From the Editor's Desk
Winter 2011 issue of Trustee
Welcome to a new calendar year. It seems we just got used to the change back to Eastern Standard Time and now we have wrapped up our holiday celebrations.
The last quarter of year 2010 was filled with options, decisions and changes. For many of our libraries, new trustees have come on board. It will be important for those new trustees and their libraries to pay close attention to the State Librarian article on oaths of office contained in this issue. None of us need to be caught unawares for not meeting that simple, yet vital, requirement of office.
Besides changes on your own board, we will all be working with newly elected officials beginning this month. I suggest you read your library’s, and your system’s, annual report for 2010. I have been an active trustee for 10+ years, but I still need a good, concise refresher on my library’s accomplishments each year. Being familiar with your current programs and various statistics will bolster your ability to communicate well on library issues. Be sure to share at least a summary with local and regional elected officials. Newly elected officials will be swamped with information. A good summary can help them get a handle on your needs. At a luncheon meeting in December, I met the legislative aide for an outgoing official. This young man suggested we help legislative aides understand the value of library services, not only to their constituents, but to the aides themselves. When they need to research a topic, our libraries should be in the front of their minds as a resource for them.
The library community benefited from the Fall 2010 New York Library Association (NYLA) annual conference during November 2010. LTA was part of the scene with an information table and as co-sponsor of presentations of particular importance to library trustees. LTA also held a drawing for a Kindle. One of the workshops sponsored by LTA was the “2020: What’s Your Vision for Library Services in New York State.”. If you weren’t able to attend the conference, or couldn’t attend the visioning workshop, materials are available now at the NYLA website. Go to http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/adviscns/rac/2020.htm. The focus of the session is updating the statewide plan for library services. Every library’s input is vital and your thoughts are encouraged.
I hope you will enjoy learning about each of the library systems in our great State by reading this, and future, editions of the Trustee. The more we learn about each other, the better we can understand the bigger picture of library concerns. If you want a visual breakdown of library systems in New York State, go to http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/publibs/1pls.htm.
I’ll close with good wishes for success in your personal, professional and library goals in 2011. Let’s remember to work together to keep libraries and library services valued in our communities.
