Monday Briefing - July 19, 2021

OWWL Cost Shares

Last week Kelly sent out the OWWL Cost Shares for FY 2021. Many libraries will notice a decrease or a minor increase in the amount due; this is because of the shift in subsidy percentage at the System as well as some cost savings. We have also started using a three-year average for circulation figures (excluding 2020) to offer a less drastic shift from year to year. Kelly and I are hoping to keep experimenting with future figures to make sure that the OWWL Cost Share is equitable to both the System and member libraries.

Also, in a year of changing budgets, it is great to be able to offer this lower-than-expected figure. Payment is due by August 15, 2021. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out.

NY HERO Act

Questions have been coming in about which libraries are required to comply with the NY HERO Act. Luckily, the Ask A Lawyer service recently answered that question - https://www.wnylrc.org/ask-the-lawyer/raqs/226

The short answer is, Association Libraries must comply and Public Libraries should comply just in case (if you decide not to, you should have written legal advice from your attorney).

All of the information we know so far can be found here, https://dol.ny.gov/ny-hero-act

A "Model Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Plan" can be found here - https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2021/07/model-airborne-infectious-disease-exposure-prevention-plan-p765.pdf

These plans need to be in place, however, they are not activated unless we are in a public health crisis. There may be more information that comes out from the State as they work through the details, but right now, it will be a good idea to review the plan and website in order to prepare this information for your board.

System Board Meeting Actions

Actions from last week's System Board Meeting:

• Approved Preliminary Construction Aid Figures
• Approved System Building and Vehicle Capital Plans
• Approved the Creation of an Office Administrator Position (will be hiring soon)
• Approved OWWL Cost Share Subsidy
• Approved Use of Assigned Reserves for Evergreen Development

Doc 2107-1 Agenda.pdf

Doc 2107-4 Directors Report.pdf

Oath of Office Requirement from DLD

Make sure your trustees file an oath of office!

Many library trustee terms began on July 1. This is an important reminder that New York State Public Officer's Law §10 (https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PBO/10 ) requires all public library trustees (but not association library trustees) to take and file an oath of office within 30 days of beginning their term of office. Public library trustees are public officers and the oath of office is required to officially undertake and perform the duties of a public library trustee.

If a public library trustee does not properly complete and file an oath of office, the trustee’s position may be deemed vacant. See Public Officer's Law §30(1)(h) (https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PBO/30 ).

For more information about how and why the oath of office is administered, and where to properly file an oath of office, please see the Oaths of Office FAQ on the New York State Library website: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/trustees/oath.htm

Not sure whether your library is legally a public library or an association library? Library type information is listed for every public and association library in New York State on the library’s Annual Report and also on the “Find Your Public Library” web page at: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/publibs/index.html

Questions about the legal requirement for oaths of office or about library types should be directed to the director of the public library system of which the library is a member. Contact information is available here: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/publibs/1pls.htm

Changes to ILL from Kathryn

I want to let you know that there has been a significant change to our out-of-system ILL request handling.

For many years the University of Rochester has acted as a mediator for the bulk of these requests. Their policy has changed, and they are no longer handling requests for any organization outside of their institution.

We are investigating how to best handle Pioneer patron out-of-system ILL requests going forward.

The immediate impact is that these requests will probably take much longer to negotiate.

We will keep you posted as things develop in our exploration of alternatives.

Thank you for your patience during this transitory period.