One of the gifts 2020 has given me is increased empathy for Alice, who had to negotiate a topsy-turvy world after falling through the Looking Glass. The constantly shifting terrain has been challenging, with a deadly pandemic coursing through the country, social and racial justice reckonings, and a hotly contested election cycle. While the pandemic highlights tensions and faults in our society, there are people who are choosing to do incredible work, and others not so much.

Fortunately, we don't have to look far to find people being amazing. Ike Pulver, the director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library, volunteered at a drive-through food pantry last week. He had done it before and knew there was a good chance of having remaining food, so got in touch to see if any of our Farm-2-Library participants could use the extra bounty. At the end of the day, Ike delivered twenty pounds of chicken, five pounds of sausage, five quarts of strawberries, five pounds of bananas, three and a half gallon jugs of orange juice, three and a half-gallon jugs of milk, six pounds of cheese, and ten pounds of butter to the Schuylerville Public Library and the Pember Library and Museum. He delivered the same (except for chicken and sausage, due to a lack of space) to the Corinth Free Library. He took the remainder to the Franklin Community Center in Saratoga Springs. Thanks to Ike for going above and beyond in his dedication to ensuring our communities thrive.

Thanks to all of you for working with your communities through this extraordinary crisis.

With more parents homeschooling their children now, there is a need for quality resources. To meet that need, the Schuylerville Public Library created ten Family Travel Kits. Each includes items like cookbooks, music, language CDs, travel guides, folktales, musical instruments, history videos, and culture and craft books. Each kit features a country or region. All of our homeschool resources are now listed and linked on our website to make it easy for folks to find what they need. We hope that these kits will be popular and help both our homeschoolers and those who just want to travel or learn about other cultures. They were a lot of fun for us to put together too!

Submitted by Caitlin Johnson, Director, Schuylerville Public Library

We had a spooky discovery in the library today! Hidden away in a shadowy display case was a long forgotten relic from our library's past: a mummified hand that used to belong to Mary Hubbell, our original librarian who served from 1908 to 1958. There are lots of curiosities and antiques throughout the library, and we're brainstorming ways to display them! Jury's out on whether the hand was hers or not, what do you think?

As the pandemic continues, more libraries are experimenting with virtual programming. Join a conversation with your peers about how to structure virtual programming for adults, what platforms to use, tips and tricks, and best practices during the next Tri-System Adult Program Swam from 10 -11:30 am Thursday, November 12.

If you are doing terrific virtual programming for adults, we want to hear from you. But we also want to hear from people who are struggling, or who have had a bad experience. Come ready to share and learn from your colleagues.

We'll be meeting virtually (natch!), but you can also access by phone (1-872-240-3412, access code: 248-443-125). Looking forward to hearing your tales!

Have you had enough of 2020? Are you ready to sit back, relax, and nerd out? Lucky for you, the Capital District Library Council is once again partnering with Skidmore College’s Scribner Library and the Southern Adirondack Library System to bring you the first virtual Infomingle at 3 pm Thursday, December 3.

Meet other information professionals during this fun, informal networking event. Dazzle us with your favorite Zoom background. All are welcome to attend – please bring your favorite comfort food recipe to share.

Have you heard?

The New York Black Librarians Caucus' 50th Anniversary Scholarship Gala is going virtual and we would love for you to join us!

We'll be celebrating virtually from 11 am to 4 pm Saturday, November 14.

Friends of NYBLC - $35 includes access to one of the professional development workshops of your choice (CEU credits available), viewing of Tracie D. Hall's keynote speech, and access to the Indie Author Walk (1 author). Tickets available until November 6th.

There's lots to celebrate this year, including:

• DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR AWARD: Kwame Alexander
• YOUNG ADULT WINNER: Khristi Lauren Adams
• CHILDREN'S BOOK WINNER: Ama KariKari Yawson

Click here to purchase your ticket now!

By attending the Virtual Gala, your contribution will be used to ensure future NYBLC scholarships are fully funded for recipients for years to come. We thank you for your generosity in advance and we can't wait for you to celebrate with us!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Sandra Michele Echols, our Gala Chair, at sandraechols@gmail.com.

The infinite challenges posed by the pandemic have inspired libraries to rethink how to serve their communities.

As we educate our patrons how to navigate the World Wide Web safely, it's good to remind people of the power of metadata. Google recently provided IP addresses of everyone who conducted a keyword search of a particular location to the police as part of an arson investigation. There's currently a bill in the New York Senate that would prohibit reverse location searches.

Join us for free and lively day of short presentations about library leadership and COVID-era innovation in small and rural libraries!

We’ll meet from 9 am – 1:40 pm on Thursday, November 19 for free Zoom sessions. We know your time is valuable, so we’re keeping the sessions short and snappy!

Sessions will be recorded. If you can’t make it live, register anyway so you get the links!

Register here, and we’ll send the Zoom links the day before the conference.

Questions? Email libraryleadershipacademy@umich.edu or text ‪248.987.8885‬.

This conference is presented by the 2019-2020 Next-Level Leadership for Small and Rural Libraries cohort and made possible in part by the University of Michigan School of Information, the Library of Michigan, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The I Love My Librarian Award invites library users like you to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. Each year, 10 librarians are selected to receive a $5,000 cash award in recognition of their outstanding public service.

Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the American Library Association in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school library media from an educational unit accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university, or a library at an accredited K-12 school, or have been working at one of these institutions as of March 1, 2020.

Wondering how to make your nomination stand out? Check out these tips for making the best possible case for your librarian. Nominations are due November 9, 2020.

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 from September 21 to December 2, 2020, 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.

In February, ALA released a set of free professional development materials:

• “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, with a section about leading virtual conversations.
• “Libraries Transforming Communities: Facilitation Training for Small and Rural Libraries,” an e-course available on ALA’s eLearning platform, with a module about leading virtual conversations.

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).

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