We are proud to announce that three library advocates from the MHLS region received high honors from the Library Trustee Association of New York State (LTA) at the LTA Conference in Tarrytown, NY on May 2nd.

From left-right: Mark Williams, board president of the Stanford Free Library; Frank Campagna, member of the Friends of the Red Hook Public Library; and Joshua Cohen, former Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System

LTA presented Mark Williams, Board President at the Stanford Free Library, the LTA's 2014 Outstanding Trustee Award. This award is presented to a trustee who has shown a true understanding of their role as a trustee, and who has demonstrated unusual dedication and expertise. Through Mr. William's leadership, the Stanford Free Library continues to raise funds through its Capital Campaign to build an updated facility. "He inspires people to give their best and to stay energized and focused," said fellow Stanford Library trustee Sean McCarthy, "Mark leads by example, and his actions provide motivation for his Board and his community."

LTA presented this year's Outstanding Friend of the Library Award to Frank Campagna, who volunteers his time for the Red Hook Public Library. This award is presented annually to an individual in a Friends Group who has demonstrated extraordinary service as a Friend and is one way in which LTA recognizes the contributions that Friends make in helping our libraries be vibrant, active, and essential force in our communities. Mr. Campagna has been an integral part of the Red Hook Public Library's growth. He played a crucial role in the development of the new Children's Library, raised over $20,000 to fund a new Children's Learning Center, helped to secure grants for library programs, and designs the float for his library in the town's annual parade. Mr. Campagna's passion and advocacy for his library are truly inspirational.

For just the third time in its history, LTA presented the Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual or group of people for noteworthy achievement, as evidenced by substantial activities and exceptional service to the library community. LTA honored Joshua Cohen, former Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System. During his 10 years as MHLS Executive Director, Josh created nationally recognized services and programs such as the Public Library Vote Toolbox, the Building Your Base toolkit and our Trustee Education series. His strong commitment to professional ethics, a "community-first" mentality and high level of cooperation with member libraries is credited with creating one of the strongest public library systems in New York State today.

Professional Development

Scholarship Opportunity!

Would you like to attend the New York Library Association's Leadership & Management Academy? NYLA's Leadership & Management Academy is an educational program for mid-career library professionals interested in obtaining the practical knowledge critical to becoming a library leader. The Leadership & Management Section (LAMS) of NYLA offers a scholarship to qualified candidates that covers the $800 tuition to the Academy! Scholarship applications are due June 15, 2014. The winner will be announced at the 2014 NYLA Conference in Saratoga Springs this November. To learn more visit The Leadership & Management Section (LAMS) of NYLA.

Continuing Education for Public Librarian Certification: Public librarian professional certificates issued as of January 1, 2010 only remain valid when 60 hours of professional development are completed every five-year period. That means a deadline could potentially be approaching in about seven (7) months. Approved programs from accepted providers include formal classes or courses, workshops, seminars, lectures, institutes, webinars, e-courses, library conference programs, or other relevant programs. Curriculum that is pre-approved by the employing library can also fulfill the professional development requirement. Certificates or transcripts showing successful completion of courses are acceptable forms of documentation, as are letters from a supervisor indicating completion of a program or project. For more information please visit NYS Division of Library Development .

TASC is "the new GED": New York State has selected a new high school equivalency test called the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC™) to replace the General Educational Development (GEDŽ) as the primary pathway to a New York State High School Equivalency Diploma effective January 2014. Please keep this in mind as you purchase test support materials for your collection and as you weed out-of-date materials from your collection.

In the delivery, each member library will receive a copy of the recently published "New York State Wildlife Viewing Guide." The 248 page book contains wildlife photos, tips on viewing and photography and information about 100 wildlife viewing sites throughout the State, and is provided at no cost to New York State public libraries and other institutions from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. More information about the Guide is available at http://www.dec.ny.gov/ 

Webinar: "The Critical Partnership: Public Library Trustees and Directors." On Tuesday June 10, from 10:00 - 11:00am, the New York State Library and the Library Trustees Association of New York State will offer this free webinar, presented by Jerry Nichols - author of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State - which will cover: 

• A review of the roles and responsibilities of public library Trustees and the Library Director.
• How to hire the best person for your Library.
• How to get the most out of the partnership.
• Best practices in performance evaluation of your Director and your Board. And
• How to end the relationship legally, ethically, and professionally.

The primary audience for this webinar is trustees, but others are welcome to attend. For those who are unable to attend the live webinar on June 10, the webinar will be archived on the State Library's website at a future date. No registration is required. To access the webinar on June 10th go to: http://bit.ly/1mIaCBI