Monday Briefing - June 28, 2021

Social Media for Small Libraries

After Suzanne's fantastic ALA presentation last Friday, she was highlighted in American Libraries! Click on the link below to read the full article.

Maintaining an active social media presence can be a consuming task for the largest of libraries, but it can be even more difficult for small and rural libraries operating with reduced staff and limited funds...Read more.

Recap on Recent News

Director Search Update

• Geneva Public Library (Promoting Civil Service Exam)
• Dansville Public Library (Collecting Applications)
• Naples Library (Selected a Provisional Director; Congratulations, Kendyl Litwiller!)
• Lyons Public Library (Interviewing Candidates)
• Red Jacket Community Library (Interim)
• Mt. Morris Library (Selected a Director; Congratulations, Kelly Deltoro-White!)

New York State COVID-19 Update

All restrictions have been lifted from NY Forward (social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing). Consistent with the State's implementation of the recent CDC guidance, masks are still required for unvaccinated individuals. This update seems to have removed the ability for boards to meet online as well. We will now be required to go back to following Open Meetings Law as we were prior to COVID-19.

NY HERO Act

Overview: The NY HERO Act is intended to prevent current and future occupational exposure to airborne infectious diseases at workplaces throughout New York state. This new law:

• Requires the Department of Labor, in consultation with the Department of Health, to create and publish a general model airborne infectious disease exposure standard for all worksites and, where appropriate, differentiated by industry. The standard must include retaliation protections and be published in English and Spanish.
• Requires private employers to establish an airborne infectious disease exposure plan by adopting the model standard, or an alternative plan that equals or exceeds the model standard.
• Requires employers to provide written notice to workers about the model standard.
• Authorizes the Department of Labor and the New York State Attorney General to take appropriate enforcement measures.
• Allows employees to establish and administer joint labor-management workplace safety committees.

As of today, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has not published the model standards. We are waiting for the published model standard before we develop any policy templates. Employers will have to establish their plans (by either adopting the NYSDOL standards or creating their own plan that equals or exceeds the NYSDOL’s standard) within thirty (30) days after the model standards relevant to the employer’s industry are published.

Once I know more I will follow up with you all.

Two Scoops of Learning this Week from Suzanne

Happy Monday!

We have back-to-back learning opportunities this week!

Tuesday, June 29 @ 10am Grant Writing Cents with Liz Jones from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation & Team

Wednesday, June 30 @ 2pm TikTok at the Library featuring Wood Library's Katie Smith!

Each session is only an hour long and attendees will earn 1 CEU. Click the links above to learn more and register.

Last Call: Construction Grant Intent to Apply

The Intent to Apply for this year's Construction Grant cycle is due on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

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

StoryWalk Seed Money Project from Andrea

Pioneer Library System will be awarding three OWWL Libraries with $3,000 in seed money to build a permanent or semi-permanent StoryWalk ®.

A StoryWalk ® is a fun, educational activity that places a children’s story along a popular walking route in the community. The StoryWalk ® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.

Applications are due Friday, July 23, 2021. The three libraries receiving the award money will be notified by July 30, 2021, and funding will be disbursed to the libraries in early August 2021. Libraries must be able to complete their project, by June 30, 2022.
For more information about this opportunity including the application criteria, library commitment, and application form, click here.

Rerun: Director Comment Period on Plan of Service 2022-2026

The next phase of drafting our 2022-2026 Plan of Service is to offer Directors an opportunity to comment on the goals for each section. You will notice that the priority areas are similar to what you have seen before, the difference is that they now incorporate the comments offered by Directors from a few months ago. Please take a few moments between now and July 6, 2021 to comment on the draft Plan of Service 2022-2026.

The for can be found here: https://forms.gle/dWmP3nrULEXsLXU38