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Cheery Friday Greetings,
It has been quite the year so far, between national and international events plus even our weather. Many of us may be feeling the cumulative effects. I hope everyone is able to take a little extra time for self-care and reflection to find those glimmers.
A reminder that the Digitization Grant application is still open--see below for details. Also check out the upcoming learning opportunities featured in this edition—they abound! There are also links to other avenues of learning, e.g. Tech-Talk or Niche. There are still a lot of useful video recordings over on our YouTube channel.
For those of you planning to use the Bibliographic & Referral Center (BARC), three training sessions will be offered, along with a recorded option. The sessions begin next week. We are very much looking forward to launching the service!
Library Advocacy Day is next week--Tuesday, February 3 and the New York Library Association’s Pre-Advocacy Day is the day before on Monday, February 2 at the New York State Museum and State Library.
If you’re unable to attend, there are still many ways to engage with your representatives and show your support of libraries—through email, postcards, phone calls, or in-district office visits. You may also wish to sign up for NYLA’s Become an Advocate to receive alerts when there are actions to take.
Staying in touch with your representatives is especially important this year. NYLA’s budget requests were not included in the Governor’s executive budget, and the proposed figures are lower than the current year’s funding.
Current Year’s (2026) Enacted Budget:
State Aid for Libraries: $106.325M
Library Construction Aid: $44M
NOVELny: $3M
School Library Materials Aid per pupil: $6.25
Office of Cultural Education Fee: Not included
Proposed Executive Budget (2027):
State Aid for Libraries: $104.7M
Library Construction Aid: $34M
NOVELny: $3M
School Library Materials Aid per pupil: Unknown
Office of Cultural Education Fee: $12M (NOTE: These funds support the State Library, State Archives, State Museum, Public Broadcasting Program, and the Summer School of the Arts.)
NYLA’s Budget Requests:
State Aid for Libraries: $181.3M
Library Construction Aid: $175M
NOVELny: $3.1M
School Library Materials Aid: $11.33/pupil
Office of Cultural Education Fee: $30/transaction
NYLA created some useful information for advocacy, including a one-pager containing information about all of these components, plus a chart of the history of library aid.
Thank you for being part of the effort to support libraries!
New Yorkers for Better Libraries Event. If you are in town for Library Advocacy Day, the New Yorkers for Better Libraries Political Action Committee is hosting a Pre-Advocacy Day Cocktail Hour fundraiser on Monday evening. If you are unable to attend, donations to NY4BL can be made at any time through their website.
The Olympic Games open next week, with the Opening Ceremony set for Friday, February 6. Beyond the stadiums and games is the Olympic World Library.
Located in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Olympic World Library is part of the Olympic Studies Centre (L’Centre d'Etudes Olympiques), created by the International Olympic Committee. According to its website, the library’s collections include 42,000 publications, 17,500 electronic documents, 1,500M (i.e.,1.5 billion!) items in their Historical Archives, 3,200 official Games publications, 1,500 IOC publications, and 450 journals—making it a great resource for researchers, historians, and sports/Olympics enthusiasts alike. Here is a video describing it a bit more.
Stay warm this weekend and be safe out there.
Yours in partnership,
Mary-Carol
Mary-Carol Lindbloom
Executive Director
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