1

Trustee FYI

Winter Serving Public Libraries in Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and southern Ulster Counties since 1959 2016

Ramapo Catskill Library System

What’s Inside 2 Mark Your

Calendar

2 2015 Trustee Handbook

2 Velma K. Moore Award

3 Spotlight on RCLS Trustee Lynn Skolnick

4 Continuing Education Opportunities Just for You!

6 .Recorded Webinars

6 Every Library is a Small Library

7 How E-Rate Benefits Your Library

NYLA Library Advocacy Day Dan Hulse, RCLS Development Officer

New York Library Association (NYLA) Library Advocacy Day is Wednesday, March 2 in Albany. This advocacy event is planned and coordinated every year by NYLA and supported by library systems and libraries statewide.

Library advocates from all parts of the State travel to Albany to meet with their state legislators and talk about library funding and other issues which are important to help maintain our libraries. Advocates include library trustees, directors, Friends, staff and Library Champions—regular library users who are willing to express their sup-port for libraries. For details about the scheduled events during Library Advocacy Day see the NYLA Web page at https://www.nyla.org/max/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=62&MenuKey=advocacy. For information on the issues, visit the RCLS website at http://www.rcls.org/?q=node/337.

RCLS schedules meetings with each of our state legislators so that delegations from their constituency can meet with them to discuss the issues. RCLS prepares in-formation kits which provide the delegates with talking points and background materi-als to help them make the case for libraries.

RCLS makes it easy to participate by partnering with the Mid-Hudson Library System to charter four motorcoaches for the trip to Albany. The motorcoaches stop at five locations—West Nyack, Newburgh, New Paltz, Kingston, and Catskill. Pickup times are early in the morning—between 6:30 a.m. and 8:40 a.m., depending on the pickup location. All motorcoaches will leave Albany at 3:30 p.m. sharp. For more de-tails about the departure times and the cost of the motorcoaches see the flyer enclosed with this issue. In addition, as the arrangements are confirmed, NYLA will post de-tails on their Library Advocacy Day Web page. To register for the motorcoach, use the RCLS online calendar (http://rcls.evanced.info/signup/EventCalendar.aspx) and mail your check, $9 per person, payable to “RCLS”− attention Ruth Daubenspeck at RCLS. The registration deadline for the motorcoach is Thursday, February 25.

We need your help. If you have never participated in NYLA Library Advocacy Day, please consider attending this year. If you have gone before, you know how important your help is to get our message to the legislators. Remember that we are hoping to bring a strong

team of Library Champions with us – invite a Library Champi-on to ride on the motorcoach with you. We realize this may re-

quire a trustee or Library Champion to use a vacation or personal day from their regular job; but the rewards of this sacrifice will benefit the entire re-gion as well as your local community.

Let’s make this year’s Advocacy Day successful. See you on the motorcoach!

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Trustee FYI

Mark Your Calendar Wednesday, February 10

System Orientation RCLS 10:00 a.m.

Monday, February 15 President’s Day RCLS CLOSED

Tuesday, February 16 RCLS Board Meeting RCLS 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, February 17 Digital Learning Day

Wednesday, March 2 NYLA Library Advocacy Day

Wednesday, March 2 Read Across America Day

Sunday, March 6 – Saturday, March 12 Teen Tech Week

Wednesday, March 16 Freedom of Information Day

Monday, March 21 RCLS Board Meeting RCLS 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 23 Trustee Orientation Workshop RCLS—5:30 p.m.

Friday, March 25 Orange Ulster BOCES Spring Recess Day RCLS CLOSED

April—National Poetry Month

April—School Library Month

April—National R.E.A.D. Day

Wednesday, April 13 System Orientation RCLS 10:00 a.m.

Monday, April 18 RCLS Board Meeting RCLS 6:30 p.m.

2015 Trustee Handbook The 2015 edition of the Handbook for Library Trustees of

New York State was officially “unveiled” during a ceremony held at Lake Place on October 22 during the New York Library Association (NYLA) Conference. Authors Jerry Nichols (Palmer School of Library and Information Sciences) and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich ( C o o r d i n a t o r f o r L i b r a r y Sustainability, Mid-Hudson Library System) were on hand to explain some of the new additions.

The 2015 Edition is much more detailed, covers the newest trends and developments in library information and law, and is designed for the digital age. Along with the regular content, the online version is indexed, searchable, and provides the reader with many helpful links and resources.

The Handbook provides trustees with a solid foundation from which you can continue to grow as a trustee. Becoming well versed with its information will make your job as a library steward much easier. Whether you are a brand new trustee or have served for 20 years, the 2015 edition of this handbook is an essential read.

View the Handbook on line (http://www.librarytrustees.org/handbook.php) or contact Grace Riario at RCLS (griario@rcls.org or ext. 233) for a hardcopy.

See pages 4-5 of the Trustee FYI for a trustee workshop covering some of the material in the Handbook.

Velma K. Moore Award

The Velma K. Moore Award is a statewide award that honors the memory of Velma Moore, a founding member of Library Trustee Association (LTA) and wife of former New York State Lt. Governor Frank C. Moore. Who is eligible? Any individual or group that has made exemplary contributions to the development of library services in New York State. This award comes with a cash prize of $1,000 presented to the recipient’s library or system of choice. Friday, February 26 is the deadline for applications. To learn more and for the application information, visit the Library Trustee Association of New York State website at https://librarytrustees.wufoo.com/forms/z1uix2561ksmwho/.

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Trustee FYI

Spotlight on RCLS Trustee Lynn Skolnick Dan Hulse, RCLS Development Officer

Representing Sullivan County, Lynn Skolnick has become a welcome addi-tion to the Ramapo Catskill Library System Board of Trustees since being ap-pointed to the Board in June of 2010. Lynn is a retired educator who spent most her career in the Monticello Central School District where she was an English teacher and Director of Humanities.

A native of Youngstown, OH and a 44-year resident of Kiamesha Lake, NY, Lynn has always been interested in learning and with reading from the time as a child when her father took Lynn and her sisters for weekly visits to the library. In addition to the RCLS Board, she is also currently the President of the trustees of the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library in Monticello, having served for over 12 years on that board. In praising her home library in Monticello, Lynn likes the fact that the library is a community equalizer. It provides equal oppor-tunity for patrons and equal access for everyone. The Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library just moved into a new, larger renovated location on Broadway in Monticello near the end of 2015. Lynn, her fellow trustees and library staff are proud of this new facility and patrons are looking forward to many years of ex-citing and excellent library service and the greater ability to provide access to all the materials available at the new site and throughout the system. She herself also loves having access to the many materials. As an avid reader, Lynn shared that the most recent book she has read was All the Light We Cannot See by An-thony Doerr. Another tome that she would highly recommend is John Sexton’s Baseball as a Road to God.

One of Lynn’s other passions is recreational travel. When not wintering in Sarasota, FL, she enjoys both international and domestic vacation destinations. Her most favorite places are the Canadian Rockies and Costa Rica. With her late husband, Barry, she shared an enjoyable and educational tradition of visiting state capitol buildings in the United States and the cities that they are located in. Lynn explained that she has visited and toured all but 14 capitol buildings. She is also trying to visit all the National Historic Trust Sites around the country.

Along with her membership on the Ethelbert B. Crawford Public Library and RCLS Boards, Lynn serves on the board of Agudas Achim Synagogue in Living-ston Manor and she has been a volunteer for the Times Herald-Record’s People for People charity. Lynn’s other volunteer work has included being a board member for the Sullivan County Federation for the Homeless and for ten years serving on the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance (DVAA). Prior to that, she was a board member of the Foothills Community Center.

Lynn Skolnick’s joining the RCLS Board is a positive match as she enjoys working with the other members of the RCLS Board of Trustees, in her appoint-ed committee roles and with the Board as a whole. She looks forward to contrib-uting her experience and knowledge in all actions and matters reviewed by that governing body.

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Trustee FYI

Ramapo Catskill Library System

Wednesday March 2,

2016 Join Us on the Motorcoaches

to Albany!

NYLA Library Advocacy Day 2016 YOUR Support Needed @ your library™

Desktop Publishing by RCLS

CONVENIENT MOTORCOACH LOCATIONS and DEPARTURE TIMES!

(PLEASE ARRIVE AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE DEPARTURE)

• West Nyack 6:45 a.m. (Palisades Center)

• Newburgh 7:30 a.m. (Newburgh Mall)

• New Paltz 7:45 a.m. (Thruway Exit 18 Parking Lot)

• Kingston 8:15 a.m. (Thruway Exit 19)

• Catskill 8:40 a.m. (Thruway Exit 21)

Leaves Albany at 3:30 p.m.

Refreshments, advocacy information and schedule of appointments will be provided on the motorcoaches.

Register online @ http://calendar.rcls.org/

Make checks ($9 per person−non-refundable) payable to RCLS. Send to Ruth Daubenspeck/RCLS 619 Route 17M Middletown, NY 10940

REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 25 Late registrations will not be accepted.

PLANNING TO DRIVE YOURSELF? E-mail Ruth Daubenspeck at RCLS (ruth@rcls.org)

to keep informed of issues and activities.

QUESTIONS? Contact: Dan Hulse @ RCLS

845.243.3747 ext. 245 or 866.364.4329 ext. 245 dan@rcls.org

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Trustee FYI

We hope to see YOU at one or both of the following informative workshop ses-sions! Contact me with questions, concerns, comments at griario@rcls.org.

TRUSTEE LEADERSHIP SESSION During the Trustee Leadership Session, presenter Robert Miss will engage at-

tendees in a discussion of both the responsibilities and opportunities for you as Trustees to seek sources of funding to enhance your library’s quality of services.

Also to be identified will be the compelling reasons for the community to support your library, including what teamwork and relationship-building is needed. Lastly, we will envision who will be using our libraries by 2025 and what they will be doing there.

Robert Miss, MAC, CPFR, Strategic Management Exchange, is an experienced professional in the field of philanthropy and nonprofit business.

A buffet dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. The ses-sion will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. and end by 8:30 p.m.

The program will be presented on two dates in two different locations:

• April 13 @ RCLS (Middletown)

• June 8 @ Valley Cottage Library Choose the date that fits your schedule and register using the RCLS online cal-

endar at http://rcls.evanced.info/signup/EventCalendar.aspx.

TRUSTEE ORIENTATION The Trustee Orientation program will provide the basic information every li-

brary trustee should be acquainted with to be an effective board member. As the items covered in this session are limited, it is essential that you familiarize yourself with the 2015 Trustee Handbook, which will be distributed to each attendee at the program.

Presenter Grace Riario, RCLS Assistant Director and Outreach Coordinator received her MLS from Queens College, a Master of Public Administration with a Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Human Resources Management (Pennsylvania State Uni-versity) and has recently completed her Public Library Administrator’s Certificate

Lastly, it’s about the Library, not about you. Always remember that your primary

job is to provide the highest quality library service possible for your community, not the cheapest.

(2015 Trustee Handbook, pg. 17)

“To act for someone else’s benefit with special responsibilities for the

administration, investment of assets that belong to some else.”-NYS Not-for-Profit

Corporation Law. (2015 Trustee Handbook, pg. 31)

Continuing Education Opportunities Just for You! Grace Riario, RCLS Assistant Director and Outreach Coordinator

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Trustee FYI

program (Long Island University Palmer School of Library and Information Sci-ence, Palmer Institute for Public Library Administration and Management. Grace is a part of the ILEAD USA team, a nationwide leadership immersion program utilizing web technologies, expanding library staff’s leadership skills and their ability to use participatory technology. Grace is also a Councilor-at-Large on the New York Library Association (NYLA) Council.

A buffet dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. The session starts promptly at 6:00 p.m. and end by 8:00 p.m.

The program will be presented on three dates in three different locations:

• March 23 @ RCLS (Middletown) – Orange County

• April 20 @ Ethelbert B Crawford Public Library (Monticello) – Ulster/Sullivan Counties

• May 25 @ Valley Cottage Library – Rockland County Choose a date that fits your schedule and register using the RCLS online cal-

endar at http://rcls.evanced.info/signup/EventCalendar.aspx.

Information to be covered:

Continued from page 4

Part 1: General information - New York State Libraries 1. General New York State Library

Structure 2. State Aid 3. Annual Library Report - CR 11.4 4. Minimum Standards for libraries –

CR 90.2 5. Type of Libraries 6. Critical Documents 7. Basic Laws 8. Library Board Organization Part 2: Duties and Responsibilities Duties 1. Duty of Care 2. Duty of Loyalty/Conflict of Interest 3. Duty of Obedience Responsibilities Plan – Planning 1. Create and develop the mission of

the library 2. Evaluate your library’s services 3. Maintain a facility that meets the

library and community’s needs

4. Evaluate technology services 5. Plan for the worst Implement - Governance 1. Board Bylaws 2. Board Meetings

A. Quorum B. Robert’s Rules of Order C. Open Meeting Law D. Executive Session

3. Library Policies Finance – Library’s Finances 1. Library Budget 2. Essential Financial Policies 3. Internal Controls Support - Personnel 1. Hire a competent Executive

Director 2. Evaluate the Executive Director 3. Trustees/Director/Staff relationships 4. Civil Service Advocate - Advocacy Advocacy is a powerful tool that every trustee must learn to use to fight for sustainable library funding.

Boards often use executive

sessions to discuss matters with which they

feel uncomfortable in a public setting

yet are not defined within

the law. This is not only

inappropriate, it is illegal.

(2015 Trustee Handbook, pg. 28)

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Trustee FYI

Recorded Webinars

E-Rate Webinar Posted The State Library is pleased to announce that the recording and slides for the

December 15 E-Rate Webinar, presented by Win Himsworth of E-Rate Central, are now available on the State Library's website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/univsvc/index.html#Webinars. The recording is available through WebEx.

The webinar is intended primarily for those who are planning to actively pursue E-rate discounts, those who want to find out more about the program, or those who are already receiving E-rate discounts but might have questions. This webinar will benefit any library that wants to develop a better understanding of the benefits and process involved in obtaining E-rate discounts. Applicants should note that a new online E-rate portal has been established for FY 2016 and must be used for the submittal of all forms.

The Role of Trustees in Planning and Evaluation

The State Library is pleased to announce that the recording and slides for the November 18, 2015 webinar, The Role of Trustees in Planning and Evaluation: Effective Strategies to Utilize All Your Resources for Success are now available on the State Library’s website at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/trustees/webinars.htm. The recording is available through WebEx.

The webinar was presented by Jerry Nichols, Director of the Palmer Institute for Public Library Organization and Management and retired Director of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System. Past Chair of the Regents Advisory Council on Libraries, Mr. Nichols is also the author of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State, 2015 Edition (http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/trustees/handbook/index.html).

Contact Amy Heebner, Library Development Specialist, New York State

Library at amy.heebner@nysed.gov if you have any questions about either webinar.

Every Library is a Small Library: Practices in Planning, Growth and Funding

Large or small, rural, suburban or urban, libraries all have the same mission, to

provide our communities with services they want, expect, need and we can afford. Sometimes it’s a tall order. Join Library Trustees Association (LTA) of New York State as they explore activities that will help libraries with planning, funding and growing to meet the expectations of the communities they serve. Become a more informed trustee, expand your horizons and your library benefits. Let’s get started!

Hosted by Clinton-Essex-Franklin, North Country, and Southern Adirondack Library Systems the Trustee Institute will be held Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7 in Plattsburgh, NY. For more information, visit the LTA website at http://www.librarytrustees.org/institute.php.

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Trustee FYI

How E-Rate Benefits Your Library Stephen Hoefer, RCLS Fiscal Officer

The Universal Service Schools and Libraries Program, commonly known as the “E-Rate” (Education Rate), helps ensure that schools and libraries can obtain high-speed Internet access and telecommunications at affordable rates. The Rama-po Catskill Library System (RCLS) has participated in the program on behalf of member libraries since its inception in 1997. In the past 10 years alone, RCLS se-cured just short of $2 million in rebates that offset ANSER Telecommunication Fees.

This $3.9 billion dollar Federal Program was dramatically overhauled in 2014 and 2015 to prioritize expanded support for broadband and wireless connectivity. While these modifications were necessary to support the changing technological needs of schools and libraries, they have made a complex and cumbersome pro-cess even more so. The program is phasing out rebates on telephone voice ser-vices, which many libraries apply for on their own with the support of RCLS.

Funding may be requested under two categories of service: Category One services include Data Transmission Services and Internet Ac-

cess, and Voice Services. Category Two services include Internal Connections, Managed Internal Broad-

band Services, and Basic Maintenance of Internal Connections, but the applicant must meet the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requirements to be eligible for Category Two services.

Each year RCLS submits a consortia application for Category One services for the cost of the private fiber optic network connecting all 52 building locations within the RCLS service area to the Integrated Library Catalog (ILC). RCLS also applies for the transportation cost of backup Internet services to member libraries should their Internet go down, RCLS voice services, and the cost of moving fiber optic demarcation points at a library due to construction. RCLS has secured a funding commitment of $189,450 for the program year July 1, 2015 thru June 30. 2016.

The rebate dollars are then applied against the Telecommunications portion of ANSER Fees. For example, the total Telecommunications cost to member libraries for 2016 is $362,960 and $169,060 in prior year rebates offset this cost by 47%, so member libraries only pay $193,900 to RCLS, which then pays the vendors on be-half of the libraries. The only requirement to receive these savings is for the li-brary director to sign a Letter of Agency, once every three years, authorizing RCLS to file on the libraries’ behalf. RCLS processes everything else behind-the-scenes to bring high quality telecommunication services at deeply discounted rates.

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the E-Rate Pro-gram, please feel free to contact me at 845.243.3747 ext. 223 or shoefer@rcls.org.

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Trustee FYI

RCLS Board of Trustees Carla Randazzo Amthor Martha Anderson Carl S. Berkowitz Roslyn Applebaum Hurwitz Jain Jacob Bernard Marone Helen Rados Lynn Skolnick William R. Troy, Ph.D. David Zuckerberg Carl McCrossen

(non-voting representative of the RCLS Directors’ Association)

Executive Director Robert Hubsher

Ramapo Catskill Library System 619 Route 17M Middletown, NY 10940-4395 845.243.3747 · FAX 845.243.3739 www.rcls.org

Desktop Publishing Printing by Ramapo Catskill Library System

RCLS Mission We deliver high-quality consolidated and cooperative services to support member libraries in meeting

the needs of their communities.

RCLS Goals 1. Coordinated Services – Offer a clearly defined set of cost effective coordinated or centralized and

consulting services designed to enhance local library service and maximize the return from local funds expended.

2. Technology – Enhance and maintain existing automation services and assist member libraries in implementing emerging technologies to improve library service and cooperation.

3. Resource Sharing – Coordinate Central Library and System services to provide a broad range of services, library materials and online resources to support equity of access.

4. Professional Development and Continuing Education – Provide opportunities to member libraries' staff, directors and trustees for the training and skills development needed to support excellent library service.

5. Advocacy – Encourage and support member libraries in their efforts to increase community awareness about public library programs, services and governance.

6. Communication – Maintain and promote effective means of communications with and among member libraries to ensure accountability and cooperation.

7. Organizational Environment – Maintain an organizational environment that allows RCLS to be responsive and accountable to member libraries.