Treasurer: Edris Scherer –Edris is a trustee on the boardof the Westchester LibrarySystem. She has served on theEducation and Financecommittees and brings awealth of experience from herfamily owned business to herrole as treasurer.

Secretary: Susan SabersChapman – Susan bringsunbounding enthusiasm forLTA and presently serves onthe Alden Ewell Free Library,part of the Buffalo & ErieLibrary System. Susan’sinterests have been applied tothe Legislation andMembership committees.

This slate of officersrepresents a wide swath of the

state from west to east with strong representation fromthe overall central area. No doubt the year 2020 willprove to be a successful year under these leaders.

2 ......... Get Your Library Questions Answered3......... News from the NYS Librarian4......... Manuscripts Dating to the Ninth Century

5......... Letter from the President6.......... From The Editor's Desk7......... Membership Invoice

TRUSTEEVol. XXXIII, Issue No. 1, Winter 2020

I N TH I S I S SUE

LTA Officers for 2020President: Jean Currie –Jean has served on the LTAboard since 2014. She is atrustee on the Edith B. FordMemorial Library in Ovid,which is part of the FingerLakes Library System. Jeanhas served on the Awards,By-Laws and Policy, and theFinance committees.

Vice-President: SuzanneStockman – Suzannereturned to the LTA board ofdirectors in 2019. She serveson the Fairport Library,which is part of the MonroeCounty Library System.During Suzanne’s first periodon the LTA board she was akey player on the Awardscommittee.

Officers for the 2020 term were elected at the November 15, 2019 quarterlybusiness meeting in Albany. Please welcome your new executive team:

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Does a library board have theauthority to formulate rules andregulations governing theadministration of the library,including but not limited to behaviorof staff and patrons?

A. Yes. The following should not beconstrued as legal advice for whichthe services of counsel should beobtained:

Considering and adopting such policiesis a legal and appropriate Board action,well within the discretion of the Board in accordancewith the provisions of Education Law s226(10)which accords the Board as a member of theUniversity of the State of New York the power to do so:

Rules. Make all by-laws and rules necessaryand proper for the purposes of theinstitution and not inconsistent with law orany rule of the university; but no rule bywhich more than a majority vote shall berequired for any specified action by thetrustees shall be amended, suspended orrepealed by a smaller vote than thatrequired for action thereunder.

However, any rule or regulation must be reasonable,not be discriminatory, and must include amechanism whereby an alleged perpetrator’s rightof appeal is provided should investigation determinethat there is merit to the complaint for whichadministrative sanction(s) may be invoked.

Additionally, any such action should beformally adopted at a public session ofthe library board, recorded in theminutes of the meeting at which suchadoption took place, and be available inprinted form for consultation by staffand the public.

Since any policy involving a complaintcould conceivably involve the librarydirector, it would be prudent toconsider combining the essentialelements of a “Patron Complaint” policy

with the elements of the “Whistleblower” policywhich protects a complaining employee frompossible retribution on the part of the Director.

At the New York Library Association’s website canbe found the New York Library Association“Whistleblower Policy”. While the New YorkLibrary Association’s policy might seemunnecessarily complex for a small organization suchas some libraries are, it contains many of theelements which should be considered in terms ofprotecting the rights of the complainant employee,as well as guaranteeing to the complainantconfidentiality.

Examples of various policies adopted by otherlibrary boards are a valuable resource to provideguidance to a library board and its director in the development of policies deemed suitable to the needs of a particular library. If necessary the assistance of the board’s attorney may be beneficial.

A Service for LTA Members: Ask Joe Eisner

Another service of provided by LTA- have a question? Ask Joe by e-mail:ltafaqjoe@librarytrustees.org or by calling toll- free: 1-866-720-8969.

(All questions are handled with appropriate discretion. The questions posted in Mr. Eisner’s columns are generalized frequently asked questions.)

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After 20 years, NOVELNY is going strong!

NOVELNY stands for the New York Online VirtualElectronic Library. Is your library promotingNOVELNY to your library customers and yourcommunity?

For some twenty years now, the New York StateLibrary has provided NOVELNY, an electroniccollection of books, journals, magazines,newspapers, encyclopedias, and other databaseslicensed on a statewide basis for free public accessthrough local libraries and remote locations suchas home, school, or office.

NOVELNY is going strong! Check out thenumbers:

• New Yorkers performed 44.7 million searches inNOVELNY e-resources this past year.

• Over 5,900 libraries are registered forNOVELNY.

• 15 high-quality, authoritative, populare-resources (databases) including EncyclopediaBritannica, Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,Gale’s Business Insights: Essentials and GaleOneFile: News are freely available to everyone inNew York State.

• With geolocation, 100% of NOVELNYe-resources are accessible 24/7 from any device,from anywhere in the State, without ausername/password or even a library card.(Libraries can retrieve their own customizedURLs [geolinks] for each of the NOVELNYdatabases through a single website.)

• Over 300 library staff attended NOVELNYtraining webinars in the past year.

• The State Library’s NOVELNY Help Desk staffanswered 295 telephone and email inquiriesabout the databases.

• 874 likes on the NOVELNY Facebook page!

Why is NOVELNY important to libraries and library users?By procuring NOVELNY databases, the StateLibrary ensures that all New Yorkers have accessto library e-resources, which levels the “playingfield” by permitting individuals to gain access tothe same resources regardless of economic,geographic or physical circumstances.

Who pays for NOVELNY?The NOVELNY Project is supported with federalfunds through a Library Services and TechnologyAct (LSTA) grant to the New York State Libraryby the Federal Institute of Museum and LibraryServices (IMLS).

How can I find out more about NOVELNY?Both the library community and the public arekept up to date on NOVELNY via theNOVELNY website, the Facebook page, listservmessages (NYLINE and NOVEL-DB), and factsheets. For a quick overview of NOVELNYe-resources check out this Fact Sheet:http://www.novelnewyork.org/factsheets/noveldb.pdf. Or, visit the NOVELNY website athttp://www.novelnewyork.org.

How can I help promote NOVELNY to my library users and my community?Check out the NOVELNY Facebook page! Postsare written primarily with library staff in mind andfall into two major categories: turnkey posts thatcan be easily shared to an individual library’sFacebook page; and marketing tools, tips, andresources that will help all New York Libraries useand promote NOVELNY.

Increasing NOVELNY awareness and use is vitalto improving the ability of all New Yorkers toobtain and use the information resources availableon NOVELNY. Many thanks for your help!

If you have questions, contact the NOVELNYHelp Desk, Toll-free (877) 277-0250.

News from the State Library

From the Desk of Carol Ann Desch, Coordinator of Statewide Library Services,New York State Library

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Filed by Gary Price on November 23, 2019

From Lehigh University:

Led by Lehigh University, a partnership of 15 Philadelphia-area libraries has scanned and digitized morethan 160,000 pages from 475 original manuscripts, the earliest dating to the ninth century. The hand-letteredand illustrated pages range from brightly hued, gold-leafed illuminated works of art to functional textsintended for students of science, philosophy and religion.

The pages were digitized and cataloged through a three-year collaborative project of the Philadelphia AreaConsortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL). The project was funded by a $499,086 grant on theconsortium’s behalf to Lehigh University from the Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives:Enabling New Scholarship Through Increasing Access to Unique Materials initiative of the Council onLibrary and Information Resources, supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The images and metadata are hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries’ OPenn manuscriptportal and are also available through the Internet Archive.

Viewers can download material by page, manuscript or collection. Descriptive text includes both the subjectof the image and text, as well as other manuscript features, such as doodles, notes or an outline of eyeglassesleft inside a book. Databases are searchable by keyword. For example, viewers can pull up illuminationsfeaturing birds, castles, dogs or religious figures, or search by book title, geography or institution.

The effort focuses primarily on Western European texts, with topics ranging from religion and philosophy toscience, math, alchemy, astronomy and family lineages. The project has even made it possible to potentiallyvirtually reassemble 1,800 pages belonging to texts whose leaves or incomplete manuscripts have beenscattered around the world.

A Lehigh University-Led Partnership Releases OpenWeb Database of 160,000 Pages Of High-Resolution,Full-Color Manuscripts Dating to the Ninth Century

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I wish all our librarytrustees a happy, healthyNew Year. May you andyour libraries prosper!

I am delighted that at theirannual conference inNovember, members of theNew York LibraryAssociation voted to admitthe Library Trustees

Association as their newest Section. LTA has a longhistory, starting out as NYSALB (New York StateAssociation of Library Boards), then becomingLibrary Trustees Association, and now joining NYLAas a Section, still with the same name LibraryTrustees Association. We have always been a strongvoice for public libraries and the trustees who overseethem. By joining NYLA, we make our and their“voice of the library community” louder and morecompelling.

As your new President, I look forward to the next fewmonths as we work out the administrative issues ofmerging LTA into NYLA - we need to work out thethings that NYLA can do for us, those things we willdo for ourselves, and what we can do together. Wehope to make the change of membership as seamlessas possible, to have our financial affairs become partof the NYLA management, to work on merging ourweb presence into NYLAs, and sort out other behindthe scenes work that your LTA Board does. TheBoard will try to make it a smooth transition.

In addition, we will be working on a key program ofLTA - continuing education for trustees. There issome preliminary planning for regional institutes andof course we will have programs at the NYLAConference (Saratoga Springs, 4-7 November, 2020).If you have ideas for any educational program youneed or would like to have, please let me know atjean@ovidlibrary.org. And of course I would love tohear from you about any other issues related tolibrary trustees or how you think LTA can help.

by Jean Currie

The LTA Board for 2019/2020 is:

President: Jean Currie representing FLLS

Vice President:Suzanne Stockman representing MCLS

Treasurer:Edris Scherer representing WLS

Secretary: Susan Saber Chapman representing B&ECLS

Other members of the Board are:

Phil Archer representing STLS

Catherine (Kay) Budman representing OCPL

Martha Anderson representing RCLS

Margaret Shapiro representing SALS

If you are interested in serving on the Board, we arealways looking for more members to represent theirlibrary system.

Going off the Board this year are Adria Ripka, BolaMajekodunmi, and Mary Ellen Darling. I want tothank all of them for their wonderful contributions toLTA - they have worked hard and represented LTAlocally and statewide with great effect. Thank youand we will miss you! However Adria has madenoises about working on the newsletter - we acceptthat offer!

Some dates to keep in mind for 2020:

Library Advocacy Day: Tuesday 25 February,Albany. Please come. Trustees are the best voice onthis day - Legislators want to hear from library users!

NYLA Annual Conference: 4-7 November,Saratoga Springs

I look forward to working with you all in the comingyear.

Letter from the President

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LET’S GOTO ALBANYNYLA Advocacy Day

Tuesday, February 25

Greetings, LTA members and supporters2020 Census Initiative

The Central Library Resources Council(CLRC) shared a tweet on November 29that referenced an article from the TroyRecord newspaper of 11-25. That articleoutlined an up to $60 million dollarinitiative for funding to support helpingNew Yorkers complete the 2020 census. The article indicated:

“The state will leverage resources acrossdozens of agencies, public authorities,CUNY and SUNY that regularly interactwith millions of New Yorkers. Together,they will launch a wide-reaching campaignvalued at up to $40 million from existingresources that will inform the public aboutthe Census and support efforts to encourageresidents to complete the questionnaire.Additionally, $20 million from the FY 2020Budget is being made available to supporttargeted efforts in hard to reachcommunities.”

The additional agencies referenced in the articleinclude These state entities, including theDepartments of Labor, Motor Vehicles, Agricultureand Markets; the offices of Mental Health, Alcoholand Substance Abuse, and People withDevelopmental Disabilities; Empire StateDevelopment; and the Division of Veterans Affairs.Unfortunately, libraries are not referred to in thearticle. Yet, our libraries will undoubtably be the mostlogical and convenient place for residents to seek helpin completing the census.

by Adria Ripka

At the time of compilation for thisnewsletter, LTA is not aware of how, or if,our libraries will be able to access financialsupport for what may be an increase invisits by people needing assistance. Doesyour library have the technology needed?The 2020 census will be the first censuscompleted in an on-line format. Besides aprobably lack of computer literacy, theremay be language barriers that our libraries

are not equipped to handle.

Checking the 2020 Census website at www2.census.gov,I see there is a printed version of the censusquestionnaire available. You can see a sample at:https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial/2020/technical-documentation/questionnaires-and-instructions/questionnaires/2020-informational-questionnaire.pdf.

While the paper form is bilingual English andSpanish, many communities have strong populationsof speakers of other languages. Another questioncould be whether or not the government will providethe census forms in printed format, or will theindividual be expected to print it on their own? Thatcould be a drain on library resources, as well.

LTA will be checking with the Division of LibraryDevelopment and other library organizations to keepyou abreast of developments on this national project.It is important for fair distribution of resources thatcounts be accurate. Libraries will do their part, asalways. However, some financial support would bemost welcome and appropriate.

With warm regards,

Adria

From the Editor’s Desk

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Library Name:

Library System:

Director’s Name:

Library Address:

City, State, Zip:

Email:

Phone:

Facebook URL:

Website URL:

Your library’s budget is:

Total population served by your library is:

2020LTA Library Membership Invoice

USE THIS FORM TO RENEW OR BEGIN YOUR MEMBERSHIP USING POSTAL MAIL.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!LTA, formerly NYSALB, has been supporting NYS library trustees since 1949, and is the only state

chartered organization for NYS trustees.

WHEN MAILING YOUR REGISTRATION, PLEASE:1. update your trustee or library’s name and contact information

2. mail a check for your library’s membership to: PO Box 11048; Albany, NY 12211

3. include up-to-date e-mail addresses

(Reminder: all contact information shared with LTA is kept confidential and is used only to share news and resources.)

If you have any questions, please contact John McCarthy, Executive Director, at jmccarthy@librarytrustees.org

JOIN OR RENEW TODAY!

MEMBERSHIP DUES

If library budget is: then dues are: If library budget is: then dues are:

less than $30,000 $10 $500,001 - $1,000,000 $175

$30,001 - 50,000 $35 $1,000,001 - 3,000,000 $225

$50,001 - 100,000 $60 $3,000,001 - 5,000,000 $325

$100,001 - 500,000 $120 $5,000,001 - 7,000,000 $425

more than $7,000,000 $525

Your membership dues are (based on budget and scale above): $

TRUSTEEVol . XXXIII , I s sue No. 1 Winter 2020

A Publication of Library Trustees Association of New York State PERIODICALCLASS

LTA welcomesthese sponsors to our offerings!

Library Trustees Association of New York StateP.O. Box 11048Albany, NY 12211Jean Currie, Edith B. Ford Memorial Library, Finger Lakes Library System — PresidentSuzanne Stockman, Fairport Public Library, Monroe County Library System — Vice PresidentEdris Scherer, Westchester Library System — TreasurerSusan Sabers Chapman, Alden Ewell Library, Buffalo & Erie County Library System — Secretary

Philip Archer, Montour Falls Memorial Library, Southern Tier Library SystemCatherine Budman, Liverpool Public Library, Onondaga CountyMargaret Shapiro, Crandall Public Library, Southern Adirondack Library System

Adria Ripka, Salina Free Library, Onondaga County — Trustee Editor

John McCarthy — Executive Director

Visit us on the web: www.librarytrustees.orgWrite to the editor, aripka@librarytrustees.orgPhone: 518-445-9505

TRUSTEE, USPS#010-872, ISSN: 1085-3170, is published four times a year by the Library TrusteesAssociation of New York State for $10.00 annually per subscriber. Subscription is a benefit of paidmembership; cost of the subscription is covered by membership dues. Periodical class postage is paid atAlbany, NY and an additional mailing office.

New Benefit for LTA Members! Discounted Group Insurance Program

Buying insurance as a group allows members of all sizes to enjoythe same level of tailored coverage along with highly discountedrates that would likely not be available to an individual library.

Contact Colleen Parmelee, Program Director at: cmparmelee@coolins.com or (518) 698-9033.

Postmaster: Send address changes to:TRUSTEE, PO Box 11048, Albany, NY 12211

LTA BUSINESS CONFERENCE CALL: JANUARY 11, 2020ALBANY LIBRARY ADVOCACY DAY: 2-25-2020

PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2020

THE 2020MEMBERSHIP DRIVE HAS BEGUN! PLEASE JOINOR RENEW TODAY