RAMAPO CATSKILL LIBRARY SYSTEM NEWS
 
October 10, 2023

Last call for submissions!
2024 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GRANT
Grants are awarded annually to member
libraries who develop new programs or
services aimed at some or all of the
New York State target populations
 
Deadline for submission is October 13, 2023 at 4pm
 CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND THE GRANT APPLICATION FORM
 

 Click on the image below &
sign up to participate in
YOU MAY ALSO EMAIL MEAGHAN DOYLE (meaghan@rcls.org) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Once you've completed your form, your library will be listed on The Great Give Back Website
 
The mission of The Great Give Back is to provide a day of opportunities for the patrons of the Public Libraries of New York State to participate in meaningful, service-oriented experiences.
 

 
PROPOSALS SOUGHT!
 
K-16 educators and librarians of all types are invited to submit proposals to the 
2024 Banned Books Symposium: Proactive, Reactive, Supportive 
This half-day conference will feature presentations in all capacities of banned and challenged books and programs. 
If you are interested in presenting, 
please submit your proposal here.

Note: Presentation proposals accepted until November 15, 2023.  Accepted proposals will receive notification by December 8, 2023. Questions regarding the proposals may be directed to Jen Park, Government Relations Specialist at Ramapo Catskill Library System, at jen@rcls.org. 

This Symposium is in partnership with Southeastern New York Library Resources Council, Ramapo Catskill Library System, Mid-Hudson Library System, SUNY New Paltz and BOCES School Library Systems of Dutchess, Orange-Ulster, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster.
 

Great reads for an Autumn Day!  
Click on the picture below for The Bookwerm's
Forthcoming Fall Bestsellers list...
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ready to face all the "Things that go bump in the night"?
Click on the image at right & check
out this especially spine-tingling edition of
Bookwerm picks!! 
 
 

COMMUNITY NEWS

 
Click on the link for
SOLAR ECLIPSE RESOURCES
programming ideas, partnership information, and a few other
helpful items for libraries planning programs
 
 
CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE UPCOMING ECLIPSE
OCTOBER 14, 2023
An Eclipse Never Comes Alone!
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse. Usually, there are two eclipses in a row, but other times, there are three during the same eclipse season. Second eclipse this season will be: October 28, 2023 — Partial Lunar Eclipse
 

 
 STAR WARS Day
at Suffern Library 
 
Saturday, Oct. 21 from 12-2pm 
 
You may see a few people you know dressed in their favorite 
Star Wars costumes.  Maybe you'll run into Rey Skywalker or Princess Leia or a Mandalorian. Don't be surprised if you see Obi-Wan Kenobi. Dress up in your costume and join in the fun! 
 
There will be photo ops, lots of giveaways including Star Wars pencils and stickers, FREE new books, and Children's Librarians will be reading Star Wars 
storybooks in the toddler area. 
All are welcome!  
 
 
RCLS CONTINUING EDUCATION
 
For details on registration, click on the title line below
 
Advocacy Workshop: Learning about and Communicating with Elected Officials (Online)
Monday, October 16, 2023 ~ 10:00am - 11:00am
This session will empower attendees to be proactive in their
advocacy support and provide step-by-step instructions
when communicating with elected officials
This session will not be recorded  
Attendance will result in 1 CE credit for staff and trustees 
 
IN-Person Cricut 101 Training and
RCLS Lending Zoo
Tuesday, October 17, 2023 ~ 10:00am - 1:00pm
RCLS OFFICE, 619 Rte 17M, Middletown, NY
Program schedule:
10:00-12:00: Cricut Workshop 
(If you have a Cricut machine and are able to bring it, please do so)
12:00-1:00: Lending Zoo
Participants will earn 2 CE credits
 
 Libraries as Community Resilience Hubs (Online)
Presenter: Cynthia Nikitin 
Project for Public Spaces (pps.org)
Thursday, October 19, 2023 ~ 10:00-11:30 am
Participants will:
1. gain an understanding of what climate resilience is, and how it relates to the role libraries can play in their communities
2. learn how to develop a network of potential community partners to jointly identify community-based climate resilience projects to implement
3. begin to plan for the implementation of at least one climate resilience project at their library or in their community
This program is presented in partnership with the 
Mid-Hudson Library System and Sustainable Hudson Valley.
Registration is REQUIRED to receive the Zoom link
PLEASE NOTE: If you sign up for one or more of the many 
RCLS programs and/or continuing education opportunities,
save your registration confirmation email which will
contain the Zoom link for any ONLINE session.  
You will also receive a reminder email approximately 24 hours prior to the event.

MARKETING EDUCATION
 
For details on registration, click on the title line below
 
Customer Service On All Platforms (Online)
Thursday, Oct 19, 2023 ~ 10:00am - 12:00 PM
 
Presenter: Victor Caputo
(Library Management Consultant, Former Library Director and
Public Relations/Program Director)
As an organization you provide customer service on many platforms including in-person, phone, chat, social media and web services.  This program looks at all of these interactions and how, together, they form a strong customer service mission.
 
Building Community Relationships for
Better Library Services (Online)
Tuesday, Oct 24, 2023 ~ 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Explore strategies for finding community partners and building relationships with them with the goal of truly working in collaboration with people libraries serve (small rural libraries up through large urban systems). You'll hear from library staff who have successfully started doing this work in their own communities with partners who serve all ages. You'll also learn about the importance of this work and why it needs to be supported by administrators and supervisors.
 
Outreach Service to Communities

October is marked by numerous celebration and promotional weeks, including Banned Books Week, Digital Inclusion Week, The Great Give Back, National Friends of Libraries Week, and more. These events offer us opportunities to showcase our services, engage with our communities, and advocate for important causes.
 
For access to affiliated marketing resources linked to these events and many more, please visit the
"Celebration Weeks & Promotional Events"
section within the Marketing Services LibGuide.
 

 
 RCLS Marketing Services LibGuide
Click the link above to view the Guide and schedule a meeting to talk about your marketing plans with Dave Cosco, RCLS Marketing Manager. Phone: 845-243-3747 ext. 245 or via email at marketing@rcls.org

 
 
A Closing Thought...
 
Did you find
something of note
that library staff
can relate to?
 
Send us your submissions to
end our newsletter
with a smile.
 
Share your library news via the RCLS News!
Send your article to abaumann@rcls.org
Ramapo Catskill Library System
619 Route 17M 
Middletown, NY 10940
845-243-3747
www.rcls.org
 
   
 
 
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