Monday (Tuesday) Briefing - September 7, 2021

2nd Annual OWWLie Awards & Inaugural Donut Wall!

Details are finally set for the 2nd Annual OWWLie Awards! We are going to offer the OWWLie Awards as a hybrid event on Friday, October 15 @ 10am. The awards presentation will be held in lieu of a regular System Meeting.

When registering for the event, you will have the option of choosing In-Person or Virtual. Those wishing to attend In-Person will need to attest that they are full vaccinated. Full COVID protocols, including masking requirements, will be sent out prior to the event and will be in accordance with the most current CDC and DOH guidelines. For Virtual attendees, the event will be lived streamed on Zoom, and a link will be sent out that morning. Click here for more information and to register.

Be sure to submit your OWWLie Award nominations by next Friday, September 10.

We are hopeful that next year we can meet again in person for a full Annual Meeting but are excited to still have the opportunity to celebrate library staff, Trustees, and volunteers from across the 42 OWWL Libraries.

To help us celebrate the incredible work your libraries did over the past year, please send pictures of your staff from 2021 to include in the presentation to smacaulay@pls-net.org.

Walk to Your Library Closeout Evaluation Questionnaire from Suzanne

Thank you to all the libraries that participated in Walk to Your Library. Please complete this survey to help us plan for next year .

PLSDAC Agenda - Friday, September 10, 2021

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Recent Highlights from OSC Audits

The Office of the State Comptroller releases its most recent audits of libraries, school districts, and municipalities every Sunday. These are a great resource to use in preemptively correcting practices that we do not consider regularly. School District, Special Legislative District, and Municipal Libraries can all be the target of an OSC audit at any time. There has also been a Cooperative Library System audited, which sets the precedent for Association Libraries to be under the scrutiny of the OSC at some point in the future. Below are the key findings of the most recent audits. You can also find the list of OSC findings discussed during the Public Library Financial Oversight Trustee Workshop by clicking here .

• Ripley Central School District – Payroll and Leave Accruals (2021M-53)
  • Establish and adopt comprehensive written policies and procedures to guide the payroll and leave accrual process.
  • Properly monitor the payroll and leave accrual process.
• Ripley Central School District – Financial Management (2021M-23)
  • Adopt budgets that include reasonable estimates for appropriations and the amount of appropriated fund balance that will be used to fund operations.
  • Develop and adopt a comprehensive written multiyear financial plan and adhere to the fund balance policy.
• Millbrook Central School District – Information Technology – User Accounts (2021M-48)
  • Develop written procedures for managing system access that include periodically reviewing user access and disabling user accounts when access is no longer needed. (These are items the System is working on).
  • Develop a breach notification policy.
• Cornwall Central School District – Information Technology (2021M-83)
  • Develop written procedures for managing system access that include periodically reviewing user access and disabling unnecessary network user accounts. (Another justification for individual user accounts for Evergreen).
  • Monitor Internet use to ensure employees comply with the AUP.
  • Adopt comprehensive IT policies and a disaster recovery plan.
• Town of Willing – Town Supervisor’s Financial Duties (2021M-68)
  • File AUDs as required.
  • Complete and review bank reconciliations in a timely manner.
  • Prepare and provide monthly financial reports to the Board which include a detail of money received and disbursed.
• Town of Owasco – Financial Management and Procurement (2021M-70)
  • Develop and adopt a detailed and sufficient reserve policy.
  • Develop policies and procedures for procuring and awarding professional service contracts.
  • Ensure equipment is procured in accordance with applicable policies and statutes.

Misinformation on Facebook from the Washington Post

In today's digital economy, we are all fairly acquainted with the pervasive misinformation on the Internet, which is why This Washington Post article caught my eye. It highlights the considerable amount of traction that incorrect information gains on social media. This along with the cited articles in the report offer an interesting story for the information overload we navigate with our patrons.

• Misinformation on Facebook got six times more clicks than factual news during the 2020 election, study says. by Elizabeth Dwoskin · The Washington Post · Sep 4, 2021 (Here is a PDF version - Misinformation on Facebook Washington Post 2021.09.04.pdf)

Online Board Meetings Allowed Until January 15, 2022

In case you missed last week's email…

Governor Hochul signed legislation allowing for online meetings of public entities. It looks like this will be the same as the provision as the earlier Executive Order, meetings will need to be recorded and transcribed if held online.

This is temporary legislation, but hopefully, S7261 will be signed into law before January 15, 2022 making this a permanent change.

"...during the COVID-19 pandemic, portions of the Open Meetings Law were modified to allow public business to continue while protecting public health by eliminating the need for congregation. This legislation will allow for remote public meetings to continue to be held through January 15, 2022 in the same manner as was allowed during the state disaster emergency."

"EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately."

Source: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s50001