When day comes we ask ourselves,

where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry,

a sea we must wade

We've braved the belly of the beast

We've learned that quiet isn't always peace

And the norms and notions

of what just is

Isn’t always just-ice

And yet the dawn is ours

before we knew it

Somehow we do it

Somehow we've weathered and witnessed

a nation that isn’t broken

but simply unfinished

We the successors of a country and a time

Where a skinny Black girl

descended from slaves and raised by a single mother

can dream of becoming president

only to find herself reciting for one

And yes we are far from polished

far from pristine

but that doesn’t mean we are

striving to form a union that is perfect

We are striving to forge a union with purpose

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and

conditions of man

And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us

but what stands before us

We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,

we must first put our differences aside

We lay down our arms

so we can reach out our arms

to one another

We seek harm to none and harmony for all

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:

That even as we grieved, we grew

That even as we hurt, we hoped

That even as we tired, we tried

That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious

Not because we will never again know defeat

but because we will never again sow division

Scripture tells us to envision

that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree

And no one shall make them afraid

If we’re to live up to our own time

Then victory won’t lie in the blade

But in all the bridges we’ve made

That is the promise to glade

The hill we climb

If only we dare

It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,

it’s the past we step into

and how we repair it

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation

rather than share it

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy

And this effort very nearly succeeded

But while democracy can be periodically delayed

it can never be permanently defeated

In this truth

in this faith we trust

For while we have our eyes on the future

history has its eyes on us

This is the era of just redemption

We feared at its inception

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs

of such a terrifying hour

but within it we found the power

to author a new chapter

To offer hope and laughter to ourselves

So while once we asked,

how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?

Now we assert

How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was

but move to what shall be

A country that is bruised but whole,

benevolent but bold,

fierce and free

We will not be turned around

or interrupted by intimidation

because we know our inaction and inertia

will be the inheritance of the next generation

Our blunders become their burdens

But one thing is certain:

If we merge mercy with might,

and might with right,

then love becomes our legacy

and change our children’s birthright

So let us leave behind a country

better than the one we were left with

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,

we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one

We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,

we will rise from the windswept northeast

where our forefathers first realized revolution

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,

we will rise from the sunbaked south

We will rebuild, reconcile and recover

and every known nook of our nation and

every corner called our country,

our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,

battered and beautiful

When day comes we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid

The new dawn blooms as we free it

For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it

If only we’re brave enough to be it

-- Amanda Gorman

Photo by Stephanie Mitchell, Harvard University

Congratulations to the Argyle Free Library, the Caldwell-Lake George Library, and the Schuylerville Public Library for receiving a Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small & Rural Libraries grant. Each of these libraries will receive $3,000 from the American Library Association to convene community conversations. If you didn't apply for the first round of funding, there's another opportunity to get funded -- apply by March 4!

Help us plan for the future by filling out our annual System Use and Satisfaction Survey for the year 2020.

Library employees, board members, and volunteers are all invited to provide feedback--please share.

It's January, which means it's time to make sure all public library trustees (except for association library trustees) take and file an oath of office within 30 days of beginning their term of office. And yes, it's the law: New York State Public Officer's Law §10.

Public library trustees are public officers, and the oath of office is required to officially undertake and perform the duties of a public library trustee. If a public library trustee does not properly complete and file an oath of office, the trustee's position may be deemed vacant. See Public Officer's Law §30(1)(h).

For more information about how and why the oath of office is administered, and where to properly file an oath of office, please see the Oaths of Office FAQ on the New York State Library website.

For 200 years, Cooperstown, New York, has been the home of celebrated authors and enthusiastic readers. Situated on the scenic shores of Lake Otsego, the Village of Cooperstown Library is starting a new chapter and is seeking a full-time Library Director to start in the Spring of 2021. The Library Director will act as the chief visionary and leader of the library, and is responsible for the administration of all library functions, including collection management, organization, preservation and presentation.

Candidate skills we are seeking include:

• Creativity and enthusiasm to make the library a welcoming and inclusive community space for all
• Entrepreneurial spirit to grow our library among key constituent groups, including community members, board of directors, volunteers and community arts/cultural institutions
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• The ability to recruit, inspire and grow library volunteers/staff
• At ease with technology and social media to extend public relations and outreach
• Keen interest in learning how to best serve a diverse community of young families, teens and active seniors with new ideas for programming
• Ability to find, apply and secure grants and fundraising opportunities
• Master's Degree from an ALA-accredited program
• New York State Librarian Certification

The Board of Trustees is prepared to offer a competitive, individualized compensation package. A letter of interest and resume should be sent to the attention of Jill Feury, Library Board, Village Library of Cooperstown, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326 or jfeury@gmail.com. Resumes received by February 15, 2020, will receive first consideration. The Village of Cooperstown Library is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

As the state moves closer to the general public's vaccination, some efforts are now underway to ensure resources are in place to facilitate widespread vaccination, especially in underserved communities. First, the state will establish some pop-up vaccination centers to facilitate public vaccinations, similar to the state-run mobile testing centers established in the spring. The state is also identifying public facilities and convention centers to be used as vaccination centers and is recruiting retired nurses, doctors, and pharmacists to support vaccine administrations.

These efforts' main focus will be to ensure vaccine access in underserved communities and health care deserts. The state is already in the process of building Community Vaccination Kits to support these efforts and will work with public housing officials, churches, and community centers to identify the most appropriate locations for kit deployments.

Each kit includes step-by-step instructions for how to set up a site and critical supplies and equipment such as:

• Office Supplies
• Workstation Equipment
• Communications Equipment
• Cleaning Supplies
• Lighting Equipment
• PPE
• Crowd/Traffic Control Equipment
• Vials
• Syringes
• Room Dividers
• Privacy Curtains

New York State has launched a new 'Am I Eligible " app to help New Yorkers determine their eligibility, connect them with administration centers, and schedule appointments. To access the app and find the latest information concerning the vaccine and its administration, visit https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/.

This Friday, January 22 at 12:30 pm ET, PBS Books will host a virtual conversation about HEMINGWAY with filmmaker Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein.

This lunchtime event will feature a discussion with the filmmakers and a question and answer period for librarians, with additional time from 1:00-1:30 pm, providing information on how to best engage your library community with all things Hemingway at PBS Books over the course of the next several months from virtual conversations to the National Book Club event to a virtual exhibition made up of library books from around the country.

Space is limited, so register in advance for this webinar.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. All registrants will receive the taped version link within 48 business hours of the event.

For questions, contact Jacob Phillips at PBS Books at jphillips@dptv.org.

The Association of Rural and Small Libraries' (ARSL) pilot leadership institute, Outstanding In Their Field, is officially open! ARSL is looking for 30 outstanding people who are currently working in rural and small libraries to join this professional development opportunity.

Applications will be accepted through February 24, 2021.

Participants, a.k.a. “Outfielders,” will undertake 18 months of online and in-person interactive sessions.

It’s a BIG commitment, and rewarding! Participants will gain:

• skills and confidence as leaders
• a network of colleagues throughout the country
• experiences at two ARSL conferences

The ARSL Leadership Institute is for accidental library leaders: people who may not have a Masters in Library and Information Science and maybe not even a college degree. They work in a small and/or rural library who are now are ready to grow as leaders. These folks came into the library from various jobs: the cashier at the local Mini-Mart with good customer service skills, the cataloger who worked at the library for 12 years and just became the new library director, or the schoolteacher who ends up running the public library. They already are informal leaders and are ready for change.

All participant travel, materials, and instructional expenses (worth approximately $8,000) are covered by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). So while there are no monetary costs for participants, they will outlay their time, consistent engagement, and dedication to growing themselves and others as leaders.

The Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL) seeks applicants representing a wide variety of communities and has a commitment to the representation of groups that have been historically marginalized or excluded due to ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, economic background, educational attainment, and age.

“Media Literacy in the Library: A Guide for Library Practitioners" contains information, program ideas and conversation starters on topics like misinformation and disinformation; architecture of the internet; civics; media landscape and economics; and media creation and engagement. The 30-page guide also explores ways to “meet patrons where they are” by integrating media literacy into reference interactions and existing programs. Download the guide for free here.

Starting in winter 2021, a series of one-hour webinars will explore concepts from the guide. Led by project advisors, the webinars are free for all library workers. View a full list of the free webinars and register now!

Citizen Science is a way for regular people to impact scientific exploration, discovery, and policy. The pandemic gives libraries a new opportunity to encourage people to enjoy science at home. The Institute of Museum and Library Services partnered with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine to create the Library & Community Guide to Citizen Science.

Are you considering a renovation to your library? The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners worked with Sasaki, an interdisciplinary design firm, to create Library Space, A Planning Resource for Librarians. The guide addresses new builds, working in historic buildings, sustainable and inclusive design.

Someone is stealing pre-published manuscripts by both well-known and unknown authors. No one in the literary world knows why.

The American Library Association (ALA) has announced plans to award nearly $2 million to small and rural libraries in 2020 and 2021 to help them address issues of concern in their communities.

Through Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, up to 650 U.S. libraries in small and rural communities will receive $3,000 to tackle issues ranging from media literacy to COVID-19 safety to unemployment. The initiative is part of ALA’s longtime commitment to preparing library workers for the expanding role of libraries.

Library workers may apply online for grant funding until February 5, 2021, at ala.org/LTC. Up to 650 grants will be distributed over two funding rounds. Read the full project guidelines.

The opportunity is open to libraries serving small and/or rural communities in the U.S. and U.S. territories. The Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) defines small communities as those with a legal service area population of 25,000 or less and rural communities as those more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area.

Selected libraries will develop their facilitation skills through online training, talk with community members (virtually or in-person) about local needs, and undertake a project that benefits their community. Grant funds may cover a range of expenses, from hotspot purchases to personal protective equipment to staff time to undertake community engagement work.

Grant recipients will also receive a copy of “Ask, Listen, Empower: Grounding Your Library Work in Community Engagement,” edited by Mary Davis Fournier and Sarah Ostman (ALA Editions, 2020).

The American Library Association and Dollar General Literacy Foundation invite public libraries to apply for grants to expand services for adult English language learners or adults in need of basic education and workforce development. Up to 16 grants of $5,000 each will be awarded. Public libraries are eligible if they serve adult English language learners and are located within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store, distribution center, or corporate office. Visit the Dollar General Store Locator.

Read the project guidelines and apply online by Friday, January 29, 2021.

ALA has a recorded webinar about the grant.

The American Dream Literacy Initiative strives to develop tools and resources for libraries and library staff to provide effective literacy services to adult English language learners in their communities and across the country. American Dream libraries build replicable programs, develop coalition-building strategies, and provide annotated lists of vetted resources for libraries across the country.

The American Dream Literacy Initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. It is administered by ALA’s Public Programs Office and Office for Diversity.

The American Library Association invites library workers to apply for the inaugural Peggy Barber Tribute Grant, a programming grant named after the transformative ALA leader responsible for the creation of National Library Week and the Celebrity READ series.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant supports meaningful programs in libraries with limited programming budgets. Up to three grants of $2,500 will be awarded annually. Applications for the 2021 award will be accepted from December 1, 2020, to February 5, 2021. Read the grant guidelines and apply online.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant will support a different type of library programming each year. This year, libraries are invited to submit applications in support of humanities-based programming. The funding may be used to continue an existing program or create a new one.

All library types — including public, academic, K-12, tribal and special libraries — in the U.S. or U.S. territories are eligible. Applicants must have a personal or institutional membership with either the American Library Association OR the Association for Rural & Small Libraries.

Barber served as ALA's associate executive director of communications from 1970 to 2000. In that role, she established ALA’s Public Information Office, Public Programs Office and the ALA Graphics department. After leaving ALA, she was a principal consultant with Library Communication Strategies and served as co-president of Friends of Libraries USA, now known as United for Libraries. She passed away in August 2019.

The Peggy Barber Tribute Grant was created with donations from Barber’s friends and colleagues. To support the grant, make a contribution to the Peggy Barber tribute fund within ALA’s Cultural Communities Fund.

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