RAMAPO CATSKILL LIBRARY SYSTEM NEWS
 
September 23, 2024
LAST CALL TO REGISTER...
Registration deadline is September 24, 2024
FALL INTO BOOKS
Thursday, October 24, 2024 ~ 9:00am-2:30pm
Location: 321 S. William Street, Newburgh, NY 12550
Cost: $100 (includes breakfast & lunch – book sales are additional)
For detailed information CLICK HERE
Questions?  Contact Michelle Muller, michelle.muller@rcls.org

2025 RCLS Community Engagement
Grant Applications now available
 

 
The grants are intended to foster new activities, not to support ongoing programs, for populations including people who are blind or physically disabled, aged, developmentally or learning disabled, institutionalized, members of ethnic/minority groups in need of special services, educationally disadvantaged, unemployed/underemployed or geographically isolated, and at-risk youth from birth to age 21.
 Applications for 2025 must be received
on or before 4:00pm on October 18, 2024
Only RCLS member libraries may apply
For more information, as well as the grant application, please visit the
 Community Engagement Grant Libguide

FREEDOM TO READ DAY OF ACTION
OCTOBER 19, 2024
 
Click on the image below to
learn how you can get involved!
 
 
 
Organized by Unite Against Book Bans, the Association for Rural & Small Libraries, @bklynlibrary, @nypl, and @qplnyc, in collaboration with libraries and advocates nationwide. The day will feature rallies at libraries, bookstores, places of worship, and other community hubs. The goal is to demonstrate the broad support that exists in our communities for libraries and the freedom to read - building momentum toward robust voter participation on Nov. 5, when the simple act of casting a ballot can help protect the right of everyone in our communities to read what they want.

FORTHCOMING
FALL 2024 BESTSELLERS LIST
 
Fall IS coming... No more air conditioning, no more flying bugs, new TV shows, beautiful Fall foliage, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and most of all - great new Fall reads!
 
Click on the image below to access the list of
Collaboratively prepared by: Eileen Acosta, RCLS; Nancy Moskowitz, New City;
Terry Eagle, Haverstraw; Sharon Stanton, Monticello; and Mary Duffy, Monroe

COMMUNITY NEWS
 
 
New Director at Port Jervis Free Library
  
The Port Jervis Free Library (PJFL) is proud to announce the selection of Curran Z. Koehler of Centerville, Indiana, as the new Director, beginning September 21st. Originally from Evansville, Curran has four years of experience as managing director of the Centerville-Center Township Public Library in Indiana from 2020 until his acceptance of the Director position at the PJFL.
   While Director of the Centerville-Center Township Library, Curran was involved in setting up and helping a Friends of the Library organization, including acquiring 501(c)(3) status. He was also responsible for initiating new library programming; managing Human Resources, payroll and bookkeeping; assisting the board of trustees to start a construction project, which included managing the bidding process; managing two county-level, taxpayer-backed, bond issues for the library totaling close to three million dollars, as well as four subsequent, Indiana State Board of Accounts audits; creating and or reorganizing most of the current internal and external library policies; and developing a long-range plan for the Centerville-Center Township Public Library.
   Curran graduated with Honors from the University of Southern Indiana in 2012 with a B.S. in History, and earned a Master of Library and Information Science from the University with Honors in Spring 2021. He served as an Archival Assistant in the university’s Archives and Special Collection between 2009 and 2012, where he was acknowledged with a plaque for years of service to the University of Southern Indiana library.
   We expect that Curran will adjust easily to the tristate area, as he is an avid swimmer, hiker and fisherman. He loves Stephen King books, with his favorite genre being horror (adult fiction) and history (adult nonfiction). Curran lived in Baltimore for 4 years and Indianapolis for 3, which explains his favorite football team being the Colts!
   The PJFL Board of Trustees is excited about our new Director coming on board and is sure the staff, volunteers and community as a whole will make his transition easy and welcoming.
Announcement and bio courtesy of Carl Hendrick, President of the Board, PJFL


Nodate Japanese Tea Ceremony
Saturday, October 5, 2024 ~ 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Library Community Room
 
The Library welcomes the Mid-Hudson Japanese Community Association for this special program.  All participants will be able to observe the ceremony, and hear narration explaining the history and meaning of the ceremony. All guests will be able to try tea and wagashi, a Japanese sweet that complements the bitterness of the tea.
 
REGISTER HERE
 
Questions?  Please contact the library: (845) 647-5530

Albert Wisner Public Library presents their 2024 Book Festival
 
Mark your calendars and tell your friends! This year’s festival is Sunday, October 13 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stanley-Deming Park in Warwick. In case of rain, the festival will still take place – same date and time, but at the nearby Warwick Valley Middle School, at 225 West Street. For more details click HERE.
Questions?  Please contact Billie Gallo at the Library: (845) 986-1047 

RCLS CONTINUING EDUCATION
To register for any session, please click on the title in BLUE
Credit Hours earned per session are noted below.  Please verify with the individual postings on the RCLS Calendar.
 
QuickStart: 7 Easy Steps to a Public Library Memory Care Programs Strategy
(Online Webinar)
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 ~ 10:00am - 12:00pm
 Presenter: Stephen Abram, MLS,
founder of Lighthouse Consulting, Inc. 
Our speaker will share easy ways to build collections, run programs,
train staff, and will, in this overview session, provide a range of
quick tips to unlock the potential of
memory care programs in libraries - small and large.
Credit hours - Library Staff: 2 hours of Continuing Education
[This session will not provide Trustee Education credit]
 
 Training: Freedom of Information Law
Thursday, October 10, 2024 ~ 1:00pm - 2:30pm
(rescheduled from Oct 3)
In-Person session at RCLS Headquarters
619 Rte 17M, Middletown
An overview of the Freedom of Information Law, New York’s access to records statute, will be provided by Kristin O'Neill, Deputy Director and Counsel for New York State Committee on Open Government (COOG)
Credit hours - Library Staff: 1.5 hours of Continuing Education;
Library Trustees: 1.5 hours Trustee Education 

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 link for any ONLINE session.  
You will also receive a reminder email 24-48 hours prior to the event.


 
RCLS SUSTAINABILITY CORNER 
 
BUGGING OUT!
Are you seeing these in your area?  As they fly around, they may resemble a variety of butterfly or moth, 
but they aren't so benign...
 
They pose a significant threat to New York's agricultural industry, negatively impact outdoor recreation,
and may impact forest health.
 
Click on the link below & learn more about
these invasive insects...
DEC Spotted Lanternfly Information
 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH
 
The application for Digital Navigators of the Hudson Valley Fall 2024 session, which will run from October 2024 to December 2024, is now open for individuals affiliated with libraries and organizations in the Hudson Valley. Have any questions about the application or the requirements? An information session was held earlier this year. View the recording here

Visit the Digital Navigators of the Hudson Valley website to view the program requirements. Navigators who meet the requirements by December 31, 2024, will receive a $500 investment incentive payable to their organization.
 
Applications are due by 12pm on September 30, 2024 
APPLY TODAY!
 If you have any questions, please reach out to
Meaghan Doyle at meaghan@rcls.org
 
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...
 Courtesy of Joanna Goldfarb, Source: Librarycomic.com
 
 Did you find something of note that library staff can relate to? Send us your submissions to end our newsletter with a smile.
 

Ramapo Catskill Library System
619 Route 17M 
Middletown, NY 10940
845-243-3747
www.rcls.org
 
   
 
 
Subscribe to receive RCLS publications via the link below
Sign Up for RCLS Newsletters