Mohawk Valley Library System

Blog

  • Free Webinar – Storywalks® for the Win-Win-Win : Programming, Partnerships, Pandemic Friendly

    Date: Tuesday, November 09, 2021
    Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/webinars/index.html
    Presenter: Mary Fellow, Upper Hudson Library System; Lorie Brown, Southern Tier Library System

    StoryWalks® are the perfect social-distancing outdoor literacy experience! In this webinar, you’ll learn:

    • Options for producing a StoryWalk® and their associated costs
    • Finding StoryWalk® partners and thinking creatively about locations
    • How to choose the best titles for StoryWalks® (and why some great picture books aren’t good StoryWalk® choices)
    • Essentials of StoryWalk® production & presentation
    • Not just for kids: StoryWalks® for different age groups
  • Free Webinar – Free Online Tools to Increase Your Workflow & Productivity

    Date: Tuesday, October 26, 2021
    Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://infopeople.org/civicrm/event/info?id=1007&reset=1
    Presenter: Laura Solomon

    Have you ever found a tool or service that made you go “AHA!”? Are there little gems that make your life so much easier that you wonder how you lived without them?

    This informative webinar will be filled with online (and free!) tools that can help you improve how you work.

    At the end of this one-hour webinar, participants will:

    • Know at least 20 tools for helping with personal productivity
    • Know at least 5 tools for improving or changing one’s work environment
    • Have a list of at least 30 free online tools

    Come discover a plethora of online tools that you probably haven’t heard of but will be glad that (now) you have.

    This webinar will be of interest to: Library staff wanting to explore free services to help with productivity.

    Webinars are free of charge, you can pre-register by clicking on the Register Now button on the InfoPeople page. If registering with less than 30 MINUTES from the start of the webinar you can join directly from the thank you page by clicking the Join Now button. If you pre-registered you will receive an email with login link and a reminder email the day before the event. All webinars are archived for later viewing at http://infopeople.org/training/view/webinar/archived.

  • Online Training for Trustees – Trustee Handbook Book Club

    Join co-authors of the Handbook for Library Trustees of New York State Jerry Nichols and Rebekkah Smith Aldrich for this fun and informative series! Each month trustees are encouraged to read a chapter of the Trustee Handbook and send in questions that the authors will address at live events later this year. Trustees from all public library systems in New York State are welcome. Library Directors from across the state are welcome to attend as well.

    Program details can be found here. https://midhudson.org/trusteebookclub/ And, participants can submit their questions ahead of time by clicking here.

    Sessions will be held as follows:

    Tuesday, October 19, 2021 from 5:00-6:30pm: Duties & Responsibilities  |  Register Here

    Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 5:00-6:30pm: Library Board Meetings  |  Register Here

    Tuesday, December 14, 2021 from 5:00-6:30pm: Personnel  |  Register Here

    Ron Kirsop, Pioneer Library System executive director, and Brian Hildreth, Southern Tier Library System executive director, will be co-moderating these events.

  • Free Webinar – How to Write More Effective Email and Web Content

    Date: Thursday, September 30, 2021
    Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
    Place: Online at https://infopeople.org/civicrm/event/info?id=998&reset=1
    Presenters: Nicole Henning

    How many times have you arrived at a page and found your eyes glazing over when faced with long, wordy paragraphs? On the web people don’t read, they scan, skim and select. In fact, usability studies show that less is more — people don’t find information that is right in front of them when it’s buried in long paragraphs.

    When it comes to email, communicating effectively is especially important, and the same guidelines for writing web content apply. With email, you also need to consider subject lines, who else to copy, and what outcome you are hoping for with each email you send.

    In this webinar, we’ll offer specific guidelines that will help you communicate more effectively in an age where people read most of your content on a screen. We’ll look at before and after examples, and attendees will get a list of resources for learning more.

    At the end of this webinar, attendees will:

    • Have tips for keeping writing brief without omitting information.
    • Know the best practices for effective email communication in the workplace.
    • Have best practices for conveying instructions and making web links descriptive.
    • Be able to apply important design guidelines for text without changing the design of the entire website.
    • Be familiar with web accessibility guidelines that apply to writing style and understand why they matter.


    This webinar will be of interest to: Staff from any type of library who write content for websites or email.

    Webinars are free of charge, you can pre-register by clicking on the Register Now button on the InfoPeople page. If registering with less than 30 MINUTES from the start of the webinar you can join directly from the thank you page by clicking the Join Now button. If you pre-registered you will receive an email with login link and a reminder email the day before the event. All webinars are archived for later viewing at http://infopeople.org/training/view/webinar/archived.

  • Grant Opportunity – Let’s Talk About It : Women’s Suffrage

    ALA has announced a new grant for libraries designed to spark conversations about American history and culture through an examination of the women’s suffrage movement.

    To qualify for this grant, the applying institution must be a library (public, tribal, school, academic, or special) residing in the U.S. or U.S. territories. Read the grant guidelinesand frequently asked questions.

    Through Let’s Talk About It (LTAI): Women’s Suffrage, participants will read a series of books curated by humanities scholars and discuss the people and events from this often under-taught part of U.S. history.

    Twenty-five libraries will be selected to receive a $1,000 stipend to support programming costs, ten copies of five themed books, access to programming guides and support materials, virtual training on the LTAI model, a suite of online resources and more.

    Applications will be accepted from September 1 to December 1, 2021. Library workers can apply online at ala.org/ltai.

    Please reach out to publicprograms@ala.org with any questions.