Vol.24-05 | 1.30.24

The Mid-Hudson Library System is excited to announce that our collaboration with the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill has resulted in this exciting event: The Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature Ceremony (aka The Eleanor Roosevelt Banned Book Awards) to be held on Saturday, February 17th at 7:30 pm at Bard College's Fisher Center.

The ceremony will celebrate the inaugural winners of the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Bravery in Literature, authors who have championed intellectual freedom and the fight against censorship. The awards for 2024 will be given to authors whose works focus on racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender equality:

• Laurie Halse Anderson 
• Mike Curato 
• Alex Gino 
• George M. Johnson 
• Maia Kobabe 
• Jelani Memory 
• Judy Blume will receive inaugural Eleanor Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement Award for Bravery in Literature 

Additionally scheduled speakers include Matt Nosanchuck, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, often referred to as the Biden Administration’s Banned Book Czar and Emily Drabinski, President of the American Library Association.

Other collaborators for this event include Bard College; The Freedom to Read Foundation; The Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center; Maurice D. Hinchey Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area; National Coalition Against Censorship; Oblong Books; and Penguin Random House

Tickets start at $25. Reduced pricing for students with a valid ID is $5. Purchase Tickets. All proceeds will support the Eleanor Roosevelt Center’s future programming, including the 2025 Award for Bravery in Literature.



We hope to see you there! MHLS will have a table at the event to represent the important role libraries play in providing access to these award-winning authors' work.

In case you missed it – Transparent Language added new features and content in 2023. Now patrons have more to choose from in terms of courses, and when they learn. Highlights include:

• More intermediate and advanced courses in the most popular languages, including Workforce English Essentials for patrons who want to improve their communications skills on the job.
• More American Sign Language (ASL), including a course specifically for the library community: ASL for Librarians. 15 hours of basics to help you communicate with deaf and hard of hearing patrons.
• More Indigenous languages added.
• Downloadable lessons in the mobile app.

Media Literacy & Intellectual Freedom in the Age of AI | February 22 | 10:00 am | Online | REGISTER

Artificial intelligence is reshaping our information landscape. How can we (and our patrons) be critical consumers of media in a time of deepfakes and generative AI tools? How might intellectual freedom fare in the shadow of AI-powered attempts at censorship? We’ll discuss the current state of affairs and identify what lies ahead.

Nick Tanzi is an internationally recognized library technology consultant, and author of the books Making the Most of Digital Collections Through Training and Outreach (2016) and Best Technologies for Public Libraries: Policies, Programs, and Services (2020). Nick is a past column editor for Public Library Magazine's "The Wired Library". His work has also been featured in publications including Computers in Libraries, Library Journal, American Libraries, and Marketing Library Services. You can find his thoughts on the intersection of libraries and technology at the-digital-librarian.com.

REMINDER: Libraries as Community Resilience Hubs Cohort. In partnership with the Mid-Hudson Library System (MHLS) and Ramapo Catskill Library System (RCLS), Sustainable Hudson Valley has designed a program of action planning, training and support for libraries as living laboratories for climate resilience in their communities. This will help library leadership make their facilities energy-secure, safe, and comfortable in extreme weather, and position them to serve as community hubs for education and action projects to help their surrounding neighborhood deal with climate change.

This cohort program includes four sessions designed to facilitate participants’ understanding of climate resilience needs and opportunities at and around their locations, and the participatory approaches to working with local stakeholder partners to capture these opportunities. If you have questions about this program or registration for the sessions, contact Laura Crisci, Library Sustainability Coordinator at [email protected].

Ideally, participants will attend all four sessions together. Teams from individual libraries are encouraged to attend.

Session 1: February 21 | 10:00 am | Online | REGISTER

Assessment and Engagement: A Place-based Framework for Assessing Vulnerability and Opportunity

This process begins with a review of climate trends and approaches to resilience, then moves into an assessment of the library facility and surrounding public spaces, to be done by staff, board members, Friends Groups and other supporters, in order to develop a thorough understanding of the physical characteristics of the place.

Universal Service Administration Co. (USAC) has opened the funding year (FY) 2024 FCC Form 471 application filing window. Applicants will have until March 27th to file their FY2024 FCC Forms 471. E-Rate is a federal discount program providing reimbursement to schools and libraries for telephone, internet, and similar services.

If you have not yet started, you still have time if you have an entity number in place. 

• File Form 470 to begin the bidding process ASAP – this must have 28 days at minimum in open bidding.
• Select a vendor from the bids you receive.
• File a form 471 before March 27th. 

If you have not looked at the process in a while, there are videos available that demonstrate the form step by step. MHLS has E-Rate resources on our website as well. If you need assistance, please reach out to Laurie Shedrick, Technology Operations Manager.