CATS’ East End Tech Coalition Presents- Navigating the Future: Teaching Emerging Tech in Libraries

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Wednesday, July 30, 2025
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
CLS 627 Sunrise Hwy, Bellport, NY 11713

This presentation is designed to help library professionals teach emerging technologies and promote digital literacy. Examples of practical strategies like hands-on workshops, makerspaces, and digital literacy programs, along with the tools and partnerships needed to support them will be covered. Successful library initiatives will be showcased and participants will leave with concrete steps and best practices to create or improve technology-focused programs. This seminar aims to position libraries as essential centers for innovation and learning in their communities.

Register Here

CATS: Technical Services Roundtable – Technical Services Roundtable

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The Technical Services Roundtable provides opportunities for any and all technical services library staff to come together and share techniques, strategies, and procedures related to ordering, processing, cataloging, and maintaining library materials. Join us for a spirited discussion where we will ask questions, share unique tips and tricks, and network with fellow tech services workers!   
 
When: 
  • Thursday, June 12, 2025
    10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    Where:
    SCLS
    627 Sunrise Hwy
    Bellport, NY 11713

 

Excellence in Library Service Award Nominations

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Nominations are officially open for this year’s Excellence in Library Service Awards. So, if you know someone who you feel deserves to be recognized for going above and beyond in the library world, print out and fill out the form below and get those recommendation letters written. The brochure with full details of the award can be found here. Nominations will be open until July 31, 2025 so anything emailed, mailed or sent through system will be accepted until then.

As always, we look forward from hearing about all the wonderful library workers we have here in Suffolk County.

Nomination Form

[SCLA] Networking Opportunity: SCLA, PLDA, & CLASC’s Annual Spring Mix and Mingle on June 5th

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Please join us for an exciting networking opportunity on Thursday, June 5th from 6-9pm at James Joyce in Patchogue! Mix and mingle with friends and colleagues from SCLA, PLDA and CLASC in a relaxed and social environment. Cocktail foods, a cash bar, and raffles will be available for everyone to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you there!
Register Here  or click “Register Here” on the attached flyer to secure your spot today!
Pricing
Association Members: $15.00
Non-Members and Guests: $30.00
Location
James Joyce Pub & Restaurant
Have questions? Email Morgan Tamburro: morgan@sayvillelibrary.org

DASL Luncheon

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Feel like the auto dealership is taking advantage of you, have no idea about car buying or servicing? Need to know the real car facts? Have we got an expert for you!!!

Please join us for the DASL annual luncheon special talk by Brent Thompson, professor of automotive technology, presentation, and q & a. Lunch

Where: Nosh Restaurant 470 Wheeler Rd, Hauppauge, NY 11788
When: May 21, 2025 1:00 p.m.

$15 for lunch and presentation (you can’t beat that combination)

Register here

 

CATS and EETC present: So You Want To Have a Makerspace?

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CATS and EETC present: So You Want To Have a Makerspace?
 
Tuesday, April 15, 10:00 am

Want to start a makerspace at your library but don’t know where to begin? This program provides librarians and library staff with the essential knowledge and tools to plan, launch, and sustain a successful makerspace. From cutting-edge technology and hardware to must-have software, you’ll gain practical insights to create an innovative and engaging space for your community.
———

All members of SCLA, its divisions, library personnel, and those interested in joining SCLA are welcome!

 
For more information on CATS, its programs, and its committees — click here!
 
**Membership to SCLA or CATS (and its committees) is NOT required to attend. All are welcome!**
 

SCLA Advocacy Update: IMLS Grants to States Program Withdrawn

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Colleagues and Friends, 
 
Last night, we received word that the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants to States Program has been cancelled. This action withdraws 85% of the federally appropriated aid to the New York State Library and Division of Library Development (DLD). The consequences of this decision will be profound, including a significant impact on all of Suffolk’s libraries and by extension, our professions, patrons, communities.

As we learn more about the local implications, we will share updates. But right now, we must respond.

The SCLA Executive Board has issued an official statement on behalf of The Association. The statement is attached to this email and will be on our website shortly. We urge you to read it – and more importantly, to take action.

Contact Your Representatives Today
We strongly encourage you to reach out to the following individuals, especially if you are a constituent. Tell them what libraries mean to you, and why this funding must be restored. 

 
Call, write, and email

Andrew Garbarino

31 Oak Street Suite 20

Patchogue, NY  11772

Phone: (631) 541-4225

https://garbarino.house.gov/contact

Nicholas LaLota

515 Hauppauge Road Suite 3B

Hauppauge, NY  11788

Phone: (631) 289-1097

https://lalota.house.gov/contact

What Should You Say?

  • Share your name and contact information.
  • Say that you are a constituent and that you care deeply about libraries.
  • Be brief, direct, and authentic.
  • Add a personal story if you have one.
  • If calling, prepare your message ahead of time.


Why This Matters
Here’s what is now possibly at risk with the loss of this funding:

  • NOVEL NY Databases: Resources like Opposing Viewpoints, Academic OneFile, and Britannica – used by students, educators, and job seekers.
  • Library Construction Aid: Critical funding for libraries to make buildings ADA-compliant and meet the needs of growing communities could disappear.
  • Training and Consulting: Staff at the NYS Library provide expert support in areas like records management, and library staff can request training or consult with staff to understand their obligations.
  • Library Systems and Resource Councils: 23 Library Systems and 9 Resource Councils in the State rely on aid from the NYS and DLD to keep their doors open. These entities provide programs and support to the 756 public libraries in the state in areas like eBook and electronic resources purchases, delivery of materials that libraries borrowed from other libraries, and professional resources.


Our Message Is Simple
“Libraries are essential to me, my family, and my community – we vote, and we want this funding restored. Do what you must to reverse these cuts.”

We know that these are uncertain times, but these times require action. Raise your voice and tell everyone that our libraries are worth fighting for.

 
Thank you for your time and attention. 
On behalf of the Suffolk County Library Association Board,
Anthony Giansante
SCLA President

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

CATS and EETC present: So You Want To Have a Makerspace?

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CATS and EETC present: So You Want To Have a Makerspace?
Tuesday, April 15, 10:00 am

Want to start a makerspace at your library but don’t know where to begin? This program provides librarians and library staff with the essential knowledge and tools to plan, launch, and sustain a successful makerspace. From cutting-edge technology and hardware to must-have software, you’ll gain practical insights to create an innovative and engaging space for your community.
———

All members of SCLA, its divisions, library personnel, and those interested in joining SCLA are welcome!

For more information on CATS, its programs, and its committees — click here!
**Membership to SCLA or CATS (and its committees) is NOT required to attend. All are welcome!**