docx

Above is a downloadable Word file of a model Employee Handbook that member libraries can use to establish a handbook or replace existing policies if they choose. When using this template, there are comments in certain sections to help determine if the specific policies are applicable to your library. Be sure to read through the entire document and include all appropriate information prior to board approval. Also, be sure to include or revoke any existing policies that may be included in this template so you do not have conflicting information.

Source: https://docs.owwl.org/Members/EmployeeHandbookTemplateProject

On March 3, 2022 at 3:00 PM I will be holding a quick workshop to go over how to customize the Employee Handbook for your library. Click here to register .

Article of Interest: Court Blocks Maryland’s Library E-book Law

This is a discouraging setback in the efforts to achieve equitable access to digital materials for libraries. ALA says that it will continue its efforts.

Court Blocks Maryland’s Library E-book Law by Andrew Albanese | Feb 16, 2022

Harward Business Review Tip of the Day: Speak Up in a New Role

There are so many benefits to speaking up at work: You gain visibility, increase your influence, and enhance your credibility. But when you’re new to an organization, it can be hard to know when and how to make your voice heard. To get more comfortable with speaking up, do some pre-work. Think about who needs to hear your idea or opinion and why. Run your thoughts by other team members, peers, or mentors who have been around longer to get their perspective before bringing up your idea in a meeting or to your boss. Next, carefully consider the best time and place to raise your idea. Should you speak up during a meeting, or set up a one-on-one instead? Should it be an email? When you do speak up, strategically frame your suggestions. Are you pointing out everything that’s wrong or suggesting ways to improve upon a process or system? And most importantly, be humble. Not every idea you have is going to be a good one, especially when you’re just starting out at a new company. Be ready and willing to hear “no."

Don’t Let “Being New” Stop You From Speaking Up by Ethan Burris and Ruchi Sinha | January 25, 2022