I hope this week's newsletter finds everyone as healthy and happy as Jack was when he played in a pit of shredded paper. I enjoy hearing from everyone on our weekly calls and am blown away by the excellent virtual services our libraries are providing during this challenging time.

BUDGET UPDATES

The New York State Legislature passed a budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. State Library Aid has been set at $94.1 million, a $2.5 million increase from what Governor Cuomo proposed in his Executive Budget. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our state, State Public Library Construction Aid has been reduced to $14 million, a $20 million cut to prior years. One caveat about funding levels: The Governor has said that he will be revisiting the budget and may have to make adjustments throughout the year. Please take a moment to thank our representatives for the work they are doing on behalf of libraries.

On the national level, the $2 trillion CARES Act includes $50 million for IMLS to support digital inclusion projects, more than $30 billion in relief for schools and colleges, and billions more for state and local governments and nonprofit organizations. The emergency investment allocated to IMLS will enable libraries and museums to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including by expanding digital network access, purchasing Internet-accessible devices, and providing technical support services to their communities.

ELECTION UPDATES

The new Executive Order 202.13 states that: Any school board, library board, or village election scheduled to take place in April or May of 2020 is hereby postponed until at least June 1, 2020, and subject to further directive as to the timing, location or manner of voting for such elections.

NATIONAL ADVOCACY

PLA is asking public library directors to complete a Public Libraries Response to COVID-19 survey. The full set of questions and FAQs may be found here.

Here's what we've learned so far from the survey:

• A substantial majority of respondents report that their libraries are expanding online check-out services (e.g., ebooks, music, and video), extending online renewal policies, and adding virtual programming.
• A substantial majority of respondents report that their libraries are utilizing social media to share changes in library services, promote library services, share COVID-19 information, and promote participation in the 2020 Census.
• A substantial majority of respondents report that their libraries leave their public wi-fi on when their buildings are closed to the public.

Stay safe and healthy, and let us know how we can help.

As libraries are changing the nature of public programs offered during the COVID-19 pandemic to engage their communities in new and different ways, the State Library staff have had several questions as to how libraries should count virtual programs and attendance at virtual programs, and how libraries should count “hours open” for limited service provision.

Counting Virtual Programs and Attendance

The Annual Report for Public and Association Libraries currently asks for the number of programs and program attendance by age group (children, young adults, and adults). Currently, the Federal definitions, do not include virtual programs. The State Library encourages libraries to collect data on the number of live virtual programs and live virtual program attendance, and also data on recorded virtual programs and recorded virtual program attendance, whether offered through the library’s Facebook page, or the library’s web site, or through some other platform.

The State Library recommends that virtual programming data be collected separately from data collected about physical face-to-face programs. Data about live virtual programs should be recorded separately from data about recorded virtual programs. As the State Library gets more guidance from the Institute of Museum and Library Services about counting live and recorded virtual programs and program attendance, it will share this information with library systems/libraries.

Collecting data about virtual programs will enable libraries to report this important program activity data to their governing boards, the community and also share the data with researchers in future surveys.

Counting Hours Open

During the past few difficult weeks, some libraries continued to provide limited services for the public even though the Library Building was closed. The question received was: “Should these hours of limited services be reported under HOURS OPEN?”

The current definition for HOURS OPEN is: "This is the number of annual public service hours for each outlet only. Include the actual hours open for public service. For bookmobiles, count only the hours during which the bookmobile is open to the public. Minor variations in public service hours need not be included. Extensive hours closed to the public due to natural disasters or other events should be excluded from the count even if the staff is scheduled to work."

This means counting only those hours that libraries are FULLY open to the public.

Again, as with Virtual Programs, libraries that offered limited services are encouraged to keep a separate record tracking the hours when the Library was closed to the public, but the Library offered limited services at the library building such as curbside delivery, a drive-up window or lobby only services. This data may be used in future reports to governing boards, to the local community and also to share with researchers in future surveys.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act or the Act) (P.L. 116-136) to provide emergency assistance and health care response for individuals, families, and businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Small Business Administration (SBA) received funding and authority through the Act to modify existing loan programs and establish a new loan program to assist small businesses nationwide adversely impacted by the COVID-19 emergency.

The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.

The SBA will forgive loans if all employees remain on the payroll for eight weeks, and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. The Paycheck Protection Program will be available through June 30, 2020.

Who's eligible?

• Small employers with 500 employees or fewer
• Sole proprietors, self-employed individuals, and contractors
• Certain nonprofits, including 501(c)(3) organizations and 501(c)(19) veteran organizations, and tribal businesses with under 500 employees

Maximum Loan Amount

Loans can be up to two-and-a-half times the average monthly payroll costs for the business for the previous year, not exceeding $10 million. The measurement period for new business is January 1 to February 29, 2020.

Payroll costs include the total payments for employee compensation from:

• salaries, wages, commissions, or similar compensation;
• cash tip or equivalent payments;
• vacation, parental, family, medical, or sick leave payments
• dismissal or separation allowances
• group health care benefits, including insurance premium payments
• retirement benefit payments
• state or local taxes assessed on the compensation of the employee

Payroll costs do not apply to the following:

• Employee/owner compensation over $100,000
• Employee income tax deductions
• Employer FICA and FUTA payments
• Qualified sick and family leave credits allowed under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act sections 7001 and 7003
  

Disaster loan payments are permitted to be used for:

• Payroll costs (as designated above)
• Health care benefits, including paid sick, medical, or family leave, and insurance premiums
• Mortgage interest obligations
• Rent obligations
• Utility payments
• Interest on any other debt obligations incurred before Feb.15, 2020

How to Apply

You can apply through any existing SBA 7(a) lender, like Adirondack Trust Company, Saratoga National Bank, Glens Falls National, Ballston Spa National Bank, NBT or through any federally insured depository institution, federally insured credit union, and Farm Credit System institution that is participating. Other regulated lenders will be available to make these loans once they are approved and enrolled in the program. Consult with a local lender to determine whether it is participating in the program.

Lenders may begin processing loan applications after April 3, 2020, or when rules are approved from the SBA and U.S. Treasury in Washington D.C and delivered to participating lending institutions.

Loan Forgiveness

Businesses using these loans are eligible to have them forgiven for an 8-week period after the loan date by applying through your lender. The application must include:

• Documentation verifying the number of employees on payroll and pay rates, including IRS payroll tax filings and State income, payroll, and unemployment insurance filings.
• Documentation verifying payments on covered mortgage obligations, lease obligations, and utilities
• Certification from a representative of your business or organization that is authorized to certify that the documentation provided is accurate and that the amount that is being forgiven was used in accordance with the program’s guidelines for use.

The forgiveness amount is equal to the sum of the following costs incurred during the 8-week period:

• Payroll costs (compensation above $100,000 excluded)
• Payment of interest on the mortgage obligation
• Rent obligations
• Utility payments

The loan forgiveness amount will be proportionally reduced if your average employee count declines during the covered period as compared to the same period in 2019. Borrowers must spend at least 75% of their loans on payroll costs to qualify for loan forgiveness.

RESOURCES

• Payroll Protection Program Overview
• Payroll Protection Program Borrower Information
• Payroll Protection Program Lender Information
• Payroll Protection Program Application Form
• Economic Injury Disaster Loan Application
• Capital Region Chamber of Commerce
• Business Council of New York State (BCNYS)
• Empire State Development
• NY State Small Business Development Center (NYSSBDC)
• Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region
• Recording of webinar: "Federal Coronavirus Relief Bills: What Do They Mean for Nonprofits?"
• Slide deck from webinar: "Federal Coronavirus Relief Bills: What Do They Mean for Nonprofits?"
• Analysis of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) (Pub. L. 116-136)
• Loans Available for Nonprofits in the CARES Act
• How Nonprofits Can Utilize the New Federal Laws Dealing with COVID-19
• Self-Insured Nonprofits and Unemployment Insurance
• Analysis of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• Nonprofits and Coronavirus, COVID-19
• Find your state association of nonprofits

Have more questions? A free "Small Business Legal Clinic" will be held by the Legal Project from 6 to 8:30 pm Thursday, April 16. Contact Laurie Allen to register.

SCORE will host a webinar, National Resources and Policy Updates for Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19, at 1 pm Thursday, April 16.

Visit www.sba.gov/local-assistance to find the nearest SBA partner or SBA office. The NYS Small Business Development Center has advisors statewide available to provide remote assistance and online counseling.

The OneWorkSource Business and Employment Center has published a web page of COVID-19-related workforce resources, including a daily newsletter, and a list of businesses currently hiring. It is also maintaining daily COVID-19 workforce development updates. Click here to visit their website.

We know that this global health pandemic will have a major impact in all communities -- especially rural communities where the healthcare infrastructure is not always easily accessible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is hosting a webinar to update rural stakeholders on the agency's response to COVID-19 at 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 8. Click here for more information and to register to join the call.

Help bring awareness to the availability of online library programs and services by using Findnyculture.org to promote web-based learning opportunities throughout your systems. Findnyculture.org is a searchable directory of over 4,600 cultural institutions across the state, including museums, science centers, and libraries, and is home to a robust statewide events calendar.

Profiles have already been created for every public library system and individual member library in New York State, and can be customized and updated at any time via secure login. To receive login information for your profile, please send an email to info@findnyculture.org.

While this is a relatively new tool, broad participation from the library community will help turn Findnyculture.org into a powerful resource for providing centralized, streamlined access to in-demand library program offerings.

Findnyculture.org was created by the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education, with input from New York’s teachers and cultural organizations. E-mail info@findnyculture.org to request a secure login or additional information.

Videoconferencing software Zoom has been drawing attention recently for privacy and security issues as use of the platform surges. One of its biggest security issues is Zoombombing, when uninvited attendees break into and disrupt a meeting. UCLA students and faculty suffered an attack during the first week of spring online instruction. The FBI has received “multiple reports” of videoconference calls being interrupted by “pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language,” the agency said in a March 30 release. In response, Zoom has engineered one quick fix and is working on others. While there are no guarantees against determined trolls, there are a few ways to hedge your bets and improve your overall privacy levels when using Zoom or other virtual meeting platforms.

Since 2016, SALS's Libraries Mean Business initiative has supported small businesses and entrepreneurs. We provide funding to train Notary Publics for each SALS's library and are building a digital collection of business-related e-books and e-audiobooks.

If your library has not yet taken part in the Notary Public Training program, or if you would like to have additional staff trained, there's good news!

SALS will cover the cost of one person from each member library to:

• Attend the Notary Exam Preparation Course at SUNY Adirondack
  
• Take the one-hour Notary Exam
  
• Secure a Notary Public License
  

In exchange, participating libraries MUST:

• Let Erica know they intend to participate
  
• Register with SUNY Adirondack & identify as part of the SALS group
  
• Pay for the class, registration, and license
  
• Submit paperwork to be reimbursed -- including documentation indicating completion of the SUNY Adirondack class and Notary Public Exam and registration. Libraries will be reimbursed after the Notary Public Exam is completed.

The online learning opportunity is available through May 6, allowing anyone interested to move at your own pace. There are two opportunities to participate:

Notary Public License Exam Preparation — Distance Learning Course

May 1 | Friday | 9:30am to 1:30pm

Registration closes on April 20

This live, interactive workshop via Zoom prepares you for the New York State Notary Public exam and will provide a comprehensive view of the Notary Public Office. All materials will be provided in advance of the course by mail. Learn more under Professional Development. Pre-registration is required.

Notary Public License Exam Preparation — Online, Self-Paced Course
Through May 6

Registration closes on April 15

This online, self-paced course is offered through Blackboard and is designed to teach you the essential information you need for the New York State Notary Exam. Learn more under Professional Development. Pre-registration is required.

Please identify yourself as a SALS member when registering to obtain documentation of online course completion to submit with a copy of the paid bill to SALS for reimbursement.

To register and pay for the course, call 518-743-2238, e-mail conted@sunyacc.edu, or complete and submit the registration form.

Please note that you must complete all required components of the course and submit your paid bill, course participation documentation, and proof of completed and passed Notary Public exam to receive reimbursement from SALS. The deadline for submitting documentation for reimbursement to Erica is September 30,2020. No reimbursements are available after that date.

Support for this program comes from the New York State Library’s Adult Literacy Library Services Program.

As we adjust to the changes in how we work and serve our communities, we've been organizing resources for our member libraries, but each day more become available, including:

• The recording of the AL Live webinar Libraries & COVID-19: Managing Strategies and Stress is now available. Librarians from communities that have been on the front lines of this crisis discuss lessons learned during the initial response and how they are continuing to provide important services as public facilities close and commerce slows.
• As of March 19, Booklist and Book Links is available for free online, offering more than 25 years’ worth of recommended print and audiobook reviews, features, interviews, spotlights, and classroom connections. To learn how to put Booklist Online to work, check out this video tutorial.
• If you work with adult learners, here are some tips from ProLiteracy to help continue making progress.
• The Public Library Association is offering a free webinar series: Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19.

Continue to do great work, stay healthy, and know that if you need anything, we're just a call or email away.

The big question: How long before we can safely touch and circulate books again? There are no easy answers, and many conflicting reports. Dr. David Berendes and Dr. Catherine Rasberry from the Centers for Disease Control presented an overview of the CDC’s guidance for community settings and environmental disinfection, and a discussion of how libraries, archives, and museums can help mitigate COVID-19 when working with paper-based, circulating, and other types of collections. The presentation was followed by a question and answer period.

The webinar recording can be accessed here. If you have follow-up questions for the CDC, you may submit them to imlsinfo@imls.gov. The materials and links mentioned in the webinar have been added to the IMLS coronavirus page under "Official Government Information and Resources."

The impact of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak is wide-reaching and will continue to evolve. As patrons return to your libraries, some will be faced with issues related to repercussions of the outbreak, and many of those issues may have a civil legal component. WebJunction is offering a free, online course Creating Pathways to Civil Legal Justice that begins on April 6 and runs through May 8 to prepare you to respond to those needs and guide patrons toward resources and support. This instructor-led, online-only course offers more in-depth continuing education opportunities on the role of libraries in improving access to civil legal justice for their communities.

To learn more about the course, see the Creating Pathways to Civil Legal Justice FAQs.

Thanks to the incredible Jill Ryder, all of the SALS member libraries will have free access to TumbleBooks through August 31, 2020.

TumbleBooks’ databases are easy to use, and feature unlimited access from home! Your patrons can read as many books as they want, when they want, and on any device. There are no checkouts, holds, or bulky downloads. Books are available instantly.

We'll be sending out an email to all directors shortly with more information. Jack will be working with any interested libraries to put links on your websites.

The Capital District Library Council will be holding online meetings this week to stay connected and engaged with your colleagues during this time of change. We created two standing Zoom meetings to help you share thoughts on your new work environment, expound on innovative service ideas, and discuss opportunities for virtual engagement. You can also check in to just say hi as we take the time to support one and other!

Our online Zoom meetings are scheduled for Tuesdays at 10:00 am and Thursdays at 1:00 pm. Click on the buttons below to join a meeting:

Tuesdays at 10:00 am | https://zoom.us/j/309834807 | Meeting ID 309 834 807

Thursdays at 1:00 pm | https://zoom.us/j/651018316 | Meeting ID 651 018 316

To join any of the meetings by phone in New York, dial (646) 558-8656 and enter the Meeting ID for that day of the week.

The outbreak of COVID-19 is creating challenges for the US Census, which has launched. Due to social distancing guidelines, all in-person events to promote the census have been canceled, and field operations have been suspended until April 1.

In the meantime, we can still get the word out. Please use your social media to help spread the word about the importance of completing the Census 2020. There are short videos that can be embedded, information that can be shared, and Jack & I will be working on social media posts for all of our member libraries to share in the next week. Libraries in Warren County can share posts from the Warren County Complete Count Commission on Facebook and Instagram.

Now that the Census is live, we can track the response rate for our state, city, town, county, congressional district, and tribal area:
Track Census Response Rate

The overall response rate for NYS residents is 16.3%, compared to the 19.2% response rate across the US. With so much on our minds right now, the people of NYS may need a reminder of how to complete the Census and why it's so important.

How to complete the Census

People across the country are receiving invitations to complete the Census. Invitations arrive via paper mail, and include a unique code that households need to enter online to fill out their Census form. Visit the Census site for examples of what all the Census mailings look like:
Census Mailings

With the Census Bureau suspending field operations until April 1st, it's more important than ever that people who have access to the internet fill their Census out online. There is also a call-in option for those who don't have online access.

Why it is important to complete the Census

Funding. Census data plays a huge role in the allocation of federal funding to states, cities, and communities. NYS receives billions of dollars in funding each year, and this funding could be in jeopardy if there is an undercount. For example, in 2016, NYS received more than $73 billion dollars from the federal government based on Census data: Counting for Dollars, New York

Representation. The number of seats that NYS holds in the federal House of Representatives is based on Census data. An undercount of NYS residents will mean that we lose seats in the House, which means our state will not be as well represented as it should be. There are 435 representatives allowed in the House, to be divided by all 50 states. NY deserves its fair share of representatives!

The New York State Education Department is accepting applications for the 2020 Summer Food Service Program. Sponsors are organizations that are fully capable of managing a food service program and agree and assure to serve meals to any eligible child in accordance with Federal Law, USDA policy, guidance and instructions including federal civil rights laws, regulations and policies.

Approximately 400,000 free meals are served daily to New York State children through the USDA's Summer Food Service Program, which will operate this summer throughout New York State from June 15 through September 7, 2020.

To serve the eligible children in their communities, sponsors must verify that the site where they plan to serve meals is located in an area where at least half the resident children are from households with incomes at or below the eligibility level for free or reduced-price school meals. In most instances, current year school data provides the most accurate economic status of a particular community. Potential and existing sponsors can request data from the schools or from the SED to determine eligible program sites.

Summer Food Service Program sponsors receive federal and State reimbursement for each meal served to a child, according to predetermined reimbursement rates set by USDA. SED will hold training workshops in March and April for sponsors planning to participate in summer 2020.

Potential new sponsors may obtain additional information on the Department's Summer Food Service Program website or by contacting the New York State Education Department, Child Nutrition Program Administration, 89 Washington Avenue, Room 375 EBA, Albany, NY 12234, (518) 486-1086. Email is also available at cnsfsp@nysed.gov.

The American Library Association (ALA) has released a set of free professional development materials to help library workers in small and rural communities develop the facilitation skills they need to thrive in the 21st-century library. The materials are designed to help library workers prepare for and lead discussions and overcome common challenges that arise when people gather to speak in groups.

Available materials include:

"Leading Conversations in Small and Rural Libraries," a practical 30-page guide that covers the basics of leading discussions in the library, including roles and responsibilities, setting ground rules and managing group dynamics.

"Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Training for Small and Rural Libraries," a five-part e-course available on ALA's eLearning platform. Module 1, "Conversations in the Library: Getting Started," will be followed by four additional modules to be released monthly this spring. Sign up for the full e-course series to receive notifications when new modules are added.

Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries is made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant number RE-17-19-0041-19. The initiative is offered by ALA's Public Programs Office in collaboration with the National Coalition of Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD), the Association of Small and Rural Libraries (ARSL), and the Chief Officers of State Library Associations (COSLA).

What Shakespeare really did during the plague.

Would you like an opportunity to honor an active library supporter, Friend or Friends of the Library? The Daniel W. Casey Library Advocacy Award is sponsored by the Friends of Libraries Section (FLS) of NYLA. Given annually since 1993 (through the precursor of FLS, the Empire Friends Roundtable), the award honors a volunteer member or group from the library community whose efforts have contributed to the growth of libraries or Friends of the Library organizations.

To learn more about Daniel W. Casey and to find the nomination form, go to www.NYLA.org/Friends to the “Awards and Scholarships” page. The deadline to submit nominations for this prestigious award is Monday, June 1, 2020. This year’s award recipient will be announced at the FLS annual membership meeting in Saratoga Springs on Friday, November 6, at the NYLA Annual Conference.

Nominations must include all relevant information outlined on the application form. Make sure to describe the contributions of the nominee (group or individual) to library service in detail; including positions held, years of service, accomplishments, successful fundraisers, etc.

Please submit the nomination form and all supporting materials (press releases, promotional materials, etc.) electronically to Marie Bindeman, Coordinator, via email at mariebind1955@gmail.com, or mail three copies to Marie Bindeman, 5498 Hartford Drive, Lockport, NY 14094. Paper copies sent by mail will not be returned.

If you have any questions, please contact Marie Bindeman at mariebind1955@gmail.com or call 716-433-0548. Thank you for your interest!

The Association for Rural and Small Libraries has opened applications for a series of scholarships to attend this year's annual conference in Wichita, Kansas.

And there's another opportunity as well:

The American Library Association (ALA) and ARSL have announced an opportunity only for ARSL members who are interested in learning to lead conversations.

Specially designed for the needs of small and rural libraries, Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries is a new learning series that helps library workers develop skills to engage with their communities.

As part of the project, ALA is offering travel stipends of $1,000 each and free full conference registration to the 2020 ARSL Conference in Wichita.

Fifty libraries will be selected, and each library will send one employee to participate in a one-day pre-conference workshop covering facilitation skills. (And of course, you are welcome to stay for the entire conference.) Library workers receiving the travel stipend/conference registration agree to:

• Participate in an LTC: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries online course (May - September 2020)
• Attend monthly coaching sessions (May – December 2020)
• Participate in the one-day, in-person pre-conference for LTC: Facilitation Skills for Small and Rural Libraries on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at the 2020 ARSL Conference in Wichita, Kansas.

Please read the full guidelines and apply online:

http://www.ala.org/tools/librariestransform/libraries-transforming-communities/LTCARSLStipend/guidelines.

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, April 15. Winners will be notified on April 30 (before general registration for the conference opens).

Questions? Email ALA’s Public Programs Office at publicprograms@ala.org.

Share your library’s community engagement breakthroughs! Submissions should highlight a current project or one completed within the past year that impacts and extends your public library’s reach by engaging with your community. Three libraries will be recognized with an award and each will receive $5,000. To learn more and complete the form, visit the OCLC Community Engagement Award page.

Winners will be selected by a panel of OCLC member library leaders. Each winner will be contacted prior to a public announcement in June 2020. OCLC is accepting nominations from all public libraries in the Americas now through April 30, 2020

Email: efreudenberger@sals.edu
Website: www.sals.edu
Location: 22 Whitney Place, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Phone: 518 584 7300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernAdirondackLibrarySystem