Southeastern NY, Library Resources Council, offers ongoing professional development opportunities. These come in the form of in-person classes, workshops, lectures, and webinars. These classes help to enrich our members’ professional experience and can be used to fulfill some requirements needed to maintain public librarian certificates.
Are you looking for information about a past event? Click here for an archive of recent Southeastern events.
Are you looking for similar events? Click here for a calendar of all Empire State Library Network events.
Southeastern welcomes people of all abilities to programs. If ASL interpreter services, captioning or audio description are needed, contact Carolyn Bennett Glauda – carolyn@senylrc.org or leave a message in the notes field to request those services when you register. Please register as soon as you know you will be attending. Requesting accommodations as early as possible is critical. Requests made at least one week in advance will help to ensure availability.
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Leadership and Management Skills SIG
New! Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2025*
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Facilitator: Crystal Middleton, Elting Memorial Library
Location: online via Zoom
This month, we will discuss policies as they affect both staff and patrons. How do staff use policy? How can staff make suggestions for change? Advocate for policy change? What happens when patrons challenge a policy?
This group is for library workers of all library types who handle administrative tasks and are becoming leaders in the field. If you aspire to or are currently working as, a: director, assistant director, manager, program manager, trustee, or serve in a leadership role within a professional organization, this meeting is for you! Topics we will cover in this meeting may include:
- Supervising other staff, volunteers, and/or interns
- Introducing and running programs and services at the library
- Onboarding new employees
- Getting professional development for management skills
- Doing advocacy work on behalf of the library
- Creating and maintaining a budget
- Work/life balance in the light of growing work responsibilities
- Networking with other library workers who may become future colleagues
- Staying committed to social justice issues
- Working within union structures
- Influencing the culture of the library from within
- Deciding when and if to apply for different positions
The nature of the conversation will be based on the interests of the people who attend and may change from meeting to meeting. You can view the notes from previous meetings here.
*This event was originally scheduled for Monday, February 10.
Innovations In Employee Benefits
Exploring unconventional benefits that libraries, museums, and other cultural organizations can offer to recruit, retain, and inspire employees. Written material: legal guidance and sample language for implementing creative benefits.
This is the second event in our 4-part “Ask the HR Expert” series.
About the presenter: Stephanie “Cole” Adams is an attorney who represents libraries, educators, students, and creative professionals. Cole provides the Ask the Lawyer service that New York State’s nine library resource councils provide to each library in the state. She is a member of the ALA Lawyers for Libraries faculty, the Vice Chair of the Erie County Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Committee, and served as the General Counsel of Niagara University for over ten years. Cole is a proud graduate of SUNY Buffalo School of Law and Hampshire College.
We invite you to submit a question for the presenter – there will be a place to do that during the registration process. The deadline to submit questions is Friday, February 14, 2025.
Free to ESLN Members. Registration is required. This webinar will be recorded.
This session is sponsored by Empire State Library Network.
Budget Management (ESLN Academic Leadership Series)
Join us for the next event in this series, Budget Management! Many library leaders take on leadership roles without prior budgeting experience. This session will discuss some of the core elements associated with budget management.
Topics discussed may include:
– Types of budgeting processes: incremental, activity based, value proposition, and zero based.
– Who is involved in the budgeting process, inside and outside of the library.
– Authority to assign budget dollars to various expense categories.
– Strategies to determine which funds to use for various expenses (operating funds, endowed funds, grants, gifts, Friends groups, etc.)
– Internal and external factors that influence budgets and how to handle changes (new programs, changes in campus leadership, NovelNY, COVID, student enrollment, etc.)
– Handling mid-year budget cuts or sudden needs for increased funds.
Panelists: Becky Albitz (Marist College); Corey Ha (SUNY Geneseo) Brian Sullivan, Dean of Libraries (Alfred University.) Facilitator: Sarah Conrad Weisman (SUNY Oswego)
About this series: This series of six 90-minute panel discussions will feature academic library leaders from across New York State discussing various topics relevant to new and emerging leaders. Panelists represent a wide variety of academic institutions and provide a diverse set of experiences. As part of each session, participants will have opportunities to network with other new and emerging leaders through breakout rooms and small group discussions in addition to the larger panel discussion. These sessions will not be recorded.
Free to Southeastern & ESLN Members. This event will be held on Zoom Meeting; registration is required.
All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance for 1.5 hours of CE credit.
Live transcription will be available. We are committed to offering inclusive, diverse, and equitable services to all of our members. To request specific accommodations, please contact ESLN at least five business days ahead of this program.
This event is sponsored by Empire State Library Network.
A review of how the law impacts use of AI at work in libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions. Written material: guidance and template language for Personnel Manuals and policies (both for using, and for barring use of, AI).
This is the third event in our 4-part “Ask the HR Expert” series.
About the presenter: Stephanie “Cole” Adams is an attorney who represents libraries, educators, students, and creative professionals. Cole provides the Ask the Lawyer service that New York State’s nine library resource councils provide to each library in the state. She is a member of the ALA Lawyers for Libraries faculty, the Vice Chair of the Erie County Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Committee, and served as the General Counsel of Niagara University for over ten years. Cole is a proud graduate of SUNY Buffalo School of Law and Hampshire College.
We invite you to submit a question for the presenter – there will be a place to do that during the registration process. The deadline to submit questions is Friday, March 14, 2025.
Free to ESLN Members. Registration is required. This webinar will be recorded.
This session is sponsored by Empire State Library Network.
Meet the NYLA President
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Location: Southeastern’s Conference Room
21 S. Elting Corners Rd., Highland, NY
This is an opportunity for academic library staff and others to meet with the President of the New York Library Association (NYLA), Tim Spinder, to discuss the statewide library association. Additionally, this is a chance to meet with NYLA Executive Director AnnaLee Dragon and Director of Government Relations and Advocacy Max Prime.
Registration opening soon
SENYCon is an annual conference to highlight the unique talents and skills that library professionals in the Southeastern region hold. This event is made possible due to an outpouring of enthusiasm from our members, and the event is open to all Southeastern members.
This year’s event will occur on Friday, April 4, 2025, with an inclement weather date of Friday, April 11, 2025. Libraries and library workers of all types are represented and encouraged to submit a proposal. This marks 10 years of SENYCon!
About the presentations:
All presenters will be present at Southeastern’s office in person. We encourage short work summaries, so please keep it to 20 minutes or less. If you have a project suited to a poster presentation, we will also have space for you to display posters. If you are unable to present in person but would like to share your work via a pre-recorded video, that option is also available to you.
We are no longer accepting proposals. Please keep an eye on this space for an announcement of the roster in early February!
Impactful Mentoring (ESLN Academic Leadership Series)
Join us for the next event in this series, Impactful Mentoring! Many librarians can point to a mentor who significantly impacted their careers. Sometimes these are found through formal mentor programs or through other strategies. This session will focus on the goals of mentorship and how to create effective mentor/mentee relationships.
Topics discussed may include:
– Goals of the mentorship relationship: professional/organizational acclimation, career development, leadership development, etc.
– How to build a successful mentoring relationship.
– Types of external support needed for a successful mentoring relationship.
– How to find a good mentor
– How to know when it is time to end a mentorship.
Panelists: Melissa Jadlos (St. John Fisher University); Curtis Kendrick (Binghamton University); Carol-Anne Germain (University at Albany)
About this series: This series of six 90-minute panel discussions will feature academic library leaders from across New York State discussing various topics relevant to new and emerging leaders. Panelists represent a wide variety of academic institutions and provide a diverse set of experiences. As part of each session, participants will have opportunities to network with other new and emerging leaders through breakout rooms and small group discussions in addition to the larger panel discussion. These sessions will not be recorded.
Free to Southeastern & ESLN Members. This event will be held on Zoom Meeting; registration is required.
All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance for 1.5 hours of CE credit.
Live transcription will be available. We are committed to offering inclusive, diverse, and equitable services to all of our members. To request specific accommodations, please contact ESLN at least five business days ahead of this program.
This event is sponsored by Empire State Library Network.
This seminar is a chance to pose your “What ifs” “Whys” and “Howabouts” for employment practices in the future. Stephanie “Cole” Adams will answer your questions about HR-related issues in this session designed by you!
This is the fourth event in our 4-part “Ask the HR Expert” series.
About the presenter: Stephanie “Cole” Adams is an attorney who represents libraries, educators, students, and creative professionals. Cole provides the Ask the Lawyer service that New York State’s nine library resource councils provide to each library in the state. She is a member of the ALA Lawyers for Libraries faculty, the Vice Chair of the Erie County Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Committee, and served as the General Counsel of Niagara University for over ten years. Cole is a proud graduate of SUNY Buffalo School of Law and Hampshire College.
We invite you to submit a question for the presenter – there will be a place to do that during the registration process. The deadline to submit questions is Friday, April 11, 2025.
Free to ESLN Members. Registration is required. This webinar will be recorded.
This session is sponsored by Empire State Library Network.
Recruitment and Retention (ESLN Academic Leadership Series)
Join us for the next event in this series, Recruitment and Retention! This session will focus on the strategies libraries have used to attract staff members at all levels and on strategies our libraries and institutions have implemented to help retain employees.
Topics discussed may include:
– Strategies to recruit a diverse pool of job candidates
– How to work within limitations institutions may place on recruitment efforts
– Successful interview strategies
– Managing virtual versus in-person interviews
– Effective elements of onboarding plans for new employees
– Implementing plans or programs aimed at retaining or incentivizing employees
Panelists: Liz King (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute); Elaine L. Westbrooks (Cornell University); Andrea Falcone (Binghamton University)
Facilitator: Cara Howe (Colgate University)
This series of six 90-minute panel discussions will feature academic library leaders from across New York State discussing various topics relevant to new and emerging leaders. Panelists represent a wide variety of academic institutions and provide a diverse set of experiences. As part of each session, participants will have opportunities to network with other new and emerging leaders through breakout rooms and small group discussions in addition to the larger panel discussion. These sessions will not be recorded.
All attendees will receive a certificate of attendance for 1.5 hours of CE credit.
Free to Southeastern & ESLN Members. This event will be held on Zoom Meeting; registration is required.
Live transcription will be available. We are committed to offering inclusive, diverse, and equitable services to all of our members. To request specific accommodations, please contact ESLN at least five business days ahead of this program.
This event is sponsored by Empire State Library Network.