FLLS Bulletin January 2026
Member Library Monthly Bulletin | January 2026
Table of Contents:
- Announcements
- From the Director
- Member Library News
- Continuing Education
- eContent
- Programming
- Grants
Announcements
FLLS will be CLOSED on Monday, February 16!
Sarah will be in Albany for Advocacy work on February 2 and 3; she will be in Washington D.C. for National Library Legislative Days from February 23 to 25.
From the Director
On January 20, 2026, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled her FY 2027 Executive Budget. This budget is scheduled to be passed by April 1, but typically runs late. The core funding levels included in her proposal for libraries are:
Library Operating Aid: $104.67 million
- This is a $1.655 million cut from the FY 2026 Enacted Budget
Library Operating Aid, also known as State Aid for Libraries, is statutory funding for use by each library type and system. State aid is leveraged by regional library systems to support eBook access, interlibrary loan, delivery, continuing education, coordination of collection development, automation, and other resource sharing activities.
Library Construction Aid: $34 million
- This is a $10 million cut from the FY 2026 Enacted Budget
Library Construction Aid refers to funds allocated annually in the state budget for the use of public libraries and systems for construction, renovation, rehabilitation, or acquisition of new space. Other eligible or unique projects include broadband installation, emergency generators, and security systems. Unfortunately, while the New York State Library estimates a whopping $1.75B in the deferred construction needs across all New York libraries, the state has never allocated more than $44 million in annual construction aid for libraries.
NOVELny: $3 million
- This is stable funding from the FY 2026 level
Established in 2000 and facilitated by the New York State Library, NOVELny is a curated collection of databases and resources. It offers access to hundreds of academic journals, magazines newspapers, maps, charts, research, and reference materials available to all New York residents free of charge.
Office of Cultural Education Stabilization: $12 million
- This is new funding for FY 2027
The primary source of operational funding for the New York State Office of Cultural Education, including the New York State Library, State Archives, State Museum, Summer School of the Arts, and Public Broadcasting Program, is the Cultural Education Account. The account is primarily funded by the Cultural Education Fee, a one-time fee collected by county clerks and clerks for the City of New York for the recording, entering, indexing, or endorsing certain instruments. The current fee of $15 was set in 2002 and has not increased in 23 years, despite core costs like wages and employee benefits more than doubling in that period. As such, the account runs a chronic deficit, forcing the state to offload responsibility for 55 of the New York State Library’s 84 positions to funding received via the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Grants to States program.
In line with requests by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) and the New York State Board of Regents, NYLA requests a $12 million general fund allocation to stabilize to Office of Cultural Education and maintain a fully operational State Library, both now and in the future. NYLA has also supported increasing the Cultural Education Fee to $30/pupil, but is currently focusing efforts on securing $12 million in dedicated funding for FY 2027, as has been included in the FY 2027 Executive Budget.
Library Advocacy Day will be held in Albany on February 3, 2026. I will be in Albany for State meetings and FLLS will not be providing a bus this year. Instead, we are focusing on local advocacy efforts and meetings. As the advocacy session advances, please look for emails from me asking you to participate in email and phone advocacy efforts before the passing of the State budget in April.
In addition to State library advocacy, I will be heading to Washington, D.C. at the end of February to participate in National Library Legislative Day hosted by the American Library Association. These federal advocacy meetings will provide an opportunity to demonstrate the value of libraries to members of Congress. Please look for my debrief in our February newsletter.
I will be out of the office on Monday, February 2 and Tuesday, February 3 and back in the office Wednesday, February 4.
Sarah
Member Library News
The wonderful staff at our 2 largest libraries, TCPL in Ithaca and Seymour Library in Auburn, celebrated #LibraryShelfieDay on January 28 with some excellent books! Click on the images below to be taken to each library’s Instagram page!
TCPL Staff:
Seymour Library Staff:
Submissions are always welcome! Do you have something to share? Please email jshonk@flls.org!
Continuing Education
Effective Communication: Fostering a welcoming environment for our Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing patrons (NYSL)
Friday, February 6 | 11:00am to 12:00pm | FREE
Have you ever tried to serve a patron who is Deaf, DeafBlind or Hard of Hearing (DDBHH) and struggled to communicate with them? In this webinar, library staff will learn how to interact with members of the DDBHH communities in a culturally appropriate and respectful way. Chris Woodfill and Rachel Cahill from the New York State Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Office will present about effective communication with the DDBHH communities.
Ask The Lawyer: E-Accessibility, WCAG 2.1, Title II, and Your Library (ELSN)
Tuesday, February 10 | 1:00 to 3:00 pm | FREE
A core function of any library is providing access to content, often through web-based platforms. April 26, 2026, and April 26, 2027, are two deadlines for public institutions to ensure web content and mobile apps comply with the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2024 Final Rule on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires all web content and mobile applications provided or made available by public libraries to be accessible to people with disabilities. This involves complying with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, with limited exceptions for certain kinds of content. But what if your library has or provides access to content that doesn’t comply? This session will review the legal obligations, techniques for meeting the standards, and mitigating legal risk, while focusing on what’s most important: library access for all.
Trustee Handbook Book Club (MHLS)
Tuesday, February 10 | 5:00 to 6:30pm | FREE
Join Kristin O’Neill from the New York State Committee on Open Government for a discussion about Freedom of Information Law. This session provides an opportunity for attendees to learn more about a public library’s rights and responsibilities in relation to the Freedom of Information Law. The class will focus on the areas of concern most relevant to you, so bring your questions, concerns, and unusual situations to discuss and to receive advice and guidance from the Committee on Open Government. This session qualifies to help trustees meet their 2-hour requirement for trustee education this year. Attendees are encouraged to read the related chapter in advance of the event. Directors are welcome and encouraged to attend as well. Have a question? Fill out the form; the team will answer pre-submitted questions during the upcoming session. View previous sessions on the Book Club webpage.
Succession Planning to Build Future Leaders (CLRC)
Thursday, February 12 | 10:00 to 11:00am | FREE
This session is designed to equip library leaders, managers, and staff with the tools and strategies to create equitable succession planning that foster diversity and inclusion. Participants will learn how to identify, mentor, and promote emerging talent while fostering an organizational culture that values and supports equity in leadership roles.
eContent
TumbleBooks
We’ve just renewed our TumbleBook Library subscription! This curated database of children’s e-books, with over 1100 titles for grades K to 6, and includes unique animated, talking picture books, read-along chapter books, non fiction books and videos, curated playlists, as well as books in Spanish and French. Plus, the collection features Graphic Novels.
Here’s a look at their monthly newsletter that highlights book picks for timely events and themes:
OverDrive News
OverDrive is suing Open AI for trademark infringement over its Sora app.
Programming
Swank Movie Licensing
A survey went out to directors on Tuesday, January 20 for libraries to indicate their licensing preferences. Please let us know your needs by February 6.
In late 2024 Swank rolled out their streaming service for libraries. A year later they have made some adjustments to this add-on license. You can learn more here at Swank Streaming.
Summer Reading
Save the Date! The FLLS 2026 Summer Reading Meeting is on Thursday, April 9th 9:30 to Noon with special guests from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Museum of the Earth, and the Sciencenter. Watch for details and registration coming soon.
Meanwhile, the FLLS Summer Reading LibGuide is where we’ll post the latest info for all things Summer.
Grants
SCRLC Digitization Grants
South Central Regional Library Council’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the 2026-2027 grant round for regional digitization projects. Funded projects will start after July 1, 2026 and conclude by June 30, 2027.
Full and affiliate SCRLC members are encouraged to submit projects that allow materials to be accessed regionally through New York Heritage, New York State Historic Newspapers, the Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative, the 360 degree Empire State Immersive Experience (ESIE), or discoverable through Wikipedia.
For 2026-2027, applications are especially encouraged for:
- community partnerships increasing representation of and with communities that have been historically and systematically oppressed;
- geographically underrepresented communities in the SCRLC region;
- creative approaches to availing digitized collections, e.g., holding or co-organizing a Wikipedia edit-a-thon to add links to New York Heritage collections, walking tours, virtual tours through ESIE, or HistoryForge participation.
All proposals received will be presented to a review panel comprised of expert individuals from outside the SCRLC region for evaluation and funding recommendations. Individual applications are limited to $5,000; partnership applications, to $8,000.
The application packet is available in Word or PDF format at our website. Applications must be completed and submitted electronically to Claire Lovell, SCRLC’s Digital Services Librarian, at clovell@scrlc.org by Friday, April 10, 2026. Please contact Claire with any questions.