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Cheery Friday Greetings,
I’m a little hesitant to remind us that August is National Wellness Month, since I haven’t been mentioning many of these observances lately. However, this one came to my attention earlier in the week, and I liked the reminder that wellness doesn’t have to involve an app, or a program. Sometimes it’s simply getting outside—or even opening the windows to that sweet, summery air.
Of course, there are so many ways to find a little wellness in our 14 counties—from hiking a gorge, walking in the woods, paddling on a lake, or reading a book, to participating in the many upcoming events offered by the region’s libraries, museums, historical societies, and other SCRLC member organizations.
When I was at Guernsey Memorial Library admiring the Celestron telescope behind Director Connie Dalrymple’s desk, I thought of Kopernik Observatory's On the Road programming, which brings astronomy programming to libraries and schools. It’s a terrific outreach opportunity—check it out! And how wonderful for the library to have a telescope! Late summer and fall are wonderful times for some astronomical undertakings.
Speaking of skyward things, I hope you found a moment to safely catch Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse. Those 2024 eclipse glasses came in handy for some of us as we watched that little bite being taken out of the Sun! And if you missed it, not to worry: there are two more partial solar eclipses visible from our region in the next few years (Jan. 2028 and 2029) plus a bunch of lunar ones. Our area’s next total solar eclipse is further out--May 1, 2079.
Returning to things more immediate, we’ll begin with……
All things Annual
Annual Membership Survey: A reminder that it is important to hear from you!
The survey helps us understand what is happening across our membership, what services are useful, where needs are changing, and where SCRLC should focus its efforts.
- We've extended the response period to accommodate summer vacations and library workers who have 9- or 10-month contracts.
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Please complete the survey by September 4, 2026.
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We want to hear from everyone in a member organization!
Thank you for taking the time to participate. Your responses help shape SCRLC’s work!
SCRLC’s 60th Annual Meeting: SAVE THE DATE!
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY
Theme: Through Fire: Libraries in Times of Transformation
SCRLC is turning 60—and we’re celebrating by looking forward in addition to looking back. Our 60th Annual Meeting will bring members together at the Corning Museum of Glass for a day focused on libraries, trust, and transformation, including a keynote from Claire Wardle, and more!
The program will include⚡Lightning Talks!
We’re looking for members who would like to give a 10-minute lightning talk as part of our 60th Annual Meeting. This could be a way to test out a longer talk or to gain experience presenting! Some ideas:
- The best (or favorite!) innovation your institution has tried (remember: innovation means something new to your library—not necessarily new to the world!);
- The biggest community need you see emerging;
- Unexpected partnerships and what happened;
- What is one thing your sector must stop doing, start doing, or do differently to remain a trusted institutions in the years ahead? ;
- Give us one bold prediction for libraries or cultural organizations in your section for the year 2050;
- Anything else you would like to share with the library and cultural education community.
Interested? Submit a proposal!
Annual Awards. Also presented at the Annual Meeting are SCRLC’s Annual Awards! We are accepting nominations through October 5, 2026, and we’d love to hear from you. This is an opportunity to recognize the people across our region whose work strengthens their libraries, organizations, communities, and the broader library community. That colleague always willing to help. The person who quietly gets things done. The creative problem-solver. The mentor. The person who has made a difference in your organization or in SCRLC, overall.
Please consider nominating a colleague by completing the form!
New Service: Ask the Grant Advisor
You may have seen the announcement this past week, but just in case, here is the information.
SCRLC is excited to be part of an Empire State Library Network (ESLN) pilot project that avails a new service to help members find grants and other funding sources: Ask the Grant Advisor.
This new pilot program provides members with one-on-one assistance from Brittany Campese, Principal at Vision Driven Consulting, a professional grant writer and consultant. Members can request assistance and, through the program, be connected with Brittany to discuss potential funding sources, fundraising strategies, resource mobilization, and the grant-writing process.
The goal isn't simply to find a grant. It's to help you think strategically about your project, identify potential sources of support, and move from an idea toward a fundable proposal.
We’re excited to see what members bring to this new program—and, because this is a pilot, we’ll also be learning along the way!
Do you have a specific project in mind but aren't sure where to look for funding? Have a general idea you'd like to turn into a fundable project? Need help thinking through potential funding strategies?
Learn more about Ask the Grant Advisor and request assistance.
Interlibrary Loan & Resource Sharing: New Staff? We Can Help!
Do you have new staff who are learning the ins and outs of interlibrary loan, resource sharing, or providing access to materials from beyond your own collection?
SCRLC’s Interlibrary Loan, Access & Resource Sharing LibGuide is a good place to start. It brings together information and resources to help library staff learn about ILL practices, systems, policies, and other aspects of resource sharing.
And remember, SCRLC’s Bibliographic & Referral Center (BARC) is available to provide ILL support and backup for members. Whether you’re new to resource sharing or just need a refresher, we’re here to help! Visit Resource Sharing @ SCRLC
Well, again, have a lovely, refreshing weekend!
Yours in partnership,
Mary-Carol
Mary-Carol Lindbloom
Executive Director
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