Spring 2009
President’s Memo
By Richard Strauss, NYSALB Board President
The Next Generation
This will be my last time at the “bully pulpit.” My “reign of terror” is over. What a rush!!!
It has been my privilege to represent the library trustees of the State of New York for the last nine years while serving on the NYSALB Board of Directors. My term limits are exhausted and in a sense so am I.
I’ve served with some wonderful people. It’s been my great pleasure to meet many of you throughout the state when I presented “Basic Trustee Training” or its variation of “Trustee Essentials.” I’ve traveled from Queens to Buffalo, from Canton to Corning. I’ve spoken on the Capitol Steps, the Well of the Legislative Office Building, and at NYLA Conferences.
The sad commentary is that we as the library community have accomplished little in our quest for stable library funding during my tenure on the NYSALB board. Just when we began to make some minor progress the last few years, the current financial crisis in state revenue streams has turned our state government into a panicked mob, taxing everything in sight and protecting all their special interests. (The final state budget is at least weeks away at the time of this writing, so I don’t know the final outcome).
Has anything changed? Do we still have the most dysfunctional state government in the US? Probably…
Now, what can you do about it? Get yourself educated about the issues. Call your local legislators. Tell them what you think. If they don’t respond, vote against them. Generally speaking, the legislators I’ve met and know are truly nice people. Even so, they should be responsive to you and your interests. If not, “throw duh bums out”!!!
Let’s get government out of libraries. Let’s work to get library funding at the state level away from the political arena. It is such a small piece of the state budget; there must be a way.
Do you remember the New Century Libraries proposal of the Regents Commission on Libraries? One of the best recommendations was the promotion of School District / Special District Libraries. This model allows the public to vote directly on their local library’s budget, as well as electing trustees to govern their local library. This would be especially beneficial to municipal libraries whose funding is dependent on the local village, town, or county government for funding, and where the trustee’s position may be subject to local patronage. It is far better to identify and elect knowledgeable individuals with a genuine love for the library, and whose loyalty is to the library and its patrons rather that to the individuals who appointed them. Wonder if this would work at the state level… Hmmm…
It’s been a great ride. I continue to urge you to be, or become, a vocal advocate for your library and all the other libraries. Using the biblical model, go out in pairs…
Thank you for providing me with this opportunity.
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Two New Trustees Join the NYSALB Board
By Sam Patton, Editor
Dr. Bola D. Majekodunmi, Ph.D.
Dr. Bola D. Majekodunmi is a pharmaceutical development scientist in the greater New York area. He works as a technical project leader at Johnson & Johnson to bring new pharmaceutical products to the market. Previous employment was with Pfizer Pharmaceutical Inc. in New York where he served in various roles of increasing authority.
Dr. Majekodunmi is also an independent pharmacist. He is licensed to practice pharmacy in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey and owned a community pharmacy in New York. He served as a pharmacist in various healthcare establishments that include the North Shore-Long Island Jewish hospital system, Duane Reade Pharmacy, Pathmark Pharmacy, Walgreen Pharmacy, Five Star Pharmacy, and Downing Chemist.
Dr. Majekodunmi holds a PhD in Industrial Pharmacy and a BS with honors in Pharmacy from Saint John’s University, New York.
He was elected to the Roosevelt Public Library Board of Trustees in 2006 for a 5-year term. He serves on the board along with four other trustees where he fulfils his desire to give back to his community by make the Roosevelt Public Library the pioneer of community re-vitalization and a neutral ground that turns non-readers and non-library users into readers and patrons.
Dr. Majekodunmi is married with children. When not working, he enjoys swimming, golfing, and travelling. He is an active member of the Second Baptist Church. He serves as a preceptor to pharmacy students and a mentor to various candidates.
Samuel M. Leadley, Ph.D., P.A.S.
Sam Leadley holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell, and is the calf/heifer management specialist for the Attica Veterinary Associates, Attica, NY, a practice devoted solely to bovine care. He consults with dairy farmers and heifer growers with the economic goal of raising healthier, faster-growing animals through better management practices. Dr. Leadley is an active member of the Professional Dairy Heifer Growers Association.
Dr. Leadley writes Calving Ease, a free monthly newsletter underwritten by pharmaceutical companies that is distributed internationally, and “Calf Connection,” a column that appears regularly in the Northeast Dairy Business magazine. He created and maintains a dairy website for the veterinary clinic, www.atticacows.com. Dr. Leadley, in cooperation with Dr. Steve Mason, created a CD entitled, “Calf Manager” as a resource for learning to successfully raise young dairy calves.
Over a number of years he also has been an on-site manager of on-farm research trials for feed and pharmaceutical companies. Prior to 1982 Dr. Leadley was on the faculty of the Pennsylvania State University and the Extension staff at Cornell University.
He was recruited by a former NIOGA system trustee and the director of the LeRoy NY library (Woodward Memorial Library). The director asked him to stop by the library to meet one of their regular patrons. He says he was double-teamed and said "Yes." That was about seven years ago - He will complete his second 4-year term at NIOGA next year and no longer be on that board.
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New Netherland Project Releases Translation of Early Duth Records on North American Colonial History
Valerie Chevrette, Communications Coordinator, New York State Research Library
Some of the earliest documents crucial to understanding the colonial history of North America have been translated by the New York State Library’s New Netherland Project and are now accessible to researchers, scholars, and students. Translated and edited by Charles T. Gehring, Director of the New Netherland Project, and Assistant Director Janny Venema, “FORT ORANGE RECORDS, 1654 - 1679,” has been published as part of the New Netherland Document Series by Syracuse University Press. Information and an order form can be found on the New Netherland Project web site at http://www.nnp.org/documents/FortOrangeorderform.pdf.
This is the second volume of records of the Fort Orange Court translated from the Dutch. It is the New Netherland Project’s 19th volume of translations of 17th century Dutch documents from colonial North America. The Fort Orange Court served as a judicial, legislative, and executive body for the West India Company’s region on the upper Hudson. The Court tried civil and minor criminal cases, with jurisdiction over Fort Orange, the village of Beverwijck, Schenectady, Kinderhook, Claverack, Coxsackie, and Catskill until 1661.
These records consist of land transactions, inventories of estates, contents of auctions, and the possessions of carpenters, brewers, and others. It is a valuable source of information for those interested in material culture and land acquisition in early Dutch colonial New York. Genealogists will find hundreds of names of individuals involved in various transactions.
The New Netherland Project was created under the sponsorship of the New York State Library and the Holland Society of New York. The New Netherland Project has been supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) along with in-kind and financial support from the Office of Cultural Education, New York State Education Department.
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From the State Librarian
By Bernard Margolis, New York State Librarian
Good Library Trustees
Ooops!
Until about seven weeks ago I thought that I knew exactly and precisely what good Library Trustees were supposed to do. With many years of experience working closely for and with close to a hundred different Trustees at various public libraries I thought I understood quite well the basic and fundamental role of the Trustee. Certainly I had read all the manuals, been to many training sessions, heard consultants and advisors, and had a rich background of hands-on, practical experience. I was convinced first and foremost that the most important job of the Trustee was to help select and then feed and nurture an outstanding library leader. “Pick the best and then stand aside and let them do their best” was how I often stated this top priority for Trustees. My own observations suggested that this task was often difficult and that Trustees often were and are challenged to determine the best and most needed attributes for their library leader. Often skills outweighed personality, or vice versa and I saw many cases of book-learning being more important than experience. Competency was often expected but sometimes its measurement was clumsy or incomplete. Recruiting great library leaders is no easy task! I had been convinced that the Trustee job of finding a great Director was the number one task and instituting an effective evaluation process was an intrinsic and vital part of this Trustee role. Knowing that you selected the best leader needs to be verified. When you measure the leader’s performance and the results provide gratifying evidence to support your choice, it provides great reinforcement that the selection role was well executed. When the evaluation does not support expected outcomes the role of selecting (again) becomes even more important.
If selecting the best leader is the most critical role, what is the second most important role? I have always thought that the second most critical requirement was to steward the Library’s financial and other resources. More directly stated, the Trustees must approve the budget and hold the Director accountable for its implementation. The role as steward of the funds is part of the statutory duties of Trustees almost everywhere. Auditing the financial records and evaluating the library’s fiscal and financial health are basic to the work of the Trustee. This role is, of course, not to micro-manage but rather to have systems in place to guarantee that financial and other resources (buildings, staff, collections, endowments, etc.) are properly and effectively used. Today, we use outside auditors, review their management letters, ask for budgets, review grant reports and scan statistical reviews and other support information to understand how resources are used. The expectation of hiring the best Director and then getting out of the way supposes that the Director is accountable and that effective communication about the library’s financial situation are a regular part of the Director-Trustee relationship. Directors want Trustees to understand the library’s finances and to be helpful in bringing more financial resources to the library.
Ooops! These notions of the two most vital roles for library Trustees have been drastically disrupted over the past several weeks as I have taken the reigns of the New York State Library as the new State Librarian. Of course this is not because I was mistaken. It is because my perspective has changed. I have been forced, part by circumstances and part by now having a new and different perch from which to view the world in general and libraries specifically, to look at things differently than in the past. The circumstances are, of course, the recession and economic chaos in which we find ourselves. The state’s fiscal condition coupled with the very nature of a mature (complicated) state government has given me pause to add a third essential role to the two that I thought held sway over all others. I would even go so far as to argue that this third role could be viewed as the MOST important role for a library trustee today. It is the role of advocacy.
Advocacy, by definition*, is “the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support.” Most of us advocate regularly in our various roles at work, in and with our families, in social and other settings. We take for granted that we have opinions that deserve both to be shared with others and that often require our persistence to be understood and embraced by others. We are all advocates. When we tell children to do their homework, take out the garbage, walk the dog, brush their teeth, or clean their plates we are advocating. Though success may be mixed for compliance to this “children’s” list, we are practicing our advocacy by giving active, verbal support for a cause or position. When the dog barks he is also advocating for that cause (a long walk) as well. The word “active” is critical to the advocacy required of Library Trustees. The word “continuous” is also critical to the advocacy required of Library Trustees. And the word “passionate” could also be added to the description of the tone and importance that must be part of the Library Trustee’s advocacy. Too often we leave to our library leaders (directors) the role of speaking out in support of libraries. These leaders naturally know more about the “cause” and may be more knowledgeable about details and specifics. Trustees are hired (appointed/elected) to represent the public’s interest. Having selected a great leader, evaluated her work, given approval to her use of resources, the Trustee knows more than enough to state a forceful case to support the library. Advocacy is required.
There are many avenues for the Trustee to carry out the advocacy role. Active work in the New York Library Association (NYLA) and the New York State Association of Library Boards (NYSALB) is one step. Participation in NYLA Lobby Day is another great chance for advocacy. The best advocacy for Trustees is accomplished with calls, letters, e-mails and personal visits to legislators and elected officials at every level – every day. The best advocacy extends beyond just elected officials to the broad base of constituents who use – or might use, the library. Continuous advocacy might mean creating new opportunities for elected officials and the general public to understand the critical issues facing libraries. Active support of the library everywhere is critical. Talk with your friends and co-workers. When people tell you to stop talking about libraries you know your work is done – at least for the day. You can always say, “Ooops, I got carried away”.
*The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.
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Regents Enact Professional Development Requirements For Public Librarians
On December 15, 2008, the Board of Regents formally adopted
proposed amendments to Commissioner’s Regulation 90.7 that will require new public librarian professional certificate holders to complete 60 hours of professional development every five year period beginning January 1, 2010. Individuals issued certificates prior to January 1, 2010 will not be affected by these new requirements. Under development for over a year now, this proposal was first suggested by the New York Library Association’s Continuing Education Committee. The proposal is an important step towards implementing Regents policy for creating a highly skilled library workforce.
What does this change mean for library trustees?
Llibrary directors and trustees should familiarize themselves with the changes to the regulations and determine if the new regulations will apply to any positions at their library. Public libraries serving populations under 7,500 will generally not be affected, unless the library has professional librarian positions. Public libraries serving populations of 7,500 or more are at minimum required to employ a paid certified professional public librarian as director in order to meet minimum public library standards. For more information, browse to: www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/cert.
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2009 Trustee Institute
Presented by the New York State Association of Library Boards
May 1st & 2nd at the
Renaissance Hotel, Syracuse, New York
The Institute
This is the 13th Annual Institute hosted by NYSALB. This conference is for library trustees and directors. There are sessions for all levels with opportunities to gain valuable information on roles and responsibilities. Members Attend Both Days for only $90 !
Hotel Accommodations:
- Host hotel and suggested room accommodations are at the Renaissance in downtown Syracuse, located at 701 East Genesee Street (zip 13210). For reservations call the hotel at 877-843-6279 or visit the website at:http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/syrbr-renaissance-syracuse-hotel/
- We hope to see many Trustees and other interested people at the meeting. Last minute registration for the meetings can be made through the NYSALB web site, www.NYSALB.org.
2009 Conference Agenda
Friday, May 1st
Tour of the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Includes Complimentary Reception
Bus departs front of hotel at 3:45
The first of its kind in the nation, the school provides academic programs, and has a tremendous demand for its education, its research, and the skills of its graduates. Tour these impressive facilities and join the reception following to meet with students and professors. Transportation will be from hotel to the library and return to the hotel.
Check-In and Cocktail Reception 6:00 PM
cash bar, complimentary hors d’oeuvres
Welcoming & Dinner 7:00 – 9:30 PM
We are pleased to have our keynote speaker: Jeffrey W. Cannell, Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education for N.Y.S.
Saturday, May 2nd
Registration and Check-In 8:00 - 9:00 AM Buffet Breakfast and
Trustee Networking 8:00 - 8:45 AM
Concurrent Session One 9:00 - 10:30 AM
Choose one of the following two:
Increasing the Relevance of Your Library through Branding
Presented by James Keller, Chief Marketing Officer for the Queens Library System in New York City
What are you communicating about your library? Learn why and how to focus your library “brand” to your patrons and those yet to be patrons.
RE: evaluating Director Evaluation
Presented by Josh Cohen, Executive Director of the Mid-Hudson Library System and 2008-2009 President of NYLA
As the library's governing body (and the entity with ultimate accountability for the institution), the board of trustees has the responsibility to review and evaluate the library director's performance regularly. Learn proven approaches to accomplish this important trustee responsibility.
Break 10:30 - 10:45 AM
Concurrent Session Two 10:45 - 12:15 PM
Attendees are asked to choose one of the following two:
Public and School Library Cooperation and Collaboration - How and Why Should Trustees Care?
Presented by Stephanie Squicciarini, Teen Librarian, Fairport Public Library in Fairport, NY
School libraries are vital to growing long-term library users. Library trustees should be aware of the benefits provided for our youth by their school libraries and establish ways to compliment these benefits at their public libraries. Discover ways that these important library groups can “compliment” one another to benefit your library.
Library Budget Development: How to Prepare an Annual Budget—What to Consider, What to Include
Presented by Clifford Bueno, Trustee of Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library in Clifton Park, NY
Public library boards are legally responsible for the library's finances and financial management. As custodians of public funds, trustees must be accountable in their management of the library's money. Learn the “ins and outs” of budget preparation for library operations and the trustees’ role in this responsibility.
Lunch and Program 12:15 – 2:30 PM
NYSALB Annual Meeting
Presentation of the Velma Moore Award
Recognition of Certified Trustees
Keynote Speaker: Bernard A. Margolis, New York State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries
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From the Editor’s Desk
Sam Patton, TRUSTEE Editor
Well, we have a budget…almost. Albany is back in the days of three people in a smoky room, making deals and decisions that affect us all, in silence and secrecy, and then the rest of the legislature votes the way their leaders point. We will see higher fees, higher taxes, more spending on pet areas, and less where it is most needed. Gail Collins, of the New York Times, wrote that the minority members could be replaced with ferrets wearing wigs, and make no difference. Some would liken the “three men in a room” much lower than “The Three Wise Men” and horribly nearer to “The Three Stooges.”
In one of my other roles, I am a member of the Advisory Board of our Empire Development Zone in Dutchess County. These zones were created back in the early nineteen nineties with the goal of attracting new businesses and creating jobs in economically depressed areas.
Businesses can get tax credits for creating new jobs and refunds of some sales taxes on construction for building, as well as a lower property tax assessment, which goes back to full assessed value over three years. Our zone has been one of the most successful ones in the state, with over $6 billion invested in ten years. We are fortunate to have a skilled work force, proximity to New York City, and good libraries, schools and colleges near. But when we talk to high-tech companies about locating here or anywhere in the State, the politest response we get is something like, “Are you kidding me?! Look at the morass of regulations and boards we have to navigate. And your taxes are unbelievable! Property tax, school tax, state income tax, payroll tax, employee disability tax, telephone taxes approaching 20%, fuel tax, sales tax, auto tax, fishing/hunting tax, liquor tax, tobacco tax.. it just goes on and on. Then there are all the unions we may have to deal with. We may have to pay a Shop Steward who doesn’t work for us. If we want to bid on a job for any municipality, school or other government entity, we have to pay union rates, even if we are not a unionized company. And health insurance... we can’t afford the premiums there.”
And now Albany wants to raise more taxes and fees, and add more regulations. They are reducing aid to libraries, public TV and radio, the arts in general, and other much needed entities that don’t have powerful lobbyists with fists-full of money. Our libraries are seeing much higher usage and requests as people find themselves fearful of job loss or other loss of income. For an example, you can listen to a National Public Radio program on the value of libraries in difficult times on the web. National Public Radio’s Diane Rehm, on Wednesday, January 7, 2009, did a presentation on “The Role of Libraries in Economic Hard Times.” It can be heard here: http://wamu.org/programs/dr/09/01/07.php#24509 The guests included Carla Hayden, Executive Director, Enoch Pratt Free Library and past president of the American Library Association; Jim Rettig, President of the American Library Association and the University Librarian at the Boatwright Memorial Library at the University of Richmond, Virginia; and Ginnie Cooper, Chief Librarian for the District of Columbia Public Library and Former Executive Director of the Brooklyn Public Library.
There is one Political Action Committee that represents Library causes. New Yorkers for Better Libraries (NYLIBS-PAC) is a political action committee created and supported by New York library advocates who believe that increased state aid for libraries and library systems is essential so that library and information services can be improved for the people of New York. For more information about NYLIBS-PAC, go to www.nylibs-pac.net.
On a perhaps brighter side, there seems to be some construction funding becoming available, see the item from the new State Librarian.
I certainly hope that I will meet a lot of you at the Trustee Institute in Syracuse May 1 and 2.
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Public Library Construction Grants Announced by New York State Librarian
New York State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries, Bernard A. Margolis, announced that the New York State Library has awarded 240 matching Public Library Construction Grants to public libraries and public library systems for 2008-09. Fifty-nine grants are supported by $777,101 in local assistance funds and 181 grants are supported by $14 million in capital funds appropriated in the 2008 State Budget for construction and renovation of public library and public library system buildings in New York State.
A list of those libraries and library systems receiving matching grants under each grant program can be accessed at www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/construc/index.html. Project activities and expenditures eligible for such grants include financing construction of new library buildings, construction of additions to existing buildings, and the renovation and/or rehabilitation of existing space, including roof replacement, purchase and installation of alternative energy resources and new HVAC systems, windows, doors, and lighting systems, electrical upgrades, and construction of new or replacement of old walkways and parking lots, among other things. New furniture, shelving and equipment, including computer equipment, can be purchased for new or newly reconfigured or renovated space. Renovations designed to provide accessibility for patrons with disabilities is a high priority.
There is a documented need of more than $2.2 billion for public library construction and renovation in New York State. The proposed 2009 Executive Budget includes $14 million in capital funds for the Public Library Construction Grant Program for 2009-2010.
For more information on the Public Library Construction Grant Program contact Grace Kelly at the New York State Library’s Division of Library Development at 518/474-4883 or gkelly@mail.nysed.gov or visit the New York State Library website: www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/construc/index.html.
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