On Thursday May 8, 2008

Long Island Library Conference
By Marsha Greenspan, President Elect

At the Long Island Library Conference, Support Staff Division (SSD) sponsored a workshop titled “151 Ways to Deal with Difficult People”. Highly acclaimed columnist and author Carrie Mason-Draffen gave a wonderful informative and extremely useful presentation that was valued by all.  Our workshop was attended by over 420 Long Island Library Conference attendees. Please mark your calendar as Ms. Mason Draffen is being brought back by popular demand at our Annual Fall Luncheon. Our SSD Annual Fall Luncheon will be held October 15th at the Brentwood Public Library.
Visit brentwoodnylibrary for directions.

The SSD raffle this year was dinner and a movie for two. The winner was Connie Thorpe from Elmont Public Library.

Kudos go out to our Executive Board for being such a wonderful support staff.  My motto is and always will be…. Support Staff Division is the back bone of every library.” 

On Tuesday April 8, 2008

The Support Staff Division held our Annual Roundtable meeting at the West Islip Public Library on April 8, 2008.  More than 90 attendees participated in the roundtable discussions. The program began with an introduction of the SSD board members.  Members were told about the programs we will be offering this year.  Angela Richards presented information about the SCLA’s Continuing Education Award.

Since many SSD members have dual job descriptions, attendees were able to switch discussion groups half way through the program.  We raffled our beautiful Smiley Mug centerpieces created by Anne Marie Hofmann.  A 50/50 raffle was also held.  Half of the proceeds were donated to the Continuing Education Award scholarship fund.

At the LILC the SSD will be sponsoring a workshop titled “151 Ways to Deal with Difficult People” presented by Carrie Mason-Draffen.  She will also participate in the Lunch and Learn session.

On Thursday November 1, 2007

The Support Staff Division presented a program titled “Preparing for the Library Clerk Test”. Additional workshops were given at the Brentwood Public Library on November 2nd for attendees who could not attend the November 1, 2007 date. Over 100 staff members from Suffolk County libraries attended the workshops.

Since the exam has not been given in over 4 years the information provided was a basic hands on approach to taking any civil service exam. In addition, the division provided helpful materials such as a list of the commonly misspelled words, Dewey decimal chart, alphabetizing and file rules, and the Department of Civil Service Examinations booklet: How to Take a Written Exam.

SSD members called and emailed the division with very positive feedback. Many members have not taken a civil service exam in over 10 years. They felt the information provided benefited not only part time library clerks, but also clerical staff that was taking the promotional exams.

On Thursday, May 3, 2007

A Terrific Day at the Crest Hollow Country Club. Edana Cichanowicz, Head of Reference Services at the Brentwood Public Library and Frank Maglio, M.A., Director, Business Services, Suffolk County Department of Labor presented “Natural Linkage to the Career and Educational Resources Center: A Library-Government Collaborative Model?” An exceelant program educating everyone who attended about the benefits of utilizing existing resources of Libraries and Labor Dept. to match up prospective employers with people looking for jobs, benefiting everyone."

On March 27, 2007

the Support Staff Division hosted its Annual Roundtable Meeting at the Sachem Public Library. The Support Staff Division expresses its sincere thanks and appreciation to Sachem’s Library Director and Staff for hosting our event. Over 90 attendees enjoyed, refreshments, giveaways, & participated in spirited and lively discussions on work related topics.

Angela Richards spoke about the SCLA’s Continuing Education Scholarship Award. A 50/50 raffle was held. Half of the jackpot went to the Scholarship Award Fund and Madeline O’Connors of the Sachem Library was the lucky winner & recipient of the other half. A win-win for all involved!!

We also congratulate all those who went home with our other lovely door prizes & giveaways including the beautiful table centerpieces created by our own SSD Treasurer, Ann Marie Hofmann, decorative spring windsocks, & a family 4 pack of grounds passes to the beautiful Vanderbilt Museum Gardens.

On October 26, 2006

The Support Staff held our Annual Luncheon Meeting and Program. Everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch & there were lots of surprises including giveaways and raffle prizes. A brief business meeting was held followed by a lecture given by Dr. Joseph S.Coppolino titled "Effective Listening: A Crash Course".

on June 6, 2006

All Island East Meets West HOC Meeting

The Support Staff Division of SCLA and the Clerical Division of NCLA held Second East Meets West Heads of Circulation Meeting on June 6, 2006. Special thanks to the Director and the staff of the Farmingdale Public Library for once again hosting the event. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the many volunteers from Nassau & Suffolk who were essential in helping us pull it all together. To start, attendees enjoyed refreshments followed by a presentation on “Serving Our Internal Customers”. People were then seated in small groups to discuss issues related to circulation. The last segment of the meeting called “What Have We Learned Today” had each group share one topic of particular interest with the rest of the room. It was a very positive experience and we look forward to collaborating with NCLA again on this very popular event.

On May 3, 2006

Long Island Library Conference

What a great day! Our program “Transcending Cultural Barriers to Effective Customer Service” was very well attended. This informative lecture was given by Edana Cichanowicz, renowned librarian and Head of Reference Services at the Brentwood Public Library. Edana explained that more people of varying cultures are migrating and settling in our suburban areas. She demonstrated effective techniques to enhance the way library staff can provide services in these diverse communities. Thank you to Celia Vollmer, also from the Brentwood Public Library for arranging the event.

Our raffle winners for the day included, Susan E. Werner from the Health Sciences Center Library at Stony Brook University. Susan won a Panera Bread gift certificate! Other prizes included a 4 pack of tickets to the Vanderbilt Planetarium won by Pat Nilson of Elmont & 2 tickets to Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead won by Carolann Lorenz of West Islip. Congratulations to all of our winners!!

On April 6, 2006

Annual Roundtable Meeting a Huge Success!!

Our Annual Roundtable Meeting was held at the West Babylon Public Library on April 6th. Library support staff attended in record breaking numbers. We were happy to be able to provide an opportunity for our colleagues to share information and ideas to enhance their work experience.

The morning started with a lovely assortment of breakfast delicacies graciously provided by the hosting library. The group was then introduced to several board members who spoke about the rewarding experience of being involved in SSD and the SCLA organization. A small packet was given to each attendee as a “thank you”. The packet included a commemorative bookmark, membership information and a surprise treat. Guest speaker Angela Richards presented information about the continuing education award as well as her “pitch” to entice people to spend a day at SHEA with SCLA and the Mets. Roundtable discussion began immediately following.

Towards the end of the program, attendees were given tours of the building by the library’s Director Anne Marie Dolan. Everyone had very positive comments about how much they enjoyed the event and felt they had gained valuable information to use and share with their own library staff. Our monthly business meeting was held immediately following the program.

On September 14, 2005

Support Staff Division held its Annual Meeting and Luncheon:

The day’s events also included a program on “Identity Theft”. The speaker, a representative of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office presented an informative & engaging lecture on this growing problem. All who attended loved it!!

On November 10, 2005

Support Staff Division sponsored:

“The Importance of Ergonomics”,presented by Dr. Steve Palazzo of Integrative Chiropractic. “Dr. Steve” explained how variations in movements and postures throughout the workday can positively or negatively affect our physical health. He demonstrated simple but effective stretches and exercises to help maximize comfort and productivity levels specifically geared to the library work environment. Attendees were very pleased with what they learned.

Later that evening, many of us enjoyed fine food, music and spirits at the Annual SCLA Dinner. Incoming board members were welcomed and award winners celebrated their accomplishments. A good time was had by all!