Category: SCLA

SCLA Advocacy Update: Thank Senator Gillibrand

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The SCLA Executive Board voted to send a letter to our Senator Gillibrand thanking her for her support in standing up for IMLS and the rule of law. As library workers and/or  library supporters, we know that the work we do increases the quality of life for communities we serve and that we work to promote the greater good and it is wonderful to see our NYS senator is amplifying those sentiments by defending funding that was lawfully allocated to the IMLS.
Below is a copy of a letter expressing our gratitude to her.  We are incredibly grateful and proud of our senator but to continue to reinforce that libraries aren’t luxuries, they are lifelines, we must defend them. Please continue to contact your federal, state, and local representative and remind them of the importance of our work and that we, as a collective and individuals, work to make the lives of our communities better, and encourage your friends and family to do the same!; click here to find your state and federal representative.

And please fill out the following forms/petitions:

Attached to this email is a PDF of the SCLA letter and the letter she and 3 other senators sent to the Acting Director of the IMLS.
On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association Board, I thank you for your time and attention.
We sink and swim together,
Anthony Giansante
President of the Suffolk County Library Association

The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
155 Pinelawn Road

Suite 250 North

Melville, NY 11747

Dear Senator Gillibrand,

On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association, representing the dedicated library professionals serving over one million residents across Suffolk County, New York, I extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation for your continued leadership and advocacy on behalf of America’s libraries and museums.

We are especially appreciative of your recent letter, co-authored with Senators Jack Reed, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski, to Acting Director Keith Sonderling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Your dedication to the rule of law, your support for the full and timely implementation of the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) of 2018, and your recognition of the importance of the $294.8 million in appropriated funds, affirms what we know to be true: libraries are not luxuries – they are lifelines.

Federal funding provided through IMLS makes it possible for libraries to deliver critical services like but not limited to: early literacy, digital inclusion, workforce development, and civic engagement. As frontline community institutions, libraries across Suffolk County use these investments to serve the evolving needs of our residents.

We respectfully urge you to continue pressing your colleagues in Congress to support library funding and protect the role of IMLS in sustaining library infrastructure nationwide. Your voice carries weight, and your continued advocacy is paramount in ensuring that these vital services remain accessible to all.

Thank you once again for standing with us and with the communities we serve.

On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association Board,

Anthony Giansante
President
Suffolk County Library Association

The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand

SCLA Advocacy Update

Letter the Acting Director of the IMLS

Suffolk County Library Association’s (SCLA) Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Eliminating IMLS Funding

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Suffolk County Library Association’s (SCLA) Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order Eliminating IMLS Funding

The Suffolk County Library Association (SCLA) strongly opposes the Executive Order issued on March 14, 2025, which advances the elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which is the only federal agency solely dedicated to supporting libraries and museums across the United States.

The IMLS plays a vital role in ensuring equitable access to information, education, technology, and community services for all Americans. Through programs like the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), IMLS funding aids local libraries in offering essential services, including early literacy initiatives, workforce development programs, technology access, services for veterans, and resources for lifelong learning. In New York State alone, IMLS provided nearly $20 million in FY2024 to sustain these critical services.

Libraries throughout Suffolk County use IMLS-administered funding to help meet the needs of our diverse communities. From homework help and job search support to digital literacy training and language learning programs, the resources provided through IMLS are foundational to the work our community libraries do every day. Eliminating IMLS would not only devastate these programs but also widen the digital divide, reduce community access to knowledge, and undermine the infrastructure that supports lifelong learning in every corner of Suffolk County.

In solidarity with the New York Library Association, SCLA urges President Trump to reverse his decision and we call on our federal, state, and local elected officials to do what they must to reject this harmful proposal and to stand in support of libraries, their workers, and the millions of individuals and families they serve. We urge residents across Suffolk County to speak out in defense of the IMLS and advocate for continued investment in library services that strengthen communities and change lives.

If you have not done so, please consider becoming a library advocate and signing NYLA’s petitions: Protect Our Libraries – Increase State Funding Now! & Defend IMLS Now!

Libraries are not a luxury, they are a lifeline. Now more than ever, we must fight to preserve and protect them.

TAKE ACTION! DEFEND IMLS!

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If you are looking for a way to express your support for libraries, please take a moment to participate in NYLA’s call to action.

Dear NYLA Members,

On March 14, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order advancing elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). We are asking all members to take action! We have two Take Action campaigns we are asking all members to sign and share.

Our federal take action Demands that Congress act to defend IMLS now!

Our State level take action asks our legislators to protect NYS libraries by increasing funding.

Defend IMLS Now!

Protect Our Libraries – Increase State Funding Now!

RASD Annual Luncheon

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Tuesday, December 03, 2024, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM @ Medford Branch – 2151 Horseblock Rd., Medford, NY 11763

Please join us for RASD’s Annual Luncheon. Marine Veteran advocate, Michael Kilano, will present on Paws Of War, a local organization that rescues and trains service dogs to support and enrich the lives of veterans, active military members, and first responders. Meet Michael’s service dog and hear his story about how Paws of War has helped him.

Buffet lunch will be provided by Chipotle. Vegetarian option must be indicated on registration.

$20 registration fee payable online prior to event.

Two hours of professional development will be awarded to attendees.

Questions? Please contact Patricia Cruz at pcruz@pmlib.org

Register here.

SCLA: Illuminate Your Library: A Tech Talk on Creating Holiday Light Shows with Chris DeCristofaro

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Illuminate Your Library: A Tech Talk on Creating Holiday Light Shows with Chris DeCristofaro

Discover the magic of holiday lights shows for your library with this engaging professional development class led by Chris DeCristofaro, Department Head of Digital Services at the Sachem Public Library. Dive into the planning of a light show including preparation, organizing, marketing and building the show and how it can fit your library space. Chris will go over hardware, software and event planning based upon his team’s experience at Sachem. Become empowered to bring joy and wonder to your library community during any holiday season by attending this overview of light shows with Chris. 

Refreshments will be provided. CEUs will be awarded. 

  • Tuesday, July 16, 2024
  • 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  •  
  • SCLS 627 Sunrise Hwy, Bellport, NY 11713
  •  

*Click here to register. 

—

Steve Alcalde

Head of Computer and Technology Services
Rogers Memorial Library
Southampton, NY 11968

631.283.0774 ex.510

Every Book Their Reader: Materials Challenges and Trauma

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Zoom event. Register Here.

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024

2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Free for SCLA Members / $5 for non-members
Professional Development will be awarded!

Since 2021, public and school libraries have become the front lines of a cultural war. Regardless of the political tendency of the local area, material challenges have been submitted against libraries nationwide. 

When library workers handle material challenges, under the principle of intellectual freedom, they have often faced retaliatory actions from political groups, such as online attacks on them organized by political groups and budget cuts targeting the libraries. These challenges may create stress and trauma for library workers, both in the action of the banning, and the anticipation of it. 

For librarians experiencing trauma or at higher risk of exposure to traumatic events, this session aims to illustrate a library trauma cycle within the context of material challenges. It highlights how library workers face an increased likelihood of trauma when material challenges are prevailing in the nation and how the internalization of trauma occurs within the context of the library and its community. 

The session then suggests possible interventions to halt the library trauma cycle, calling for action from library administrators and board members.