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Cheery Friday Greetings,
A reminder that the deadline to register for SCRLC's Annual Meeting is Monday, October 12! Monday is a holiday for many members, though not for us, but it would be good to register before then.
The details: SCRLC’s 60th Annual Meeting is Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the Corning Museum of Glass. If you work in one of our member organizations in any capacity, you are invited! If you are not a SCRLC member, you, too, are invited for a day of learning, conversation, and inspiration. We do not have very many in-person events, and we especially hope that our members will join us in Corning.
REGISTER HERE
The theme: Through Fire: Libraries in Times of Transformation, invites us to consider how we can transform today's challenges into opportunities to create communities that are stronger, even more connected, and places where everyone feels a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Dr. Claire Wardle from Cornell University, will present Trust in Transition: Libraries in the Context of Our Contemporary Information Ecosystem. “We're living through rapid technological and social change. The rise of AI, shifting information habits, the changing role of gatekeepers are reshaping how communities know what to trust. Drawing on her research into information ecosystems, Dr. Wardle asks what's genuinely shifting beneath us, and what remains constant. She makes the case that libraries and cultural institutions are uniquely positioned to help communities navigate this uncertainty if they are willing to rethink how trust operates today.”
We’ll also hear from the NY State Library’s Lauren Cardinal; several SCRLC members will present Lightning Talks; and Amy McHugh, Curator of Modern Glass, will discuss two upcoming major exhibits (Art Nouveau and Frederick Carder glass in the 35 Centuries gallery).
You will also receive a pass to the museum to join our guided tour, or to visit the exhibits on your own. The latest exhibit is Tough Stuff: Women in the American Glass Studio. The Museum’s lovely hand-blown glass pumpkins are available in the gift shop, so you can take a little piece of the season home with you, if you are so inclined!
I hope you’ll join us—for the speakers, the conversation, the beautiful setting, and the opportunity to spend a day with colleagues from across the region! As you know, most of our learning and networking opportunities are online these days, and our Annual Meeting is one of the few in-person events we continue to offer. I hope you’ll take advantage of this in-person program to reconnect and learn together!
Banned Books Week and Digital Equity Week – both conclude tomorrow. Of course, the two “weeks” focus on different issues, but they are not unrelated. Both highlight the importance of equitable access to information, resources, and books—and the opportunities they provide to explore, learn, grow, and improve our quality of life. Whether the barrier is censorship, a lack of technology or connectivity, or limited digital skills to find that eBook, libraries work to ensure that everyone can access the books and information they need and want. Although the “weeks” draw attention to these issues, another commonality is that fighting censorship and advancing digital equity are everyday practices.
SCRLC members have done a great job this week with a plethora of Banned Books events and displays; in fact, there are too many to mention! Highlighting a few, SUNY Corning Community College’s Houghton Library and Cortland’s Memorial Library held readouts; if you are on Facebook, there is a really cool video reel that Cortland produced. Chemung County Library District’s Steele Memorial Library held a special screening of The Librarians for teens and adults. SUNY Oneonta’s Milne Library observed the week with a Banned Books Fair, in collaboration with Huntington Memorial Library. Cornell University Library has had several displays and events. Of course the school library community is especially affected by attempts at banning books and censorship, and based on past years, many school libraries will feature displays. Events continue tomorrow at libraries and even book shops. If you happen to be in the Penn Yan area tomorrow afternoon, the library has a program called Banning Books is Scary, which will cover the horrors of censorship, leaning into the season of Halloween (why I do not enjoy horror movies, by the way—reality is horrific enough). Tomorrow evening there is a Banned Book Trivia Contest at Protagonist Books and Coffee in Dryden (by the way, they also have amazing tea!). So… check out a public or college library near you for Banned Books Week events happening later today or tomorrow!
Additionally, a nice resource that came to our attention (thanks, Claire Lovell!) is Resources – Library Freedom Project). LFP a “network of values-driven librarians working together to build information democracy.” Some of the librarians involved are right here in our region! LFP “includes “posters, bookmarks, presentations, and more resources to help with teaching and promoting information democracy, privacy, and intellectual freedom.”
Digital equity-wise, check out the Southern Tier Digital Equity Coalition’s newly minted website. Lyndsie Guy and her team of consultants, all contracted via the ConnectAll Office Technical Assistance Grant, did a great job identifying and including libraries and other organizations working within the digital equity ecosystem. Although their work has concluded, there is always more to be done. Congratulations to Lyndsie, by the way! The Foundation for Southern Tier Libraries will be presenting the Third Annual Library Lion Award to Lyndsie at their Saturday, October 17 program for her strong advocacy work.
SCRLC is one of the founding members of the coalition, along with Finger Lakes Library System, Four County Library System, and Southern Tier Library System. We expect to continue building out the Ready to Go learning modules that are under “Organizations.”
Yours in partnership,
Mary-Carol
Mary-Carol Lindbloom
Executive Director
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