Less than a month remains for you to get in your nominations for this year’s Excellence in Library Service Award.

So fill out the form attached and get those letters of recommendation written and get to me

Kate Regina
Chairman, ELSA Committee
C/O West
Babylon Public Library

by Wednesday July 31st at the latest. Can’t wait to read about our great coworkers!

Kate Regina
Chairman, ELSA Committee

To be rescheduled:

Hi all!

The SCLA elections are open. Please check you email for directions on how to vote.

The following positions are open for voting.

Vice-President / President-Elect,

Treasurer,

Secretary, and

Two At-Large Members.

Below is a list of the candidates bios.

SCLA Board

Vice President/President Elect:

Alexandra Mercado

Alexandra, or Ally as most people know her, is an Adult Reference Librarian at Sachem Public Library. Some of her career highlights include mediating a monthly nonfiction book discussion, running a Friday night virtual reality program, and being enrolled at LIU for her Advanced Certificate in Public Library Administration. Ally would like to be Vice President so that she can help to cultivate SCLA so that we can best serve our  communities. Ally has served on the SCLA Executive Board for the past three years as Scholarship Chair, Member-at-Large Special Event Coordinator, and, currently, as the Membership Chairperson. She is a dedicated dog mom and crazy cat lady. You can find her watching Bravo and drinking Coke Zero on the weekends. Her favorite book is Wild by Cheryl Strayed.

Secretary:

Joyce-Thompson-Haas
Joyce has been a Children’s Librarian at the Patchogue-Medford Library for 7 years. She is the current SCLA Secretary and would love to continue serving on the board for 2020. Joyce has a background in Special Education and has been using those skills to work with the special needs community. Joyce would greatly appreciate the opportunity to continue her journey as the SCLA Secretary.

Member at Large (NYLA Curator):

Casey Fehn

Casey has been a librarian at the Rogers Memorial Library since 2011. She started out as a part time Teen Librarian and since become head of the department in 2017. In her time as a librarian, she has served on the YASD Board as the Fran Romer Booktalk Member at Large and also spent two years as the YASD President. She is passionate about librarianship and is eager to find new ways to improve on library services for all.

YASD

Vice President/President Elect:

Charlotte Latuso

My name is Charlotte Latuso and I am a Teen Services Librarian at Lindenhurst Memorial Library. I am running for the position of Vice President/President Elect of YASD. I choose to work with teens because I believe that every teen deserves to have a place where they can learn about themselves in a safe and non-judgmental environment. I enjoy working with teens and strive to serve this underrepresented population with empathy, consideration, and an open mind. I would like to run for this position because I believe that I can bring fresh ideas to the board. I enjoy working in a group and have served YASD for two years in the past.

Secretary:

Kerrilynn Jorgensen

Kerrilynn Jorgensen has been the Teen Services Department Head at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library since 2017.  She has worked in Teen Services since she began her employment there nineteen years ago when she was hired as a page in high school. Her decision to become a librarian was result of an influential teen librarian who inspired her to follow the same path. Over the years, she has worked in adult and children services in a number of libraries across Suffolk County, but working with teens has always felt like home to her.

Treasurer:

Cara Perry

My name is Cara Perry and I have been a teen services librarian at Sachem Public Library since 2010. I also work part-time at Patchogue-Medford Public Library as a teen services librarian, a position I have held since 2009. I enjoy planning and running programs and events for teens, developing a relevant (and fun!) non-fiction collection for them and simply interacting with teens every day. It is my goal to help provide a safe place for them where they can have fun, learn, do work and express themselves creatively. I would like to serve as treasurer for YASD to help support an organization that recognizes the importance of serving this population and provides great resources for teen services librarians throughout Suffolk County.

Member at Large (Fran Romer):

Andrea Roberts

Andrea Roberts is a full-time Teen Librarian at Westhampton Free Library.  Ms. Roberts has over four years of experience planning and executing programs for Westhampton Teens and Children. Ms. Roberts’ other primary duties include collection development and she has an ardent love of Young Adult literature. Ms. Roberts loves working with her teen population. Friday nights have been her evening shift at the Westhampton Free Library for the past four years and she wouldn’t have it any other way because that is when most teens are in the library. Ms. Roberts has participated in the 2017 Fran Romer event as a discussion leader and found it very fulfilling. Ms. Roberts has been to numerous author events including a previous Fran Romer discussion, BookExpo’s, Bookcon’s, events at the Strand and events at Books of Wonder. Ms. Roberts enjoys author events and feels that through her experience in attending many of them she is ready to move on to help run them. Ms. Roberts is familiar with coordinating programs with other librarians as well as performers. “I know I will excel as YASD Fran Romer Member at Large because I enjoy all types of author and library-wide events and would love to be a part of the process of organizing one.  As a programmer, I am very familiar with handling attendance sheets and promoting programs through flyers as well as following up with others by confirming their appearances and thanking them afterward.”

Member at Large (Webmaster):

Rebecca Goldstein

My name is Rebecca Goldstein, and I’m a face painter, a crayon baker, a maker of Minecraft crafts, a crafter of tissue paper flowers, a taste tester, an icer of cupcakes, a lightsaber wielder, a bulletin board decorator, a reader advisor, and the reigning King of Tokyo at the Longwood Public Library. I became a full time Teen Services librarian in 2014, after being a page, a clerk, and a part time librarian in the Reference, Teen, and Children’s Departments. I’m also a part time Teen / Media Services librarian at the Patchogue Medford Library and previously worked as a Reference librarian at the Hauppauge Public Library. I graduated from St. Joseph’s College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies before deciding to pursue a career in public librarianship.

At Longwood, I am currently responsible for coordinating in house programs, booking outside programmers, and organizing community service opportunities. I’ve planned “Midnight Madness” celebrations for releases of popular books, developed Life-Sized Candy Land games, and designed Mini Golf courses. Additionally, I’ve been lucky enough to be both a player and a coach on the Suffolk County Summer and Advanced Division Battle of the Books teams since 2002. I’ve also successfully survived after hours Minecraft at the library – withers, ghasts, and cave spiders are far less scary than a group of eager Minecrafters after a server crash!  I have served on the YASD Board for the past three years as Vice President, President, and Past President.

I believe that teens are the most important age group the library serves. Working with teens offers something new and exciting every day; each shift brings with it the opportunity to introduce new teens to our friends Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, or to set them on the path towards a brighter future with an SAT prep book. As teens grow out of the Children’s Department, they’re choosing more and more on their own to come to the library, selecting titles they’re interested in reading outside of school assignment, picking out programs they’d like to attend and utilizing our building for study groups and homework help. If elected to the YASD Board, I will continue to advocate for specialized young adult service to retain patrons through the transition from childhood to adulthood. Thanks to this wonderful age group, I walk into work every day wondering if today I’ll be a dog biscuit baker, a cookie decorator, a slayer of the Ender Dragon, an origami folder, a lost cause in Super Smash Bros., or, to the dismay of all the attendees at my Games and Goodies programs, a defender of precious game pieces against Cheese Doodle/Cheetos/Nacho Cheese Doritos powder.

CATS Board

Vice President/President-Elect:

Michael Bartolomeo

Secretary:

Mary O’Grady

Treasurer:

James Hansen

Members at Large:

Roseann Mammina

Sylvia Maurer

Anthony Giansante

RASD

Vice President/President- Elect:

Rachel Cecchini

Hi, everyone!  My name is Rachel Cecchini and I am running for Vice President/ President Elect of RASD for 2020/2021.  This is my second year on the RASD Executive Board as Secretary and as the New Adult Committee Chair.  I really enjoy being on the RASD Board, as it allows me to establish essential connections between myself and other reference librarians.  In addition, it puts me at the forefront of facilitating opportunities for Suffolk County librarians to learn how to better serve their patrons and expand on their passions.

I am currently an Adult Services librarian at Comsewogue Public Library and the Smithtown Library, Kings Park Building.  Between both libraries, I run teen and adult programs, I manage social media accounts, and I create marketing materials to promote library services and events. I love being a librarian and I would be delighted to serve as RASD’s Vice President/ President Elect.

Secretary:

Rosa Todaro

Rosa is an adult services librarian at both Comsewogue Public Library and Middle Country Public Library. After spending a year in Chicago with the Episcopal Service Corps, Rosa decided to pursue her MLIS at Simmons College. She focused her studies on technology, usability, and service to underserved populations. Her love of librarianship stems from her love of books, research, technology, and working with the public. Rosa is happy to be back on Long Island, and loves working in such an extensive and innovative network of libraries. In her spare time, she is active in the local poetry community.

Member at Large:
Jessica Giannetti

Kelly Filippone

Kelly is a Librarian in the Long Island Room and Reference Department at The Smithtown Library.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Studies with a concentration in Archives and Preservation from Queens College and is currently continuing her education, working on a Post-Master’s Certificate in Advanced Studies in Public Library Administration from The Palmer School of Library and Information Science at LIU Post.  Working in the Long Island Room has given her the opportunity to share her love of Long Island’s rich local history while preserving it for the future.  She previously worked at the Deer Park Public Library as the Head of the Young Adult Department, serving the young adult population by providing patrons with meaningful experiences and opportunities through innovative programming and service initiatives.  Kelly is eager to learn and collaborate with others in her role and is excited to continue to find inventive new ways serve the community.

SSD

Vice President/President Elect:

Melissa Wilson

Melissa Wilson has worked as administrative assistant to the director of Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton for three years. She attended Suffolk Community College and St. Joseph’s College, where she received a bachelor’s in English with a minor in History in 2016. She will begin work towards a Master of Information and Library Science degree in SUNY Buffalo’s online program in the fall of 2019. Melissa grew up on the East End of Long Island and is thrilled to serve library patrons of the area every day.

The SCLA Executive Board is presenting a special program for SCLA members on Thursday, April 11th from 6-8.  The program is called “Landing The Job” and will feature a panel of 6 esteemed library directors talking about what they look for on resumes and in interviews.

What do directors look for in resumes? What are some good answers to their most common asked questions? Come and hear four Suffolk County Library directors talk about their interview hits and misses!

SCLA Membership required for registration.

To register, please go to:  http://www.nyla.org/max/events/scla-presents-landing-the-job/315/

Support the SCLA Scholarship Fund!

This year, please visit https://bit.ly/2Om2ieT to purchase raffle tickets to support the annual SCLA Scholarship. Changing things up from previous years, there are no longer booklets of paper raffles. Ticket purchases can only be made online and winners will be auto-generated at the SCLA dinner on November 15th.
You do not have to attend the dinner in order to purchase raffle tickets, or to win! Some of our fun prizes this year include: SoBol gift certificates, painting classes, and theater tickets!
Thank you for your support.

Join us and find information about the upcoming review for the Entry Level Librarian and Children’s Entry Level Librarian Exam .  The review is open to SCLA and/or CLASC members FREE of charge and it is a $5 fee for non-members.  The review will be on October 10^th at 6pm at the Sachem Public Library.

https://scla.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Civil-Service-Review.pdf

SCLA Scholarship

The Suffolk County Library Association, serving Suffolk County libraries since 1939, offers an academic scholarship to assist an outstanding library school student in subsidizing the cost of their library school education, and to promote the profession by supporting an excellent student pursuing a Library or Information Science Master’s Degree in Suffolk County.

Apply here for the 2018 Suffolk County Library Association Scholarship. (PDF)

2018 Scholarship Award Supporting Librarian Students Flyer (PDF)

Excellence in Library Service Award (ELSA)

The ELSA is designed to recognize dedication to public service demonstrated by any staff member of a public, school, special or academic library. We welcome nominations submitted by any employee of a Suffolk County library or any Suffolk County library patron.

Download the Application.