The CDLC Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Kathleen Gundrum as the new Executive Director of CDLC, effective April 21st. Kathleen was most recently Program and Communications Manager at CDLC, and has worked with the New York library community for more than 15 years. Kathleen is looking forward to working with the CDLC members, board and staff and to achieving great things together.

Again, thank you for participating in the CDLC member survey! The staff, in conjunction with the trustees, has been reviewing the results and is beginning to assess CDLC services: the Committee on Resource Sharing is forming a working group to review the Direct Access Program and the Regional Automation Advisory Committee will be taking a look at CaDiLaC and related services. We may be seeking additional input on specific CDLC services and programs. Stay tuned!

The Capital Area Library Assistants (CALA) group held a successful event on April 17th when library assistants from CDLC libraries got together to learn about e-books and the merging roles between librarians and library assistants. Thank you to Regina Vertone from The Sage Colleges and Jo-Ann Benedetti from Upper Hudson LIbrary System for presenting.

Susan D'Entremont, CDLC's Regional Archivist & Digitization Project Coordinator recently presented New York Heritage: Historical Resources at Your Fingertips at The Association of Public Historians of New York State Conference in Saratoga Springs.

Staff from CDLC, Hudson Valley Community College and the SUNY Office of Library and Information Services are presenting Discovering Digital Collections at the SUNYLA Annual Conference on Thursday, June 12th. Information is available here, as part of Empire Collaborations, a full week of library conferences June 9-13 at the University at Albany.

CDLC's Hospital Library Service Program is offering Copyright and Libraries, Part II on Friday, May 30th, from 9:30-12:30 at CDLC. Presented by Dr. Arlene Bielefield, there is no cost for CDLC members. Go here for details. 

CDLC's Documentary Heritage Program is offering Marketing your Archives on Monday, May 19th from 12:30-4:00 at CDLC. There is no cost for the program, which is open to all. Registration is required by Thursday, May 15th. Go here for details. 

The Albany Institute of History & Art's Curator of History & Material Culture, Doug McCombs, has joined the New York State Museum as a senior curator.

Albany Public Library (APL) was featured in a Times Union blog: "Fans of old-time Albany photos have another reason to be excited as the Albany Public Library features an online collection through  New York Heritage Digital Collections, a free portal designed for researchers and history buffs." nyheritage.org is now showcasing two APL collections: "Views of Albany" and "Urban Renewal in Albany." Go here for the complete post.

Congrats to a group of teens from Berne Public Library who put together a video for the 2014 Teen Video Challenge, sponsored by the Summer Reading at New York State Libraries, and were finalists! View the video here. 

The University at Albany, University Libraries Preservation Department; New York State Archives & New York State Library is hosting an open house on Saturday, May 3 from 1-4 p.m. at the Seminar Room, 11th Floor, Cultural Education Center (State Museum building). Attendees to this free event are invited to bring examples of family collections and book and paper conservators will offer personalized advice on storing, handling, and caring for them. This Open House is part of Preservation Week. 

Please call (518) 437-3923 or email [email protected] for further information.

Don't forget to register for CDLC ILL Field Day taking place on May 7th!

CDLC members receive free access to lynda.com, an online subscription library that teaches the latest software tools and skills through instructional videos in a broad range of subjects including business skills, design, animation, and web design and development. CDLC has a limited number of activation codes, available on a first-come, first-served basis. We are offering activation periods of two weeks, when users may view as many videos as they wish. Please contact Sue Rahn ([email protected]) for an activation code.

Do you know that AskUs 24/7, an Internet-based virtual text chat service connecting information seekers with librarians, available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, is available at no cost to CDLC member libraries and that several of your colleagues are participating to expand their reference services? Interested? Contact Sue Rahn at CDLC for information.