Thoughts from "Room For Everyone: A Library Accessibility Day of Learning"

On July 9, the New York State Library held a one-day conference to start a year-long celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I had the pleasure of attending the event and facilitating a panel discussion on ""Building Services Where Everyone Belongs." The panelists were:

• Samir Benantar, NYS Education Department Language Access Coordinator 
• Blaise Bryant, the Communications Specialist for the NY Association on Independent Living 
• Anna DeRosa, Program Research Specialist & Grants Coordinator at the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities
• Joan Naturale, National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Deaf Studies Archives liaison for students, staff, and faculty at the Rochester Institute of Technology
• Christopher Woodfill, Executive Director of the New York State Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Office

 The State Library has written a summary of the day and I want to capture here some additional thoughts, some of which came after the event had ended:

• Work with local agencies which support people who have disabilities in order to understand how to modify the library appropriate. Consider creating a group of advisors who can review designs, color choices, etc., and provide input.
• Wayfinding is important for everyone including people with limited vision. For example, instead of painting every wall the same color, paint an easy to see wall in each room a different color. Then you can tell people to go to the room with the red wall, for example. I know this means having more paints on hand for touch up, but the benefit will be worth it.
• For someone who is blind or has low vision, consider how to build wayfinding into the flooring. Use texture on the floor to show pathways as well as places with paths cross (and a person might want to turn). 
• Upgrade your meeting rooms with hearing loops which can connect to a person's hearing aid through Bluetooth technology.
• Create a calming sensory room that can be used by children and adults with autism, as well as others who are being overwhelmed by the environment. 
• In my mind, libraries should consider more broadly how to use construction grants or funding from other sources to improve accessibility.
• Work with professional translation services to have library materials (e.g., policies, program information) translated into the languages that are spoken most in your area.  Be sure to have the translations reviewed by someone who speaks the language to ensure that translation makes sense to them. Also have these materials translated into Braille.
• Working with an interpreter (or an online interpreter service) can require some practice. Work to give your staff that practice time. Perhaps hire an interpreter to come, give a demonstration, and then allow people use the interpreter for a few minutes. (Pace, pausing, and clarity are important.)
• Create clear walking paths and do not use those clear walking paths for sudden displays or events. 
• Help staff become comfortable with making mistakes when working with someone who has accessibility needs. Helping a patron/community member can be more important than doing it perfectly. 
• Understand how to connect patrons with talking and Braille books.
• If your library has toys for children, ensure that toys are included for children who have accessibility needs.
• If you have recently renovation your library and did not think about accessibility (e.g., wayfinding), consider how you can now add-in accessibility elements.
• Remember to think about color selection for those who are color blind. Use high contract color combinations. 
• Work to ensure that your library website is accessible and can be read by screen readers.

There is much more to consider. While it can be overwhelming, every change - even small ones - can help your library be more welcoming to its community. 

The State Library is hosting a series of webinars to continue this conversation and education. The summary blog post contains a list of currently scheduled webinars at the bottom. 

 

 

 

The Basics and the Intricacies of the Open Meeting Law

I began this blog post in March 2021 after attending a webinar entitled "The Basics and the Intricacies of the Open Meeting Law," which was focused on open meeting law in New York State.  Even though that event was months ago, I'm going to summarize information from from the event, because it is still relevant.  I've kept some of the COVID-related information, because it might be interesting or useful.

Background

Since I became ta member of my public library system's board of trustees,  I have been learning about Open Meeting Law in New York State. Public institutions in NYS must comply with Open Meeting Law. The text of the law is on the NYS Committee on Open Government (COOG) website. What is the Committee on Open Government? The site says:

The Committee on Open Government oversees and advises the government, public, and news media on Freedom of Information, Open Meetings, and Personal Privacy Protection Laws. The Committee offers guidance in response to phone inquiries, prepares written legal advisory opinions, and provides training to government and other interested groups.

Text of the law is on the website and it is not long; however, it can cause an organization to raise many questions, which you can see in the opinions rendered. The basic idea of Open Meeting Law is that the governing bodies of public institutions should be transparent in what they are doing and thus their meetings should be open, Open Meeting Law states what that means and provides rules to follow. Following the law can be both easy and hard.

Notes

• Open Meeting Law is codified in NYS Public Officer Law, Article 7, which was updated in 2021. The COOG website includes those updates.
  
• The COOG website contains advisory opinions index alphabetically by key phrase. When looking at the opinions, it can be helpful to look at several since they may provide different information.
• Public business be held in an open and public manner.
  
• Citizens have the right to attend and listen to deliberations.
• With a public body, the whole public body (e.g., all of the trustees) are together one type of committee that is subject to open meeting law. In addition, a subcommittee, which is entirely comprised of members of the larger body is also subject to open meeting law. The fact that it is less that the quorum of the entire body is irrelevant.
• For example, a 15-member city council, with a 3-member subcommittee. That subcommittee is its own public body. (More than 2 members.)
• Are you having a meeting?
• Is there a quorum present? Quorum is 50% of the entire board/counsel.  If the board has 11 members (even if some positions are vacant), the quorum is 6.
  
• Will you be discussing public business?
• If yes, you are having a meeting regardless of the intent to take action. 
• There is no legal distinctions between workshops, meetings, agenda setting sessions, informal gathering, if you are discussing or conducting public business.
• What might be outside the scope of a public meeting?
• Site visits - no discussion or deliberation. Only for gathering information.
  
• Retreat or educational seminar. Team building. Not there to discuss their own public interest.
  
• Attendance at committee meeting as a member of the public
  
• Social, e.g., holiday gatherings
• During the COVID pandemic, how a meeting was defined changed due to the Governor's Executive Orders and actions taken by the State Legislature. Given what we experienced during the pandemic, the question is whether some of those changes may become permanent.
• You cannot conduct a meeting by teleconference (phone) or email. Sharing information through email is appropriate. There should not be substantial deliberations via email.
• Notice of Every Meeting
• Time and place of the meeting
• Prior to every meeting
• To the media - local media must have notice that the meeting will occur
  
• Must be posted on a designated physical location
• On the website
• Must be given 72 hours for meetings schedule more than 1 week in advance
• For meeting on short notice, notice must be given to extend practicable.
• Do you need to meet quickly? What would the harm be if delayed?
• Minutes
• Must include motions, resolutions, votes
• Does not need to be a verbatim account of the meeting
• Does not need to include a summary of deliberations or public comments 
• Must be available within two weeks for open sessions, and within one week for executive sessions (if action taken).
• Does not matter whether minutes are unapproved or in draft form
• Nothing in the law states that minutes must be approved
• They must be made available upon request
• Recording
• Any meeting that is open to the public can be photographed, recorded, or broadcast
• Agency is not obligated to record
• Agency may establish reasonable rules to limit disruption
• Executive Session
• It is part of an open meeting
• Cannot be held prior to an open meeting
• It cannot be a separate session 
• Most have a motion
• Upon majority vote
• Specificity of the motion, signal proper purpose
• Discuss items that would be harmful if disclosed
• Cannot just say that you are entering an Executive Session for "personnel" matters. The wording needs to be more specific. (See the law)
• Public Participation
• Not required
• Can establish reasonable rules, e.g., time limits, limited to agenda items
  
• Implement fairly and consistently
• Hearings are not the same as meetings. There are other statutes that govern public hearings.
• Matters/Records Scheduled to be Discussed
• There is no obligation to prepare or follow an agenda
• Proposed resolutions, etc., shall be made available by required, prior to the meeting, or at the meeting
• Section 108 Exemptions for Meeting Behind Closed Doors
• Judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings
  
• Deliberations of political committees, conferences or caucuses - discussion must be limited to political business
  
• Any matter made confidential by federal or state law, e.g., meetings with agency attorney covered by attorney client privilege.
• Non-Compliance and Enforcement
• Enforcement is through the initiation of a CPLR Article 78 proceeding in State Supreme Court. The Court has authority to:
  
• Award costs and attorney's fees
• Invalidate action - likely if the violation is substantial
  
• Require training 

Questions

Some of these questions were specific to meetings being held during the pandemic.

• Must members of the public identify themselves when attending a meeting? No.
• Must members of the board/committee have cameras on at all times? In non-COVID times, yes.
• If a meeting is recorded in non-COVID times, the recording needs to be kept for 4 months. There is no obligation that a transcript be prepared.
• We note on our meeting minutes who from the public attended (which could be staff). Do we need to do that? This is not needed. Members of the public may not want to be listed.
• Under the Governor's Executive Order (during COVID), the transcripts created by Zoom, etc., are sufficient.
• Do attendees need to identify themselves? No. Attending a meeting cannot be conditional of identify yourself. 
• During COVID, you may collect this information for contract tracing.
• If the building has security procedures which require identification, that is different than open meeting law.
• Definition of committees:
• If the committee is comprised of only members of the larger body, it is subject to the Open Meeting Law.
• Advisory committees with mostly non-board members are not likely subject to Open Meeting Law.
• Committees subject to NYS statute are subject to Open Meeting Law.
• During COVID and the Governor's Executive Order, a committee can meet in person and give the public a remote option for attending. 
• The in-person gathering, under COVID, must be able to accommodate social distancing.
• Telephone meetings - less than a quorum - are allowed.
• If action is taken in Executive Session, your clerk should be present to record the action.
• If a virtual meeting is live-streamed (during COVID), the public can watch. They do not need to be able to make comments.

Final Thoughts

This was not my first training on open meeting law and likely will not be my last. (See NYLA2018 post, elective session script) While the law seems simple and it is easy to implement, it is hard because it means being very transparent and that can be awkward if people feel that they are discussing something sensitive like the budget. We need to keep in mind that being transparent is good for our communities.

The idea that a agenda does not need to be followed is liberating for me, but I also have learned that having a standard agenda is helpful for everyone involved. Personally I think the agenda should help the organization focus and be able to change when needed.

Personally, I appreciate minutes which capture some of the discussion. Why? Because I think it is important to know what was discussed.  I've been in groups where someone will say, "check the minutes" and then see that the minutes don't provide any clues about what was said.  I think minutes should be helpful and provide a historical record. But that's me and I know that it is more than what is needed. (Yes, I recognize that people can keep their own notes, but that doesn't help when everyone who was around when 'that thing happened' is gone.)

I've learned that even committees can have executive sessions. Useful and good to know.

In another training, I've learned that anyone can attend an open meeting, whether or not they live in that area.  In other words, there is no residency requirement. You might want to exclude someone, but you can't. 

Also interesting that you do not need to capture the name of everyone in attendance.  If it is your practice to capture everyone's name, a person can ask to be unnamed.

The meeting is for the board/committee that is meeting and it should be useful for them. Hearing from others - e.g., a time for receiving comments - is not needed. If a board decided to receive comments, it should do so in a consistent manor and only receive the comments and not get into a discussion.

BTW checking the advisory opinions, I see that adhering to Robert's Rules of Order is not in the law, although a body may adopt to use Robert's Rules or adopt another set of rules.

Finally, having gone through open meeting law training, I think the more people trained in it for a public body (e.g., board), the better.  That will help the public body consider and implement open meeting law well, even when being transparent is uncomfortable. Honestly, I keep learning new things about open meeting law and how to implement it, which means that there is much to consider in how it is applied.

Information on the NYLA Annual Conference for library trustees and friends

After 24 years, the New York Library Association (NYLA) Annual Conference is returning to Syracuse, NY, in addition to holding a virtual conference. Because I'm on the Onondaga County Public Library Board of Trustees, I've written the information below for my board members in order to encourage them to attend. After writing it, I realized that other library trustees in NYS might benefit from this information.  It might also be helpful to your friends groups. So please share this information with anyone who can use it!

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This year, the New York Library Association Annual Conference is holding a virtual conference (Oct. 28-29) or the in-person conference, Nov. 3-6. Most of the in-person programming is on Nov. 4-5. Registration for the in-person conference also gives you access to the virtual conference.  The virtual conference includes sessions at specific times as well as on-demand programming.

Registration information is available online with early-bird registration ending on Sept. 30.  If you are not a member of NYLA, you would register as a non-member ($299/full conference or $189/virtual conference).
The registration rate for trustees assumes that you are a member of NYLA. A trustee can join NYLA for $30/year. 

Relevant sessions during the virtual conference programming include:

How to Hire and Inspire (and Occasionally Fire) Library Employees, Legally!
In this session, we will discuss a variety of employment law topics and the laws that govern them. Topics will include hiring and firing of employees, paid leave laws and policies, employee misconduct, discrimination and harassment, interpersonal conflict and bullying, wage and hour concerns, performance issues, safety concerns, and more. Using real world scenarios that arise in libraries, we will identify legal issues and plan practical approaches to resolving personnel problems. We will examine how federal and state employment laws and library policy work together, with a special focus on the requirements imposed by new legislation and recent court decisions.

How to Run an Effective Meeting
Attendees will learn how to construct an effective meeting by deciding what structure will meet the meeting's needs. We will discuss when and if, using Robert's Rules of Order is necessary, and give a quick introduction into best practices when using that structure. Key meeting management tips will be introduced, including how to empower all meeting attendees to participate; communicate effectively with a large group; value the attendees' time; stay on task; tactfully end off-topic discussions; and finish meetings in a timely matter.

Community Partnership Social Workers in Libraries
Middle Country Public Library welcomed a licensed social worker into their service model over 15 years ago and has sustained this model through deep community partnership.  Learn about how this model has been so successful in forging new relationships and meeting patron needs.  Meet our licensed social worker who will talk about the types of services she can offer with her professional training and how these services work within a public library. Kristen Todd-Wurm, National Coordinator for Family Place Libraries will talk about how the library set up and sustained this ongoing beneficial relationship over the years.

Library Construction 101
The State Aid for Library Construction program offers public and association libraries and public library systems funding, up to 90% of the total cost of the project, to carry out construction projects at these libraries.  Learn about the funding distribution, how to apply for a project, and what the requirements to receive an award of funding through how to close a project once the work is completed.

Relevant sessions during the in-person conference include:

De-escalation and Library Security, a Street Perspective
As libraries try to find a balance between safety and accessibility the discussion of security in libraries has become more nuanced and complex. One approach is to use Community Engagement Teams instead of traditional security or policing to de-escalate conflict before it begins. These Community Engagement Teams get to know the community, become aware of what is happening on the street level, are aware of trauma-informed services, and come from a shared background of the people that use the library. Their informed understanding of library users heads off conflict before it begins, and they become a part of the community library at the community level.

Library Trustees [Not In] Legal Jeopardy!
Being a trustee takes dedication, awareness, and a willingness to learn the ropes of library and not-for-profit legal considerations. Since that is a lot of work, this session will make it fun, promoting awareness of the most critical aspects of library trustee ethics and responsibilities through a game-show format: "What is...a fiduciary?" "What is...a conflict of interest?" "What is...Director's & Officer's Insurance?"  You will wager all of your late fees as you test and build your trustee skills in this fun and highly informative session!

Friendly Relationships, Working Together for the Library
Friends of the Library can be valuable members of the library team. Trustees provide governance, library directors manage the operations of the library, and a Friends group provides an opportunity for citizen volunteers to give support and financial assistance. All parties in this alliance need to understand their well-defined responsibilities and the limits of their roles. Frequent, clear, and open communication is the key to a successful partnership, along with joint planning sessions and establishing an operating agreement to address the needs and expectations of all. Robust, positive relationships between these key players will impact customer satisfaction and achieve long-term goals, helping libraries to be strong and resilient. Our panelists from the Hamilton Public Library will share ways their Friends, director, and trustees work together successfully.

A New Way to RAC
Building on the success of the Vision 2020 plan, RAC (Regents Advisory Council on Libraries) is looking at newer ways to improve services.  This program will include a discussion and we need your input.  The RAC Vision Plan 2020 presented strategic directions for New York's libraries and library systems and was developed in partnership with the state's library community.  It provided a clear vision of what excellent libraries should look like, and affirmed the ongoing value of the library system.

#NYLA2019 : Q&A with the New State Librarian

Lauren Moore became the State Librarian on August 1. As previous State Librarians have done, Lauren Moore came to NYLA and took questions from participants.

Moore cares about equity, digital inclusion, and policy.  She said that policy isn't exciting but it is how work gets done.

In talking about her vision (our vision), Moore said that she doesn't have all the answers after three months.  However, it is clear she has learned much about the library environment in NYS from her previous position and her short time in the New York Education Department, which the library is a part.  Moore wants to work with others to create a shared vision for libraries of all types across NYS.

In doing her work as State Librarian, Moore promised that she will be present, respectful, listen, continuously learn, and share power.

Questions State Librarian Moore was asked

Greatest challenge? Resources.  There is a complex source of funds and how those funds are used.  She needs to understand how the structure works and how to take advantage of opportunities.  How can she help the systems be flexible and agile.

How to increase the diversity of staff through civil service? Talk to civil services and make them your partner and ally. Work towards the long term.

Macmillan ebook embargo? The State Library cannot lobby or issue an opinion.  It can provide information and help gather information.  She suggested that libraries reer to existing information like the ebook study on the NYSED website.

Can the State Library use more social media? Yes.

Can she be the face of libraries in NYS? Yes, that is an aspiration.  However, she acknowledges that she is part of a large complex communications environment.

Question about schools without school librarians.  School libraries do not report to the State Library, but elsewhere in the NYS Education Department.  As she spoke about school libraries, Moore noted that the places to advocate may not be what you immediately consider.  Look around at who can provide input to a situation and advocate to them.

In answering another question about school libraries, she talked about endorsing work the work of school libraries and giving it more status.

Proposed trustee educational regulation? Proposed that each trustee receive two-hours of training each year.  When Commissioner Elia left, several top executives left at the same time.  That has delayed this regulation moving forward.  Can this regulation move forward in a different way?  She mentioned the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, as well as pursuing legislation, as ways of moving this forward.  She noted that adding a checkbox on the annual report each public library submits, regarding the training which individual trustees receive, could prompt more trustees to be trained annually. 

School library standards? The group that would create them has said "no." Is there another way to get that done?

2020 census? Not a lot of time left to prepare.  There is work happening across the state, outside of the State Library.  There is work for everyone to do, especially libraries. Do our staff know how to explain how we protect patron privacy on the internet?

What support does she want from us? Trust that she has our best interests at heart.  Continue to talk with her.  Help her understand what is happening.

She received a comment about civil service.  She recognizes that it has is pros and cons.  She noted that it is a human process and that we need to get to know the humans in the process.

Her range of travel? Yes she is getting out across the state.

Can she create more awareness of libraries in the eyes of the governor?  We need to build trust and makes services more visible to him.

Questions about prison libraries.  Prison libraries fall under the Department of Corrections.  She notes that county jails are locally run.  There are challenges and our libraries are working with prisons and jails in many ways.

#NYLA2018: Libraries are for Everyone

Andrea Snyder from Pioneer Library System (OWWL) gave this presentation.

Snyder referenced:

• Images from Hafuboti.com
• Dare to Lead by Brene Brown.  The quote she used was, “I’m a traveler, not a map maker.”

According to Snyder, OWWL covers four counties, approximately 300,000 people.  Demographically the area is 90% white, 95% born in US, 12% identify as having a disability.

Is the "library for everyone" a token phrase? What does it really mean?  OWWL fully acknowledges the changes that are needed and sees this as an aspiration.  They support and push their libraries (friends groups,etc.) to learn change policies, and create inclusive environments.  It is hard and messy.

What did they do?

• They did a branding campaign - lawn signs (English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic). Mugs,  Buttons, T-shirts and Lanyards
• Professional development opportunities. If libraries are all about education, library staff need to doing professional development, too.  Topics included:
  • Implicit bias
  • Cultural humility - through conversations and constant learning, I can get to to know you as a person.  This is built upon work by Julianne Moseley, who came out of the healthcare field.
  • Safe zone training - creating a safe space for LGBTQ
  • Sessions on substance abuse and what library staff can do
  • Digital inclusion 
  • Supporting job seekers
  • Collection development
• Collection development
• More audio books 
• Concept of windows (into a life that is not like me) and mirrors (reflecting what you are like)
• Book bundles
• Poverty simulation
• Palmyra Community Library and Family Promise(R)
• For homeless families
• Case management 
• Volunteers at the library and night to stay with families living in the library at night
• Palmyra is chartered as a Public Special  Library District
• Kids Reads Free Pilot Program

Other ideas:

• Get comfortable being uncomfortable 
• Purchase books that refl3ct the greater world.

What Andrea Snyder presented was impressive. Clearly PLS is a taking an aggressive pace on all of this and is a system worthy of being watched.

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Updated: Nov. 16, 2018

National Library Week 2018

This week, April 8-14, is the 60th anniversary of National Library Week in the U.S. This is the week when we celebrate all libraries, no matter their type.  The expectation is a library will somehow promote itself during National Library Week, but in reality a library should be promoting every day.

This week, I hope that you will find a way to promote your library or the library which you use.  Post a photo of it to social media.  Share how you use its resources.  Use this week show to those around you what your library means to you!

The central library of the Onondaga County Public Library in Syracuse, NY

#NYLA2014 : Q & A with Commissioner King

Speaking in this session were NYLA President Sara Kelly Johns, NY State Librarian Bernie Margolis and Commission John King.

Commissioner King started his remarks talking about activities around the common core and summer reading program.  There have been great collaborative efforts in both area.

Forthcoming opportunities for collaboration:

• New framework for social studies is being released
• Bring attention to the diverse roles that libraries can play, e.g., educator, community space, informer.
• The NYSED will continue to advocate for various types of library aid, as well as helping districts to understand how to use their funding.  Can collaborate on local messaging around advocacy.  NYSED advocates for libraries at the federal level.

In the common core, research is an important area of emphasis.  There is a new guidance document coming to schools on research, including information on the information fluency continuum.  Look for resources in EngageNY web site.

"Appreciating the text as art and the writer as artist." - Quote from the Commissioner as he talked about the common core.

Questions - easy and tough - for the Commissioner:

We know that you read to your children, what do you read?  Any tips?  They read a lot of Percy Jackson.  He does a lot of audio books.  Need to celebrate reading and learning at all times.   Libraries and schools need to feed our children's love of reading.

Books that are informing his view on education?

• "Smartest kids in the world" - one of the major differences is how we prepare our teachers.  Finland, for example, created national standards around the education of teachers.  A systemic approach.  Poland has also made great strides for raising the standards for entering the teaching profession.
• "Leadership without easy answers" - he reread this book every summer.

Libraries are seldom specifically mentioned in the education reform agenda.  What roles do you see libraries playing?  In NYS, the NYSED oversees education and cultural heritage organizations, which is not what happens in other common core states.  Therefore, the NYSED looks for opportunities to connect libraries to the common core, e.g., the Uncommon Approach to the Common Core.

The role of the State Library in the reform agenda?  Trying to find ways of providing access to NY State Library resources, as part of the common core.  

The data shows that school, public and academic librarians are needed more.  What should librarians be doing? (Not exactly how this was worded.). School librarians need to be working with teaching teams.  They need to be on the team.  Teachers need to see them as resources.  Teachers need  time in order to create collaborations.

In our communities,  there is a struggle with making library resources available.  It can come down to aid and funding.  Need equitable access.  Our libraries need a steady investment.

What about the role of academic libraries?  Most of his peers do not have a role in higher education.  Need to make sure that our higher education programs are taking advantage of library resources.  Review new academic programs for that.  Our academic programs need to be forward thinking in how they educate students, who are our future workers.  Need to make resources available across institutions.

In teacher preparation programs, future teachers need to understand how to use library resources and partner with librarians.

What do you suggest that universities do to prepare future school librarians to succeed? Understand how educators work with all types of learners, e.g., English language learners.  Everyone needs to know how to teach every type of student.

He gave a great example of preparing teachers for things we assume they know, like parent-teacher conferences.  So...need to know how to engage the community as partners.

School librarians need to understand how to support student success.  Principals need to understand how librarians be involved.

How will the NYSED help the libraries' fiscal distress?  They will advocate for increase in school aid, which should help protect school libraries.  They will advocate for increased library aid and construction aid. NYSED needs help at the local level with advocacy efforts.  Libraries need to make sure that elected officials understand what libraries do.

He mention an "Atlantic" magazine video piece on libraries.

What can we do insure/ensure that there are more information literate students?  

• The information fluency continuum and the common core.  Support teachers in making a shift to these things.
• Help teachers use the library to find and use nonfiction text.
• Help teachers with constructing research projects for their classes.
• Help students receive education in order to navigate the digital world.  For example, how do you evaluate the validity of a source?

Sara Kelly Johns - digital natives understand how to search, but not how to research.

How important is it for libraries to form partnerships?  Essential and critical to our long term success. Non-library organizations - community-based organizations - need to see the library as a potential partner. Look for natural partnerships.

What roles to you see library systems playing?  We aren't always strategic about leveraging existing resources.  One role of library systems is to ensure that resources are available across libraries (resource sharing).  They can help to creat partnerships.  They can advance the strategic vision for libraries in NYS.

Margolis notes that systems need a heightened political awareness.  Ordinary people don't understand what systems do.

Libraries love the fact that research is encouraged in the common core.  However, it is possible to strengthen the language so that classroom teachers are encouraged or required to collaborate with librarians?  Yes. There is an upcoming opportunity for teachers and school librarians to update/upgrade the modules.  

What is being done to ensure that school district follow state mandates on school libraries?  There can be an appeal to NYSED, when a district is not complying.  (310 appeal) However, we're in a fiscal environment where schools grapple with what is the "floor" for quality education.  We are in an environment of scarce resources.  

The bond that was passed this week - any general comments?  Need to ensure that the investments are made in a smart way.  Need to define how the resources can be used.  Need to flesh out guidance for the school districts.  However, we need to tackle the issue of bandwidth and infrastructure.  It needs to be a priority.

Question about expanding the regulation around librarians in K-12 education.  What is the best way of working toward that goal?  We're Ina tough environment.  We done have the resources in place to do all of the things that are important.  Need to highlight the success of schools with librarians in elementary education.  The Regents believe that is would be good for all schools to have libraries, but should it be set up as a competing resource for funding?  The Governor and Legislature need to balance competing demands.

Children need a literacy rich pre-K environment.

Closing comments - Commissioner King is thankful for what we (librarians) do every day.  He knows first hand in how libraries can change lives and communities.  He encourages us to collaborate.

#NYLA2014 : Legal Issues for Public and Association Libraries

When thinking about the legal issues, it Is important to know what type of library you are.  The laws are different from one type of library to the next.

Ellen Bach talked through several hypothetical situations.

First, a situation around "vote yes." Friends groups - that are independent organizations - are often 501(c)(3) and there are rules around lobbying.  A library cannot tell the community to vote "yes."  If the friends group is part of the library, it cannot say "vote yes."

The library can provide information and that is okay.  The library cannot express opinion or advocate.  The library should be factual.

Targeted mailings are considered advocacy and the library cannot do that.

The library can say "go vote." 

The library board president can write a factual letter to the editor, but cannot advocate.  The same rule would apply, if the letter were written by the library director.

If a PAC is formed to support the library, it should not have the same leadership as the friends group or library trustees.

The laws that apply include:

• NY Constitution Article VIII, section 1
• Education Law section 2037
• 36 U.S.C. Section 501(c)(3)

Second, the protected poor performer.  

The National Labors Relations Board considers expressing opinions about the terms and conditions of employment  to be a protected activity.  When it is an opinion and when is it misconduct? Employees cannot disclose about patrons on social media.  An employee can say "it sucks to work here."

Some social media policies contain illegal restrictions.  

If you have someone who is being harassed because of a protected status (e.g., gender), you have a problem that needs to be addressed.  You need to have an anti-discrimination, anti-harassment policy.  Complaining needs to be easy for the person.  There need to be multiple avenues for the person to use in order to complain.  You also need a patron policy. 

If the director is informed of possible harassment, the situation I needs to be investigated.  Inform the library's attorney and insurance carrier.  The attorney can act as a coach.  You need to understand both sides of the story.  You cannot promise confidentiality, because you do need to investigate the claim.  

The board has the right to know if there is a situation that could be a liability.

If you are on notice that there is a problem, you need to follow-up.  

You may need to put the accused harasser on an administrative leave, during the investigation (with pay).

The complainant needs to be protected from retaliation.  You cannot get rid of the employee who complains.  

Libraries should identify a lawyer that they can call, when needed.  When there is a problem, you want to know who to call.

The laws that apply include:

• National Labor Relations Act
• Education Law section 226(7)
• NYS Human Rights Law applies if you have 4+  employees
• Title VII applies if you have 15+ employees 

Third, can we get rid of the bad apple (a member of the board)? A board member cannot release information that was discussed in executive session.

The laws that apply include:

• Education Law section 226(4) and (8)
• Special District legislation
• Open Meeting Law
• Appeal of Nett 45 Educ Dept Rep 259 (2005)

#NYLA2014 : Update on 2020 Vision Plan: Creating the Future

Several librarians talked about what they are doing that relates to the 2020 Vision Plan for Library Service in New York State.  I did not capture complete notes; however, below are some of the examples given: 

Claudia Depkin - Haverstraw King's Daughters public Library - Library Outreach Visits Everyone (LOVE) - begun 18 years ago.  Exemplifies recommendation 27 (early learning).  147 kits covering 42 themes that community members can borrow.  Allows them (non library people) to do story-time.

Rochester Public Library - Early education in Rochester has taken a front seat with their new mayor (2013). Grant funded work.  They explored new and alternative summer learning opportunities.  Developed programs with the city school district.  

They have also done teen services and gang intervention programs.  

Jen Cannell - Questar III - she highlighted recommendations 1, 10 and 36.  For example, her system is trying to be more innovative with technology.  They have a 3D printer that can be loaned out to school libraries, which makes that technology more widely available in the school.  Many schools have 3D printers, but in a specific class area.

In terms of high value services, she noted that one district paid $2000 to get in on an 70,000 ebook collection.  That is high value!

Jim Belair - from a BOCES near Rochester.  They have a five system union catalogue.  The current holdings are 3.6 million.  Very high number of shares among them and other libraries in the region.  They are also working together on purchase agreements.

University of Rochester - a librarian talked about (1) Digitization of papers from the Seward family. (2) Creation of a university repository. 

Deirdre Joyce - CLRC - HARMONY - historical archival records and manuscripts of New York.  An  EAD repository of finding aids. Housed with the NY 3R Association in 2013.

Bernie Margolis  - Is the Vision 2020 successful?  Yes.  No.  The plan has created a foundation and platform for people to create new library services.  Some libraries use the Vision when creating local strategy plans.  

Some of the things in the plan may no longer be appropriate.  Things are constantly changing.  We have a long way to go.  We also have political issues that we need to deal with, as well as conflicts in our library communities.  We need more training in assessment, which will help us evaluate our successes.  

Jeff Cannell - "The weight of accomplishment is pretty powerful."  He noted that the Regents would be interested in hearing all or some of these presentations.

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Addendum (11/12/2014): The list of people, who spoke in this session, includes:

• Karen Balsen, New York State Library
• Jim Belair, Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES SLS
• Jen Cannell, Questar BOCES SLS
• Claudia Depkin, Haverstraw King's Daughters PL
• Deirdre Joyce, CLRC
• Sue Kowalski, Pine Grove Middle School
• Susan Polos, Mt. Kisxo Elementary School
• Marcy Strong, Univ. of Rochester
• Patty Uttaro, Rochester Public Library
• Kerri Willette, METRO

NYLA12: Should we break with doing things a specific way?

The New York State Librarian, Bernie Margolis, held a session at the New York Library Association Annual Conference in order to hear from his constituents. Since the session was entitled "Grill the State Librarian", Bernie decided to dress appropriately!  He remarked at the beginning of the session that "to grill" is an activity and that he would look for this to be a two-way conversation.

If you know Bernie, then you know that he likes to tell stories (and use props).  One story is about the width of railroad tracks. (I'll note upfront that this is great story that may or may not be true.)  The punchline has to do with something that occurred hundreds of years ago influencing how we do things do.  Why didn't we break with "tradition"?  Why didn't we look for and invest in a better way?

In libraries, we as guilty as the next organization in terms of always doing things the same way.  Even when shown a new, more exciting, more effective, or more efficient way of doing "X", we generally resort to the way it has always been done.  It turns out that change is hard.

NYLA made several changes this year to the conference.  Most noticeable was that it used some newer spaces in the  Saratoga Springs City Center and Saratoga Springs Hilton Hotel (which are attached to each other).  This led to a little confusion and also joy since we didn't have to trek between buildings for specific sessions. [By they way, this convention center does not have the best signage.  With the renovations that they have done, I would think they would have improved the signage too.]

The other very noticeable change was having pecha kucha talks instead of a poster session.  Both practitioners and students gave short six minute talks in the exhibit hall on Friday.  The talks were very good and it was interesting to see how the presenters dealt with their surroundings.  (And even if they stuck to the strict pecha kucha format.)  This format reminds me that our presentations are often too long.  What if we shortened them and left more time for questions?  And what if we made our presentations such that they encouraged questions?


NYLA has been in Saratoga Springs for three years in a row.  Even though there were changes to the conference this year, we've grown quite comfortable with Saratoga and what it has to offer.  Things will get shaken up next year when NYLA returns to Niagara Falls, NY (September 25 - 28, 2013). The Convention Center is walking distance from the Falls and from Niagara Falls, Canada.  It is in an area that has continued to be renovated, which means we will all be learning something new and will be doing things differently!  Some who attend may have never seen the Falls and so this will give them a prime opportunity.  Yes, we may all break with doing things as we have in the past!

Oh...I've gotten ahead of myself.  BEFORE NEXT YEAR...can we take a moment to think about what we can do differently now? Did we all learn something at NYLA that we should be implementing now?  Did we learn something that we should be communicating to others now? During informal conversations, I learned more about how libraries interact with friends groups.  During two sessions, I learned more about how libraries are chartered in NYS and some of the implications. I need to create opportunities to discuss that information with my students.  Likely students do not consider how a library is chartered, when they are looking for a job, yet the library's charter (type) provides useful information about its environment. 

If you were at NYLA, what changes are you doing to make in your practice based on something you learned?  If you weren't at NYLA, what changes are you doing to make in your practice based on another conference that you attended?  Are you ready to break with how things have always been done?

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Syracuse University students blogged the conference. Here are links to some of their posts (and as more are published, I'll add them):

• #NYLA12: David Weinberger, George Needham & Pam Gardner
•  NYLA12: Grassroots Advocacy 101 
•  #NYLA12: Librarians as Community Leaders
• #NYLA12: Info Literacy for Distance Learners
• Information Literacy: A Missing Piece?
• NYLA (added 11/11/2012) 
• #NYLA12: Library Spaces + Places Pecha Kucha (added 11/12/2012)
• SU at NYLA12 [Storify] (added 11/13/2012) 
• Tips for Using Social Media in Your Library (added 11/18/2012)
• Librarians as community leaders – Program Slot #1 @NYLA (added 11/21/2012)
• 10 Things I Learned from NYLA12 (added 12/16/2012)

 

Paper still matters

In celebration of the 150 anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation toured New York State. This was the first time in decades that this document had left the State Archives. In Syracuse, people viewed it from 9 a.m. until midnight on September 27, with some standing in line for 2.5 hours just to get a glimpse.

I went at 9 a.m. before heading to work and am thankful that the line was short.  Still I didn't have forever to stand and read this draft, which contains President Abraham Lincoln's handwriting.  Rather than standing there and reading the text, I later went to the State Archive's web site where a digitized copy of the document resides.

I had not heard of a "preliminary" Emancipation Proclamation.  Its existence was not taught in school, yet now that I know it exists, I realize how important it was. 100 days before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, Lincoln signed the preliminary which signaled his intent. If the Confederacy didn't comply, he would free their slaves.  On January 1, 1863, he did just that.

There is much that I don't know about my ancestry.  I do know that one set of great-grandparent lived and died in North Carolina.  It is likely that their parents were directly affected by the document that Lincoln wrote and signed.  Yes, that document - and the final version signed on January 1, 1863 - changed the course of my family and of my own life.

The other thrill for me, when I saw the document, was knowing that it has been digitized.  Digitized!  That actually meant that none of us needed to stand in line. We all could have gone to the web site instead.  Yet there is something special about seeing the paper and the ink there in person.  The lines of people in every city across New York State were a testament that in our digital world, paper still matters.

For New Yorkers: Notes from the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, Mar. 13

These are my informal notes from yesterday's conference call (March 13).

News from the State Library (Jeffrey Cannell):

• Both sides of the legislature have proposed increasing library funding for the next fiscal year.
• Assemblyman Bob Reilly, Chair of the Assembly Libraries Committee announced that he will not be running for re-election, which means once again we will have a new library advocate in the Assembly next year. 
• New York State Library has been selected by the Gates Library Foundation as one of 10 state library agencies to work with the Parthenon Group on strategic priorities.  (03/15/2012: Info added for clarity)
• Texas State Library and Archives Commission has said, "The Foundation has a vested interest in seeing that state library agencies remain strong leaders and thus capable partners. They expressed an interest in helping these agencies in their strategic planning, in light of the budget reductions in many of the public library programs. The Foundation offered to provide the services of a management consulting firm used by the foundation for a number of other projects."

2020 Vision Plan (John Hammond):

• John reminded us how far we had come.  The work was launched in April 2010, when the Advisory Council met with members of the Board of Regents (Cultural Education Committee).  The planning committee was formed in the late fall of 2010.  Since then, many public comments have been received and the community has engaged in conversation about the future.
• The 2020 Vision will be presented to the Cultural Education Committee at its April 2012 meeting.  Before that meeting, Advisory Council members will be in touch with the members of the Board of Regents about the document. 
• The plan provides for many opportunities in terms of implementation.  It is a roadmap. A consensus document from the field.
• The Advisory Council discussed our possible actions after this is presented to the Cultural Education Committee.

There were brief updated from the Joseph F. Shubert Award Committee (Mary Muller, chair) and the LSTA Committee (Louise Sherby, chair).

The next meeting of the Council will be in April, when just prior to the meeting with the Regents.  There are conference call meetings scheduled for June and September.

Advocating for libraries within New York State

In years past, a group of New Yorkers have gone to the Legislative Office Building in Albany during February to advocate for libraries.  Our visit was prior to NYLA's Lobby Day and offered small group conversations with state senators and assemblypeople.  This year, we are not gathering in person in Albany and are instead reaching out individually to our representatives, some of whom are on key committees that impact libraries.  This morning, I sent of letters to Senator John DeFrancisco - chair of the Senate Finance Committee - and Assemblyman Samuel Roberts - member of the Assembly's Committee on Libraries and Education Technology.  Part of the text of my letter is at the end of this blog post.

As I look at the web sites for my representatives and read committee reports, I was reminded that the status quo is to say that things are good.  Yes, we've had to cut library funding, but there is always something that can be pointed to as good news.  However, we need to keep reminding our legislators that the news about libraries needs to be much better.  This is no time to rest on tired laurels.  Now is the time to equip our libraries to meet the needs of their community members.  

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...I am writing to encourage you to seek increased funding for libraries across New York State.  Library aid is currently below 1994 levels.  At 2010 levels, the cost of funding would be approximately $4.34 for each NYS resident.  Could you work with the Committee and the rest of the Assembly to restore funding to that level (and ideally higher)?

As New Yorkers, we boast about having six of the 40 largest U.S. libraries within the state.  We proudly point to New York Public Library and Queens Library for the resources that they house and the services that they offer.  We are grateful that New York has 7,000 academic, public, school and special libraries.  Yet, we ignore that only a public library in an area with population over 7,500 must have a library director who holds a master degree in library science.  The current funding for libraries does nothing to increase the number of degreed librarians in our public libraries or to help them increase the services on which a growing number of New Yorkers rely.  Those services include:

·         Broadband Internet access for those with no or limited Internet access at home or on their mobile devices for completing homework, job applications, and personal research.

·         Information and digital literacy training for New Yorkers of all ages including those with limited English language skills and education.

·         Books, audio books, ebooks, and other materials for ongoing learning as well as recreation.

As a New York State resident and director of Syracuse University’s Library and Information Science Program (part of its School of Information Studies), my desire is that all of our libraries be the best in the nation. We should be able to walk into the Bristol Public Library (Ontario County) and find the same resources as libraries in Salina, and that those would be on par with New York Public Library.  With your help...we can make that dream a reality by 2020.

For New Yorkers: Notes from the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, Jan. 12

These are my informal notes from today's conference call meeting of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries.

First, here is text that I wanted to share from the minutes of the December RAC meeting:

Update on Funding/Staffing for the State Library. The Cultural Education Fund, a special revenue fund which supports the Office of Cultural Education and the ongoing operations of the State Library, State Archives and State Museum is still in deficit - $12.7 million. Budget restrictions continue to be extremely tight. No staff positions have been filled or backfilled in the State Library since January 2009.  The State Library has lost 65 FTE since the Great Recession began in December 2007 (a 36% reduction). The Acquisitions Budget has dropped from $4.27 million to $2.5 million.

2020Vision Process Action Plan and Next Steps - John Hammond

The 2020 Vision will be presented at the April's meeting of the Board of Regents.  It is hoped that the Board will vote on them during that meeting.  After that, the Council will work with the New York State Library on implementation.

The Council will seek to have time at the NYLA conference to update the library community on the 2020 Vision.  The Council will also volunteer to talk to other groups about the plan.

Office of Cultural Education Update - Jeffrey Cannell

This covers four different program areas: The New York State Museum, State Library, State Archives, and the Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting.

The office has been looking at its strategic goals for the next three years. The themes for this time period are:

OCE as a Statewide Institution

Partnerships with other USNY institutions

Collections Stewardship and Research

Increase and expand public access to the collections and our programs

Relevant minutes: 12/11 Cultural Education Committee Meeting

News:

• Nov. 29, 2011, Assembly Hearing on Funding Public Libraries
• Notice: ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE ON LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY 
• Info from NYLA: Assembly held a day recently talking about library funding
• Senator Farley Announces Establishment of Senate Library Committee
• Heard brief updates on:
• Joseph F. Shubert Award – Mary Muller, Chair (committee members)
• LSTA Committee – Louise Sherby, Chair (committee members)

NYLA11: Preliminary Recommendations for the 2020 Vision and Plan for Library Service in New York State

Today at the New York Library Association (NYLA) Annual Conference, people gave comments on the draft report entitled Creating the Future: A 2020 Vision and Plan for Library Service in New York State.  The comments were received, without any discussion, by Regent Roger Tillis (Chair of the NYS Board of Regents Cultural Education Committee) and Deputy Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Cannell as well as two members of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries (John Hammond and Jerry Nichols).  Besides the received verbal comments, everyone was encouraged to provide comments in writing.  In addition, comments may be submitted by members of the public, library staff, library students, and others via email to NYSLRegComments@mail.nysed.gov by November 15, 2011. After that, members of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries will revise the 2020 Vision based on the input reserved.  The goal is to give the completed document to the Regents in the spring (April/May) and ask them to act on the recommendations.  Some of the recommendations may require legislative action.

For additional information on this document and process, go to this web site.

For New Yorkers: Notes from the Oct. 13 Regents Advisory Council Meeting

The Regents Adivsory Council on Libraries met via conference call on October 13.  Due to our schedules, the meeting was delayed from its original September date. Below are my informal notes from the call.  (These are not official minutes.)

Gerald Nichols was elected chair of the Council for the next year and John Hammond was elected vice-chair.

2020 Vision: John Hammond gave a report from the 2020 Vision Task Force.  A first draft has been disseminated through several discussion lists.  It will also be sent directly to the Regents.  A second draft will be prepared to include feedback on the first draft.

There will be a session at NYLA about the 2020 vision and look forward to hearing comments that occur then.  Deputy Commissioner Jeffrey Cannell and Regent Roger Tilles plan to be at the event. There was much discussion about how to ensure that the Council receives a lot of feedback from those that attend the NYLA session.

The goal is to give a final report to the Regents in April.

2012 Meeting Schedule: The Council will have a conference call on January 12 to review the next draft of the 2010 Vision.  The Council will also meet on March 13 by phone.  [The final meeting for 2011 will be held in December in NYC.]

Update on the Research Library: The Research Library has now been open for a full year on Saturdays.  Anecdotal data shows that people are traveling to use the State Library on Saturdays and researchers (including graduate students) are using the expanded hours.  The Library is doing a survey of researchers in order to gather more input.  Loretta Ebert noted that the Dutch collections are receiving increased use.

There is a goal to open a public computing center on the 7th floor of the State Library, part of the BTOP grant to create computing centers across New York State. Ebert mentioned a desire to increase collaboration and alliances in this area.  More information on the BTOP grants is available on the Library Development web page.

There are discussions about how to allow collaborative licenses across entities.  This is something that came up during the 2020 Vision process and has been mentioned in other context.

Division of Library Development:  Carol Desch reported.  There are two BTOP grants in NYS - one for Upstate NY (over $9 million) and one for NYC.  All of the 30 computing centers are up, except for the one at the State Library.  Video conferencing is part of the hardware that is being installed in these centers.

Thanks to NYLA for helping to get the law amended about construction grants in NYS. The new law sunsets after three years, so it will be important see the impact of this change and advocate for its extension, if the impact is positive. 

LSTA funding was cut at the federal level for 2011-2012.  Money coming to NYS from LSTA is based on population and the State's population has been decreasing. Carol gave more details about the impact of this, which I couldn't type fast enough to capture. LSTA funding is used for some work/staff at the State Library, NOVELny and grants to libraries/library systems.

Jerry Nichols asked about the new 2% tax cap:  How will this impact libraries?  The law will sunset in eight years, but what will happen to libraries before then? What data is the State Library collecting and will we be able to understand the impact of the tax cap from that data?  (Yes)

Relevant Meetings at NYLA Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs, NY:  Based on the conference call today, here are relevant sessions at the upcoming NYLA conference:

• Thursday, Nov. 3, 9:15 a.m. - Comments from the NYS Education Commissioner
• Friday, Nov. 4, 8:00 a.m. - Bond Basics for Financing Public Library Capital Projects 
• Friday, Nov. 4, 3:45 p.m. - 2020 Vision for Library Services in NYS: the Discussion Continues
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 8:00 a.m. - Declare Financial Independence: Become a Library District!
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. - School Library Initiatives from NYSED
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 9:30 a.m. - Tax Cap Impact on Libraries
• Saturday, Nov. 5, 11:00 a.m. - Technology Policy and Planning from USNY