Circulate!
Love is in the air! February is Library Lovers Month, a celebration of the people and places who bring these trusted institutions to life. Thanks for your tremendous year-round work serving your communities!
This year’s Library Lover’s Month comes after several challenging years for librarians. In her New Year’s message, American Library Association President Cindy Hohl, a Dakota of the Santee Sioux Nation, reminds us what’s at stake as we enter a new chapter:
“We must also protect our vulnerable against the Tricksters who seek to disrupt harmony among us. Distraction from the adverse effects on society is intentional, and we must hold leaders accountable to ensure healthy communities. As trusted information professionals, we hold responsibility to protect equal access to accurate information. As warriors, we must recognize when the time comes to take a stand against those who seek to divide us, and this is that moment in America.”
As we walk cautiously into the coming months, we must continue to support and build community that reflects our shared values, find places of agreement, and ways to move forward to create a world where all are welcome, nourished, and given the tools to thrive. To support our work, the American Library Association (ALA) launched Show Up for Our Libraries, a campaign to harness the collective power of library advocates to influence elected leaders and policymakers.
Part of our work includes sharing our story with our community and beyond. We can let our representatives know about all the amazing ways we support our communities—it’s officially Library Advocacy Day on February 5 and 6, when we have virtual meetings with our representatives in the State Legislature and Assembly (for more info, see below). We hope you’ll join us or invite your representatives to visit your libraries!
Tell the World: Libraries Rock!
It’s time to remind our legislators of the great work libraries do all year long during Advocacy Day, Wednesday, February 5 and Thursday, February 6, 2025. The New York Library Association will host a Pre-Advocacy Day on Tuesday, February 4.
SALS will convene a series of virtual advocacy conversations with our representatives. To find out when we’re meeting with yours, get in touch with Pamela.
This year, we’re asking for the following:
Budget
State Aid for Libraries (Operating Aid): $176.8 million
This request represents the $76 million statutory value for State Aid for Libraries in FY 1991 – 1992, the first year of modern operating aid, adjusted for 2024 using the Consumer Price Index.
State Aid for Library Construction: $175 million
The New York State Library Division of Library Development estimates that New York’s library construction needs spanning 2023 to 2025 totals $1.75 billion dollars.
Library Materials Aid: $11.33/pupil
NYLA is advocating for the first increase in Library Materials Aid since 2007. We are asking to reflect year-to-year cost changes in materials, as well as to account for the 2023 expansion of Library Materials Aid to include electronic and digital materials that occurred without a corresponding increase in funding.
NOVELny: $3.1 million
NYLA requests the inclusion of dedicated funding in the state budget for NOVELny. This year, our ask is increasing by 3% to account for potential year-over-year increases
Legislation
Freedom to Read
§ Freedom to Read Act (School): S.6350-B / A.6873-B
Libraries across New York face rapidly expanding efforts to curtail access to materials and programming. We require legislation that empowers library professionals to exercise their expertise and ensure public access to materials, services, and programs that represent their interests.
Protection in Public Libraries
§ Protection in Public Libraries: S.7677-A / A.7843-B
E-Books Licensing Reform
Legislation is required to allow library access to electronic books and digital audiobooks, providing requirements for contracts between libraries and publishers for access to electronic library material.
Media Literacy
§ S.6868-A / A.10544
·NYLA supports efforts to advance Media Literacy education in New York State schools and to ensure Certified Library Media Specialists are using their training and experience to lead Media Literacy efforts in schools statewide.
Share Your Story
It’s time to let your light shine! The New York Library Association 2025 conference returns to Saratoga from November 5 to November 8, 2025. This year’s theme is Actionable Advocacy.
NYLA has opened it’s conference proposal submission form, giving you a chance to share the great advocacy work you’re doing, including marketing, partnerships with community stakeholders, and anything else you do to help spread the word about libraries.
You may submit proposals for the following:
Program/Workshop: 75 minute presentation
Pre-Conference Program: 3-hour presentation
The deadline for program proposal submissions is Friday, March 21. All proposals will be reviewed by the Continuing Education Committee for final selection.
Contact events@nyla.org for more information, or assistance with the form.
Oath of Office
New York State Public Officer’s Law §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).
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.
Media Literacy Toolkit
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the release of New York’s first ‘Media Literacy’ toolkit for educators. Following a surge in online hate speech in November 2023 and after the perpetrator of the Tops mass shooting in Buffalo was radicalized online, Governor Hochul directed the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to work with experts to develop and distribute an ideologically neutral product which provides resources to develop the ability to analyze, evaluate and assess all forms of media, including information delivered through social media.
The toolkit has five sections:
Overview of the 21st-century media landscape
Introduction to Media Literacy
Key questions for analyzing, evaluating, and using media
Importance of Media Literacy
Educator tools/resources
Seeds of Possibility
The Seed Library Network has created free resources to help you organize a successful seed swap.Visit Seed Library Network.org/seed-swaps for the following keytools:
How to Organize a Seed Swap: A step-by-step guide to help you plan a fun, engaging event.
Table Signs: Signage to help vet seeds, label them appropriately, and organize by family.
Check-in Table: A checklist to ensure seeds are properly labeled and identify which seeds should not be shared (e.g., those saved from commercial hybrids) and when to mark potentially crossed seeds as “Diverse.”
Seed Swap: Seed Sharing Guidelines: Guidelines for both organizers and participants on proper labeling.
Seed Swap Participants: A helpful prep guide for participants on what to bring, how to prepare seeds, and how to navigate the swap. It also explains exchange etiquette.
If your library shares seeds library, please add it to the Seed Library Map!
Library Freedom Institute 2025
The Library Freedom Project’s privacy and intellectual freedom training for library workers is now open for applications!
Library Freedom Institute covers a wide range of relevant and engaging subjects in the privacy, intellectual freedom, and critical technology realm. The 2025 Institute will take place over four months (starting in late April), consisting of a two-hour virtual meeting every week, and an in-person weekend component. Some topics will feature expert guest speakers. Participants will spend time each week working on readings, group discussion, and final projects.
After LFI has completed, participants are invited to join the LFP community of practice, a one-of-a-kind space for library workers to continue collaborating in a supportive environment.
Application questions, requirements, and FAQ are here: https://libraryfreedom.org/institute/
Applications are due March 15. Email institute@libraryfreedom.org with any questions.
Behind the Scenes
Public Service Announcement: What happens at SALS may not always stay at SALS.
An Ill Wind
On Friday, January 24, the new leadership of the Department of Education announced that its Office for Civil Rights has “dismissed” 17 complaints and pending complaints” related to book bans.” It said the idea that “local school districts’ removal of age-inappropriate, sexually explicit, or obscene materials from their school libraries created a hostile environment for students” and constitutes a civil rights violation is “a meritless claim based upon a dubious legal theory.” The Office for Civil Rights also ended the position of “book ban coordinator” and rescinded an agreement reached with Forsyth County School District in Georgia. The Office’s statement has the misleading headline, “U.S. Department of Education Ends Biden’s Book Ban Hoax.”
Kasey Meehan, the director of Freedom to Read, at PEN America, said in a statement: “For over three years we have countered rhetoric that book bans occurring in public schools are a ‘hoax.’ They are absolutely not. This kind of language from the U.S. Department of Education is alarming and dismissive of the students, educators, librarians, and authors who have first hand experiences of censorship happening within school libraries and classrooms.”
Meehan noted that the 16,000 book bans are “a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s” and that the censorship effort is “organized by conservative groups [and] predominantly targets books about race and racism by authors of color and also books on LGBTQ+ topics as well those for older readers that have sexual references or discuss sexual violence.
“All students deserve to see themselves and the world around them reflected in the books shelved within their public schools.”
The new administration will end any diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Source: Shelf Awareness
Alls Well That Ends Well
Art will imitate life — albeit in a much more lighthearted manner — when Drag Queen Story Hour: The Musical debuts at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls. Neal Herr wrote the musical about the cancellation of Drag Queen Story Hour at the Rockwell Falls Library in 2024. Scarlet Sagamore, the Drag Queen who was scheduled to appear at Rockwell Falls, will play herself in the musical.
New Battleground: Little Free Libraries
When Utah State Representative Sahara Hayes announced she would be placing banned books in Little Free Libraries, Utah Parents United suggested anyone distributing material through these volunteer sharing programs be prosecuted.
The Dark Side of Neil Gaiman
Popular author Neil Gaiman has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Some of his projects have since been halted or canceled.
Take My Money!!!
This is not a drill! The United States Post Office will be releasing Good Night Moon stamps later this year!
In the Courts & Legislatures
A group of Maryland parents, unhappy that schools have LGBTQ+ books in the school, are taking their case to the US Supreme Court, after exhausting all paths in the lower courts. As Mahmoud v. Taylor plays out in the Supreme Court, the Texas Legislature has multiple bills criminalizing librarians for providing a range of reading material in public schools.
Regional Collections Grant
The Capital District Library Council invites applications for the 2025 cycle of our Regional Collections grants through February 28, 2025. All CDLC member institutions, including individual public libraries, are eligible to apply.
CDLC members are encouraged to submit proposals for digitization projects. These projects may include contributing content to New York Heritage or NYS Historic Newspapers, creating finding aids to be included in the Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative, or enhancing existing metadata. CDLC is also offering funding to cover one-time setup costs for joining the Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative.
Projects considered for funding should improve access to collections and content or raise the visibility of regional collections.
T-Mobile Hometown Grant
T-Mobile Hometown Grants is a $25 million, five-year initiative to support the people and organizations who help small towns across America thrive and grow. Hometown Grants are given every quarter to up to 25 small towns.
Apply for funding to support a community project of your choice, like revitalizing or repurposing a historic structure, creating a downtown asset or destination, or improving a space where friends and neighbors gather. Projects that add to a sense of place or could lead to further investment are of particular interest.
Projects must be completed and usable by the public by May 31, 2026.
Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant
The Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant recognizes, promotes and supports innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries. It will provide two grants of $2,000 for a school, public, academic, tribal or special library to expand its community engagement efforts.
Applications will be accepted between December 2, 2024, and February 3, 2025. View the full award guidelines and apply online at www.ala.org/LTCEG.
Libraries are invited to apply by designing and outlining activities for a library-led community engagement project. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members – be they library patrons, residents, faculty, students, or local organizations – to address issues for the betterment of the community.
For the 2024–2025 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a community engagement project focusing on building neighborhood connections. Libraries should collaborate with community members and at least one partner organization to develop a project that addresses a local issue and builds upon community assets.
Talk Story Grant
Talk Story: Sharing Stories, Sharing Culture is a family literacy initiative that connects Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI), and American Indigenous or Alaskan Native (AIAN) communities across generations. The Talk Story micro-grant celebrates and explores AANHPI and AIAN stories through books, oral traditions, and cultural arts to provide interactive and enriching experiences for all ages. This grant provides financial support to libraries that promote intergenerational literacy through programming, services, and collections. Talk Story programs may be conducted in-person or virtually.
Interested libraries must submit a complete and detailed application including a statement of financial or economic need, narrative describing how the grant addresses community needs and promotes the Talk Story mission, an explanation of how your program empowers AANHPI and/or AIAN communities, and a proposed budget.
Funds may be used to purchase library materials such as books, audiovisual materials, supplies for activities/crafts, programming costs such as hiring a storyteller, etc.
Preference will be given to proposals that reflect the core values of family literacy, intergenerational programming and service, and cultural literacy, and representation of AANHPI and AIAN identities and communities. Projects that actively disrupt stereotypes, decenter colonialism, and hold space for AANHPI/AIAN agency will be heavily considered.
Applications must be received by March 15, 2025 11:59pm. To submit a proposal, please use the online form.
Awards will be announced on May 1, 2025. A total of four $500 grants will be awarded by the two organizations.
For more information, contact familylit@apalaweb.org or AILA.TalkStory@gmail.com.
Freedom of Information Law
& Open Meetings Law Virtual Information Sessions
Kristin O’Neill, Deputy Director and Counsel for the Committee on Open Government, will present a virtual Freedom of Information Law information session from 10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, February 4,2025 and a virtual Open Meetings Law information session from 1 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. Tuesday, February 4.
If you are unable to attend live, the sessions will be recorded and available on the open government training materials/recordings page within a week of the program.
The programs will consist of a one-hour overview of the statute, followed by 30 minutes of a question-and-answer period.
Pre-registration is required. You will receive a confirmation email from WebEx with instructions for joining the session.
Freedom of Information Law Information Session
10 am Tuesday, February 4
Registration link
Open Meetings Law Information Session
1 pm Tuesday, February 4
Registration link
Practical Ethics for Librarians:
Navigating Generative AI Thoughtfully
Generative AI is transforming the library profession, unlocking new opportunities for accessibility, content creation, and operational efficiency. Yet, this technological shift also introduces complex ethical challenges that resist simple solutions. Intellectual property disputes, the environmental toll of AI, transparency, and equity concerns require librarians to move beyond instinctive reactions and engage with these issues using a more thoughtful, structured approach.
This presentation focuses on equipping librarians with practical tools to assess their own and their library’s use of AI through established ethical frameworks. By exploring deontological ethics (rights and duties),consequentialism (weighing outcomes), and virtue ethics (fostering integrity),participants will learn to apply these frameworks to real-world scenarios in library settings.
Presenter
Dr. Leo S. Lo (he/him) is Dean and Professor of the College of University Libraries and Learning Services (CULLS) at the University of New Mexico. He is also 2024-2025 President of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
Free to RRLC & ESLN Members. This event will be held on Zoom Webinar; registration is required.
This webinar will be recorded; you must register in order to receive the recording.
All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance for 1 hour of CE credit
Human Resources Series
The Empire State Library Network (ESNL) will host Stephanie Cole Adams (from Ask the Lawyer) to address Human Resources Questions
All webinars will take place from 10 am – 11:30 am via Zoom.
Friday, February 28: Innovations in Employee Benefits, Explore unconventional benefits that libraries can offer to recruit, retain, and inspire employees.
Friday, March 28: AI on the (GLAM) Job, A review of how the law impacts use of AI at work in libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions.
Friday, April 25: Open Ask HR, An open session to ask questions about future employment practices.
Please register for each webinar separately. They will be recorded and shared with registrants.
Another Survey?! Making Your Next Survey Count
Are you interested in surveying your patrons or community but aren’t sure how to get started? Or, do you have experience administering surveys but find it challenging to ask meaningful questions that yield useful information? Join us for a webinar from 2 to 3:30 pm Thursday, March 6, that will focus on the principles of survey design and administration, including:
The purpose of survey research, including when (and when not to!) use surveys
Guidelines for designing effective surveys
Best practices for pre-testing surveys
Tips for successful survey administration
Analyzing and using survey results
During the webinar, you will review and improve existing survey items, and practice writing original survey items.
About the Presenter:
Linda Hofschire has more than 25 years experience conducting social science research and evaluation and providing training in-person and online. She directs the Research Institute for Public Libraries (RIPL), an initiative to provide data and evaluation training for library staff.
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Southern Adirondack Library System · 22 Whitney Pl · Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-4561 · USA
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